Testimonials
Local Girl's Guide to Maui
See what others are saying about my Local Girl's Guide to Maui...
"Hawaii from a local's perspective"
"Wouldn't dream of going without it"
"The true heart and soul of Maui"
"Made the trip less touristy"
"My go-to guides"
"My favorite Maui guide!!"
"Authentic Hawaiian experience"
"Best $10 I ever spent!"
"Gives us new adventures to try!"
"The local flavor shines through"
"The real Maui"
"True local treasures"
"Places you wouldn't normally find"
"Love the grocery shopping list"
"Discover the soul of Maui"
"Takes you off the beaten path"
"Our printed copy was well worn by the time
we left Maui"
"Everything you need to know about getting
great deals"
"Saved a lot of time"
"Hawaii
from a local's perspective"
It had all the information about activities, local food
delights, places that you just wouldn't find anywhere else. A
must-have local guide for anybody to see Hawaii from a local's
perspective.
- S. Goel (Brunswick, Ohio)
"Wouldn't
dream of going without it"
We travel to Maui from Texas quite frequently. We wouldn't
dream of going without periodically getting an updated version of the
Local Girl's Guide to Maui compiled by a local resident, Donna Bender.
Donna reviews restaurants, things to do, what the locals eat and where
to buy such things, shopping tips, where to buy your groceries, etc.
Over the past 10 years or so I've bought 3 guides from Donna and they
are always point on. We just got back from 10 days in Maui. We ordered
her Guide before we went so we could refresh ourselves about favorite
spots and new and updated things to do/see before we went and then had
it with us the whole time we were on the island. Don't go to Maui
without the Local Girl's Guide to Maui. It's worth every penny and then
some.
- Bobbie & Budge Mabry (Georgetown, Texas)
"The
true heart and soul of Maui"
Best guide to Maui and
best money spent on a guide. The true
heart and soul of Maui comes out in her guide and it is truly updated
with the latest restaurants, shopping, snorkeling, hiking and other
places to visit. Her information on the
local way of life is right on. If you just want to golf and stay on the
beach, don't bother. But if you seek an active, true Hawaiian
experience, this is the guide for you. We had some of the best local
food and experiences as a result of following her tips and suggestions
for our family experience. Will definitely
use her guide again on another trip.
- E. Alspach (Lacey's Spring, Alabama)
"Made
the trip less touristy"
I loved using the Local Girl's Guide to Maui and
Oahu! I made the trip more personal and less touristy.
- L. Baldschun (Portland, Oregon)
Donna, you and your guides are my go-to whenever
I'm lucky enough to make it to the Islands. I get to go right past the
tourist traps and hit the genuine stuff instead!
- Steve F. (Roselle Park, New Jersey)
"My
favorite Maui guide!!"
My family and I (2 adults, 2 teens) spent our vacation in Maui this summer for the 2nd time in a few
years. For us,
considering that we are traveling all the way from the Netherlands,
maximizing the experience is a must. Luckily, relatives had recommended
that we
bought the Local Girl's Guide to Maui.
Prepared by the "Local Girl", Donna Bender, the Guide is spot on. Like
many, going to Maui, our family
primarily
wanted to do a lot of snorkeling and spend as much time on the beach as
possible ... and at times, explore around! Although we are not big
planners, my
husband and I started with getting the Guide before traveling and
followed
Donna's recommendations picking a hotel on one of Donna's favourite
beaches.
Jetlagged at first, the kids could be on the beach very early in the
morning.
Donna's recommendations pointed us in the right
direction to
enjoy snorkeling sites full of sea life (swimming with turtles, eels,
and
beautiful schools of fish). We enjoyed every minutes at the market and
on day
trips (with ice creams!) The culinary experience was awesome. We now
have some
great memories of dinners at restaurants as well as some fantastic take
aways
(the Mahi Mahi!!!) to the lanai watching the sunset that Donna
recommended. The
FOOD was just fantastic, and we savored dishes we never ever dreamed of
before.
On top of all that, we followed Donna's music advice and the 4 of us
loved them
so much that we ended up buying a yukulele for our son to bring back to
The Hague!
This was by far the best holiday we have ever had.
We can't
wait to go again!
- Bisoubelle (The Hague, Netherlands)
"Authentic
Hawaiian experience"
Wow, what a lot of info! Your guide will
really be helpful and provide us with a more authentic Hawaiian
experience.
