3/09
Hawaii In Print
Ultimate Kauai via Amazon
I frequently receive review copies of new travel guidebooks, and sometimes I think, right, like we need another guidebook to Manhattan/Disney World/Paris/fill in the blank…
So when I received the books Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook and The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed from Wizard Publications, I initially thought the same thing. I went to Amazon to check their rankings — always a good indication of a travel book’s reliability and popularity — and was amazed to see they hovered around 1,000. For a travel guide?
I delved into them, lots of great four-color pictures, maps, and lots of info on the beaches and history and attractions, but what caught my eye was the line on the back cover: “Frank, brutally honest reviews of restaurants, hotels and activities show you which companies really are the best…and which to avoid.”
Huh? This goes against the grain of most guidebook writers, but it’s obvious that this is one of the aspects that readers are responding to, as well as author Andrew Doughty’s sense of humor. A few examples:
From The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook:
“Avoid sitting at the bar, where you might get rude service. The menu is pricey considering you’re in a shopping center without a view.”
“Items are hit or miss but rarely rise above acceptable.”
“The awkward design and poor use of angles [of a hotel] makes you wonder if the architect stayed with the craft.”
From Maui Revealed:
“Remember, this is wilderness. There’s no guard-rail to stop you from shrinking the gene pool should you use bad judgment and fall into the hole.”
“Dinners are their weakest point here. Some portions (especially the pathetic salads) are too small and the raviolis are simply horrible.”
Wow. Run, don’t walk to buy a copy if you’re headed to Hawaii; check out Doughty’s other titles at www.wizardpub.com.
Related posts:
Wow, try using these books when you are there and you’ll have a different opinion. Sarcasm and cruel jest have no place in a reputable guidebook.