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Lonely Planet Hawaii
Hawaii
From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.
Join Lonely Planet Hawaii experts for the best advice on traveling to what Mark Twain called "the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean." This is a great guide for people of every budget, featuring more than 60 maps, directions for the best outdoor activities, plus background notes on the islands' history, cultures, and people. There's also a Hawaiian language guide, including useful pidgin words and phrases. --Kathryn True
564 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
348 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 16, 2016
Earlier this year, I waited to purchase the latest copy (2016 version) of Lonely Planet Hawaii by Sara Benson and Amy Balfour in preparation for my holiday and first-time visit to the country.
Reading zealously with sticky notes and flags over the course of a few months, it took me a while to understand the layout and approach to this travel guide.
My first impressions were that the layout was a little haphazard, until coming to the realisation that the book was organised by island, not by activity. This means if you're interested in sea turtles, you have to look at references for sea turtles on every island.
Finally, the free map at the end of the book was a complete waste of paper. The free maps in the Waikiki Trolley brochure were a much better resource when out and about in Honolulu and Waikiki.
Lonely Planet Hawaii was a logical place to begin my research, but in the end, I found my online research to be more useful this time around.
Reading zealously with sticky notes and flags over the course of a few months, it took me a while to understand the layout and approach to this travel guide.
My first impressions were that the layout was a little haphazard, until coming to the realisation that the book was organised by island, not by activity. This means if you're interested in sea turtles, you have to look at references for sea turtles on every island.
Finally, the free map at the end of the book was a complete waste of paper. The free maps in the Waikiki Trolley brochure were a much better resource when out and about in Honolulu and Waikiki.
Lonely Planet Hawaii was a logical place to begin my research, but in the end, I found my online research to be more useful this time around.
November 15, 2013
Full of excellent recommendations for things to do, places to eat and drink, and places to stay, Lonely Planet Hawaii is an excellent guidebook. Interestingly, the recommendations match those of locals that I know, which is definitely not always the case with other guidebooks. I used the book primarily for restaurant recommendations on a recent trip to the Big Island, and each and every one was spot on. Da Poke Shack, Big Island Grill, Kona Brewing, Waikoloa Kings' Shops Farmers Market, and Cafe Pesto are all worth return visits. As a craft beer enthusiast, I had never even heard of Big Island Brewhaus, but enjoyed it enough to bring some bottles back to the mainland in my suitcase. As a librarian, I do struggle with the indexing of LP guides at times. In trying to locate the entry for Anaeho'omalu Bay Beach I could not simply look in the As in alphabetical order. I had to figure out that beaches are clustered in three separate categories: beaches, beach parks, and surf beaches & breaks A-Bay is a beach park, BTW). As a person who's willing to drive as bit for a great meal, I also wish restaurants were indexed alphabetically: since they are not, the reader needs to know where a particular place is in order to read about it since restaurants are listed geographically with some fine breakdowns (separate sections for Waikoloa, Kohala Mountain Road, Waimea, etc.). However, the indexing quibbles are minor given the wealth of information presented in a breezy, accessible style, which seems especially appropriate for Hawaii. Mahalo, Lonely Planet. (Full disclosure: I went to high school with coordinating author Sara Benson.)
December 31, 2021
Great book to narrow down which island I would like to travel to in Hawaii. Oahu has the Polynesian Cultural Center, Kualoa Ranch & Activity Club, Dole Pineapple Plantation, Kahuku Farms, and Manoa Chocolate as the top attractions. Versus the Big Island has the macadamia nut factories, Kona coffee tours, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and Nani Mau Garden. Although I really want to go to the macadamia nut factories and Kona coffee tour, I think going to Oahu is the top choice since I'm traveling to Hawaii for the first time and haven't been to the Polynesian Cultural Center.
July 22, 2024
As with all Lonely Planet books, well laid out includes all aspects of any trip you would wish to know about. It can then be used as a lead in looking for some areas in more detail, particularly for sightseeing.
November 14, 2017
Full of excellent recommendations on things to do/ places to eat while visiting Hawaii!
January 8, 2020
Helpful and very clever guide as much as others from LP.
May 31, 2020
This was wonderful. It gave me history, etiquette along with places to see and things to do.
