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The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed
Paperback book
260 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
422 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
September 8, 2015
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is planning to travel to Kauai. After reading it I felt well-informed and confident in my itinerary choices.
However, as the book recommends, you really should buy the app version of this book. I first bought the ebook version and after reading it decided that the map features of the app would be worth the additional purchase. I was really surprised that the app contains all of the same information but in a much more user-friendly format - especially helpful when you're there and finding your way around. In the app you can "favorite" the places you want to visit, link directly to company websites, get gps directions to where you want to go [it opens your maps app], in addition to finding all of the helpful information contained in the guidebook. Oh, and something that came in handy for us since tropical storm weather conditions significantly affected our trip, the app sends push notifications regarding weather updates (flash flood warnings, beach & trail closures, etc.).
So, yes, read this book when planning your trip to Kauai, but save yourself some money and just buy the app! We used it several times a day during our trip; I would have been lost without it!
However, as the book recommends, you really should buy the app version of this book. I first bought the ebook version and after reading it decided that the map features of the app would be worth the additional purchase. I was really surprised that the app contains all of the same information but in a much more user-friendly format - especially helpful when you're there and finding your way around. In the app you can "favorite" the places you want to visit, link directly to company websites, get gps directions to where you want to go [it opens your maps app], in addition to finding all of the helpful information contained in the guidebook. Oh, and something that came in handy for us since tropical storm weather conditions significantly affected our trip, the app sends push notifications regarding weather updates (flash flood warnings, beach & trail closures, etc.).
So, yes, read this book when planning your trip to Kauai, but save yourself some money and just buy the app! We used it several times a day during our trip; I would have been lost without it!
April 29, 2022
Seven years ago I bought this book for my last trip to Kauai. And now we're planning our third trip to the island. This book is thorough and the best guide you can have for recommendations on everything you need for your trip.
July 10, 2011
The best guidebook we found for Kauai (ditto for Maui and Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook) The author lives on Kauai so brings a nice local perspective, includes some great tips, is super comprehensive, and brings some down-to-earth touches and humor to his suggestions and reviews. Highly recommended to anyone wishing to go a little beyond the typical tourist sites (and make the best of the not-to-miss ones everyone will be doing).
August 22, 2007
If you haven't been to Kauai, you need to buy this book and go. If you have been to Kauai and did not have this book, you need to buy it and go again.
April 3, 2013
There's no denying that this book is popular, but it just didn't work for me. I found that many of the recommendations ('gems') were overblown, like this tunnel hike that wasn't even the best hike in the area. I also found that the book focused too much on tours, like helicopters and sailboats, and other things that cost $$$. The author's restaurant recommendations weren't always trustworthy either, in my opinion, as he slammed a couple places we thought were pretty good.
Most of all, the Ultimate doesn't stand up as a book, i.e., something to read! The author could really use an editor to cut out about one-third of the puff and get down to actual content. The 'humor' for me missed the mark and and the graphic design is garish. No problem in including this book among a few you get for Kauai, but I wouldn't want it as my only one. I guess I'm in the minority here, but the Ultimate for me is a movie that rakes in the dough at the box office, but fails to deliver an experience as a story.
Most of all, the Ultimate doesn't stand up as a book, i.e., something to read! The author could really use an editor to cut out about one-third of the puff and get down to actual content. The 'humor' for me missed the mark and and the graphic design is garish. No problem in including this book among a few you get for Kauai, but I wouldn't want it as my only one. I guess I'm in the minority here, but the Ultimate for me is a movie that rakes in the dough at the box office, but fails to deliver an experience as a story.
April 26, 2015
I used the 9th Edition for my last trip to Kauai. Pretty sure this book and accompanying app provided my family with a much better traveling experience than if we had just done the usual tourist stuff!
January 12, 2020
Love this book! The author has such a great sense of humor and smacks of total honesty. There is a website and an app available as well. This has been a great resource for me as I plan a weeks stay in Kauai with grandchildren and then several additional weeks after they leave. I have visited Kauai several times before but they were working trips. This one is just for fun and relaxation!! I can hardly wait. Yes, I reviewed other guides, but this is by far my favorite. I purchased it for my son and his family who are also going to visit the Garden Isle.
March 10, 2024
If you’re going to any Hawaiian island, these are the best guide books. This one for Kauai has been really helpful, especially about the beaches and the Smith luau where you can just go for the show only for $25. Highly recommend the book.
