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

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!

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!

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.

Written by expert travel guide writers who take it upon themselves to hike all the trails, ride the boats, scuba dive the reefs, dine the restaurants, review the resorts, snorkel the coastline, and share their secrets, Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide To Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond is a "must-have" for any tourist, vacationer, traveler, or even resident seeking to experience the best that the Oahu island of Hawaii, including Honolulu, Waikiki, and more, have to offer. Color maps and photographs, concise yet detailed reviews, adventures and activities galore from traditional favorites to lesser-known pastimes such as kitesurfing, and much more pack this useful guide, which distinguishes the best of the best places with icons that declare them "solid gold" or "a real gem". An expertly written, information-packed guide.

"Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond" is a very good guidebook to Oahu, probably the best one around. But it's not quite at the same level as the Kauai and Big Island Revealed guidebooks. It has the feel of a book rushed into print without the same TLC as its predecessors had. Having said that, it's still excellent and well worth the money.
In the next edition, it will hopefully contain:
- a more complete guide to the Oahu bus system(s)
- food shopping information, especially for fresh fish, for the timeshare visitors
- more restaurant reviews