January 4, 2014
Here Today, Gone to Maui
I heard about all the pretty girls
With their grass skirts down to their knees
All my life I wanted to see
The island called Hawaii
Ever since I heard The Beachboys' song, "Hawaii," by Brian Douglas Wilson and Mike E. Love, I have wanted to go visit Hawaii. This song came out in 1963, but even before that, there was a TV show called Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963). It was about a private eye who worked on Hawaii. The theme song was pretty catchy, as it had bongos galore, and the hook, in fact, the entire lyric, was just the name of the show followed by the word "land." Then a bongo cha cha cha riff. "Hawaiian Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis-land." The opening sequence was pretty racy with wahines hula dancing, tikis, and beach torches blazing. In 1968 there was another exciting theme song for Hawaii Five-O, starring Jack Lord. The theme song was by The Ventures, and the series ran for 12 seasons, until 1980. It is even back on television now, with a reboot version.
Though the ukuleles of Hawaii were calling me, I somehow resisted their siren song, though my younger brother, "Kevin Eleven," went there and made quite a name for himself as a beach comber, wind surfing instructor, and lady killer. His exploits were legen--wait for it--dary. He even had a pineapple cheeseburger named after him. Today, both he and my older brother Don--the Big Kahuna himself--park their surfboards there on the island called Maui.
I don't know when, but someday soon I will cross over the Pacific Ocean and see them. And when I do, the lonely planet guide to Hawaii will be indispensable. Kevin Eleven reports on various celebrities he sees there, such as Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Willie Nelson. "Wowie," they must say to themselves, "this place IS the fabled Shangri La." Willie likes to hang out at a local spot and jam with his Reggae Band. There is another pub owned by Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood called Fleetwoods on Front Street in Lahaina. Every day at sunset there is a ceremonial lighting of the Tiki Torches followed by a bagpipe serenade by a piper in full Scottish regalia including kilt. If Mick is on the island, they fly a red flag. The lonely planet guide to Hawaii confirms my brothers report. It also has tips on places like Bounty Music in Maui, a great place to shop for Ukuleles.
There are actually eight islands that make up the state of Hawaii, and this guidebook breaks itself into sections for each island, as well as sections covering topics of general interest. The sections are marked with convenient blue tabs so you can easily find them while hanging ten, or in my brother's case, eleven, off the end of your surfboard. In the front there is a map that shows the islands and has the page numbers where each section begins.
More than just a list of locations to visit, there are also lots of helpful tips for the traveler. There is a Survival Guide, with the basics of transportation and accommodations, along with other matters of dire concern. There is a glossary of Hawaiian words, and even tips on what sorts of electric sockets you might encounter. There is a lot of invaluable information to the traveler packed into its 680 pages approximately, as well as a pull out map and links to further online resources. Sara Benson was the Coordinating Author, and her crew of Amy C. Balfour and Adam Karlin bring up the rear. To Sara, Amy and Adam I say, "mahalo nui loa."
Aloha nui loa.
I heard about all the pretty girls
With their grass skirts down to their knees
All my life I wanted to see
The island called Hawaii
Ever since I heard The Beachboys' song, "Hawaii," by Brian Douglas Wilson and Mike E. Love, I have wanted to go visit Hawaii. This song came out in 1963, but even before that, there was a TV show called Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963). It was about a private eye who worked on Hawaii. The theme song was pretty catchy, as it had bongos galore, and the hook, in fact, the entire lyric, was just the name of the show followed by the word "land." Then a bongo cha cha cha riff. "Hawaiian Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis-land." The opening sequence was pretty racy with wahines hula dancing, tikis, and beach torches blazing. In 1968 there was another exciting theme song for Hawaii Five-O, starring Jack Lord. The theme song was by The Ventures, and the series ran for 12 seasons, until 1980. It is even back on television now, with a reboot version.
Though the ukuleles of Hawaii were calling me, I somehow resisted their siren song, though my younger brother, "Kevin Eleven," went there and made quite a name for himself as a beach comber, wind surfing instructor, and lady killer. His exploits were legen--wait for it--dary. He even had a pineapple cheeseburger named after him. Today, both he and my older brother Don--the Big Kahuna himself--park their surfboards there on the island called Maui.
