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The finest guidebook ever written for Maui. Now you can plan your best vacation—ever. This all new sixth edition is a candid, humorous guide to everything there is to see and do on the island. Best-selling author and longtime Hawai'i resident, Andrew Doughty, unlocks the secrets of an island so lush and diverse that many visitors never realize all that it has to offer. Explore with him as he reveals breathtaking trails, secluded beaches, pristine reefs, delicious places to eat, colorful craters, hidden waterfalls and so much more. Every restaurant, activity provider, business and resort is reviewed personally and anonymously. This book and a rental car are all you need to discover what makes Maui so exciting.
"Great series of guidebooks...Their fun-to-read style is helpful and easy to follow. Their observations are precise..."—Hawaii Magazine
ABOUT THIS BOOK 9
INTRODUCTION 11
How it Began 11
The First Settlers 14
Outside World Discovers Hawai'i 17
Kamehameha the Great 18
Modern Hawai'i 19
THE BASICS 21
Getting Here 21
What to Bring 22
Getting Around 22
Getting Married on Maui 24
Weather 26
Geography 28
Where Should I Stay? 29
Is Maui Too Expensive? 30
Hazards 31
Traveling With Children (Keiki) 35
Some Terms 35
Hawaiian Time 36
Shaka 36
The Hawaiian Language 36
Music 40
The Hula 40
Farmers' Markets 40
Books 41
The Internet 41
A Note About Access 41
A Note on Personal Responsibility 42
Miscellaneous Information 42
A Word About Driving Tours 43
WEST MAUI SIGHTS 44
Ma'alaea to Lahaina 44
Lahaina Town 47
Ka'anapali to Kapalua 49
Past Kapalua; Over the Top 55
West Maui Shopping 63
West Maui Best Bets 64
CENTRAL MAUI SIGHTS 65
Wailuku 65
Kahului 68
The Valley of Sugar 68
Pa'ia 70
Central Maui Shopping 70
Central Maui Best Bets 71
HANA HIGHWAY SIGHTS 72
Can a Rental Car Go All the Way? 73
Driving the Road 74
Waterfalls 74
A Few Basics 75
A Word About Aloha 77
Pa'ia to Highway 360 77
On Highway 360 77
Ke'anae to Nahiku 83
Nahiku 88
Dining Outside of Hana 88
Nahiku to Hana 89
Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach 90
Hana 93
Hana Bay 93
Red Sand Beach 94
Koki Beach 96
Hamoa Beach 96
Dining in Hana 97
Also in Hana 99
Hana Highway Best Bets 99
SOUTHEAST MAUI SIGHTS 100
Kipahulu 100
'Ohe'o Gulch-aka 7 Sacred Pools 103
Pipiwai Trail 106
Past the Park 107
Southeast Maui Best Bets 113
HALEAKALA & UPCOUNTRY SIGHTS 114
Upcountry 114
Ha'iku 116
Makawao 116
Kula 117
Haleakala National Park 118
Haleakala Summit 121
Inside the Crater 125
Haleakala & Upcountry Shopping 126
Haleakala & Upcountry Best Bets 126
SOUTH MAUI SIGHTS 127
Ma'alaea 127
Kihei 129
Wailea 130
Makena 131
Molokini 133
La Pérouse Bay 134
South Maui Shopping 136
South Maui Best Bets 137
OFFSHORE ISLANDS 138
Kaho'olawe 138
Lana'I 139
Moloka'i 142
BEACHES 146
Beach Safety 147
West Maui Beaches 149
South Maui Beaches 158
The Bottom of Maui 168
Hana Beaches 168
The North Shore of Haleakala-From Hana to Central Maui 168
ACTIVITIES 170
ATVs 171
Biking 171
Boogie Boarding 175
Camping 175
Fishing 176
Gliders 177
Golfing 178
(Powered) Hang Gliders 184
Helicopters / Airplane Tours 186
Hiking 189
Horseback Riding 202
Jet Skiing 205
Kayaking 205
Kiteboarding 206
Land Tours 207
Ocean Tours 208
Parasailing 218
SCUBA 218
Snorkeling 225
SNUBA 227
Spas 227
Submarines 228
Surfing 228
Whale Watching 230
Windsurfing 232
Ziplines 233
ADVENTURES 235
Spear an Invasive Fish 235
The Four Falls of Na'ili'ili-haele 236
Mountain Bike Haleakala's Spine 238
Day Trip to Moloka'i's Kalaupapa 240
Grope Your Way to a Waterfall 240
Take Your Own Boat to Molokini 240
Hike in a Lava Tube 241
Try a Night or Scooter Dive 241
Haleakala Crater Grand Loop 243
Hike the Lava Fields to a Beach 245
Swimming With Sharks 246
ISLAND DINING 248
Island Dining Index 248
Island Fish & Seafood 250
Lu'au Foods 251
Other Island Foods 251
West Maui Dining 252
South Maui Dining 264
Central Maui Dining 275
Dining Elsewhere 280
Island Nightlife 282
Lu'au 283
Dinner Shows 285
Dinner Cruises 287
WHERE TO STAY 288
Condos 288
Hotels 289
A Few Ground Rules 289
Where are the Rest? 290
Where Should I Stay? 291
Rental Agents 292
Where to Stay Index 293
Kapalua 296
Napili 297
Kahana 297
Honokowai 298
Ka'anapali 298
Lahaina 300
Ma'alaea 300
North Kihei 300
South Kihei 301
Wailea 302
Kahului 304
Accommodations Elsewhere 304
Hana 304
INDEX 306
NoToleranceForFools
Posted Sat Aug 22 00:00:00 EDT 2009
The actual information is good, but one must wade through excessive "clever" comments from the author in order to find it. The first couple sarcastic or "humorous" comments aren't annoying, but the rest most definitely are. I got a sense of an "I'm too cool to do touristy stuff" attitude that is sort of ridiculous in a book aimed at tourists.
Don't be tempted by the bargain basement sale price of the guidebook, stick with a known, respectable guide such as Fodor's or even Rick Steves.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Amy68
Posted Thu Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2009
The books by this guy about each island are priceless. We went to Kauai twice last year and bought the Kauai version before the first trip after looking at an older edition that belonged to a doctor at my work. The information in them is so detailed, like what is good at each restaurant and what is not, and the directions on how to get to little known places on the islands, telling you every turn to make. I now have the Maui one, the Kauai one, and just got the Big Island one. They are my "bible" in Hawaii; I would not want to be without it. Love it!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Mar 09 00:00:00 EDT 2009
This was a wonderful guidebook while we were in Maui. I would definitely recommend it. The history was very interesting to read as well. Well done.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.gazebo
Posted Sat Sep 19 00:00:00 EDT 2009
If you're unfamiliar with Maui, this book is helpful in giving you some direction. We found we did not agree with about a third of the recommendations and advise given. Some of the directions to hard to find beaches did not make them any easier to find. Some of the restaurant recommendations led us to pretty inferior restaurants. But it's better than going there with no direction.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Tue Nov 06 00:00:00 EST 2007
Recently, my family took a trip to Maui (for a wedding, no less). It seems almost every member of our group ended up with this book! And, as we traveled, we began to affectionately refer to it as 'The Bible' and we didn't venture far at all without it. It goes beyond the boring '3-Star Hotel' ratings, and gives you the nitty-gritty. We were able to venture to places we never would have known about on our own. This book made that vacation the trip of a lifetime! I am going back to Maui with my boyfriend, and I plan on buying him 'The Bible' also.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Tue Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2004
This was a very disappointing book. Many of the sites it showcases are CLOSED or out of business. It would be greatly improved if they would put an errata slip in every copy so tourists aren't misled. We ended up using the 101 Things to do guide that was distributed free at the activity desk of our hotel.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JusMeNC
Posted Fri Jan 17 00:00:00 EST 2014
Excellent book, recently updated, and has everything you'll want to see/do on Maui. We found only a couple of directions that were difficult to follow for things REALLY off the beaten path. Well-organized, complete, and amusing - this is definitely THE guidebook to take on your Maui adventure.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sat Mar 23 00:00:00 EDT 2013
