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For those trying to make lodging choices, the aerial photos that show the hotels in site would be helpful. I love to travel, but had never visited any of the islands of our 50th state.that is, until last summer. Our objective was to experience it more like locals than tourists, though we did do some of the touristy things. The guide does assume that you'll be staying at Waikiki, which we did not, but still gave fair coverage and reviews of places outside that small part of the island, which is where we spent most of our time. The photos included were great inspiration for our own photo adventures, and I appreciated that they were done by the author, not a paid professional photographer. For those touristy things we did choose to do, this guide was invaluable in helping us make our best choices, both in venue and in approach to places such as Diamond Head or Pearl Harbor.
Also helpful for us were the descriptions of hiking trails, letting us know how much time we might need and the conditions we might encounter on those trails. A friend and I decided one crummy Wisconsin winter day to plan a trip to Oahu. If a hotel says "beach view," you can get an idea of just what that actually means by studying these photos.The reviews and descriptions of the beaches were really nice and helped locate some hidden gems along our way. Detailed information about best times to visit are really helpful in maximizing your time. What to bring and pack lists were helpful, even for the somewhat seasoned traveler.As budget conscious travelers, the ratings based on cost were really helpful as well. Honest reviews of the best place to rent kayaks and where to paddle were also key to an enjoyable adventure.
We paired the use of this guide with Oahu Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Surf from Waikiki to the North Shore and as a result, came home with happy memories.
Tons of info and ideas on activities and luau's.simply amazing. Every thing we wanted to do it had tons of information. I could not believe how easy this book made our trip to Oahu. We bought and brought 3 other books, and I dont even think we bothered to open the others, this is the only one you'll need. We never went anywhere without it. Even the questions of where do you want to eat- they have completely right, honest opinions of everything even down to the shave ice and shrimp shacks. I'm excited to visit the other islands now since they have a book for each Hawaiian island. :)
The author is also completely wrong on the translantions and current usage of the Hawaiian language. I have used a number of guides for Hawaii. Living on the island of Molokai with the largest native hawaiian population, one has an opportunity to hear how the words are currently used. This is the most poorly organized one of all. The author fails to group by location so when traveling to areas one must search through a number of sections to find sights, food, lodging and other essentials. They are certainly not as described by Doughty. Lonely planet is a much better guide.
Take 'snorkeling' as an example. I have 3 others of the 'Revealed' series for Hawaii and have been very impressed with the books.until now. There is no coherent one place to read about snorkeling, such as where to go and what operators are good. The Oahu Revealed seems haphazard and incomplete. You may be reading a paragraph on a topic that then points you to another part of the book and when you go there, it is not easy to find what you were looking for. The information is scattered and you need to hunt for it.There were only a few hotels listed for places other than Waikiki, and I know there are other places to stay on Oahu, which was what I was hoping to see. The book is just OK, not great like the others in the series.
With regard to Tantalus, I had looked up the information before we left the mainland, and I'd looked at the map and decided it was going to be too hard to find. I found this book to be, by far, one of the best guide books I've ever used. Once on Oahu, we decided to give it a try and I didn't even use the map - only directions straight out of this guide. We were only on Oahu for a few days, and the concise, easy organization of this book helped us to zero in on exactly what sights were best to fit in for our short visit. We did two separate driving trips (up Tantalus and around the east side of the island) and this book made doing it a snap. I found it, no problem.I really don't have anything negative to say about this guidebook. Its advice and reviews were spot on, and it was worth every penny.
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