Guide Books

First thanks for answers to previous questions. We reserved a condo at Prince Kuhio (per your suggestion) for next April. Photos and reviews of this location make me really excited.

We%26#39;ve always used ';Maui Revealed'; as a guide for Maui and think it is great. I think there is a ';Kaui Revealed'; also, but several posters have mentioned the ';Ultimate Kauai Guide Book';. Your opinions please.

Also, what is the approximate drive time from Poipu to Princeville?

Thanks

Guide Books

hour and fifteen sans traffic.

UKG is pretty good book. We keep a copy for our own use and our guests. But guide books are subjective. One may please you more than the other. UKG is just $10 at Costco so maybe $15 ish if you buy on Amazon? Probably a decent investment compared to a multi thousand dollar vacation to buy 2 and decide for yourself.

Guide Books

gja52,

According to the ';Ultimate Kauai Book'; it should take approx. 70 min. depending on traffic from Poipu to Princeville.

The book in my opinion is probably the most user friendly of any book out there. My husband and I used it on our first visit back in 2002. There is a 6th edition out of this book.If you have not been to Kauai you will find it very useful...

Aloha gia52: Exact same book: ';Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed'; (6th edition) at any large bookstore on the mainland or Borders, WalMart and ABC stores on Kauai, or online at amazon.com.

Have a look at:

http://www.wizardpub.com/kauai/kauai.html

UKG is correct; it%26#39;s about 70 minutes from Poipu to Princeville.

gia

Some of us refer the the guide book as the ULTIMATE KAUAI GUIDE BOOK....or ';UKG'; others will call it '; KAUAI REVEALED'; since the other islands books are Maui Revealed,and Big Island Revealed.

On the cover of the kauai book ULTIMATE KAUAI GUIDEBOOK is in much larger letters.....while kauai revealed is smaller. No biggie is the same publication.

For people who actually intend on coming to the island of Kauai,and actually exploring the island, this book is extremely helpful.

Do I agree with everything that the author has written ? NO but, they are right on about 95 % or more of the time. Over 13 years now, we have found it extremely useful, and still do.

We keep a copy in the house and another copy in the car, and use it all the time. It has also kept us out of danger, And, we have been extremely active as visitors, as well as residents. And, we are still alive and never been injured, or had a close call, on land, sea ,or air.

If you read a post complaining about the UKG, ask the poster if they actually come to this island, and if they do, do they okole sit, or get out and actively : HIke, kayak, snorkel, , bike, paricipate in activities, golf, horseback riding, ATV tours, Napali boat cruises, helo tours, go to luaus, drive up and explore Koke%26#39;e and Waimea Canyon, tour botanical gardens, find out of the way beaches, north, east or south shore or hikes, find average temps and weather situations, driving times, places and sites to visit on all shores, etc, etc., places to dine island wide, or see the sunset, or where to stay.

Ask them a question about where a trail head might be located, or anything that you want to know, and if they have actually done what your are asking about.

So, if a person is actually interested in visiting and exploring the island of kauai , that blue book is invaluable. Without it, a visitor is going to be totally lost. Yes, there are other guide books and I have some of them....they are fine...but I find , when we need to know something, we wind up using the UKG.

In fact , we were up in Kokee today, hiking the pihea trail, and on the way up, we passed a trail head marker. We were not familar with that trail. Erica opened the glove box, and looked it up in the UKG.

Please, however, if what you want to do, is on posted or private land, please respect that. If anyplace is posted, private or not, be it beaches, trails , waterfalls , etc., do not continue. This is just common sense. There are many, many warnings about things you might want to do...listed in the UKG....heed them also.

So, if you intend on doing things while on this island, the UKG is going to be the best $ 15.00 you will spend, and you should study it well prior to leaving the mainland. It will be of tremendous help in your planning. And your entire visit will go along much more easily.

if you have questions about anything, ask the knowledgeable people on this board, and there are many, many, who will be more than happy to assist you. This Trip Advisor Kauai board is really outstanding. Most can hardly wait to share their experiences and help others.

Denny

I just bought Kauai Underground Guide, 18th edition, by Lenore Horowitz. It was published in Feb of 2007, so the information should be all recent. I really like this book...it%26#39;s all in color and is similar to ';the blue books';, which I also have. This book also comes with a music CD.

There is also a guidebook called Kauai Mile by Mile. We bought it and the maps look pretty good. Will let you know when we get back. The Maui Mile by Mile gets good reviews on the Maui Forum. We, of course, also have the Ultimate Kauai also.

For our upcoming visit, I have been enjoying the ';blue book'; (The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed) for how thorough it is; Kauai Underground Guide for how well-organized and down to earth it is (especially for families, as they are very conscious of things that are kid-friendly; they%26#39;re also beach- and food-focused), and Kauai Trailblazer (just black and white inside, but great stuff for the outdoorsey types).

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Once upon a time there used to be ';tons'; of guide books for the island -- now about 99.9% of the visitors that I encounter use the afore-mentioned ';Blue Book'; -- it seems to be the Bible these days and while I don%26#39;t own a copy myself -- I%26#39;m sure the huge popularity of this book can only mean that folks are satisfied with it!

There is a huge section of Costco with just copies of this book alone! And that always amazes me since I figure that most visitors will have purchased it before they came, not after!

Malama Pono,

Janet

About six years ago we made the move from Vancouver, Washington to Kalaheo, Kauai. My comments are based on living on Kauai full time and entertaining scores of guests who love to visit.

Most islanders share our opinion that the ';blue book'; Ultimate Kauai has caused environmental destruction to our native forests and our reefs. All the time tourists blatantly walk on the coral and feed the fish. Their suntan lotion forms a film on lagoon surfaces. Countless get into trouble snorkeling where they shouldn%26#39;t be and the tourists that fall off cliffs, too numerous to count every year. We have established a website dedicated to water safety but not enough people know about it.

Then there%26#39;s the private property issue, just like on Maui where there other book is also causing mahem. If there is a sign that sayes ';private property'; their readers don%26#39;t believe it. The Haleakala park has banned it.

Our economy here is based on tourism and we hope tourists will treat our island like they would their own home town. Mahalo.