My family just returned from Maui and had an excellent time, attributed to the guide book. As you read the reviews here and their descriptions you will note controversy about properties access and business's service quality. In a tourist destination there are those who depend on the visits of 'one time' travelers and do not suffered the consequence of bad service 'local word of mouth' because of the constantly renewing visitors. Sorry property owners who try to discourage visitor’s rightful access to public property and business providing poor service. In our one week stay we could not verify by any means all the information, but in my opinion this guide does not fawn to special interests. Use the guide and chose the adventure level you are comfortable with. This guide has probably helped raise the quality of Maui amenities.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri May 14 00:00:00 EDT 2010
If you're heading to Maui, I'd strongly recommend buying this book, and to get it a couple of months in advance. It's great to read straight through to get a feel for each of the areas of interest, where you'd like to stay, what activities interest you.
The authors are not paid by local merchants/hotels. They don't accept kickbacks so all of their reviews seem really unbiased. Their restaurant reviews were accurate and the excursion descriptions (e.g., the road to Hana) gave really unique suggestions that the general tourist would miss. One word of caution is to not get overwhelmed by the amount of great things they present...if it's your first time, you may feel like you've mised out by not doing as many things as possible. Remember the most important thing to do on Maui is relax and enjoy!
crazyroselady
Posted Fri May 14 00:00:00 EDT 2010
What I liked most about this book was that it told the real truth about the island, not just glowing reviews of everything the authors encountered. It helped me pick what to do. I loved that it tells about the different kinds of beaches and how to get to them. It also tells about little known beaches (little known before publication) and how to get there. The book is filled with maps and helps the reader become more familiar with the island. I think it lists EVERY activity the island has to offer, at least it seems that way! The only thing I didn't care for was the lodging options. It tells a few, but if you want to know about other options, you have to go to their website. I also didn't get much out of their recommendations for places to stay, the gem thing doesn't seem consistent, just confusing. I really wanted to find a book that said more about where to get good deals on places to stay. I understand that it is difficult to pick hotels for different budgets, but I would rather of seen them say something like "this is a great place to stay, and we booked this through ______ (whoever). I liked that it told about the various hiking places and gave the instructions for getting there. The authors know Hawaii! Just in the next book, they need to clean up the lodging section! Also, it would be nice if they included some sample itineraries. There is so much, I don't know where to start! I think at this point its lodging!!
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Posted Fri May 07 00:00:00 EDT 2010
After waiting 18 years, my husband surprised me with our 'honeymoon' trip to Hawaii! We spent 16 glorious days checking out Maui and Kaui. With the help of "Maui Revealed", we were able to spend our precious time seeking out EXACTLY what it was we were interested in doing. The sense of humor used in the book made it that much more fun to read!
We are only hoping the next time we travel somewhere new, (hopefully I will not have to wait another 18 years!) We will have a great book to turn to! I am thinking of Greece, (hint, hint!) Thank you!
