Rating: 
Summary: Concerned, too
Review: As a former Big Island resident of nearly 30 years, I, too, am worried that some of the information offered drives visitors to private property. This is taboo in Hawaii, and I hope visitors will take that into consideration when they visit the Big Island, or any island in Hawaii for that matter.Eric Bollinger
Publisher of "Kahala, Growing Up in Hawaii" by Laurie Birnsteel
Rating: 
Summary: Great for tourists but .....
Review: As someone who has an apartment on Ohau and has spent time on all of the islands,including the last 21 consecutive years (just returned from 4 months there) I find the series of "...Revealed" books most attractive for tourists who visit the islands. However, these books identify too many places to see and things to do that involve infringing upon local residents rights, property, and traditions, that I am afraid that they could easily lead the reader to become an "ugly tourist". I only hope that any readers take the time to do additional research, if only talking to local residents, before charging off in a state of excitement to experience "paradise".
Rating:
Summary: The best and worst
Review: This is a hard one to review, because while this and the others in the series are wonderfully organized, expertly written and unbelievably detailed, they also reveal the deepest secrets of the Hawaiian Islands, previously only known to locals. First, the positives. You won't find a better tour book for Hawaii, on or off the islands - period. This goes for every book of the series - Maui, Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island. Doughty and Friedman expertly steer you around the islands, avoiding the crowds and avoiding the tourist traps (like the bike ride down Haleakala). You'll get tons of practical touring strategies, like, for example, on Maui, taking the Road to Hana later in the day and spending the night in Hana so you can have the Seven Pools to yourself for a few hours in the morning. That's just one example from the series; each and every book is loaded with this kind of pragmatism, so even on your first trip you'll feel like a seasoned visitor. Every aspect of your trip is covered in the books, from the sites to see and avoid, the restaurants to hit, the best hotels, camping options, and island history. Every type of traveler from the luxury $1000 per night tourist to the canvas tent hiker will find useful info. More than anything, while realizing how much of Hawaii is truly still hidden to you in the almost uninhabitable reaches of the jungles and volcanic residues, you'll still feel as though you're seeing as much of it as any outsider can see. Now for the bad. Because Doughty and Friedman live on the islands and have explored every hidden waterfall and pool, they are privy to spots on the islands that even many locals are unaware of. And naturally, many of the areas are located on private property. This however, doesn't seem to bother the writers. After giving a detailed description of how to access a remote waterfall on private property (stuff like, "Park on the pull-off a few hundred yards after mile-marker 23, and scale the guardrail. You should see a path that winds down into a bamboo forest. At the bottom of the path, go *left*, not right, away from the river..." etc.), they follow it up with a limp disclaimer, like "Technically, this is Hawaiian Forest and Game property, but we've been hiking on it for years without a problem..." The bottom line is that while the places they tell you to go are private and amazing, by definition these magnificent spots can't last. Because they've been revealed (as the book titles promise), a hidden location that may have previously had only a few dozen visitors per year now gets five or six visitors a day, thus destroying the serenity and privacy of the location, ruining what is the reason for going there in the first place. So it's somewhat of a self-defeating book, since by revealing these remote locations they are also condemning them to extinction. Lastly, these books are quite popular and already the hidden waterfalls and trails are not so hidden. More than once I hiked a mile or two through rough, muddy terrain and rushing rivers to reach a waterfall, where I found a soccer mom, an over-weight dad in flip-flops, and two four-year olds frolicking in the pool, one of the inevitably clutching their copy of "Maui Revealed" or "Oahu Revealed." That sort of detracts from the sense of adventure I built up on the way there. In addition, some of the private property areas that he says have no signs posted now have "Keep Out!" signs posted in response to the hundreds of trespassers following Doughty and Friedman's advice. So be aware that some trails they mention as remote and tolerant of hikers may now be *very* intolerant to trespassers. While this book is an incredible guidebook and you *should* use it to plan your Hawaiian vacation, ultimately, let your conscience be your guide as to where you do and don't venture.
Rating: 
Summary: Essential book to maximize your time on the Big Island!
