Fodor's Big Island of Hawaii

by Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.

Expanded This new edition features expanded beach coverage, with “Best For” rankings that help travelers choose the perfect beach. Brand new hotel, restaurant, shop and bar reviews provide fresh tips for staying and playing.

Illustrated Learn all about visiting volcanoes with our Hawaii Volcanoes National Park anchor. Other illustrated features teach travelers about geology and the birth of the islands, snorkeling tips, and Hawaii’s unique culture, from lei to luau to hula.

Indispensable Trip Planning Top Experiences and Great Itineraries help travelers make the most of their island time. This guide also has useful tips for families and people planning Hawaiian weddings and honeymoons. The Experience chapter helps travelers pick the best beaches, farmers’ markets, and outdoor adventures. A top water activities chart lets you choose your perfect water excursion. Illustrated plant and marine life identification keys are useful tools for hikers and snorkelers.

Discerning  Fodor’s  Big Island offers savvy advice and recommendations from local writers to help travelers make the most of their visit. Fodor’s Choice designates our best picks, from hotels to nightlife.   “Word of Mouth” quotes from fellow travelers provide valuable insights.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

276 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Fodor's Travel Publications is a United States-based producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor in 1936.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.

Reviews

[Beth Cato · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad that I bought this at Goodwill, as I found it to be a weak book in comparison to Wizard Publication's Hawaii Revealed series. It hops here and there over the island, and has some frustrating panels that list "best places to visit" and doesn't list the actual CITIES along with the places. Um, the Big Island is, uh, big. That info is important. In other places, it's redundant; it mentions restaurants along with shopping, so I was surprised to find a full restaurant section a bit later. I also wish it had more useful pictures (a close up of flowers is not helpful)--and most importantly--more maps. It does come with a large fold out map, but I would have liked more maps in the text.

If you're looking for a good travel book, go for the Hawaii: Big Island Revealed book by Andrew Doughty. I think the comprehensive, chatty nature of that book has ruined all other travel books for me.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

We'll be returning to the Big Island, so I reacquainted myself with it. Unfortunately this wasn't as much help as some of the other travel books, and I learned it's much easier to do research with an actual book than with an ebook.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of great info. can't wait to use it.

[Linda Cardott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great travel book, so helpful in both planning our vacation and making quick changes while we're here.

[Charissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of helpful and interesting information!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Fodors guides - tell stories about the places and present landmarks, food, tours on a way that makes it easy to plan. Great pictures which I find are fun to look back on as a keepsake too.

[Tina Schrader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this guide because it was updated in 2018, and in my experience, it is crucial that a guide is as recently printed as possible.
Sadly, already at least 1/3 of the book is outdated and only parts of the book where updated at all.
We already drove 30 minutes to a beach that doesn’t even exist
Worse for me, I don’t agree in many parts with the evaluations of attractions and places to eat.

Might still be better than none, though there is lot of free information available

Would not buy again

[Junessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just got back from Kona! Had this book with us on the trip and it was very helpful.
Lot's of good recommendations and accurate information (for the 2014 edition). We found the reviews of restaurants and beaches especially useful.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific guide book - I learned about new things even though I have been to the Big Island quite a few times. Invaluable in coming up with places to eat when randomly wandering or making plans.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read multiple books on Hawaii before my trip, and this was my favorite.