Reviewed by: Len from ABQ,NM
After a self-guided drive and tour of the Haleakala volcano in Maui, I decided to let a professional do the drive from Kona to the Kilauea National Park. After reading many of the TRIP ADVISOR reviews (97% excellent), I felt confident this was the tour for my wife and I. It did not disappoint! I hate bus tours because it seems you spend half your day loading and unloading the 50+ passenger buses. Our 11 person tour allowed us to spend much longer times at each wonderful stop with no pressure. Our guide, Kevin Hasting, just said “Come back when you have seen enough.” Fantastic! In addition, Kevin had an encyclopedic knowledge of Hawaiian culture, lifestyle, history, geography, ecology, you name it. He was also an excellent storyteller between stops which made this tour a unique and personal adventure. Lastly, Kevin was so proficient at navigating the Eastern Coast, Hilo area and park that he was somehow able to adjust his routes and timing to avoid the many rain squalls and downpours common to this area. I cannot say enough about how great this tour is. Don’t drive yourself, you will miss so much. One piece of advice. Take some warm clothes with you as it gets cold at night at the high elevations. I carried a light windbreaker jacket, a hoodie, a knit cap and a pair of pullover slacks to put on at night. I ended up giving my hoodie to a fellow passenger to wear who was shivering. The tour does provide emergency blankets and jackets.
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Packages: | Special Deal! 2-for-1 Review Rebate [Deluxe Volcano Tour] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/21 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/14 |
Reviewed by: Scott Reimer
My girlfriend broke her ankle trying to go snorkeling so going again was out for us. The next best thing or better even was this tour; Kat, our guide, answered every one of our questions and it was super fun! We saw all kinds of critters and fish and it felt like you were under the waves yourself! Clear and colorful! I’d do it again, and the price was the most reasonable of all the activities we’ve tried so far on the Big Island ;)
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Packages: | Kona Glass Bottom Boat Cruise from Kailua-Kona Pier |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/20 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/17 |
Reviewed by: Richard V.
This was my second trip up to the summit of Mauna Kea for the Sunset & Stargazing Adventure. The drive up this time was smoother than the first, thankfully, and our guide was excellent. You could tell he was well-informed on all the topics he discussed. The catered Hawaiian dinner was very tasty, and in sufficient quantity to satisfy a good appetite. The only drawback this time was that the clock-drive on the telescope was not working, which took away from our ability to look at celestial objects at high magnification. I recommend this trip, and also that the tour company repair their clock drives!
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Packages: | Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2017/11/18 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/04 |
Reviewed by: Aloha
Such a nice way to be greeted! The company called in advance to make sure the flight info was accurate.
Aloha!
Thank you for taking the time to review your lei greeting experience! We hope that this lei greeting was a meaningful kick-start to your Hawaiian vacation. We enjoy making sure that details are always correct so we can making your lei greeting happen. It is wonderful to have learned your greeting went well, and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future!
Mahalo!
-- Jesse I.
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Packages: | Classic Orchid Lei |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/18 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/28 |
Reviewed by: Curt
This was one of the best tours ever! The high lite was the star gazing, holy cow was it fantastic!
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Packages: | Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/17 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/14 |
Reviewed by: Macie
John was super helpful, never surfed before and rode quite a few waves during the lesson. Very positive, upbeat, and skilled! Had a blast!
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Packages: | Group Lesson |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/17 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/14 |
Reviewed by: Brad
We had a great time in our trip. Our guide jeff was fantastic and took the time to make sure everyone had a great night. Highly recommend this trip.
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Packages: | Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/15 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/12 |
Reviewed by: LJKouri
What a wonderful evening. The cruise was great. The crew was extremely attentive and helpful. The live music was excellent. And I enjoyed seeing the sites. I would definitely take this cruise again.
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Packages: | Dinner Cruise |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/15 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/07 |
Reviewed by: LJKouri
This tour is very informative. You get to see black sand, volcanoes, waterfalls, and more. Our driver/guide was excellent.
There was more walking than indicated on the website, including climbing lots of stairs. Therefore I was not able to see some of the sites. But if you don't have any mobility issues, I recommend this tour.
