Purchased this guide book for our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii and found it to be extremely helpful!!

I love this book! It's so thoroughly researched and detailed and covers everything you need to know about the Big Island, including what to do and how to get there. Find yourself in a tiny, tiny town on the Big Island and wondering where is the best place to eat? Ask the book. Want to know the history of and the kind of food served at a luau? Ask the book. Need to know the closest way to get from point A to B? Ask the book. Wondering why there are wild goats on the side of the road? Ask the book. Not only is the author thorough, detailed and incredibly knowledgeable about Hawaii, he's witty. I appreciated the humor and personal tidbits the author threw in. When he advises you to buy mosquitoes or risk the "bloodletting of your life", he's not kidding - he knows from experience! We took this book everywhere with us on this trip and it never disappointed. By the end of the trip I felt like the author was a good friend - just one that I've never actually met in person. I will definitely be buying the other Hawaiian island books for our next trips!

Best guide to the big island by far. None even come close. Not only details available nowhere else, but updates on line. This feature was very valuable as our trip included three days at the volcano and the eastern areas of Hawaii including Puna and the northern coast. Suggestions about restaurants and stops were consistently accurate and informative. Very helpful in planning a trip as well. Organization of t he book is supberb! If I were to plan a trip to Mars, Venus or the moon, I would search for a guidebook by these authors

With the purchase of Hawaii The Big Island Revealed I now have the entire set of "Revealed" books about Hawaii. I just LOVE all of them. To my thinking these books offer you an honest opinion of what to expect. The writer's opinion is fresh, honest, well written, and not biased by the hotels and/or travel companies. If you are going to visit Hawaii, and you want information that will absolutely make a difference in what you do - this book is a must!

In planning a trip to the Big Island, I have read several books and information sources; Hawaii The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook is the best source of information on the Big Island. They give detailed inside information that even long time residents are unaware of. They rate restaurants independently and are not afraid to tell you which ones are bad and not worth your money. This book has saved me a lot of money, I went from feeling I needed to spend a lot of money on tours of areas, to feeling confident I could explore on my own with the information provided with such detail, it was like having my own personal guide right in your pocket.

I purchased "Maui Revealed" prior to enjoying my honeymoon on Maui. That book was an excellent guide and I used it time and again to plan sightseeing, activities, dinners, daytrips, etc. It never failed to provide all it claims. Now that I'm planning a trip to Hawaii, I am reading the Big Island book and I can't wait to use it for that trip. I highly recommend using these guides and I hope the authors consider making more guides for other U.S. vacation destinations (Yellowstone? Grand Canyon? Grand Tetons? Alaska? The Keys?)

Our family just returned from a wonderful trip to Hawaii, and can't say enough good things about this guide. We bought three others as well, and abandoned them not far into the planning process. We covered a lot of territory and saw things we never would have known about otherwise. We did not encounter any problems (or many,if any, other people) accessing these "hidden" treasures. The directions and maps were exactly right, and we found that we nearly always agreed with the assessment of the sites and the restaurants. (We found beautiful homes at great values via the internet and didn't rely on the book for lodging.) Our advice is to buy this guide, and forget the others.

I have used this series of books for years during my many trips to Hawaii. They've saved me a fortune and they really provide honest reviews on several topics. I highly recommend them and have found them to be spot on.

We think that these guidebooks are the best for all the islands. However, be skeptical of restaurant recommendations. Also comments and recommendations are frequently out of date. Small example: 2007 edition for the Big Island recommends the Mauna Kea hotel and golf course which have been closed for over one year.

As almost everyone here has pointed out, this guide was just unbelievably good. It helped make our trip a great success and we came back from Hawaii with a very satisfied feeling of having experienced the best of it. It did at one point lead us down a pretty treacherous path where my rented jeep wrangler almost overturned and then had a flat next to an old car that had obviously been abandoned there by the owners many years ago. Quite exciting though unplanned. So as a word of warning, even though the authors have done an excellent job of documenting the Big Island, parts of it are quite wild and volcanic activity can make otherwise simple drives a lot more complicated.