Also the author does a driving tour through an app for $25, if I would have read the book more carefully and seen it earlier in our trip, I would have purchased it. It goes off gps so it automatically plays based on your location. Would be nice to be able to get a discount if we have the book…
Also the author does a driving tour through an app for $25, if I would have read the book more carefully and seen it earlier in our trip, I would have purchased it. It goes off gps so it automatically plays based on your location. Would be nice to be able to get a discount if we have the book…
March 11, 2019
I’ve read a few guidebooks now on Hawaii and so far this line of books is my favorite. It tells you everything there is to do and see, where to stay and where to eat. And it tells you honestly. It’s like hearing from a good friend who lives on the island what you should do and how to do it. The author lives there and moved there from the mainland. It’s a pretty great read. You really don’t need to have any other knowledge of the island before reading this book but I think it’s helpful to have some general knowledge of the island and what sorts of things there is to do there.
July 16, 2016
If you're headed to Kauai, this is probably the only book you'll need to help guide your tourism. Great coverage of the island, it's history and customs, and things to do during your visit. Several excellent maps are included, as well as some illustrative photos. I really appreciate that it's a fully independently written guidebook, and it shows in the honesty of their reviews.
Why only four stars then? My own opinion of places didn't always line up with theirs, and many of the reviews were opinion based, making it harder sometimes to make a decision about a place or activity. I was also a bit baffled with how the dining options were presented -- why are there sections about Italian restaurants, but nothing about sushi or saimin or poké? (I can get Italian anywhere.)
Why only four stars then? My own opinion of places didn't always line up with theirs, and many of the reviews were opinion based, making it harder sometimes to make a decision about a place or activity. I was also a bit baffled with how the dining options were presented -- why are there sections about Italian restaurants, but nothing about sushi or saimin or poké? (I can get Italian anywhere.)
April 19, 2010
This is by far the best guidebook to Kauai. We've been to the island a dozen times and the book is our bible. We've used several different editions over the years and made use of their website, too. The book is written in a breezy, friendly style by real people...you feel like you're reading a lengthy letter from trusted friends rather than a dry reference book by bored travel writers. Their opinions are candid and fair -- and their information is current. I also strongly recommend the Oahu edition of the book -- which came in very handy during my first visit to that island just last week.
April 3, 2023
I’ve read a couple editions, but really have loved the 2023 edition. I checked it out from the Lihue Library. Non state residents can get a five year library card for $20. I also paid for the App that narrates along the roads for you. Listen to your own music and keep the app open. As you pass by something he’ll talk to you. Worth $12 for the lifetime of use, and you don’t need an Internet connection to listen.
May 30, 2021
Very well written and helpful guidebook - I would have given it five stars, but a lot of the information is outdated (especially since the pandemic had a huge impact on existing businesses), and buying the book doesn’t give you free access to the up to date information in the app. I didn’t buy the subscription to the app, but in retrospect, I would have done that instead of buying the book.
September 6, 2007
Great guide book - straight up and honest. Very detailed too, written by people that live there. Definitely the best guide book I've had in awhile. (I hear the rest of the 'Revealed' books for the other islands are just as good).
September 16, 2012
Hands down, by far, this is the best guide book I've read yet. It's oddly up to date, and they constantly update with new versions with updated information. The information is actually true. I would absolutely buy/trust any guidebook by this author.
March 21, 2020
Fantastic book, well organized. so informative, especially on details of hikes.
Two important notes: get the most recent version available and then check their website for changes since the book was updated.
Two important notes: get the most recent version available and then check their website for changes since the book was updated.
October 22, 2017
Here’s the review I wrote in 2008, before I moved to Kauai.
Then I lived there for 8 years. This book (and it’s subsequent editions remained a useful but conflicted tool. I still found the author’s tone smug and dismissive of local concerns about safety. Many people die— actually DIE— at the places he recommends because he doesn’t give adequate warnings.)
So after using this book for years I still feel that it’s useful, but I should caution anyone using it to check conditions first and use common sense. I watched a woman’s body be retrieved after a fall off of the falls on Kuamoo road. The signs all say No Trespassing— but the guidebook says Go Right Ahead. That’s not okay. That was the most dramatic tourist safety fail I witnessed but the attitude of entitlement was unfailing. Grandma tourists slipping down rough trails without adequate water, children tourists walking out over thin crusts of lava around blowholes. Go ahead and use this book, just...please be smart. And show a little humility to the locals. Respect their No trespassing signs, and stay safe.
My old review:
Aaarghe, yes, this book is useful. Yes, it's easy to use, well written, informative and clear. The maps and illustrations, the sectioning, yes, yes, it's all great.
But the book's smugness with its insider status is endlessly annoying. And the attitude of priveledge and entitlement drives me nuts. I DESERVE to go tramping across "No Trespassing" signs! I'm a tourist! I've got more money than these ignorant locals. And besides, they're not taking advantage of all this great stuff! It should be mine. It IS mine! My own, my precious!
One bit summed it up for me: "I guess we're victims of our own success," the authors smirk. Nobody used to know about the unmarked treacherous path down to Queen's Bath. But now, thanks to us, there's a parkinglot and signs down the highway! And sure enough, the once-secret spot was thronged with tourists, appreciating it to death.