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/15 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/06 |
Reviewed by: Ralphg
If you have the opportunity to visit Hawaii and the big island is on your agenda, the tour to the top of Mauna Kea is a must do !! The journey up and down the mountain is exhilarating, the views on the way up, stunning and the views from the top at sunset - unforgettable!!!!
Of course the weather gods can have their say and you could be unlucky.
Very impressed by the capability of our driver Joe who also made our star gazing even more memorable with his explanations and knowledge. You will leave with an impression of how “special” it is to visit the top of Mauna Kea and with an understanding of why the Hawaiian people see it as a place to be treated with respect
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Packages: | Summit Sunset & Stargazing Adventure |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/11/12 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/09 |
Reviewed by: AJMM
There was 6 people in our party it was all our first time and our captains were amazing. They made us feel safe and secure and made sure we had a great time. Definitely will do it again. We did the early bird and it was a great time to be up there to start the day.
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Packages: | Early Bird Special! Deluxe Ride [800ft] |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2017/11/12 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/31 |
Reviewed by: Owl
My friend had traveled more than 24 hours & was dead-beat weary! Veltra arranged a warm welcome, speedy transport, and safe baggage handling.
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Packages: | [Arrival] Airport to Hotel |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/11/11 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/18 |
Reviewed by: Carol
On time and friendly! I love using yoir services because I know that I will be more than satified.
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Packages: | [Departure] Hotel to Airport |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2017/11/11 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/17 |
Reviewed by: アロハ
雄大に泳ぐクジラに出会えて、とても感動しました!船の大きさも、人数も多すぎず、少なすぎず、ちょうど良いと思いました。ぜひまた参加したいと思います。
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Packages: | 午後出発 飲み放題&ビュッフェ付きサンセットプラン <カワイハエ・ベイ出航> |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/11/09 |
Activity Date: | 2017/03/02 |
Reviewed by: ふぃーちゃん
レンタカーで早めに到着、日焼け止めを塗って準備万端!
それでも、シュノーケルの体制から、ふくらはぎから太もも
の裏がメチャ焼けました。
十数人の参加者の中で、日本人は私たち夫婦のみ
スピードゴムボートで移動し、シュノーケルスポットに到着
透明度も良くお魚もたくさんいました。
お昼にサンドイッチを頂き少し移動、二度目のシュノーケルでしたが、
数百メートル移動しただけなのであまり変化無しでそこは残念でした。
帰りは、数か所波で浸食された場所で止まりキャプテンが説明
もちろん英語で、私たちはチンプンカンプン((+_+))
イルカの群れにも会えドルフィンジャンプに胸キュンでした。
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Packages: | 5時間コース |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/07 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/06 |
Reviewed by: Debby
Solo middle aged female traveler arriving at night in the unknown: felt comfortable and safe with the process. Friendly informative driver. Recommend!
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Packages: | [Arrival] Airport to Hotel |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/11/06 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/30 |
Reviewed by: Debby
Solo middle aged female traveler: a friendly informative and interesting driver. Ease of requesting and ease of transportation. My only complaint: didn't want to leave Hawaii!!
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Packages: | [Departure] Hotel to Airport - Shared Service |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/11/06 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/02 |
Reviewed by: Yang
Its was a great tour as advertised, Pick up was on time. and Gordon is a good driver, friendly, take good cares of everyone. He and his buddy provided a great service for the entire tour. This is a great tour to take if you are just visiting big island for vacation. We were traveling light, dont want to prepare winter cloth. the tour provides what we need on the mountain. It was one of the best tour we took in big island. definitely will do again~~
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Packages: | Mauna Kea Sunset & Stargazing Tour with Dinner |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/06 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/15 |
Reviewed by: John Glass
Service was excellent. I am disabled with difficulty walking and use a walker. The driver was a great help helping me up the steps at the Royal Sea Cliff Resort where there were inadequate hand rails at the time due to painting. He also carried the suitcase up to reception as well as carrying up the walker. The driver should be commended for his help.
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Packages: | [Arrival] Airport to Hotel |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/05 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/02 |
Reviewed by: Rose
My husband and I did this for the first time and we had a truly wonderful experience! Kevin was a great guide! He was helpful, kind, informative and thoughtful by taking photos and suggesting what to do and what not to do to get the best experience. We loved the snorkeling and the sea cave experience! I did get nauseas so I suggest you bring an antinausea medication, also unfortunately we didn't see the dolphins. But other than that we loved it!!
