Maui Restaurants: More On Why to Not Trust TripAdvisor

Where: Maui || Grouped in: Maui Food || Tagged: foodie, restaurants

Pull up the list of the Top 5 recommended restaurants on Maui and you can see why TA is totally untrustworthy when it comes to food.


  1. Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante, Kihei (I've never a Hawaii local say this one is the best on Maui)

  2. I O Restaurant, Lahaina (A very nice restaurant but hard to say its the second best on Maui)

  3. Kincha, Kihei(Never even heard of this one)

  4. Swan Court, Lahaina (Gone. New restaurant in its place)

  5. Kula Sandalwoods Restaurant, Kula (Have heard this place is OK but nothing great)


In other words, huh?' I trust TripAdvisor for *some* accommodation ratings but for food, it's simply not reliable in any real sense. Better off asking a concierge at a hotel.

Related Links: 50 Thrifty Eats on Maui

—Alex, 07/11/07

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Comments

James said:

Alex,

I’d be curious to see your top 5 in a later article!

—07/11/07

Alex said:

That should be coming out sometime this year. I think I’O will be in the Top 5, for sure, but in all honesty, there are a few others that I think would come in above it.

—07/11/07

Liza's Eyeview said:

Ferrro’s is in Four Seasons Resort/Hotel
Kincha isin Grand Wailea Resort/Hotel

The above two were probably voted by “rich tourists” who loves tro eat in the hotel based restuarants.

I live on Kihei side so I am not familiar with I’O and Swan Court and Kula Sandalwoods.

What about Roy’s, Kimo, Halimaili, Mama’s Fish House and Longhi’s ? They are more popular among local here if you talk about restaurants.

—08/14/07

cg said:

I agree, this list is bogus. If you are isolated in a posh resort, then some of these places might be tolerable. But everyone knows Mama’s Fish House, Longhi’s, Roy’s, Makawao Steak House, David Paul’s, Kimo’s etc etc are the solid grand old style places which are absolutley world-class and local at the same time.

—09/02/07

Christopher said:

Hello,
I thought that I take the opportunity to point out a substantial weakness about Trip Advisor (and sites like it) from the point of view of a Tour Operator.
Quite by chance we came across a remark posted on TA by some customers of ours. Whilst they had enjoyed their holiday, there was one negative remark they made, which, as it happens, we had in the meantime addressed. We posted a reply. The information is still there but of course it is the customer’s remarks that tend to hit the eye. Anyway, my point is that whilst hotels are in a position to be able to easily check any remarks made about them, and respond accordingly, tour operators by and large offer so many products that it is not possible for them to trace the comments made - it would be a full time job. So, untrue and uncontested comments might remain unnoticed by the tour operator in question for months, years, for ever.
I wrote to TA about this. Naturally there followed the routine exchange of correspondence (‘there are facilities for replying’; ‘we filter out dubious posts’ etc.) before they grasped my point that their site was very one-sided for those in the tourism world who are not hotels - and the final reply was:

‘I am sorry, but we do not offer a service that provides alerts to people/companies mentioned in our forums. I would be surprised if any company does anything of that sort.’

To me all of this exposes a significant weakness in the world of the internet. I do not like rules and regulation myself, but organisations like TA build up a huge following on what is to some extent a fallacious premise. These weakness are worth discussing, I think.

Thanks and regards

—01/10/08

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