So yes, I'm glad that I too got to go see it in my short visit to the Garden Isle, and yes I know it's a double standard to wish that nobody else knew about it. BUT I believe in working for your Hawaii secrets a little bit. When I first moved to the Big Island, nobody would tell me anything about where they went to fish or swim or eat or hike. Only after 2 years here have I finally gained people's trust where they're willing to tell me about the unmarked unpaved roads that go to the best--and mostly empty-- beaches.
But I'm not telling!
Then I lived there for 8 years. This book (and it’s subsequent editions remained a useful but conflicted tool. I still found the author’s tone smug and dismissive of local concerns about safety. Many people die— actually DIE— at the places he recommends because he doesn’t give adequate warnings.)
So after using this book for years I still feel that it’s useful, but I should caution anyone using it to check conditions first and use common sense. I watched a woman’s body be retrieved after a fall off of the falls on Kuamoo road. The signs all say No Trespassing— but the guidebook says Go Right Ahead. That’s not okay. That was the most dramatic tourist safety fail I witnessed but the attitude of entitlement was unfailing. Grandma tourists slipping down rough trails without adequate water, children tourists walking out over thin crusts of lava around blowholes. Go ahead and use this book, just...please be smart. And show a little humility to the locals. Respect their No trespassing signs, and stay safe.
My old review:
Aaarghe, yes, this book is useful. Yes, it's easy to use, well written, informative and clear. The maps and illustrations, the sectioning, yes, yes, it's all great.
But the book's smugness with its insider status is endlessly annoying. And the attitude of priveledge and entitlement drives me nuts. I DESERVE to go tramping across "No Trespassing" signs! I'm a tourist! I've got more money than these ignorant locals. And besides, they're not taking advantage of all this great stuff! It should be mine. It IS mine! My own, my precious!
One bit summed it up for me: "I guess we're victims of our own success," the authors smirk. Nobody used to know about the unmarked treacherous path down to Queen's Bath. But now, thanks to us, there's a parkinglot and signs down the highway! And sure enough, the once-secret spot was thronged with tourists, appreciating it to death.
So yes, I'm glad that I too got to go see it in my short visit to the Garden Isle, and yes I know it's a double standard to wish that nobody else knew about it. BUT I believe in working for your Hawaii secrets a little bit. When I first moved to the Big Island, nobody would tell me anything about where they went to fish or swim or eat or hike. Only after 2 years here have I finally gained people's trust where they're willing to tell me about the unmarked unpaved roads that go to the best--and mostly empty-- beaches.
But I'm not telling!
June 26, 2019
4.5 stars. This is the best guidebook for Kauai according to some ratings. I looked at 2 different ones and this was superior to the lonely planet copy, IMO. The book details a selection of words that can be pronounced for practice. Safety precautions. Decent but not thorough trail maps (they have a separate app you can pay for features to have GPS'd trails though). The road maps were helpful and they were marked with mile markers to guide you. Most descriptions included landmarks and mile markers to guide the reader to the correct spot. Every restaurant on the island is not in here but there is a helpful restaurant section. The activities included a full array of offerings and had useful comparisons from cruises to kayaking and helicopters. Unique features were explained by north, east, south, and west portions of the island, as were beaches. There was also a section labelled adventures that could also be renamed cool ways to die. I'm not a complete chicken but those activities appeared consistently extreme. It has something for everyone.
I checked this copy out from my local library. I found having a paper copy extremely useful.
I checked this copy out from my local library. I found having a paper copy extremely useful.
May 29, 2017
Aside from being painfully honest in their reviews, which I highly appreciate, I feel I learned a great deal about Hawaiian history, language and culture, which I was not expecting from a "just" a guidebook. It's obviously not a detailed, definitive history, but it left me curious to learn more and feeling that I at least have a cursory knowledge of Hawaiian customs and a peek into island life that many guidebooks would never get into.
As a guidebook I think it will be very useful for our upcoming adventures! Easy to follow, lots of pertinent, detailed info with nice photos and descriptions to help you find your way in more remote areas.
As a guidebook I think it will be very useful for our upcoming adventures! Easy to follow, lots of pertinent, detailed info with nice photos and descriptions to help you find your way in more remote areas.
December 11, 2017
To be honest, I’ve been dreading having to read a guidebook for my upcoming Hawaii trip (for which I am absolutely NOT dreading). I made an assumption that a guidebook would be dull/monotonous. However, there is a reason this book has so many positive reviews. It sort of reads like a novel, it’s funny, and I feel like I know everything I need to know. I also appreciate the author’s no bullsh*t attitude, as he feels fully comfortable telling readers where they’d be wasting their time and money. This book has an A+ from me!
