The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed

A friend told me about this book when I told her we were headed to Kauai. It is written in an almost conversational and enjoyable way and provides lots of insights that I don't think you would know from any other book or website. Inside, there are many full color and easy to follow maps as well as beautiful photographs to give you a sense of what to expect on your sites. It highlights things not to be missed or things that may not be worth your time. The author calls things like he sees them, and doesn't seem to be paid for any of his opinions which I really appreciate. He also shares a lot about culture along the way. You will see from the photos I posted that I ended up tabbing the book because I found the organization a little bit confusing, he has a section for each shore at the beginning and then later sections for beaches, hikes, etc. So I tabbed the things that I knew I wanted to find quickly within each shore. A combination of reading this in advance of our trip, highlighting and tabbing what was important to us, and then also buying this same book's companion app while we were on Kauai for its drive tour, made our trip so much more enjoyable than I think it would have been without. There are many times that he gives you insights, such as when we went snorkeling at Tunnels Beach, it looks like you are parking in a no parking area but according to both his book and his app, you are allowed to park there. Without having that insight I would have been afraid to park and would have missed out on an incredible snorkeling adventure. The companion drive tour app is also amazing. We bought it the first day we were here and were so pleased to have that while we were driving on the island. There are many times where our cell signal dropped but that app never dropped because it's based on GPS. So he would call out turns that we may have missed without a cell signal, and he gave us insightful narrative along the way. Our son would always look forward to our drives on the island, and he'd say "is that Andrew guy going to be talking to us?" If I'd say yes of course, he'd smile and say oh good! Bravo to Andrews Doughty for penning an amazing guidebook and companion app.

Loads of great information and pictures. I found it very well organized and easy to follow and the writers really know their stuff. Used it to learn all kinds of unique things about the island. It really helped me plan the day's activities.

Really helpful, honest and non-commercial recommendations. (We had one terrible meal at the grill café next to our hotel--looked it up in the guide after-the-fact and the guide agreed!) Tips/Suggestions: 1. Anticipating limited pool-time b/c of weather, we selected the moderately-priced Marriott near the airport. This proved to be a wonderful centrally-located resort. (We NEVER felt like we were near the airport.) The pool was classic and huge...my kids LOVED the pool and the hotel beach. 2. Traffic on east side was terrible...both ways, all day. 3. Restaurants were limited and generally not great. Jocelyns (South shore), too new for my edition, was a great find. I worried this tapas bar would not be substantial enough for my hearty-eater husband to serve as dinner--it proved to be PLENTY! 2 tapas selections per person will be enough for average eaters. Very good--highly recommended, though a little pricey. (A nice alternative to Roy's if you are not a big fish-lover.) Most decent restaurants appear to be on the South shore...10 miles (no traffic!) west of the airport. Another BIG surprise was Jojo's shaved ice. Hands-down the BEST sweet treat I've had in years--seriously!! The outside is a bit scary--but there is a line inside. Truly worth the wait!! Roadside fruit stands also offered delicious ready-to-eat fruits. Generally not my thing...but kids insisted and we were not disappointed. 4. Tubing--book referred to it as 'lame' but this was just perfect for my 10 and 22 year-old princesses and me (who hates thrill rides)and husband. Perfect out-door family activity. Lunch was simple but surprisingly good quality! Entertaining, engaged tour guides. 5. We love to hike. We took the Kuamo'o Nounou trail (I think?) off Kuamo'o Road in Wailua. Beautiful jungle scenery.Perfect trail for families. We hiked for roughly 2 hours total; we were told if we extended our time by 1-2 hours we could have reached the top of the low-elevation mountain. Rained on way down. Lot's of fermented fallen fruit on trail attracted bugs at ankle level. Bring bug spray--bugs descended on our older daughter, leaving her with 34 bug bites on her legs and a miserable night's sleep! My husband had a few bites and my 10 year old and I were oddly unscathed. Use bug spray...not worth the risk! Enjoy!