I don't know when, but someday soon I will cross over the Pacific Ocean and see them. And when I do, the lonely planet guide to Hawaii will be indispensable. Kevin Eleven reports on various celebrities he sees there, such as Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Willie Nelson. "Wowie," they must say to themselves, "this place IS the fabled Shangri La." Willie likes to hang out at a local spot and jam with his Reggae Band. There is another pub owned by Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood called Fleetwoods on Front Street in Lahaina. Every day at sunset there is a ceremonial lighting of the Tiki Torches followed by a bagpipe serenade by a piper in full Scottish regalia including kilt. If Mick is on the island, they fly a red flag. The lonely planet guide to Hawaii confirms my brothers report. It also has tips on places like Bounty Music in Maui, a great place to shop for Ukuleles.
There are actually eight islands that make up the state of Hawaii, and this guidebook breaks itself into sections for each island, as well as sections covering topics of general interest. The sections are marked with convenient blue tabs so you can easily find them while hanging ten, or in my brother's case, eleven, off the end of your surfboard. In the front there is a map that shows the islands and has the page numbers where each section begins.
More than just a list of locations to visit, there are also lots of helpful tips for the traveler. There is a Survival Guide, with the basics of transportation and accommodations, along with other matters of dire concern. There is a glossary of Hawaiian words, and even tips on what sorts of electric sockets you might encounter. There is a lot of invaluable information to the traveler packed into its 680 pages approximately, as well as a pull out map and links to further online resources. Sara Benson was the Coordinating Author, and her crew of Amy C. Balfour and Adam Karlin bring up the rear. To Sara, Amy and Adam I say, "mahalo nui loa."
Aloha nui loa.
August 17, 2013
At the end of the day, a guidebook is a guidebook--some of the recommendations may differ, but it's the same place. What I appreciated most about the Lonely Planet guide is the honest and comprehensive treatment of Hawaii's long and tumultuous history, describing the sovereignty movement and taking a progressive look at the history of colonization, quite openly implying opposition to colonialism and the historical and present treatment of native Hawaiians. If you're like me and want to learn about the history and politics of the place you're visiting, then this book will suit you well.
July 15, 2011
Bought this one when the Lonely Planet Kauai guide wasn't available before leaving on our quick 3-day trip to Kauai - provided a nice overview, restaurant recommendations were spot-on, and we'll be able to use it again for our future trips to other islands. Plus, I think this is actually more recently updated than the Kauai guide, so win-win!
May 5, 2014
This offered some suggestions that helped me get a feel for the offerings. In the end, I found the feedback of people that have been a little more directly helpful.
As a guide book to help you get started, this is probably about right for a beginning.
As a guide book to help you get started, this is probably about right for a beginning.
August 24, 2015
Out of all of the guidebooks that I have followed, this one was one of the most least descriptive. Quite hard to follow without a GPS unit. Could have been more descriptive at mile markers, times and days of openings and closures. Would not recommend for Big Island travel.
May 20, 2007
(for the Honeymoon)
December 7, 2007
Used it in 2007 - some of the information is outdated.
July 29, 2008
I'll revisit this one when i plan my next trip to Kuaui and Oahu!
July 22, 2009
I relied on this for a recent trip to Oahu and the Big Island. Great recommendations, right amount of background, though, of course, doomed to be dated.
January 26, 2010
Read all of the general Hawaii stuff plus all the parts on the Big Island and Maui (i.e. the bigger part of the book) - it was a complete lifesaver, super helpful!!
October 2, 2010
First Lonely Planet I have read on the Kindle and it was great because I could easily search and bookmark/highlight items. Everyone knows I am a big LP fan and this edition did not disappoint.
August 10, 2011
I learned a lot from the history section of this book. Glad I picked it up.
January 18, 2012
Preparation ....
May 5, 2012
Fine, lonely planet standard. Will find out in a month how useful it is
May 5, 2016
A sculpture guide to th Islands
April 30, 2016
I found this to be a decent guidebook, but I preferred the Hawaii "Revealed" series.
May 12, 2018
4 stars
May 12, 2018
4 ½ - 5 stars
October 10, 2020
A bit dated (my copy published in Sept. 2011) but full of good information and a pleasant escape in these turbulous times. Covers all major islands.
January 3, 2024
This book is exhaustively researched and highly recommended. It blows away the book that I recently read by Fodor’s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews