which guidebook would you recommend for someone who's never been to hawaii - one with good walking tour route and guide and description and context of sights and maybe some nice color pictures for inspiration. we're past planning stage, our island destinations are oahu and kauai. i'm sending the guidebook to my mom who'll be joining us on this trip. thanks in advance for all your input and suggestions.

just back from 3 island, 2 week vacation. I bought and used the Revealed books for each island and they were really helpful. But of course the best info came from right here on these boards from Fodor Folks.

These books have those who love them and those that hate them. You can buy them on Amazon and get a good price.

Hope this helps...
Debi

Debi, thanks for your quick reply. i have read many posts in this forum recommending Revealed series. it must really be good for hawaiian destination. i looked at the DK eyewitness book and wasn't impressed with their coverage of hawaii. maybe their forte is european destinations? thanks for your suggestion. btw, thanks too for you trip report. i enjoyed reading it.

We are planning a two week vacation. My husband has a business meeting in Oahu for 4 days. We need to make decisions on what to see from there. My husband has been to Maui, but he would go back in a NY minute. I see that DebitNM went to 3 different islands. Do you think that was too much (most of the guidebooks suggest one island per week). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Linda

Yes Linda, I think 3 islands were 1 too many. But ironically, BI was the one added after plans were made for other 2 [long story having to do with FF miles and tickets etc] and it was the one we liked the best. We did 5 nights on Maui, Oahu and 3 nights on BI. The biggest problem I found was the amount of valuable time lost in packing, getting to airport, turning in car, checking in, going through security, flying, getting bags, getting car...you get my point.

I would really suggest doing the 1 week per island. I know others on the board will disagree, but I found we lost too much time with the interisland flights.

If I can help with anything, feel free to email me direct. Also, have your read my TR's?

Hope this helps...
Debi

I am a fan of the Moon Handbook series (I used it for Maui).

I like the Revealed and moon books also. One more that I got for my trip in 02 that had a lot of good info: Hawaii for Dummies. LOL, I was surprised myself when I found it very helpful.

In Waikiki you will find a huge number of publications available for free at hotels & from sidewalks dispensers: "101 Things to Do", etc. that have ads for tours, maps, transportation options, etc.

i bought maui revealed and honestly am not finding it to be that useful for me. it came highly recommended by others.

so if i were you, i'd go to barnes and noble or another gigantic bookseller and plop down in the travel section and browse through the various books on maui (from the "big names" travel publishers- the established names, like fodors, frommers, maui revealed, lonely planet, etc.) and see which one is easiest and most interesting for you.

that's just my opin.

L

I've done what Lynnejoel's done. Also, regarding nice color pictures, I like Frommers for that.

I just checked out any & every Hawaii guidebook that I could get for free from my library. I had a big stack to work from.

Revealed books (aka the Blue Bible) are also known as the Reviled books in Hawaii. They are not sold at any of the Hawaii National Parks. You might want to do a search on this site and read more about both the pros and the cons.

You can also sign up on the islands websites and have them send you free literature. One of Dusty's posts would have these website links, if you need them.

I LOVED using Richard Sullivan's, "Driving and Discovering Hawaii, Oahu. Excellent guide book w/ large color photos, driving maps, detailed descriptions. Your mom would def enjoy reading it beforehand.

Aloha... have a wonderful time!

ps. Lindala... the less you travel island to island the more relaxed your trip will be... I'd opt for no more than 2 islands in 2 weeks. Personally, I like to stay put on one island for 2 weeks or more. Def gives you a great opportunity to dig deep and explore places you normally wouldn't have time for when you've only got a week. Every time I leave O'ahu I'm still left wanting to do something that I didn't get to. Love that island!!! Enjoy! Live aloha!!!

Also, I like Hawaii magazine, available at most bookstores.

I second the recommendation for Driving and Discovering O'ahu. You will be able to use it for walking tours. The many pictures are wonderful for both anticipating and remembering your trip. It has good descriptions and maps as well.

The only caveat is that I believe the most recent edition is 2003, so some of the details could be outdated. But overall, it is a great book with very inspiring photos.

if you're looking for walking and hiking tours, we like the Trailblazer series. They have excellent ideas for all levels, even seniors, and the photos on every page are gorgeous black and whites that pop into color when you arrive at the destination. When it rained one day we switched to two of their four driving tours which provided some insight into the island's history. It rounded out our itinerary and stretched it out. We own their Oahu book too and are planning a family Christmas trip right now. The kids will be surfing on the north shore so we've booked a place (using a Trailblazer listing) on the windward side.