Lonely Planet Hawaii: The Big Island (Regional Travel Guide)
by Conner Gorry, Luci Yamamoto
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Book Summary Information
Author: Conner Gorry, Luci YamamotoEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-09-01
ISBN: 1741047153
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Book Reviews of Lonely Planet Hawaii: The Big Island (Regional Travel Guide)
Book Review: Look (but don't read)
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
We thought about going to Hawaii for our honeymoon and so I already have all the excellent guides by Doughty and Friedman. If I were going to only buy one guide to the Big Island theirs is the book I would buy. The authors have made it their life to explore and report on Hawaii. They live there and have the knowledge that only comes from being a local. There is also a website that accompanies the books which has lodging reviews and updates are published continuously. Its almost as if the State of Hawaii board of Tourism hired them solely to publish and reveal everything there is to know about Hawaii. Because of this I almost feel sorry for the authors of this Big Island book. It would probably be easier to train for and complete the famous Ironman triathalon that takes place on the Big Island than to write a better book than Doughty and Friedman have already written.
With that in mind if you are the type of person who either doesn't want to spend a lot of money on a vacation and come away disappointed so you try to find out as much as possible before you go and would buy multiple books or if you come away as I did with additional questions after reading the Doughty & Friedman books (I still left uncertain about what the best island would be for me to visit), the Lonely Planet Guide Hawaii the Big Island revealed has some unique elements which could potentially help augment Doughty and Friedman's guide.
First, the cover displays a beautiful shot of lava flowing into the ocean and while we've all heard not to judge a book by its cover in this case the editors or graphic designers managed to select a photo that does a good job of distinguishing the Big Island from the others. Its geologically the youngest island and it is still being formed by ongoing volcanic activity. Seeing the lava flow in this picture makes an impression about the immensity of the volcanic activity and made me think we probably wouldn't go to the Big Island and not go see the volcanoes. This brings up the whole problem of do I want to spend two days of precious annual leave on a geology lesson (dazzling though it may be, perhaps hot sulfur smelling two days is not everyone's idea of a vacation). In many places (as I shall later detail) the book's graphic style wrankled my nerves. The descriptions of the volcanoes were no exception. Their statement "smoke billows from the ground so voluminously it tastes like you're sucking matches" cannot in anyway be construed as clean tight writing but it was effective. Although I've never sucked matches did make me really think about whether I wanted to go there.
Photos overall are a strength of the book. Although it is a travel sized packable book, the images throughout are plentiful, attractive, and detailed. Generally each chapter starts with a full page spread and there are many half to two-third page shots throughout. Some are a bit cliché (hula, waterfalls, orchids) but they try to put a fresh spin on things. The shot of a cup of Hawaiian Shave Ice with the focus on the colorful ice in the paper cup and the smiling Hawaiian proprietor out of focus in the background offering it to the viewer captures the food and local color and hospitality. Some of the pictures were pictures of views or places that I had not seen before in other guidebooks or if I had they were better. Many of the shots were by Alamy photographers and their ability shows. For example the Muliwai trail picture listed as the first in the Best Big Island Experiences Section is simply stunning. That photo made me more curious about the island. I am one half of a couple who is seriously into photography so if it seems I'm spending a lot of time on the visual aspects of the book maybe that is why. I do think the pictures as well as use of color and graphic design and organization overall in the book is its strongest point. If you are like us and prone to dragging cameras and an assortment of lenses on trips then you too will probably appreciate this book for the ways it portrays the Big Island and the ideas it might give you on opportunities to explore the Big Island creatively.
Moving beyond the pictures are worth a 1000 words concept, the Big Island is aptly named and most people do not want to spend their vacation driving hither and yon. That would be very easy to do on the Big Island. One thing this book does which I appreciated is that it breaks down the island into itineraries by segments located together and things one might do. For example in the chapter on the Kona Coast, if you have 2 days you go 40 miles and in 4 days 55 miles. I think this would be an excellent approach whether you have a long time to explore, for example if you've moved to Hawaii or just a short time to visit. Overall this gave me the impression that while the Big Island might have everything all the other islands have plus lava, a snow covered mountain, and an observatory on top, I probably would not be able to see and do everything in one trip. Seeing another island more fully might be a better introduction to Hawaii especially since one can never be sure one will make it back a second time as it is expensive and for people coming from the Eastern US not uber-convenient.
So now we come to the not so positive side of the review. It seems clear that the authors either had a mandate from the publishers to try to write in a `cool' style or (even worse), the style in which they write (something writers call `voice') is actually how they really speak and write. Either way it's impossible to ignore (and not in a good way). The book starts, "Hawaii ain't just another pretty face. Sure she's a knockout with glorious sun, sand, and surf. But the youngest Hawaiian Island will also surprise you and take you to extremes." There are so many things wrong with this opening, I almost don't know where to start. First the "ain't just another pretty face" statement -- unoriginal much? And did you have to use "ain't"? Apparently you did have to use "ain't" because you later use it in descriptions of Hilo - "This ain't no tourist town." Also the comparison of Hawaii to a woman? Its like a cliché within a cliché. Finally there's the word extreme. Its apt. It also conjures up extreme sports and just made me think they were shooting for a young hip audience. While I'm sure plenty of young hip folks make their way to the Big Island since it is full of outdoorsy adventuresome travel options, and I know they're trying to compete in a tight market made even tighter by competition from the likes of Doughty and Friedman so its important to have a niche, the language was a turnoff to me (I'm in my early 40s and reasonably into the outdoors). I'd wager many other potential readers who aren't in the 10-30 year old demographic would feel the same way and probably even most of the 10-30 year olds as well. Part of the problem is they aren't consistent. They sum up with "Honor her and she'll fascinate you to no end." -- the writing is just uneven.
