Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed

I had so many highlights and tabs on my book. This guidebook was incredible helpful on my trip. I liked how it wasn't bias and trying to convince you to go to one place over another. It gave great little tips on hikes, their reviews on helicoptor rides, and more importantly, shaved ice! It had some great maps to help navigate and were easy to read.. The maps even show areas on where to go off roading, which was useful for our 4WD Jeep to go Jeepin! The book was well organized and had some personality, which I enjoyed. What I appreciated most about the book was as with any trip, it can be overwhelming on where to start and what to see and do. This book organized it very well and helped outline highlights to see and do. They focused a good portion on hikes and separated regular hikes from more 'adventurous types'. I can't wait to get back to Kauai and explore more using the book!

I became a believer in Doughty's 'Ultimate Hawai'i' books after purchasing one for Maui nine years ago and finding out it was a real gem, well worth the money. We found waterfalls and natural pools easily missed if not for the book. The snorkeling boat trip with good ratings in his book turned out to be amazing. I've been to Kauai once but wanted to get the scoop on where to find the hidden gems since my husband and I will only be there six days. I love Doughty's writing style, very laid back, like the Islands, with specks of humor. It's divided into sections of the island beginning with a great overview. I appreciate reminders like the value of packing Polaroid sunglasses and water shoes. We want to go horseback riding and his recommendations match those from a friend who often goes to Kauai. Since we're staying in a condo with a kitchen, I appreciated the information about where to buy groceries for less and where local farmer's markets can be found on what day of the week. When we go I won't be a bit surprised, like when exploring Maui, to find others carrying The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook as we go on adventures.

This is the fourth book I've used from the series. The companion app is a must for me if while traveling around the island - it makes getting around dead simple. Since Kauai (in my opinion) is a lot quieter with fewer big attractions than the other main tourist islands, I didn't find myself referring to this book as much as we did on Maui or the big Island, but I still feel it was worth every penny for finding little gems and places to eat as we were kicking around the island. I wish that I could find books this good for other places I've traveled! Make sure you get the book before you pick a place to stay. The area overviews and specific hotel reviews are very good and will help make sure you are in the best place for the kind of trip you want to make.

before we left I ended up highlighting a ton of spots to visit and ended up using a self guided app in addition while we were there. the app had the same places that were listed in the book! but gave us a rich history behind the island and the Hawaiian chain as well. it became very clear that Andrew and his team spent a ton of time and research to put this book together. I would recommend this and the others in his arsenal if you plan on visiting the islands. I have since given this to one of my senior managers for his trip in a couple of months. his diamond spots are on point- these are the must visits while you are out exploring. we wanted to make sure that our trip was planned out to hit as many locations as possible and we certainly did that! 2nd pic is tunnels beach-best snorkeling on the island and an amazing journey just getting there! our 3rd island and looking forward to hitting the rest in the coming years. Kauai has been by far my favorite. the lush jungles, beautiful beaches and amazing food. a must for anyone looking for paradise. oh yeah and get the book- you wont be disappointed :)

I was a bit skeptical that this would be as good as the reviews all claimed but after using it I agree. There were a few things I did not like in the negative tone, particularly in the restaurant reviews, but that is a personal choice. The information was excellent. We spent two weeks on Kauai and used the book most days. We had local maps, online information, hotel advice and another guidebook that we used together but the Doughty was our "go to." It is simple enough that the passenger was able to give the driver information directly from the book. We sometimes just pulled into a scenic parking spot and read the book to find out what we wanted to do as we were on a very flexible schedule. We would not have found some of the trails and off-main highway locations without the book nor would we have understood as well the local driving culture which is decidedly different than a typical US city.

