Quote:
Originally Posted by LWJ
Best insight? The blue travel books. Not sure the name. They are written by locals and are really great.
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That's the "Revealed" series. Each major island has its own book: Oahu Revealed, Maui Revealed, The Big Island Revealed, Kauai Revealed. The cover is blue. I second the recommendation. Of note, there's Hawaii the state, and Hawaii the Big Island.
Yes, it's Hawaii (the state), but each island is a little bit different. One mistake I made was taking Mrs. Noah to the Big Island for her first trip to the 50th state. I had already been to Oahu and Maui, so I wanted to try something different. But (jokingly) the Big Island is the only island with no beaches. So coming from the East Coast, Mrs. Noah was a bit disappointed. I loved it, but in retrospect perhaps we should have tried Maui for her first time.
If you're looking to avoid crowds & tourists, maybe Oahu isn't ideal. Waikiki definitely isn't what you're looking for.