Driving & Discovering Hawaii: Maui & Molokai

Nine years ago on a trip to Oahu I read the first version of this book, "Driving and Discovering Oahu". That book was amazing! The Maui version of the book was its equal in every way. If you are visiting Maui you will find this book to be your most valuable guidebook resource. The book is structured wrapping it's around Maui, highlighting the most off-the-beaten-track places you can imagine. It is geared toured driving adventures, and will take you to some unbelievable places. You will not get lost with this book, as it is very detailed in terms of directions. If you want waterfalls, this book delivers you to the best of them on the island, often places free of tourists, and many times leaving you entirely on your own to appreciate the sites. It brings you to the best beaches, snorkeling and kayaking spots, turtle watching locations, and Mount Haleakala mountain locations. The eating recommendations are local establishments with true local character. You will not be disappointed. This book will guide you around the Island with ease, and get you into little known places (at least to tourists) that make the vacation all the more special. Highly recommended! It also has a section on Molokai if you are heading to that island.

We recently took a trip to Molokai and this book was our primary source for getting around. It was very helpful and accurate when it came to finding most things on the island. However, we didn't find the island quite as charming as the guide book made it out to be.Yes, it is unspoiled by tourists and has a very "local" feel, which we love. But the snorkeling was very disappointing - we saw almost no fish in any of the "great" snorkel spots. The weather was also quite windy, and we heard from locals that is very normal there. The beautiful beaches were often unwalkable because the high winds drove the sand into your face and body to the point of pain.One also needs a 4-wheel drive to access most of the good hiking. The local car companies will rent you a 4-wheel drive but will not allow you to take it off-road. This was mentioned in the book, but one doesn't realize just how limiting that is until you are there.No good snorkeling, no good (accessible) hiking - that's all we really wanted to do on our vacation. So our feeling was that this guidebook was a bit misleading in its descriptions of Molokai and the availability of the things we wanted to do. Next time we are back on Maui, we will bring this along and see if it hits the mark as to that island.

The book is informative enough...lots of great pictures, along with plenty of good suggestions on things to do and see. My beef is actually with Amazon. In their description of the book, Amazon refers to it as "newly updated and expanded" (and it still says that now), but it turns out the most recent edition of this book was published in 2007. Had I known that, I wouldn't have ordered it. I did complain to Amazon customer service, but got absolutely no response of any kind.Some examples of outdated information: the book contains info that would lead you to believe that the Lodge at Molokai Ranch, the golf resort at Kaluakoi, and the movie theater in Maunaloa are all still open, but they, among a number of other things, have all been closed since 2008. Just be aware if you order this book that there's a good bit of outdated information in it.

If you're planning your first trip to Maui -- or even if you've been numerous times before -- this book is a MUST to get the most out of your visit! My family and I have used this book -- and the companion Oahu book -- several times over the past 10 years. They have helped us truly discover and get to know both islands in a way that would not have been possible without Sullivan's "insider knowlege" and helpful tips. Not only does this book contain a treasure trove of information on off-the-beaten-path waterfalls, hiking trails, beaches, etc., but it will also help you take your best vacation photos ever! The book is filled with stunning photographs, and Sullivan tells you exactly where they were taken so that you, too, can capture the same breathtaking views. He even offers a page full of helpful photography tips. This wonderful travel guide covers every inch of this spectacular island -- you will return from your vacation feeling "homesick" for Maui because it's now so familiar to you.

I was a travel agent for 13 years and have a lot of experience with travelling to and exploring tropical venues. This book was our "Bible" while visiting Maui. We were able to visit relatively undiscovered places (unmarked treasures) by following the directions in the book - ie. after the road sign, go 300 ft and turn left down hidden trail to waterfall. I can't tell you how many waterfalls and special spots we found that were virtually invisible to anyone without this book! My only disappointment regarding this book is that the author has not published one for Kauai - boo hoo.

We used this book on our recent trip to Molokai, HI, the maps were very helpful. As the writer indicates, things change on Molokai and some of the business' were no longer open. We did take the drive along the coast and it was very good and pretty much as described. We were glad that we had the book and the pictures are so nice it will make a great keepsake from our trip.

I really liked the content of the book. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact the cover came off the very first time I sat down to read the book! I am pretty careful with my things and didn't like that about the book. Everything else met my expectations.Ginny

My husband and I have looked through the book a couple of times - we will be going to Molokai in 3 weeks and will know better then if the book was helpful during our stay. The pictures look great and I hope it looks as good or better in person! Thanks!!