Really good info to make your trip a better experience. I would def recommend this book, it’s worth the money. If you are somewhere without internet it was a great resource. Just make sure you get newest edition. Aloha

An indispensable resource for every Kauai vacation. It includes a wealth of information that will help you plan your trip and then get the most out of your time on the island. Skimming through the book a reader can quickly get a feel for the wide range of natural features and outdoor activities that the island has to offer. More careful reading will reveal additional hints on special areas to explore. Having read and re-read this book many times, it's clear that each word is carefully chosen. I was turned onto this book before my first visit in 2001 and have bought every edition since for subsequent annual visits. It doesn't change much from edition to edition but there's always something new or fine-tuned to make it worth the new version. In the 8th edition I learned of a hidden waterfall near to where I stay. In this edition there is (finally) mileage noted clearly at the beginning of each hike description. Restaurant reviews are usually quite accurate, however the writers tend to rate the food more highly if a restaurant has a view, and downgrade ratings if it doesn't, even if the atmosphere is open-air and pleasant. I like that they include places to avoid along with places they recommend. While not perfect, most of the restaurants of interest are described, so it's at least a good starting point when trying to figure out where to eat. On the down side, they could do somewhat better with ocean safety descriptions. While the ocean safety section is very good, not every reader will scour every page for information (as I do). The writers do emphasize the dangerous beaches where it's almost never safe to swim, but it took several editions before they got around to mentioning how many people drown at Queen's Bath, a feature that is highlighted. Obviously a book cannot accurately predict ocean conditions at a particular beach on a given day, so it would be helpful if it highlighted or at least mentioned the daily ocean safety reports available at http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/ocean_report/.

I purchased the Oahu, Maui and Kauai “Ultimate Guidebooks” from Amazon. I want to tell you why these books are really excellent. These guidebooks point out the sights - in each distinct and meaningful section of each island - IN THE SEQUENCE one would drive to view them. Other guidebooks (there are many) usually have similar information - but it is organized under headings that do not relate to the sequence in which you would travel. There is minimal page turning. Furthermore, the “Ultimate” guide books ‘tell it like it is’ without any apparent ‘axe to grind.’ They do not appear to be influenced by advertising or interest in selling the reader any product, service, attraction or place to stay. These “Ultimate” guidebooks are the one perfect guidebook to carry in the car as you drive to see the beautiful Hawaiian sights. This is an unsolicited review by a customer without any connection with the authors, publisher or Amazon.

I am going to travel to Hawaii next Summer and bought this travel guide for the preparation. Because we will visit also some of the other islands, I also bought the Revealed series for Oahu, Maui and Big Island to have a complete series for all islands that we are going to see. For comparison, I also bout other books such as the Lonely Planet guide which covers all islands in one book. The complexity of the Revealed series is very high. All relevant sights are described and there is a lot of background information and helpful maps. I can really recommend this book and all other parts of the series. However, the complete compendium might be a little too heavy for my backpacking trip because each book has a weight of more than 300 gramm.

These guides to the Hawaiian Islands are great. Amusing read and very informative with excellent tips on where and how to go to the various sights. If only all travel guides were this good. The Kauai guide is also available as an app which has some advantages, but there is more information in the book itself.

I rarely find a product that I think warrants 5 stars. This certainly does. There is more information packed into this little book than any guide book I have found. It was laid out well and the references and maps were easy to follow. We mostly did adventures (hiking, kayaking, skydiving, snorkelling, atvs, helicopters, camping, the kalalau trail, etc). This book was essentially our bible for those things. I expected the book to be mediocre at best, but was honestly blown away by how good it was. For an island with spotty cell service, or if you are planning on doing the things away from the resorts, I would highly recommend the 20 bucks for this book. The only desire I have is to expand the 3 pages of the kalalau trail a bit, but that's only a wish and shouldn't take away from the book in the slightest.

Another brilliant travel guide from this author. His specialist knowledge of the Hawaiian islands makes for a thoroughly informative and witty read.

These are by far the best books to get if you travel to Hawaii. They have a book per island. We have used the Maui guide as well. These books are even recommended by the locals. We also had a lonely planet version for Kauai and hardly used it. The book is easy to read and understand the reviews seem thorough and true. Unlike other travel books, the authors actually live on the island and rate their experiences anonymously. Highly recommend this series for any Hawaii travel.