Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond

by Andrew Doughty

Most travel titles are put together in a few weeks by visiting travel writers. Revealed Travel 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.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Outdoors

316 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2004

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guidebook is very informative when it comes to beaches and hikes, so if you like outdoor activities, this is a good guidebook. The weak point is that it seems to be geared towards those with a car. If you’re not planning to rent a car, which is likely if you’re staying in Waikiki, there isn’t much information about public transportation. You’ll have to find that information on the Internet. On the plus side, the reviewer is very opinionated and isn’t afraid to give negative reviews. I appreciate that.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually I read a travel guide before I go somewhere, but I Have been to Oahu before and still enjoyed reading Oahu Revealed. It was like visiting Oahu again. Makes me want to go back!

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good digital resource. Street maps need improvement to take better advantage of digital tools. Aware they have an App but at a separate price, close to or as much as this book.
We'll see.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I would not add a travel book to my list, but a friend recommended the Andrew Doughty travel books as "the best travel book she has ever used." I agree! Andrew Doughty lives in Hawaii and his travel guide is like having a great friend with you for the trip. He shares local lore and shares places that should not be missed. I don't think I have ever enjoyed reading and learning about somewhere I was visiting as much as I did reading this guide.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I spent ten days on Oahu this summer and this book was invaluable, and hilarious!!
I highly recommend this book to anyone going to Oahu!!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though a bit dated at this point, this guide book was so useful I both borrowed it from the library and purchased the e-book to take with me! Brief, helpful tips on all of the best with warnings against some of the worst, which I appreciated. Hopefully they'll issue an updated version before I travel to the islands next!

[S. Dyaanand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written and informative guide to Oahu. The reviews are unbiased and the format is well organized. The writing is humorous and casual which I really enjoyed. I’ll definitely be packing it for our upcoming trip.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough information, though dated. Lots of pretty pictures.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Highly recommend the app. Which made planning on the go much easier!

I really appreciated the humor and history!

[Alyssa Scolari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped make my trip to Oahu AMAZING. Not to mention, the writing had me laughing out loud. Thank you for writing this and showing us the MAGIC of Oahu!

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to be impressed by the thorough information in these travel books on Hawaii. The conversational tone makes this a pleasant, relaxing read, even as I get excited about the thought of seeing sites for myself. This book covers the major tourist areas around Waikiki and Honolulu but also goes into detail about beaches and hiking opportunities around the island, including lots of relevant information on safety. A section at the back discusses restaurants and hotels; I know their website will have updates to this data.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes too chatty for my taste, but otherwise accurate, honest, and everything a guidebook should be. Doughty gets especially high marks for his balanced treatment of Hawaiian history and his command of little-known trivia. Reading this will tell you what the "Eddie Would Go" bumper sticker means, and what one mistake the Japaneses made in the Pearl Harbor attack.

[Starasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most accurate and helpful guidebook. It led us to so many wonderful excursions off the beaten path. There were dozens of maps, and the directions were spot-on. All the restaurant recommendations were on the money. Our trip would not have been half as good without this book. Oahu was truly revealed to us, and it was one of the best vacations ever.

[Karene Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

GET THIS IF YOU ARE GOING TO OAHU!!

This guide is the REAL DEAL! I have been on Oahu for a month helping my kids and grandkids get settled after moving here for work. This guide has helped us avoid major pitfalls, scams, and showed us what was worth seeing, and WHEN to see it. We knew to get to a certain snorkel place early for parking, and where was good to go, and at what time of year. It also helped us understand local terms and pronunciations. It was SO WORTH IT that we also bought the app on our phones because the app continually updates conditions. The guide book gives more information than the app (a little bit IMO) and the app is right to the moment conditions. On an island that is 1/4 of the size of the state I live in, which has 2 weather forecasts (central and western state); this island has at least FOUR main daily forecasts. Windward, leeward, North Shore, South Shore, plus surf forecast ((PAY ATTENTION TO THE SURF FORECAST especially in winter because 20ft waves!)) and box jelly report, the up to the minute conditions matter! I also know what “Mauka” means in the TV weather and traffic reports because of this guide. Best guide ever! I wish they had one for every where we travel anywhere on the planet.

[Todd Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a candid, humorous guide to everything there is to see and do on the island.

Written by the author of the best-selling guides, "Maui Revealed", "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed" and "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook".

He shares breathtaking trails, secluded beaches, pristine reefs, delicious places to dine, relaxing places to stay, exciting waterfalls, colorful valleys, and more.

