Books about Hawaii; My Hawaii Book Recommendations

August 17th, 2004

The biggest single recommendation I have is the Hawaii Revealed Series. If you are going to Hawaii and you plan to get off the beach in front of your hotel just once you need the book corresponding to the island you are on (exceptions are Lanai and Molokai - information is sparse on these two islands, as with most books).

The Hawaii Revealed choices are Maui Revealed, Hawaii the Big Island Revealed, The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook and Oahu Revealed

These books have stirred up quite a bit of controversy in the islands, simply because the authors are so forthcoming with their information about what the best places to stay and eat are in the islands, and what the best things to see and do are, and exactly how you get there. They have exposed beaches that previously only the locals knew about, given explicit directions to waterfalls through private land (advising you to get permission from the landowner) and written frankly about popular island misconceptions and the failings of other books about Hawaii.

The success of the Hawaii Revealed books has also increased traffic to previously quiet spots by as much as 300 cars a day, and caused some landowners to take greater pains to close their land to the public. So, these books are candid and accurate guides to the most fun things on the islands, but also victims of their own success.

The Hawaii Revealed Series can help you pick a hotel

One of the best features of this series is the hotels section featuring aerial photos with the building names marked. You can see exactly how close that hotel you are looking at is to the beach (and if there even is a real beach!), and then you can even try to specify at reservation time which building you want your room to be in! Space in the book is limited so several of the hotel's pictures are on the website - access password is given in the book.

More Books

There are also several other books that I can recommend regarding each island and Hawaii as a whole. I have read through and probably own a copy of every hawaii book I recommend:

The Trailblazer Books
Consider these books (there's one for Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai) as an alternative or in addition to the revealed books. They are also excellent, complete guides but they don't waste much book space on where to stay or eat so the "hike, snorkel, paddle, surf, and drive" guides are oftentimes a bit more detailed.

The Frommer's Hawaii Books
There are several; they consist of solid advice from local writers.