This book is fantastic! It helped us to have the perfect vacation in Kauai. First, Doughty's reviews and recommendations are all spot-on. He has reviewed, it seems, every hole-in-the-wall eatery, every hotel and condo, every trail, every boat company, every helicopter company, every beach, every river. And his recommendations never once led us astray. And he recommends places no one else has ever heard of that are simply great. One example: Trees, a tiny bar tucked away behind what looks like a deserted shopping mall, a place you would never know of otherwise. Yet they had great food, perfect mai-tai's (served, incidentally, by beautiful, nice waitresses), and Doughty even mentions that on Monday nights an amazing rock guitarist, Jeff Caldwell, plays there, and that band changed my life. Finally, Doughty provides detailed maps and directions. I doubt very much that we would ever have found Hideaways without his help. Second, the book is beautifully organized into regions of the island and then categories within that. It's easy to find your way around. Third, the book is really fun to read. Doughty's style is hilarious and approachable. The amazing photos are so enjoyable. I give this book my absolute highest recommendation. Finally, unlike some other reviewers here, I thought the iPhone app was, if possible, even better than the book. It has all the same content, organized in more or less the same way. Plus it has all the maps accessible through the single map of the island to which the app opens. You just pinch the map and it goes to street-name level detail, even trail-level detail. You can tap the map anywhere and it will give you a list of all the places he recommends with distances. What's more the app loads to your phone, so it doesn't require satellite connection or use up your battery with GPS. It was indispensable for our perfect vacation. I was glad to have the book as a read-through reference and the large, beautiful photos. I was glad also to have the app for its on-the-spot access and amazing map. I cannot praise Andrew Doughty highly enough. If only every author were this clear, thoughtful, complete, imaginative, and fun.

Great book to have both in planning your trip and while you are there for addresses and help with choices. I purchased the 9th addition book printed in 2012 which is not the most recent but most of the attractions and restaurants were the same. Prices a little off but still good for comparison. (if cheap in 2012 still cheap now, and if expensive in 2012, still expensive now) The best part of the book is it is from a travelers perspective, in that they would visit anonymously, and gave you fairly representative view of what you should expect. They were spot on with what we saw and experienced. My one remorse is we did not make it by their BBQ restaurant in Lihue. The used version I purchased was only $4 with shipping and I would say it was money well spent. Yes, it had a few comments in it, but very clean and informative. and maps were helpful. Use it in combination with tripadvisor to make your final choices. I found the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook more consistent with my views, since it seemed everyone loved everything or hated it, where as the book was a little more realistic in its perspective. Buy either the current or 9th addition for a valuable travel companion. There are also books for Maui and Oahu.

I just returned from my second visit to Kauai, and first time using this guide. In a nutshell, get this book before you go to Kauai, read it, follow it's suggestions for hiking and dining etc., and toss all other bloated guidebooks away, as I did! I had superior meals at "A Pacific Cafe" with superb fast attentive service, very good food at Coconuts and at "Duke's", great less expensive food at "Lihue'i Barbeque Inn". Also a great Breakfast omelet at "Kalaheo Coffee Co",great Ono fish sandwich lunch at the "Hanalei Dolphin" (they sell super fresh fish and real wasabi next door), great Saimin at "Hamura's", top shave ice at "Jojo's" (get the Mac ice cream at the bottom of #2)and wish I had more time to sample more restaurants in one week! The locals concurred with nearly all of the "Ono" restaurant choices, and they panned some restaurants recommended by Frommer's writers in the 2004 edition...so i didn't try those! The weaknesses are not giving great directions to the restaurants or having a very detailed map of where recomended places are in Lihue or Kapa'a.. his vague directions for finding hidden "A Pacific Cafe" stink..several people gave up trying to find it till it was explained it was hidden back and to the right in a shopping center, along with several other good places! The only restaurant he suggested that wasn't even in existence yet was his own financial venture called "Scotty's", and, as of this week, the site just had a sign that it's to arrive...it'll have some strong competition from day one! His recommendation for Inter-Island helicopters was OVER THE TOP!! It has no doors or windows, sturdy seatbelts, superbly skilled pilots, and it's a peak experience for many... seeing the Na Pali Coast, about 100 waterfalls, beautiful mountains... it's a thrill of a lifetime...and the only way for photographers to go...why bother with shooting through plexiglass with the other choppers?! They fly clockwise around the island, and the left side faces the ocean. The rear left seat is the least desireable, front middle is next least desireable...the front right seat is by far the best...they won't tell what seat you have till you are getting on the chopper...seating is prioritized by weight and then by putting couples together, so I can't fault them...safety first! If you are in the left seat and request, the pilot will gladly swing around to give you a view, so you do see the top sites just as well as the right seaters experience! Women... skirts and wind do not mix too well, long pants are recommended....do bring a light sweater and loads of film or a digital camera! The other chopper companies he recommends have top recommendations...get the discount coupons from the tourist rags, and save $25-$50 per person. (Oops, I can expect a lot of negative reviews from the chopper companies he does not recommend!) Learn the Ni'ihau necklaces art form, and get your top quality at the Hawaiian Trading Post, and don't bother with 2nd and 3rd rate quality necklaces found in other spots over the island. (Oops, more negative feedback!) I could go on and on...Best and only guide to get!