Every restaurant, activity provider, business, and resort is reviewed personally and anonymously.

I found the book interesting, sadly my edition is not up-to-date for hotels and restaurants, but still gave me a good idea of places to see and do on Oahu.

I do look it has the 15 beaches on the back and numerous maps to help me find my way.

The author also is very candid with his opinion, which makes the book even more enjoyable.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of the Revealed guide books by Doughty. He gives an insider point of view with lots a great tips on how to avoid crowds. I love to hike and he gives good information on how to get to trail heads. Of course, there is information about other activities like whale watching and surfing and night life.
Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawaii

[Mari McR · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very glad to read this travel guide before my family headed to Oahu for the first time. The author gave honest, unbiased (as best he could) ratings of activities and eateries. There are MULTIPLE maps that featured the sights and road nearest our hotel, Chinatown, Honolulu, North Shore, etc. What we found helpful are the directions the author provided to certain hikes that were not featured even in the internet. It is a tremendous benefit when travel guides are written by locals themselves!!!

[Rosa DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun guide to discover Oahu. We loved driving around the island and reading about the places as we passed by. The authors offered interesting/fun facts about places, making the ride more enjoyable. It felt like we were traveling with a friend that kept making snappy comments. With this book there is no need to take a tour around the island, as this guide will give you all the information you need on getting to places.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book very useful, but wish I'd had it in print. I found it difficult to go back and find what I wanted to reread, but maybe that's just my ineptitude with the e-book format. I also wish I had combined it with at least one other guidebook, because sometimes I found it to be either lacking info, or having too much info. I think my biggest issue is just that I purchased it in the wrong format for me.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a reasonable starting point for a trip to Hawai'i. I find the advice to "look in the travel section of your Sunday newspaper" and also the general history of the Hawaiian islands to be lackluster (not to mention out of touch), but the section on camping and all the restaurant reviews were a bit helpful, but we'll see. There's a reason the internet is so popular for booking trips and reading reviews these days (also a reason this book was at the bargain section of Goodwill).

[Laura Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This travel book includes lots of information, but the way it was presented felt overwhelming to me as a reader. Each page included many facts, so many that they seemed to start to blend together. The sections about the activities was most helpful and appreciated. This book might be best for a reader who already has some idea of what they most want to experience in Hawaii. They could use this book to learn about ways to best optimize and supplement their itinerary.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guidebook had great content, but I didn't love the way it was organized. I felt like I was always going back and forth between the geographically ordered section and the beach section to figure out what I was trying to see.

Restaurant recommendations were good; in general I feel like travel guides focus on high priced restaurants, and this one was a better fit for my family.

4 stars.

[Charles]

This book is really good. It talks about just about everything you might want to know. It's easy to just pick it up in the morning and plan out your day from there. Also, the authors are willing to say so if they don't think a site is worth going to. They are able to talk about stuff both in terms of objective appeal as well as personal taste, which is a good balance.

[Kirila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A guide written by someone who has actually lived on the island and explored every corner of it. I also liked how it was structured with an overview with some history and main sights first and then separate sections for hiking, beaches, restaurants etc. You can read the first half and reference whatever you are interested in the second. And on top of this, written with a sense of humor.

[Heather McMaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough guide on the ins and outs of Oahu. I thought it was awesome how the author had clear opinions and I felt like I was having a conversation with a local telling me all about the good and the bad throughout the island. I now have a huge list of what I will be doing in Hawaii and what I’ll be avoiding.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some useful information here, particularly the maps, but he's a really annoying guide. If he doesn't want to do something, he just dismisses it. My friend wanted to do kite surfing and he just sneers and says it's overpriced so don't bother. I don't think he understands why a lot of people travel.

[Tarek Saleh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read before visiting

This is an awesome book to give you everything that you need to know about Oahu.. I was able to visit so many places in very short time just because of this book .. definitely a must read for reading before traveling geeks

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the other island books from this author. Highly recommend for anyone planning to visit O’ahu. It has made me more excited to spend more time on this island in the future. Here’s to hoping the trip we intended to plan in 2021 can happen.

[Lauren Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems like a thorough exploration of Oahu, with both history and tourist information, although I won't know for sure till I actually go to Oahu later this year. What initially caught my eye about this book is that it's specific to Oahu, and not scattered among all the islands.

[Bill Rand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like these books for the level of detail they provide and out-of-the-way places that they highlight, but if you are someone who visits Hawaii more often for work and just has a few hours here or there, it's hard to figure out what to focus on.