March 7, 2018
Very helpful guide book for Kauai. Great layout, easy to read, chock full of information. Includes maps, activities, adventures, where to eat (where NOT to eat), where to stay, and much more. Also includes an app with a GPS for the hikes that are in the book. I especially like that the author does NOT announce to restaurants or other places that he is there as an evaluator of their place of business. He tells it like it is with no pressure or obligation to the business. Highly recommend this book.
April 8, 2020
Best guidebooks for Hawaii! Doughty is actually from Kauai, so it's his speciality. We were there in March 2020, right before the pandemic really broke. Witty comments that make you laugh out loud, great suggestions and tips, historical and cultural information, frank but fair reviews, with useful details about restaurants that really help you choose - same for beaches and activities. Also has an incredibly helpful guide (with maps!) to island hikes. We also used his guide for Maui when we were there in 2016.
August 29, 2023
The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook is a fantastic resource for visiting Kauai. They do; however, encourage you to buy the app throughout the book and it would probably be better to just use the app. The maps are much better than Google maps and you can highlight things you want to do. I had just highlighted it in my book, but that meant I had to flip around for each of the highlights and see if I wanted to do something in the area. While Kauai is not huge, it is much easier to get to most everything you want to do if you plan it out ahead of time so you focus on different areas on different days. Some of the information is redundant so I do think the book could be set up a bit better (ex: either only by area or only by activity like food, adventures, beaches). Overall, I think the book is good and gave a bunch of great ideas, but I'd recommend just using the app.
May 8, 2017
All we needed to know about a Quality Kauai vacation
I like to travel smart and this book enabled us to do so. It helps knowing where to park, tips on eating, traffic and ocean conditions without having to boggle through it all ourselves. A Hawaiian vacation is a treat and we prefer not to waste precious moments. While our goal is always to relax, mai tai in hand, toes in the sand, when we do venture out, it's nice to know the ideal, and most inspiring experiences.
I like to travel smart and this book enabled us to do so. It helps knowing where to park, tips on eating, traffic and ocean conditions without having to boggle through it all ourselves. A Hawaiian vacation is a treat and we prefer not to waste precious moments. While our goal is always to relax, mai tai in hand, toes in the sand, when we do venture out, it's nice to know the ideal, and most inspiring experiences.
October 15, 2019
An excellent guidebook on Kauai. Doughty includes pertinent photos and maps at the needed pages of the text (many versions put the photographs all in one area in the front of the edition) and wrote a serious guide with humor. This reviewer appreciated that the author encouraged people to be adventurous, cautioned against acting thoughtlessly and recklessly, and accepted those of us who are not going to go around a posted "Dangerous Do Not Enter."
May 21, 2023
The best Kauai guide! I first bought it 10 years ago, and just purchased an updated 2023 edition for my 3rd trip to the island. Honest, trustworthy, and useful. I got the app too. The book breaks the island into sections by direction (north shore, east shore, etc). Detailed beach guides, lots of hikes, and an updated dining section detailing great gems and those best avoided. I can’t wait for my trip.
June 19, 2017
We used this book to research our trip as well as get us around the island. Follow his instructions to get to beach accesses, follow google and you'll end up in front of private property with no place to enter.
My only complaint is how the book is divided. He divides the whole book by activity vs. island location. It would have been easier to search a days plans by what part of the island you wanted to travel to.
I think he could have stressed the lack of parking a bit more but maybe that's just because I'm from Texas and we think big when it comes to parking lots.
Otherwise don't leave for Kauai without this guide!
My only complaint is how the book is divided. He divides the whole book by activity vs. island location. It would have been easier to search a days plans by what part of the island you wanted to travel to.
I think he could have stressed the lack of parking a bit more but maybe that's just because I'm from Texas and we think big when it comes to parking lots.
Otherwise don't leave for Kauai without this guide!
April 1, 2018
The best of the best!
They call it the ultimate guidebook for a reason! It truly is the ultimate, and the best Hawaii guidebook series out there. I’ve used both the Kauai and Oahu books and love them both. Packed with information and humor; I caught myself cracking up multiple times. Highly recommended for all your Hawaii needs.
They call it the ultimate guidebook for a reason! It truly is the ultimate, and the best Hawaii guidebook series out there. I’ve used both the Kauai and Oahu books and love them both. Packed with information and humor; I caught myself cracking up multiple times. Highly recommended for all your Hawaii needs.
April 18, 2019
If you are going to Kuai this is the guidebook to get! Honest, humeruos, and to the point. Super easy and most fun to read guidebook I've come across. All of the recommendations have been spot on. So fun to read and then experience. I recommend to pair this book with the shaka guide tour app (both worth the $$) and you are set!
February 2, 2021
I have read a lot of Guide books in Kauai because I just love the island. This is by far the best one I’ve ever encountered. Detailed but also direct, the author has achieved that fantastic balance of giving enough information to peak your interest but not spoiling your own experience. Looking forward to reading more in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews