Travel to Australia And South Pacific

Hawaii For Dummies (Dummies Travel)

Format: Paperback
Author: Cheryl Farr Leas
ReleaseDate: 18 December, 2006
Publisher: For Dummies
Rating:

A Very Good General Reference
I visit Hawaii on business about four times a month, and have found the information in this guide to be generally quite accurate. "Hawaii For Dummies" is a good general reference, especially for first time visitors to Hawaii. In any guidebook there are obviously things that are out of date, and that's especially true in a guide this compendious. Most of the inaccuracies are prices that have increased, though in my personal experiences none of the increases I have seen has been ridiculously out of line with inflation. I find that the diagrams are good for general planning, but a dedicated map of the island you are visiting is necessary for navigation.

The book has several useful features including the Post-It flags to mark pages of interest (a very useful feature) and a "Quick Concierge" section in the Appendix which is a quick reference to important phone numbers and Internet addresses. The book discusses customs, weather, selecting things to see, and choosing an island. I think the author does a quite good job of explaining the pros and cons of different areas. For example, in the chapter on the Big Island, she explains that Kona is dry and has excellent beaches, while Hilo is wet and tropical and the beaches (such as they are) are places generally to avoid (although I personally love the retro feel of the city of Hilo. )

I spend more time on Oahu than anywhere else in Hawaii, and the discussion of Honolulu and the rest of the island is a strong point of the book. I found the author to be generally excellent in her observations about specific venues (especially restaurants), and her choices of "Best of the Best" in all categories are generally on the money.

I am amused at many of the lower-rated reviews. People should buy this guide to expose them to the basics of a new travel experience, in this case, Hawaii. This book does not have detailed travel maps for route planning, nor is it geared to eco-tourists or others who only want to see obscure and offbeat places, nor is it useful for driving while consulting the text (all criticisms levied against it in one form or another. ) What it does do very well is give an average new visitor a lot of useful information that would be of assistance to a person who needed to take a survey of the highlights of Hawaii. In that regard I think it excels, and in my fairly large experience with the Hawaiian Islands, I think the author has done an excellent job of diligently serving her core market.

I gave the book four stars largely for illustration issues. There are no color illustrations (except maps on the inside of the covers) and the general map coverage outside of Wakiki should be improved. Despite these issues I recommend this book for people traveling to Hawaii: it is a great resource for planning a trip (especially for those going to Hawaii for the first time); it is likewise an excellent resource to review plans and itineraries in the hotel room at night.

Aloha!.

Excellent References
So coordinating day trips was not an easy task. We are planning our first trip to Hawaii with our best friends who live far away. She found your book, and I also purchased it. Now we can coordinate trips and talk about what's on page 237, tag it for future reference, etc. . . . . We definitely think this book will be an excellent reference material for all you who are thinking of a trip. . . . I'm sure Ms. Leas has many other books out there for other places, but we're just excited to get to Hawaii first. .

All Puff
We should have splurged and bought a book for each of the islands we visited: Kauai, Oahu and Maui. Hawaii for Dummies was not usable and light when it came to driving details. Now you know.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Australia And South Pacific travel books.

	Frommer's Hawaii 2007 (Frommer's Complete)
	The Unofficial Guide to Hawaii (Unofficial Guides)
	Fodor's Hawaii 2007 (Fodor's Gold Guides)
	Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond