Moon Handbooks Big Island of Hawai'i: Including Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Obviously, from the reviews here, people want/expect different things from their guidebooks but my wife and I have done a lot of traveling to a lot of places and found this one of the best we've ever used. This book covers everything a traveler could need -- where to stay, where to eat, where to shop; and whatever your taste in activities, from museums to water sports, from golf to horticulture, it's well covered here, with full details of the where, the when, the phone number, and any little quirky info like "avoid Tuesdays," or "be aware of the riptides." (Is there anybody out there who WOULDN'T want to know there are riptides?) It's also very comprehensive -- not too surprising, of course, when it only has to cover a relatively small island - some books this size cover a whole country!

Big Island of Hawai'i Including Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is the Moon Handbooks guide for tourists and travelers, and like all books in the Moon series, is packed cover to cover with absolutely everything one needs to know to make the most of a Hawai'i vacation or business trip. Focusing specifically on Hawai'i's Big Island rather than the rest of the chain, chapters cover Kona, South Kohala, North Kohala, The Saddle Road, Hamakua Coast, Hilo, Puna, and Ka'u and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. From tips for getting around to health and safety advice to extensive directions, maps, black-and-white photographs, recommended hotels, hours for ideal eateries and gift shops, sports and recreation facilities, and much more, Big Island of Hawai'i is a compact, information-laden guide that no traveler to Hawai'i's Big Island should be without.

I have found on 3 previous trips to the Big Island, in recent years that, Robert Nilsen's "Moon Big Island of Hawai'i" is vastly superior and is "The Best of the Best" when comparing the many others that are on the market, including some well known ones. This being the 3rd updated edition that we have used, we find it to be very up to date and that is sometimes very hard to do, when business's seem to change overnight, at times on the Big Island. His writing skills allow for easy reading and enjoyment, while showing his knowledge and love for the Big Island. Mr Nilson takes pride in the work that he does and when there seems to be an issue, with one of his recommendations, he takes the time to acknowledge your etter and sees to it that, if the issue is true, his recommendation will change in the next updated edition. My recommendation: This is a needed book on any venture to the Big Island of Hawai'i, whether your 1st, your 10th or more, as it is "The Best of the Best!!!!" You will find it well worn, upon your return, and may have friends and family wanting to borrow it for their trip,as well!

This book was a gift to me. I would never have purchased such a stodgy looking guide if I saw it in the bookstore. I actually got the larger Hawaii Handbook covering all of the Hawaiian islands. This book is the Big Island section of that book and includes comprehensive general Hawaiian island information as well. If someone is planning a multiple island trip they should go for the bigger book. Even if you are not going to Hawaii but want to know about Hawaii get this one. I devoured this book during the long flight to Hawaii and must say it was by far the very best travel guide that I have ever read and used to any destination. (And I have read them all.) It is so comprehensive and the writing is so well done that reading all of the information was almost like reading a page turner novel for me. I could not get enough. Once we were in Hawaii we found this guide totally indispensible. We traveled with a few other nice guides but, with all of their color photograpy and fancy maps, eventually this one was the only one we felt was worthwhile. (You can get all the maps you will ever need once you get there.) After touring extensively I read it with even more interest on the long flight home. We plan to return to tour just the Big Island and this is the one we will bring. It is not glitzy it is the real thing. Enjoy.

What I like about this one is its emphasis on local specialties and culture. This is a hallmark of Moon's guides in particular, and this one is no exception. The only thing missing is color photos. Buy it!