Hidden Maui: Including Lahaina, Kaanapali, Haleakala, and the Hana Highway

When you know you're going to Maui, this is a much better option than a book that addresses all the islands at once, like its sister book, Hidden Hawaii. There's a lot of information in here, although some of it I could have done without; if I wanted information about the culture, flora & fauna, geology, history and language, I would get a book about those things. This is supposed to be a vacation guidebook. That other stuff is extraneous, to my mind, and doesn't belong in this book. I did find that the "hidden" places they listed were ones I had not heard of in many other places. I don't know that much of anything is actually "hidden" out there any more; it's been developed so much in the last 30 years, you won't find many places that are really and truly unknown to at least some of the tourist traffic, especially if it's published in a book that will be read by thousands of vacationers. So, taking that into consideration, I guess the book lived up to its promise there, somewhat. I could have used some photos. There were none. But the maps were pretty good. I got a copy of this from the library for our trip to Maui in a couple of months; I may purchase this one to take along, as I found it more user-friendly and overall more useful than many other books I checked out.

I am not sure why the previous reviewers gave so much flak to the author for this book, because it really is an excellent guide to the island. Most people like to compare each guide for Maui to the Wizard book, but if you consider the relationship between that "other" book and the locals, then Hidden Maui by far comes out on top. A nice guide for the island, one I'd recommend along with Maui Mile by mile and Driving Maui.

This book is a must for the first time visitor to the island of Maui as well as those who return again and again to bask on her beautiful beaches and take in all the magnificent scenery. This book accompanied us on all our daily jaunts: the 10, 000 foot ascent to Haleakala Crater as well as a busy Saturday night checking out all the stores in Lahaina. Chapter 8's descriptions of various points of interest along the Hana Highway is invaluable as a guide to making the most of this winding, picturesque stretch of road. I found myself regularly referring to the dining and shopping choices listed for the various towns and found most of the descriptions very accurate. I have visited Maui several times before my most recent trip in September and I wish I had purchased this book a long time ago. If you buy only one guide to assist you in your travels on beautiful Maui, it should be this one.