zaz
Posted Thu May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I think everyone on the Road to Hana had this book. It was very precise with the road markers and locations of waterfalls, etc. Wouldn't want to tour Maui without it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.L80lore
Posted Thu Apr 22 00:00:00 EDT 2010
My husband and I purchased this book after several of our friends. Neither of us had ever been to Hawaii and were on a tight budget. Maui Revealed help us narrow down must see's and do's with ease. In part, because of this book, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay, stuck to our budget and now know where to pick up when we visit again!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BriniB
Posted Fri Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I Also Recommend:
My family and I have used this series for three trips to the islands (both the big island version and the Maui version). They are the best travel books I have ever read-I wish these guys would write guides to more locations besides just Hawaii! A local in Hana told me that a lot of the locals around there hate this book and we shouldn't be seen carrying it, because it reveals all of the favorite places only locals know about! All of my favorite places on Maui we found because of this book-it was our best vacation ever and I highly recommend it. Definitely read through thoroughly before you go so you can narrow down what you are interested in seeing because there is a lot to do!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I visit Maui often and I always pick up the latest version o Maui Revealed. Concise, easy to navigate and inexpensive as well as well illustrated. Friends who may be going after you will appreciate your offer to lend/recommend this book also.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Tue Mar 09 00:00:00 EST 2010
I purchased this book before my first trip to Hawaii and I am glad I did. I found it to be very useful for choosing places to go and things to do. I loved the pictures. It contained a lot of practical information and I really like the fact that it was a paperback which made it easy to pack along. The way it was organized made it easy to reference different aspects such as restaurants, lodging, beaches, and other places of interest. Overall I found it to be very well presented. I would recommend it to anyone who is new to Maui and needs a good overall guidebook.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Mar 04 00:00:00 EST 2010
This book is ok to get an overview of the island but please do not follow this guy's instructions and visit all the places that he talks about going around "no trespassing" signs or down to places like the Olivine Pools that are often quite dangerous. The average tourist doesn't know the difference. I did find it quite offensive that the author on numerous occasions mentioned going around fences or ignoring no trespassing signs because you can get away with it. It's just wrong in my opinion.
Also be aware that this book is HATED in Maui because of some of the dangerous stuff it advises, many people have had tourists trampling their private land to go places this book advised, and many businesses think his reviews were unfair. Leave it at home if you do buy it.
Anonymous
Posted Sat Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 2010
We had been to Maui before but about 20 years ago. somethings have really change some not at all. This book helped us see things we didn't see on our first trip and mention things not on the major tour lists which I really enjoyed. I feel like these authors really spend time and explored the places they listed and wanted you to have the best possible vacation you could
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This guidebook is great. It gives you plenty of things to do in Maui...probably too much to do when just visiting. My wife and I went to Maui on our honeymoon, and we took this guide with us. We aren't normally very adventurous, but this book helped break us out of our normal selves, and took us on beautiful adventures across the island of Maui. This is an awesome guidebook, with everything you need. It has stuff like the best places to eat, shop, snorkel or hang on the beach. But it doesn't just give you the tourist spots--it has info that only the locals know. Descriptions like this are common: "For the best snorkeling spot, go to mile marker 38, walk down the path, take a right at the rock shaped like a witch, and then walk along that path for 100 yards until you hit the beach." Maui Revealed has trips and activities for everyone. If you can only choose one guidebook to Maui, I'd pick up this one. We also took Maui Day-By-Day, which was nice to have to compare the two. I would recommend both, but Maui Revealed is much more detailed and extensive, and includes adventures off the beaten path.
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Posted Wed Aug 12 00:00:00 EDT 2009
I Also Recommend:
I have been a frequent visitor to Hawaii and thought I knew a lot, but boy was I wrong! This series rocks. The only thing I don't like is that the snorkeling section is combined with the beaches. Great honest restuarant reviews by authors who actually live in the state and don't take money to be in the books from the places they review like other guide books. Indepth, honest, funny....I can go on & on. The only guide books you will ever need.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
The finest guidebook ever written for Maui. Now you can plan your best vacation—ever. This all new sixth edition is a candid, humorous guide to everything there is to see and do on the island. Best-selling author and longtime Hawai'i resident, Andrew Doughty, unlocks the secrets of an island so lush and diverse that many visitors never realize all that it has to offer. Explore with him as he reveals breathtaking trails, secluded beaches, pristine reefs, delicious places to eat, colorful craters, hidden waterfalls...