This book tells it like it is!
We used it a lot and found the advice good.
We get another book when ever we go to Hawaii so we are updated!
:)

This guidebook was fantastic for everything from where to stay, things to do, and places to eat. Conversationally-written and fun to read, it will definitely make you excited about your upcoming vacation. My only complaint is that I didn't see in the book that state beaches are closed on Wednesdays for "cleaning" and was therefore pretty disappointed after having made a Wednesday (day before I left) my day to beach-hop. Perhaps I missed this detail, but I consider it a crucial one and so it should have been posted everywhere very clearly. A great investment, though, for a dreamy vacation!

We go to Hawaii every other year and I have never gone there without this guide. We buy a new edition each year or if we switch islands. Their information is very accurate and helpful. The one time we went exploring without the book in our car, we almost got injured by something they'd listed a warning in the book. After that, we never let these books out of sight. Great stuff to save money or possibly your life.

The best guide there is of the Big Island. Honest, clear and fair with a great approach and a wonderful writing style. A must have for a good time in Hawaii. Just remember that things change fast in Hawaii and many of the books recommendations have since closed.

I studied this book inside out before going and made a plan.. This was the best book I could have had and am greatful for choosing it. The little scenic turnouts that I would have never found made my trip, and is owed to this book. If your going to a resort and staying there your whole trip, save your money for those expensive mai tais, but if your going there to see the island, this is a prerequisite, but this is a big island, so having a prioritized list of to do's will make your trip more than a driving experience...

This is the ONLY guide book you'll need for The Big Island! It's like having a local friend show you around. Everything was right on the money. And the online accommodations guide you access with the "secret code" found in the book is fantastic!

This is the ONLY guide book you'll need for The Big Island! It's like having a local friend show you around. Everything was right on the money. And the online accommodations guide you access with the "secret code" found in the book is fantastic!

In planning our upcoming trip to Hawaii, my husband and I have ordered eight or nine highly rated books. This book is the best one by far and will most likely be the only book we need for our trip.

This guide covers everything you could ever want to know for your vacation on the Big Island. It is the best and most complete guide I have ever read to any place and it is written in a very entertaining and funny style. I read several guide books to Hawaii and did a lot of research on-line, I could have saved that time because nothing I found compares to Andrew Doughty's books . You don't even need an additional snorkle guide or trail guide, this book covers everything. And anything you look for is easily found. You will love it!

We are planning a visit to Hawaii (The Big Island) and this guidebook has provided excellent information, maps, and details that have been difficult to find in other sources. Excellent!

These books have created a new (sub)species of Hawaii tourist - the intrepid rental car driver clutching a little blue book. Like Mao's Red Guard waving their small copies of Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, this breed is an unstoppable (and sometimes destructive) wave of energy, pushing into heretofore rarely visited areas of the island to spread the "Revealed" doctrine: "It IS safe to leave the big resorts behind! You CAN hike around to find beautiful spots!" In doing so, this book and its thundering herd has shifted the balance of local culture. No longer are dirty looks and angry hand-lettered signs sufficient to keep the mobs at bay. These books, rightly or wrongly, says you can go, and so office-workers on holiday from Tulsa and Minneapolis now troop where formerly only the initiated dared venture. In doing so, this new breed may inadvertently force resolution of long running land disputes -- or even force state and local governments to actually maintain/clean/protect sites and lands in their care. Can one haphazardly written series of guidebooks accomplish all this? It's a moot question - it already has.

I have used the Maui and Big Island books during visits to these islands, and have largely enjoyed them. First, these books are worth the money simply for the excellent maps - these are easy to read and show you just where to go. Second, these books are worth the money for describing numerous beautiful locations that simply aren't described elsewhere. This is not to say that these locations aren't crowded - just that you find a lot of blue-book waving zealots when you get there.

Negatives:

(1) The books are written in an eccentric and verbose style in search of an editor. The authors never met an aside, anecdote, pun or parenthetical that they didn't like. I imagine Doughty and Friedman as affable locals I'd like to have a drink with, but that I'd equally like to escape from after three or four drinks. These two have an axe to grind or a story to tell about pretty much everything. The reader will be informed that of the authors got stung by a bee while singing on a motorcycle, receive blow-by-blow accounts of visits to certain restaurants and hotels, receive harangues on big government, etc. This results in guidebooks at least twice as long as necessary. Some of the verbosity is fun - these are guides telling us about their home. Some of the verbosity creates guidebooks at least twice as long as necessary.

