The finest guidebook ever written for Kauai and the only one written by a writer who anonymously reviews the island. He visits every beach, restaurant, activity and trail on theisland. The result is this comprehensive, humorous and easy-to-read full color guide that will lead you to more adventures than any other book. A must for travelers.
English Time-saving book made our short vacation packed with the best things to do! I want to qualify my opinion to say this book worked best for us and our idea of what a vacation on Kauai is....outdoors-y, hiking, beaches, kayaking, biking, scuba/snorkeling, etc. AND NOT resort life, spa sessions and 5-star dining. The author shares his first hand experiences with each helicopter tour, scuba shop, trail, restaurant or not-to-miss sights so you don't waste your precious vacation time sorting through the endless brouchures and ads.
What made this better than the others is the first-hand descriptions of the locations, great maps, and advice on what to do and where. Then it is separated by localized areas...helpful when you want to stay local to avoid driving/Kauai Traffic or to plan where to stay.
Beaches: Some hard to find and not to miss so this guide was invaluable in suggesting parking and how to find the hidden access trail. Also traveling with kids...it laid out what was safe and what to expect. Not all beaches have "facilities" and can involve a neck-breaking tumble or two to get there. The back of the book has a pull-out photo listing of the best beaches in the North East of the island.
Trails: He lists his favorite trails, what to expect and what to bring/wear. Follow his advice and you will be rewarded!!
Food: We ate in most of the time but his suggestions on local hamburger joints and shave ice where right on the money. Advisedwhere to shop and about the Farmer's Markets. Yes, Costco was the best deal on Hawaiian gift products. No, we didn't eat at a luau.
Sight-Seeing: We saved all the plantation and Botanical garden tours for next time but the suggestions and descriptions helped us decide what our group was most up to do for the one-week time span we had on the island.
Sporting Activities: Helped us plan which Kayak place to use and to skip the 'Tubing down canal' activity. Also gave excellent suggestions on what to see along-side most of the activities. BTW-Dude is Funny! His comments and writing style is fun to read in layman's descriptions. It felt like he was our personal tour guide.
Accomodations: Again, not for the resort-minded individual...geared towards condo rentals. We skipped this part of the book as we already had a place to stay.
Maps: One reviewer said that it was difficult to have area maps located in different parts of the book. I would agree but it's not bad as the front folds out to give an overview map of the island and the page locations to the area maps.
Like I mentioned before, the author is a hoot and makes this book entertaining to read...far from dry. The cover seams a little dull but you know what they say about judging books. I usually like Eyewitness and Fodor guides but this one was FAR superior to anything I've read before.