We have used the guide books by this author for years when traveling to Hawai’i, and the new editions like this never fail to get better. There is so much insider information, hints and off-the-beaten path tips that the author gives that it makes trips infinitely better. We used this, the Big Island and the Maui books in the Summer of 2023 and again we’re thrilled. The diversion alerts and “real gems” are truly not to be missed. When you don’t have a ton of time for your explorations, these are foolproof guides for what to do. We also paired the books (really preliminary reading before our trip and in the evenings to plan the next day) with the audio tours by the author of the Hana Highway and other islands. These use information from the book, add history and cultural content and do it all while using your GPS for a real-time guide. Worth every penny!

I don't know about this being the 'ultimate' guide book for Kauai, but it is one of the best of any world guide books written. I really like the author's friendly writing style. It's written like he is part of your family but lives in Kauai and wants you to have the best time ever at his home. He tells you what he likes and what he doesn't like from a 'locals' perspective. An example is the cool sites of 'hidden Kauai'..like off the beaten path waterfalls or little known heiaus. He tells you about where they are and what they are, but a lot of times they are on private property and you are not really welcome there without an invitation, if you go, it's not a very aloha thing to do. It's a good thing to know and a good perspective to keep in mind. Hotels, restaurants, tours, sights..he seems to know them all with the added value of his 'locals' insight. In the 'Where to Stay' section, one of my favorites, he really stands out..he's been to them all..but I really like his aerial color photos of each hotel. You can see the layout of the buildings,where his favorite rooms are, if they have a pool,how's parking, and where they are in relation to the beach and if they even have a beach..nice feature. I bought the Kindle version. As previous reviewers stated for black/white Kindle, it's just ok and I'd recommend the printed version over that. But the Fire version rocks! Beautiful color pictures, easy, easy search features and bookmarking. A lot of the restaurants and accommodations are 'linked' in the articles, so you can go directly on line to their website for more info. The author has a website that links in several places inside the book to him, especially from the 'Where to Stay' section. Excellent! The only drawback is the maps. Even for Fire they are to small to see easily. What is required is a 'zoom' feature for map usage. So in future editions I hope that is part of the update. But really you get a free map anyway when you rent the car, so no big deal. So hat's off to the author for his much appreciated efforts. He is making my time in Kauai much better than I could do alone. And even if you are only thinking about going to Kauai, he is really a fun guy to read. Buy it, sit by the pool with an umbrella drink and dream.

This island needs a lot of exploring and this guide is without doubt the best way of getting around. Excellent guides for places to stay, sights to see, restaurants to eat at and activities to do. The fold out maps are a bonus and really useful when you are travelling around the island.

Waren im Mai auf Kauai - leider nur 4 Tage. Der Reiseführer war genial und wurde uns auch von unseren Gastgebern empfohlen. Lt. deren Aussagen wird der Autor auf den Inseln nicht gerade gemocht, weil er die Dinge wirklich enthüllt! Jeder kleine Strand und jeder Zugang zu einer Besonderheit wird gut beschrieben und die Karten sind wirklich brauchbar, detailliert sowie aktuell (UND in Farbe). Wir haben hiermit jeden Ort super gefunden. Die Empfehlungen für die Strände, Aktivitäten und Ausflüge sind toll und auch top aktuell. Sollte man länger auf einer Insel bleiben, lohnt sich auf jeden Fall diese Investition! Schade, dass es diese Bücher nicht auch für andere Reiseziele gibt!

I have read the one for Kauai and Oahu. The author is great and so helpful. He tells you everything you really want to know. Restaurants are rated by actual dollar amounts rather than $,$$,$$$ as far as pricing. He tells you what an average lunch or dinner will cost per plate. It gives you a lot of local knowledge and do’s and dont’s while you’re there. I wish he wrote a travel guide for everywhere I’d like to travel. We carried it with us everywhere we went!

私は26回ハワイに行っていますが、この本は最高です。とても詳しく説明されていて写真も沢山載っています。英文ですが和文があったら日本人にも喜ばれると思います。

It is a comprehensive book of geography, history, navigation, maps, descriptions, reflections, and all one needs to know for visiting Kauai. Andrew Doughty is simply a man of eminent good sense.I have just enjoyed the book and look forward to visiting the paradise of Kaua'i .