And it does get much worse. The thing I found most appalling was that in the chapter starting on Page 24 about water sports. There is a sentence that ends "... your vacation here is sure to be a wet dream." I am not kidding. It would take more space than Amazon has to go into all the rest of the ways the writing just didn't work for me but that one sentence was so evocative in such a lurid way that I really had a hard time reading the rest of the book just to be able to review it. In writing this I contemplated whether I was just a total prude (and I'll admit that's possible). But then I thought would the Governor of Hawaii want to use the slogan "Wet Dream" in advertising his state? Would the United States President-elect be happy about having a comparison drawn between sporting activities in his home state and inadvertent ejaculation? I am actually embarrassed to even write that, but the fact is I don't think it would pass the is it a potential embarrassment to the president test. So maybe I am a prude and maybe language like that appeals some demographics but I think many people would feel that kind of casualness was crossing a line of decency.
If it seems I'm being too harsh, I do realize this is a travel book and I should not expect Pulitzer Prize winning prose. However, perhaps its BECAUSE it is a travel book that I have such a bee in my bonnet (there is a cliché for the authors to use next time that -- at least is not so offensive). The only thing a travel book really needs to do is give reliable recommendations. Readers are expecting to be able to take writer's words for what to do and how to spend their time. A vacation made better by a travel books recommendations is worth the $ for the book. A vacation made worse is time and money down the drain especially for a trip to Hawaii, which is both an expensive and a time consuming proposition. If writers have poor judgment and are willing to use offensive word choices in their attempts to describe the delights of a place, how or why should a reader believe their recommendations? Factoring in airfare, hotel, gas, food, tips and sundry activities which in Hawaii are likely to include very expensive activities like helicopter rides, one could be looking at many thousands of dollars blown and in some cases years of saved up vacation or a honeymoon which can never be recouped. And it was not just the inconsistent prose and wet dream analogy that made me question the authors. On page 42 there is a green box with white writing that refers to Maui businesses and not Big Island businesses. Obviously there was some cut and paste problems and the editors failed to catch that inconsistency. While I realize accidents can and do happen it started me down the path of "if I use this guidebook and there are other typos, what am I possibly letting myself in for?" I can now imagine a situation where directions to a certain destination were actually the directions to a different destination on a different island and I end up hopelessly lost.
Finally I would like to end on a positive note so I will list some other ways in which this book is above average. There is a chapter entirely devoted to environmental concerns and conservation and it is filled to the brim with an explanation of all the competing interests in Hawaii and various attempts to address the non-native species and development problems. I also enjoyed the Island Voices sections in which there are interviews with local islanders featured on full page spreads with their pictures and discussions of what they like most about their home island. To me, spending time reading discussions of culture and history and current issues is more interesting than reading in depth reviews of hotels and restaurants like you see in some guidebooks. Afterall, Tripadvisor does a pretty good job telling a person where to stay and why. And I did crosscheck the reviews with some on Doughty and Friedman's website and they were far less detailed but generally seemed similar suggesting that were this to be the only guide to the big Island in stock and were you to take the advice of the authors and actually select a hotel based on their recommendation, it probably would be safe.
To sum up, this book has some valuable components. It made me more carefully consider my itinerary for my fantasy trip I hope to someday take to Hawaii including possibly skipping the big island entirely because I'm just not into lava and volcanoes and have too little vacation time to spend it on something that I find neither relaxing or mesmerizing. The organization of the book is fairly well done and helpful. If you like to look at travel books as a way to escape your own life, this one has some very nice images. If you like reading travel books just to see how bad the writing can be, this might also be the book for you. I cannot recommend this as the only book a person should buy because there is a vastly superior book already on the market AND because my confidence in the material was shaken somewhat by the author's style and certain word choices that made me question their judgment. It might be a good book to augment a collection, for example, if you want to know more about local culture, history and political issues.
Summary of Lonely Planet Hawaii: The Big Island (Regional Travel Guide)
Insider Guide, Aloha SpiritRecommended itineraries help you plan your vacation by time or interest
Opinionated reviews and Our Pick icons guide you to the best choices for your trip
Interviews with locals offer additional insider tips and insights
Simple to use, with color-coded chapter and 41 easy-to-follow maps
In This Guide:
Sustainable icon highlights establishments that preserve Hawaiian environment, culture and identity
Stunning highlights chapter showcases the Big Island's very best beaches, sights and experiences
Activities chapter gives the lowdown on island adventure, from bodysurfing to yoga
Myths & Legends chapter connects the Hawaiian gods and tales of the past to the island's modern-day people and land
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