- R. Coenen. (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Having
never been to Maui,
this guide was invaluable for finding great local restaurants, farmers
markets,
beaches, snorkeling spots and shopping.
It's the best $10 I ever spent!
- Sara K. (San Joaquin, California)
"Gives us new adventures to try!"
We own a
condo in Maui
and think this guide is great for finding new things to do and places
to
go. It is up to date and gives us new
adventures to try!
- Nancy H. (Menlo Park, California)
"The local flavor shines through"
This is
a great resource to businesses,
restaurants and shops local to Maui. Beaches and activities are described and
listed with recommendations for your enjoyment.
The local flavor and enthusiasm shines through.
It is an asset to a trip to Maui.
- Paula S. (San Jose, California)
"The real Maui"
If
you're looking to see the real Maui,
this is the guide for you. I used it to
plan our trip and it was
"right on". Well worth the
price and more information than the books you can pick up on the island. Personal information only someone that lives
there would know.
- Chris W. (Lincoln University, Pennsylvania)
"True local treasures"
This is
the place to go to find the true local
treasures that you won't find in a typical Maui
guide book. My husband and I have used
it on several trips, and it makes us try things we wouldn't have done
on our
own. It's also updated all the time so
there are always new things to try each time we go (in addition to our
favorites from the past). Love it!
- Linda C. (Portola Valley, California)
"Places you wouldn't normally find"
This was a very informative guide on Maui.
It guided us to places that you wouldn't normally find in a generic
guide book.
True local treasure, would recommend to anyone planning a vacation to Maui.
- Sangeeta I. (Novi, Michigan)
"Love the grocery shopping list"
My
travel agent sent this as a gift for me. I
used it last trip and it listed some great hikes and beaches for
families with
small children. We also love the grocery shopping list.
Great if you stay at condos. Some unique
items to try during our stay. The
restaurant suggestions were very helpful. Definitely some special
places we
would not think of catering if it were not because we read about them
on this
guide. Like this mac nuts pancake
place! Wow! So wish I can order one
right now
and eat oceanfront again!!! Great finds.
- D L. (Morgan Hill, California)
"Discover the soul of Maui"
We
received it as a gift a few years back when
we first started coming to Maui. Most
guidebooks will give you the "touristy" highlights and you never
discover the "soul" of the place you are visiting.
This guide fills in the blanks left out by
the larger print editions. A true
must-have for those wanting to experience Maui
in
it's purest form. We quickly discovered
the best local spots to eat, snorkel, hike, and shop. We got this years
edition
just in time for our annual trip and were amazed at all the newly
reviewed
restaurants, recommended websites, and music. We've a tried a couple of
the
restaurants so far and were definitely pleased. The latest edition also
kept us
informed about the new no-plastic-bag policy. This guide has it all,
but with a
local's perspective.
- Claudine F. (San Bruno, California)
"Takes you off the beaten path"
Takes
you off the beaten path to where the
"real people" live, eat and play.
Each location recommended in the guide is frequented by locals
who have
discovered the best of what Maui has
to
offer. For example, during our last
visit to Maui, the guide helped us
find the
most outrageous Kona coffee cookies, some fabulous plate-lunch meals,
sushi
to-die-for, ...and the list goes on. If
you want a truly local experience, this is the guide to get.
- Di M. (Palo Alto, California)
"Our printed copy was well worn by the time
we left Maui"
We
printed up a copy of the guide before we left
home and believe me, it was well worn by the time we left the island. We took it on all of our excursions so that
we would know the best places to eat, shop and just check out in the
different
sections of Maui.
Some of the great eating places it guided us
to would have been overlooked by us if not for this excellent book.
- Sally S. (Atascadero, California)
"Everything you need to know about getting
great deals"
What a
great guide! This has everything you need
to know about having fun, eating, going to cool places, getting great
deals.
The locals know whats going on. I look forward to seeing the updates
and can
hardly wait to get back to Maui.
- Jim R. (San Jose, California)
"Saved a lot of time"
Very
helpful! It saved my husband and I a lot of
time so we could find the places and things that were the best suited
for us
and our trip. I highly recommend!
- Brianne G. (Los Angeles, California)
Local
Girl's Guide to Maui