(2) Another issue is the confusing organization. There is a main section describing an area, and then segregated sections describing hikes, "adventures" and other activities. If you're doing a hike that's also an adventure, you may need all three sections -- and three maps -- to navigate to the area.

(3) The restaurant reviews are dispensable. The authors seem to love fancy meals at expensive resorts, beachside bars, and coffee shops. They cover the places that you would find anyway - stalwarts with big signs and parking lots. They throw in a few local places, but have missed a lot of gems along the way.

(4) Since a lot of the information is meant to be "insider" and therefore cutting edge, much information is out of date. We searched in vain for several defunct restaurants and have found that the access situation for some areas has changed. As changes do not seem to be reflected by new editions, it may be that the sheer amount of information included in these books may be too daunting to keep up to date.

Putting these negatives aside, these guides are valuable for the new visitor, so much so that it really does create a different species of traveler. Hawaii has its own brand of protectionist local culture. When you go to certain areas and get out of your shiny late-model rental car, you are almost certain to get a few hard looks and may see a few unwelcoming signs. It is very, very helpful to have a chatty, friendly guidebook telling you that yes, you can be at that spot and yes, this is public land. By the by, I have no idea if all the information about public access and public lands is correct - and I have heard elsewhere that it is not.

We used this book on our 1st trip to the Big Island and it was very helpful. We were able to see, do and eat wonderful things thanks to this very well put together book.

If you are going to the Big Island of Hawaii then you REALLY need this book. I found this book amazingly helpful when we visited Hawaii on the Pride of America. I saw MANY people on this island carrying the same book with them.

The Big Island - known as Hawaii, not to be confused with the entire state of Hawaii - is a gorgeous location. It contains the southernmost point in the entire United States. It has black beaches that large sea turtles come up onto, where you can stand a few feet away. It has an active volcano that you can walk on! Many of these things are not clearly labeled with signs.

That's where this book comes in. You are given precise, step by step directions about how to get somewhere, with the exact mile marker to look for and things to watch out for. You're told that you should NOT pay a parking fee in location xxx because the person there is just a huckster trying to get your cash. You're told to be careful of vandals in spot yyyy because it's known for having cars broken into. These are really valuable things for a tourist to know, that they would otherwise have no idea about.

I found the information here just incredible. It meant that our day on the island was planned out very well and we saw exactly what I wanted to see, with plenty of time in between spots. We knew what direction to travel Volcano National Park in. We knew to bring flashlights in the lava tube!! That one tip alone was WELL worth the price of the book. Everyone else did NOT bring a flashlight and literally hundreds of people watched us as we went into the dark depths of the unlit lava tube, wishing they could come along too. If they'd had the book and read it, they would have known about the flashlights.

The book is good about letting you know what is legal and what is NOT. We most definitely never went on private property or anything like that. The book even warns you about dangerous swimming conditions and advises you when to stay out of the water.

Now, some might have the complaint that "well without that book, only 3 people would find the southernmost point - and now 30 people could find it with the book, so that ruined it for me". By that logic, websites shouldn't talk about locations either. Heck, nobody should talk about locations. Which leads to the question of, how would *anybody* find out about a location then? Is the aim to have nobody at all in the entire world visit the Southernmost Point in the US? Is it bad if people who want to go somewhere, go somewhere?

This is a big island. It's the size of Connecticut. Everybody has different interests. If 30 people all love sea turtles, then I say all 30 people should know how to find the sea turtles and enjoy their vacation with the sea turtles. Heck, you had to fly thousands of miles to get TO this island, and you had to pay for the lodging either here or on the cruise ship. To say after all of that effort that only "certain people" should be able to go to spot X and that the others shouldn't know about it seems really unfair to me. Every one of us humans has the right to enjoy a natural beauty and this book helps us all make an informed decision about what to see.

A must-have book if you're going to this island!

If you want something informative, clear and concise, without hype, these books are well worth your time. Maps are good, photography is excellent and any advice is right on. They have hidden secrets about the islands that some of the locals might not appreciate. But, I do know of a certain hidden slippery slide on Kauai . . . . . . Highly recommended.

This book came highly recommended and rightfully so. It was lots of great 'insider tips' to the big island and helped us fully enjoy our stay in Hawaii.

Quite simply - a must read for all first time visitors and a recommended read for repeat visitors.

As other reviewers mention in detail, this book attempts to provide an "insider" view of all the sites on the Big Island. Since the main attractions of the Big Island are largely natural, it can be a bit tricky describing where to find a particular site to snorkel or a certain waterfall, but this books does a nice job of trying to point out these spots. However, I have seen some of them mention in other books. The key, though, is that this guide provides detailed opinions of what is worth seeing and what is simply tourist fare.

If you are looking for an active vacation, this book is probably for you. For families looking to take guided tours, this book provides some nice narrative about famous sites, but there are paperbacks that can better serve as reference material. For me, this was a great way to help budget my time, since it mentions some hypes sites that it describes as avoidable, while pointing to places and activities that pop up between major landmarks.

This guidebook is definitely the best out there for information on the Big Island. However, like all the other guidebooks by Friedman and Doughty they seem to have a total lack of respect for people's privacy and seem to encourage trespassing.

As a resident of the Big Island, I can tell you that this book has definitely contributed to the "wear and tear" of the island. They also seemed to have spawned a rather cavalier attitude in many tourists that visit the islands. People seem to think they are entitled to see things that are on private property and routinely trespass without any regard to the land or people they might be harming in the process.

I happen to live in the vicinity of a tourist attraction and routinely have people pulling into my driveway to use it as a turn around or sit in my driveway to figure out where they missed the turn. These people are usually quite rude and unfriendly (they don't wave, they block my driveway so I can't get out). They also threaten the small children on the road in our little village by driving very fast on our little one lane street.

If you buy this book, please remember that many of us *live* in Hawai'i and wish to preserve it for future generations. Please remember to have respect for the people and the land.

Aloha.

Although we have a vacation home on island and have been traveling to the Big Island for over 9 years, this book was still an fantastic resource for us during our latest visit while hosting another couple.

I am so happy with this guide. It is very informative and will be very useful on our trip to the islands.

This is an excellent guide book of The Big Island! It has so much great information!! I will be going to The Big Island in April 2008 for the first time. I can't imagine going without this book! Best guide book! Thank you!

This was a very informative book helping to plan our vacation to Hawaii. It helped us to decide where to go and what to avoid. Thanks!

Reading the book itself was like experiencing everything the author had while researching it, the writing is candid, humorous, insightful. It made our three day (I know, short) trip to the Big Island a great success. Except for one thing: the winds that the author describes as being strong in the afternoon on the Kohala coast are actually strong in the morning, but (according to our hotel) only in the summer (around September). If you spend such a short time on the island, this book is totally worth it. I just wish we had been considered "locals" like him, because in the low season (September), Hawaiians just aren't as friendly. There were hardly any tourists (weather is less predictable, it's past the main travel season in both US and Asia) and the locals appeared to be enjoying their time away from the crowds. But that's our experience, and don't let it stop you from buying this guide.

This book enriched my trip to the Big Island of Hawaii immeasurably. Its recommendations of things to do, places to eat, and its guide to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park made the trip a sure thing.

I haven't had a chance to put this book to use yet but it has been invaluable in planning so much so that we are not going to purchase any additional overall guide books for Hawaii. The big features of this book versus other guide books are great maps and numerous color photos. It is also fun to read. I was surprised to find restaurant and comprehensive lodging info included, particularly if you refer to their website for more info. They even have links to the properties' websites.

The only drawback is the lack of detail on each of the hiking trails. Lots of description but the basic information such as length of the trail is often left out. It also seems the authors really want you to go to the out of the way trails. Many take all day or multiple days to do. Perhaps they are all like that on the Big Island and on Kauai (the other book in this series I've purchased.)

I found this guide to be very accurate and complete. I liked the way things were grouped with basics in one section followed by detailed descriptions (including mile markers) starting from one point and working their way around the island, then a separate section for beaches, activities, hikes and adventures. The writer's comments are very funny which made for easy, enjoyable reading too. The maps were very accurate and easy to read as well. I would have been lost with out this book!

This series on the various Hawaiian Islands by Doughty is the most entertaining as well as informative I've ever read. I started out with this one - the big island - & rapidly acquired the rest of them, just for the sheer readability & entertainment value, since I wasn't even planning on going to Hawaii. They're a hoot, & so descriptive, with nice color photos, it's almost like being there for armchair travellers like me. I did send a copy to friends who live in Na'alehu, Big Island, & they agreed it was not only amusing in the extreme, but very informative & for the most part, very accurate.

Probably the best guidebooks to Hawaii a traveller can get. Or a non-traveller, for that matter.

These "Revealed" books are Da Bomb. We recently visited Big Island and Oahu and used both books. My friend is somewhat navigatiionally challenged but could easily use the books to give directions and provide spontaneous options on our travels. I must have consulted the books dozens of times. In fact, we met at least two families that also were using and raved about these books.

The books are well organized so it is easy to research different activites or places. The author has a real sense of humor. They are a great read. He provides a range of options from easy to hard. For instance, you might explore some of the best coffee growing area in the world (Kona) or hike a little-known trail through a rain forest to view a volcanic crater (Hilo). The Oahu book was as well presented as the Big Island book. Plus he has great maps too, even to the detail of where an inexperienced or experienced snorkler might likely swim. Don't leave home without 'em.

These "Revealed" books are Da Bomb. We recently visited Big Island and Oahu and used both books. My friend is somewhat navigatiionally challenged but could easily use the books to give directions and provide spontaneous options on our travels. I must have consulted the books dozens of times. In fact, we met at least two families that also were using and raved about these books.



The books are well organized so it is easy to research different activites or places. The author has a real sense of humor. They are a great read. He provides a range of options from easy to hard. For instance, you might explore some of the best coffee growing area in the world (Kona) or hike a little-known trail through a rain forest to view a volcanic crater (Hilo). The Oahu book was as well presented as the Big Island book. Plus he has great maps too, even to the detail of where an inexperienced or experienced snorkler might likely swim. Don't leave home without 'em.

The pro

As mentioned in the previous reviews, you can't find a better tour book. For those planning a trip to the islands, you can't go wrong reading the Ultimate Guidebook series. Do yourself a favor and read them before planning a trip to Hawaii. It gives the reader/planner insights not found in any other tour/guide book. Only then would you know (depending on your traveling habits) what to plan for, where and for how long. The detailed maps with side road markers and accurate, no holds back-down to earth reviews of sites and places to stay truly make this guide book stand above the rest. Their accompaning website goes further in providing the latest in up to the minute information and accomodation reviews and photos of the sites.

I bought this book as well as the other in the series a few weeks before actually booking the trip and I ended up booking much later after reading all the information such as the hotel was being renovated and under constant noise, plus it was quite further away from the activities that I was more interested in and getting a 4wd vehicle which they recommend for hard to reach places. Something I would not have done had I not had these books. Truly outstanding. Other guide books should be like this.

The con

This book makes you want to do and see so much in the little time one plans on the island that I find myself wanting a vacation after the vacation. But hey, I wouldn't want it any other way. Being that everyone and their mother already knows that these books are the best one to have, some of the sights might not be as secret as the book entails.

Bottom line,

Get the book (or all of them if visiting numerous islands) and read them to plan out your trip. Then take them with you and have fun. You won't be disappointed.

