Product Description

The most comprehensive yet easy-to-use guidebook series to Hawaii brings you the second edition of Oahu Revealed. Written by the author of the best-selling guides, Maui Revealed, Hawaii The Big Island Revealed and The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. He actually hikes all the trails, rides the boats, scuba dives the reefs, dines in the restaurants, reviews all the resorts, snorkels the coastline, explores the hidden waterfalls and shares all the secrets that he finds. Everything is reviewed anonymously. This book and a rental car are all you need to discover what makes Oahu so exciting.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8202 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780971727977
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
“Wizard continues to produce information, maps and photographs that are all first-rate, and—even better!” Honolulu Star Bulletin

From the Publisher
Most travel titles are put together in a few weeks by visiting travel writers. Wizard guidebooks take over a year to compile and the writers are residents who personally and anonymously review every facet of the island. Their maps are the best you'll find. From restaurants to helicopter companies to scuba to beaches to trails. They see it all and show you the best the island has to offer. They also reveal who's the worst and who to stay away from. All told in a frank, humorous way that keeps the reading fun.

From the Inside Flap
The most comprehensive yet easy-to-use guidebook series to Hawaii brings you the second edition of Oahu Revealed. Written by the author of the best-selling guides, Maui Revealed, Hawaii The Big Island Revealed and The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. He actually hikes all the trails, rides the boats, scuba dives the reefs, dines in the restaurants, reviews all the resorts, snorkels the coastline, explores the hidden waterfalls and shares all the secrets that he finds. Everything is reviewed anonymously. This book and a rental car are all you need to discover what makes Oahu so exciting.



The 20 specially created maps include access to even the most remote beaches, landmarks (so you always know where you are), hiking trails and numerous details in an easy-to-follow format.



Clear, concise directions to get to those hard-to-find places such as deserted beaches, hidden waterfalls, pristine rain forests, spectacular coastlines and scores of hidden gems listed nowhere else. Driving tours of the island let you structure your trip your way.



Web site with links to every business, last minute updates and more. Plus Web pages that expand on all accommodation reviews with aerial photos of all the resorts (so you’ll know if oceanfront really means oceanfront) and our trademark “brutally honest reviews.”



Special sections on Beaches, Attractions and Adventures.



Symbols quickly identify recommended sights and companies. This book shows you which companies really are the best…and which to avoid.



Written by a Hawaii resident who knows the island.



Actual prices for restaurants, hotels and activities. Frank, honest opinions throughout—No Advertisements.



Fascinating stories and legends from all around the island.



"Oahu Revealed" covers it all—from the top of the Ko‘olaus to the lost sunken island of Kane‘ohe. This is the best investment you can make for your Oahu vacation. Whether you are a first time visitor or a long time kama‘aina, you will find out more about Oahu from this book than from any other source. Discover the island of your dreams with "Oahu Revealed".



What others are saying...

“Wizard continues to produce information, maps and photographs that are all first-rate, and—even better!”

—Honolulu Star Bulletin

Customer Reviews

Like it or not, Oahu Revealed cuts to the quick
Travel books are probably a blast to research and write, but after they go to press, the authors probably start preparing for a different kind of "blast," as in the "what planet did you come from that you rated my favorite restaurant as a dive!" kind.

Oahu Revealed is blisteringly candid. You want a travel guide that sings praises everywhere and for everything? Find yourself another book. However, if you want to be prepared for the lines at Hanauma Bay, want to know what "ocean view" means in a hotel two blocks from the beach, want to know whether the Polynesian Cultural Village is a rip-off or entertaining, and how many speed bumps you have to drive over to visit the Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau near Pupukea, then this is the book. It is refreshingly honest, candid, funny, interesting, and educational. I found myself agreeing with the author's comments far more than I disagreed. And yes, there were times I disagreed. I like the folk at North Shore Diving (now Deep Ecology). And I'm queazy about encouraging beginners to rent a kayak and just start paddling offshore. But if this book mirrored my mind, then I would have written it!

Here's a warning, however. There are many folk on Oahu who are upset with this book, and it is not just from getting more visitors into personal favorite places. It also involves having more visitors actually affecting the nature of places, with added trash, human waste, trespassing, and trampling. Ask a local, and know before you go. Don't trash Oahu, please!

My Favorite Oahu Guidebook
There are many guidebooks available for Hawaii in general and Oahu specifically, but this one is by far the best. Not only is the book extremely current (it posts a 2005 copyright date), but the layout is easy to use, and it provides information that is actually useful in both planning a trip and once on the island.

The book is well written, and is especially strong in the section on lodging. Without question the coverage of hotels in this book is superior to any other guide. The restaurant information is also informative, much better than other guides, but remember that no book can completely cover all the restaurants on the island. I have been to many of the places detailed in the book, and generally agree with the appraisals of the authors (the one exception being that I thought the Honolulu zoo was substantially better than the authors did). Even if you don't completely agree with every opinion offered in the book, every claim is well reasoned and nothing is completely out to lunch.

This is the gold standard for Hawaii guidebooks, and I recommend it highly to anyone visiting Oahu!

good coverage and a pleasure to read and use
I don't think this book has any real competition from other books. My Oahu Trailblazer had some supplementary and detailed info on places like Hanauma Bay, but it came nowhere close to this book in useful coverage of big and little sights to see and why you would want to see them.

The restaurant section alone is worth the price of the book. We went to five restaurants with an ono rating on Maui and Oahu and everyone was outstanding.

The author tells you what you need to know to prepare for your Hawaii vacation and has strong opinions on what to see and do, including where to hike and snorkel and the best beaches. You're time in Oahu is extremely valuable, because even if you're staying two weeks, you can only do so much. I bought my book a month in advance of the trip and I'm glad I did, because it takes a while to read and absorb the information. Of course you'll have to plan earlier than that for flight, places to stay, etc. The book is easy to read and entertaining and has many color photos to backup their descriptions and put them in perspective.

I didn't agree with everything in the book. I thought the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), which the book (and almost everyone else) highly recommended was a totally fake and commercial experience. You might want to backup their opinions on some activities with the tripadvisor website, which has many visitors' opinions on popular attractions. They didn't give near enough info on snorkeling at Hanauma Bay either. If you don't snorkel in the right spots along the waterways just inside the coral on the left and middle of the bay you'll miss most of the fantastic snorkeling here. Snuba and a snorkel tour, which they seemed to recommend, would also be a waste. The fish are in shallow water close to shore.

The complaints I have about the book are actually very minor. It was extremely helpful in extracting the most out of my week on Oahu. It's a must have. I will definitely be getting the Kauai Revealed book and no other Kauai travel books for my Kauai trip next year.