Lonely Planet Hawaii

I bought this for my parents. My mother read it before she went on her trip and ended up becoming an unofficial guide on some of their trips. She also had long informative conversations with the actual guides because of the book. Now, I'm not advocating the book as a substitute for a real history book, but it isn't bad! Also, the tips were helpful and helped my parents prioritize and figure out where they wanted to go. Update 2007/2008: Based on my parents' experience, I bought the newest Lonely Planet Guide for my own trip. It was useful and really worth it. Good for reading before you plan your trip - especially if you're interested in when to see the Whales etc. and also good to read when you are considering places to eat. Loved the guide and also loved Hawaii.

I purchased this book more so for my husband who is a bit more into exploring the towns and cities. We went to Hawaii on a cruise so our experience was based on days in port. In the words from my husband he said the book was great everything explained was right on the button from decsriptions to cost. We may never do another cruise again so that we can explore even more and not have time restrictions. It was the first time for a Lonely Planet book but not the last.

The collaborative effort of Glenda Bendure, Ned Friary, and Sara Benson, Hawaii: From Oahu To Niihau, All-Island Coverage is an superbly organized and thoroughly "user friendly" guide for travelers visiting the beautiful and memorable islands comprising the state of Hawaii. Packed from cover to cover with a wealth of solid information concerning lodgings, activities, tourist attractions, dining, and much, much more, Hawaii is enhanced with maps, phone numbers, world wide web sites, prices, details, as well as color and black-and-white photography. Hawaii is a magnificent useful, highly portable, and strongly recommended trip planning resource for business travelers and vacationers alike.

On 5 trips to 4 of the islands, I've consistently found that this guidebook steers me in the right direction, and leads me to some out of the way places. The listing of B & B's & condos is extensive, if you are more interested in hotels, the Fromers guides have better listings. This book provides directions to some sights you would almost definitely miss otherwise. For example, on the drive to Hana there is a lovely swimming hole (with waterfall) about 30 meters from the road but with no signs leading to it. I would never have found this, and it was a higlight of the drive. Numerous other examples (this is one of the few books with details about Molokai), but the bottom line is that while most of the guidebooks list identical sights, this one goes into much more detail. If you are looking to lose the crowds and find some quiet places on your own, you need this book.

As always you can count on lonely planet to provide honest and useful information. I spent 6 months in Hawaii and this guide is definetly essential if you're planning a trip and want to avoid the most common tourist traps.