The pro
As mentioned in the previous reviews, you can't find a better tour book. For those planning a trip to the islands, you can't go wrong reading the Ultimate Guidebook series. Do yourself a favor and read them before planning a trip to Hawaii. It gives the reader/planner insights not found in any other tour/guide book. Only then would you know (depending on your traveling habits) what to plan for, where and for how long. The detailed maps with side road markers and accurate, no holds back-down to earth reviews of sites and places to stay truly make this guide book stand above the rest. Their accompaning website goes further in providing the latest in up to the minute information and accomodation reviews and photos of the sites.
I bought this book as well as the other in the series a few weeks before actually booking the trip and I ended up booking much later after reading all the information such as the hotel was being renovated and under constant noise, plus it was quite further away from the activities that I was more interested in and getting a 4wd vehicle which they recommend for hard to reach places. Something I would not have done had I not had these books. Truly outstanding. Other guide books should be like this.
The con
This book makes you want to do and see so much in the little time one plans on the island that I find myself wanting a vacation after the vacation. But hey, I wouldn't want it any other way. Being that everyone and their mother already knows that these books are the best one to have, some of the sights might not be as secret as the book entails.
Bottom line,
Get the book (or all of them if visiting numerous islands) and read them to plan out your trip. Then take them with you and have fun. You won't be disappointed.

We are sorry we didn't buy this book the first day. If we had had it before we left the mainland, we would have been even happier. This book made our stay on the Big Island a really great experience. There is so much Big Island to discover and so little time for (most of) us to experience it, that this book is very helpful in helping you get the most out of your visit. It isn't perfect (what guidebook is?) but surely much better than any of the other guidebooks out there. The lady at Borders said the only book they sell more of is the current Harry Potter. She said even the locals use it.

All the locals say, "You have the 'blue' book. That's the good one."

Great information about beaches. The only guide series I've ever found which gives serious consideration to snorkelers, rather than treating them as third-class citizens to divers.

Cons: cute-sy tone and "funny" asides get very tiresome.

A year ago I took a vacation on the island of Maui. Before the trip I purchased the Maui Revealed book and found it an excellent resource and one I would highly recommend for anyone going there. Now I am planning a trip to the islands again and will be spending a week on the Big Island. I didn't want to go before I had this book in hand. I have another year to plan but this book will help in deciding how I want to spend my time. I would hightly recommend this series of books for anyone planning trips to the islands. It's a fantastic resource.

An absolutely "must" guide to The Big Island of Hawaii. Whatever you want to know and wherever you want to go, you'll find this book indispensible. I was born and raised in Hawaii and thought I knew enough about this largest of the Hawaiian Islands to qualify as a tour guide. Never! This gives you detailed information on anything and everything you could possibly be interested in. Where to eat, what to eat, what to see and when to see it, whom to contact for special events and information --- this is an incredible publication.

My husband and I just returned from our first visit to the Big Island and Maui. We don't know what we would have done without our two "blue books". The detailed maps, hotel advice, restaurant critiques, and other insider info was priceless. We were able, on day 1, to set off for deserted beaches that next to no one knew about. We felt like each moment of our vacation was valuable, and we didn't want to spend any second of our trip wasting it. The books allowed us to make the most out of our trip.

Not to mention, these books are popular. Almost every store we went in was selling it. Others asked us, "Do you have the blue book?"

My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon in Hawaii, and this series of books (we also used Oahu Revealed) served as our travel bible when in the islands.

This a no-holds-barred-tell-it-like-it-is guidebook. We followed the driving directions as written and found several spots that were definitely off of the beaten path. We found that the book showed us places on The Big Island that we wouldn't have found on our own... and this definitely added to our trip. We also found the book maps to be much easier to use than the free maps provided at the airport and tourist information booths.

If you're planning a trip to the Big Island, there are three things you must do:

1. See Kilauea
2. Enjoy a brew (or some grub) at the Kona Brewing Company (our fave restaurant in Kona)
3. Get this guidebook

A guide book unlike any other. Interesting and very useful. We saw and did so much during our time on the Big Island thanks to this book's advice, organized as you travel the island--brilliant! We are planning a trip to Kauai next and will pick up that Revealed book, not waste our time with any others.

I have recommended this book and loaned it to tons of my friends. This is the only guidebook you ever need! Every food recommendation, trip etc. has been great. Like having a friend on the island.

This may well be the quintessential guide book. Pictures are excellent, text is readable and relevant, and (dare I say it?) the price is right!