Maui Revealed, The Ultimate Guidebook Review

The Best Maui Guidebook

I make my living writing about Hawaii travel. I don't know everything and I haven't been everywhere, so I sometimes rely on guidebooks and other sources to jog my memory or give me a fact or show me a picture. I have all four of the Hawaii Revealed Books (maui, oahu, kauai, and big island) and it is my opinion that the Maui Revealed Guidebook is the best source of vacation information available about the island of Maui.

The Best Five Hawaii Revealed Features


1. The aerial pictures of the hotels and condos !!
   These are amazing. If you have any question at all about where to stay, you must see these photos. An aerial photo showing you exactly what the hotel looks like from the air, with building labels. You can immediately see how close a place is to the ocean and what features are right around it and even which building you may want to request a room in.
   
   
2. The incredibly candid reviews of everything
   The authors are one-time-tourists-turned-residents who must do nothing but travel around the islands. It's quite obvious that they have actually been to every place they describe - every restaurant, beach, off-the-beaten-path snorkeling spot, and even hotel. Must be a hard life. :) If they don't like a place, they tell you, and they tell you exactly why. If a beach access sign is missing, they tell you - and tell you how to find the beach anyway.
   
   
3. The Maps, Directions, and Large Color Photos
   They've got maps of parks, maps of area beaches, maps of all the hotels showing how close they are to a feature ... and on and on. There are detailed directions to anything hard-to-find and fantastic color pictures of beaches, sunsets, towns, odd features, tide pools .. you name it.
   
   
4. The Organization
   The book is broken down into 8 sections: intro, basics, sights, beaches, activities, adventures, dining, and where to stay. Most sections are further broken down by area. Easy to use.
   
   
5. The Sense of Humor
   I'm a humor-hog. I'll take a laugh anywhere I can get one, but I never expected to find one in a guidebook. I only read little snippets of the book at a time, but most make me chuckle.
   
   
   My extensive (and neat :)! ) Hawaii guidebook and magazine library, right next to my computer.