Review: It was amazing how many folks were carrying/reading this book on the Big Island! It is as simple as this: If you are going to the Big Island of Hawaii for an "active" vacation, get this book. Best 10 bucks I spent all vacation! Easy to use maps, tour operators, hikes, snorkels, food, its all here with a comical spin! There are so many things to do and see on the Big Island, this book is essential to get the most out of your personal holiday. They don't mess around with places to avoid either! This is a refined work, exceptionally written and organized, it was extremely helpful when weather conditions forced a change of plans.
Rating:
Summary: An Insider Perspective on The Big Island
Review: This book provides a great insider perspective on the Big Island, describing the two sides - Kona and Hilo, the beaches, activities, and local businesses. This book was highly recommeneded to us for planning our Big Island vacation and definitely provides a lot more useful information that some of the other guidebooks out there. They provide mile marker listings for navigating to different places around the island. There are ariel pictures of all the beaches and resorts so you know whether you are visiting/staying at a white sand beach or a rocky cove. One funny excerpt from the book: "Nap'opo'o Beach - We only mention this here because lazy guidebook writers rave about the splendid beach at the south end of Kealakekua. It's gone! It disappeared when Hurricane 'Inkiki side swiped the island in 1992...."
Rating:
Summary: OVERALL SCORE: (A+)
Review: This is the best Guide Book that I have ever read! The information contained here is so indepth that it makes a great relocation guide for those wishing to move here.
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Summary: AMAZING snorkling finds
Review: This book took us off the beaten track with unbeatable experiences. It had us driving over crazy lava fields to get to a volcanically heated swiming hole, face to face with four dozing turtles! In the past we've paid lots of money for guides to take us to see turtles. With this book we felt like adventure explorers doing it on our own. It also guided us to an unbelivably unique snorkling area in Puna with lots of crazy coral--totally unlike anything I've ever seen in Hawaii. Just a few locals swimming around. HOWEVER it is a pain to navigate around this book--it seems like stuff is sprinkled all over the place. By all means read it in advance of setting out, marking the pages you'll have to flip back and forth between . That's the only reason i give it 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Great when you don't have time, better when you do
Review: On my recent first time trip to the Big Island this book was an invaluable guide to getting the most out of my vacation just reading it on the plane and on the go. Over my five days on the island it gave me even more valuable insights with repeated study. Its format divided into routes, beaches, activities, food, and adventures made it especially easy to understand. Writing style, the author's persona, and the 'Consumer Reports' like integrity of the book are also winning points.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks for being our guide
Review: We can't thank you enough for our wonderful, informative trip to the Big Island. Your book was absolutely a "must" for us. Especially helpful were the use of mile markers and maps. We loved your humor while writing and appreciated your honest opinions. Volcano Nat'l. Park is doing a disservice to their visitors by not selling your book within the Park. However, I did notice that most places outside of the park had your book available. It is hard to decide which one of your "must see" and "real gems" pleased us the most because we loved them all. However, I must mention the delight we discovered when we got to the Queen's Bath north of Ai'opio Beach. We thought we were in heaven when we found the "scads" of turtles you talked about at Ai'opio Beach and then we came to the Bath! We were the only ones there and since we had our bathing suits on we couldn't resist the opportunity to go into the refreshing cool water and enjoy the solitude. On our next visit to Kauai we will definitely purchase your other book. Your book never left our hands while sight-seeing. Thanks for all of the time and effort you put into publishing a book that is a "must" for anyone going to the Big Island. Your talent of writing was our gain and we applaud you.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have on your trip to the Big Island
Review: After reviewing most of the popular guidebooks to the big island, I can say that this one is clearly the best. Kudos for the authors' attention to detail and objectivity. Some of the information on restaurants seems innacurate or perhaps outdated. The condition of some non-paved roads is also somewhat unreliable, specifically the road to Makalawena Beach (what road?!?! its an off-roading expedition). All in all, the book is an excellent guide for all parts of the island we visited. The sections on volcano national park and Captain Cook monument give you the locals' scoop. In many cases, you need to read between the lines to get at the author's real message (eg. viewing lava, etc.) A must have. Enjoy your trip!
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