Which travel guides are the best? I mean really? Fodors vs Frommers? And what about the Mobile guides? They all seem pretty much the same – so which do people prefer?
Here are the ones I’ve read so far:
Frommer’s Honolulu and Oahu Day By Day: I like the day by day kind of guides, the ones that give you sample itineraries for days/interests. But, it’s pretty rare for me to find a full day/itinerary that is perfect. I always want to skip some things and add others but I’m never sure whether what I’m adding will really fit in (time/location) with what I’m keeping/dropping. So complicated!
Hidden Oahu: I’m not sure sure that my definition of Hidden is the same as theirs but – I liked some of their recommendations since they weren’t always the same as Fodor/Frommer standard tourist must see recommendations. However, I hated the paper this was printed on.
Oahu: Fodors in Focus: This one was pretty standard – Frommer’s Day By Day-like. Nothing surprising was lurking in there.
Lonely Planet Honolulu, Waikiki & Oahu: This was my favorite of the bunch. I’m a Lonely Planet kind of person. If I buy a guide, it will be this one. Or if I download one to my iPad/iPhone, it will be this one.
Adventure Guide Honolulu, Waikiki, & Oahu (Hunter Guides): This one causes me and TW to spend about a half hour calling various weather and time phone numbers (don’t ask) and I liked the section about local culture, Hawaiian language, and native foods/plants. Again, I hated the paper it was printed on. This was probably my second favorite because it did have some shops and restaurants that none of the other guides included.
When we were planning our Europe trip we liked the Lonely Planet’s information the best but the day by day ones were easier to carry around when we were actually out doing things. They were smaller, lighter, and had decent pull out maps. They also gave us the best idea of what was walkable, when we needed to take transit, etc.