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Packages: | Dolphin Watch Kayak & Snorkel Sea Cave Tour [4 hours] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/05 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/02 |
Reviewed by: Erica
We had a great time, and really enjoyed the entire experience. We we lucky and had manta rays barrel rolling right up to us for most of the time we were in the water. The captain and staff were friendly and knowledgeable. And the snacks were a nice treat after getting out of the water. Hope to do it again!
Thank you for taking the time to review your manta tour. We are happy to hear you had a good time.
Mahalo Nui Loa!
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling [Early Evening Tour] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/01 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/02 |
Reviewed by: Elizabeth from AR
This was an amazing trip. We had a smooth ride out to the Sheraton and saw a beautiful sunset.
Then we got our snorkels and masks and got in the water. We all grabbed the handrail on the kick board and gotntowed out to abgood spot. We ended up joining up with other groups to form a "buffet line". Th manta rays came through eating plankton doing barrel rolls so close I thought they were going to brush our faces with their wing tips!
I highly recommend this tour group. They're super friendly and are very good at what they do.
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Packages: | Sunset Cruise & Evening Manta Snorkel Tour [2.5 hours] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/01 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/29 |
Reviewed by: Tracy O.
The helicopter ride was amazing! We took the Circle Island tour. Colin was our pilot and he was really informative and made it a really fun experience.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this activity to anyone.
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Packages: | Circle Island Tour Package |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/10/30 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/23 |
Reviewed by: うーたん
シュノーケル好きの私たち親子は日本からマイ器材を持って参加!
ほかの乗船客は年齢も国籍も様々。
かなり年配のおじいちゃんもいました。
シュノーケル初心者の方にはマスクの付け方などのレクチャーもしっかりしてくださり安心。
ただし説明はすべて船長の早口な英語です。(笑)
シュノーケルポイントは海況を見て2箇所。
1箇所目はホナウナウ国立歴史公園の近く。
大きなサンゴの棚がたくさんあり、色とりどりの熱帯魚もたくさん!
時間を忘れてしまうほど美しいポイントでした。
2箇所目はさらに20分ほどボートを走らせ、先ほどとは一転
何十年か前にキラウエアからの溶岩が海に流れ込んだと言う場所。
冷えて固まった大きな丸い岩がゴロゴロと落ちており、地形を楽しむようなポイントです。
そこではウミガメたちを発見!彼らの邪魔にならないよう、遠くから見つめていました。
ウミガメが泳ぐ姿はまるで空を羽ばたいているようで、とても癒されました。
船長からランチタイムだぞー!と声をかけられ海から上がると、船からもくもくと煙が。
船員さんが焼いてくれたビーフパティやチキンと一緒にフレッシュな野菜を挟む
バイキング形式のハンバーガーランチ!
これが予想をはるかに超える美味しさでビックリ!
サイドの自家製タロイモチップスもとても美味しかったです。
皆が海を名残惜しんでいるところでボートは桟橋に向けて出発。
途中イルカの群れを見つけてしばしイルカウォッチングしたり、
キャプテンクックのモニュメントに寄り道したりしながら戻りました。
5時間ほどのツアーでしたが本当にあっっと言う間に時間が過ぎ、
滞在中もう一回行っちゃう?と話題が出たほど(笑)大満足のツアーでした!
またハワイ島に行った際は絶対に参加します!
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Packages: | 基本プラン |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2017/10/30 |
Activity Date: | 2017/09/21 |
Reviewed by: Amanda & Sierra
First time going on a snorkeling tour and it was a blast! Beautiful boat and weather! The crew kirk and Kyle were amazing hosts. Could not ask for a better experience!
Thank you for taking your time to review your trip. So happy your first time snorkeling was a blast. Mahalo Nui Loa!
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Packages: | Deluxe Morning Snorkel Cruise with 2 Snorkel Stops, Breakfast & Lunch [4.5 hrs] |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2017/10/30 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/27 |
Reviewed by: yamatosumomo
三年前に同じ地域の別ホテルのルアウに参加しましたが、それより良かった。開場し記念撮影と各種ポリネシアン文化に軽く触れられるワークショップ形式のブースがちらほら。ヘナのスタンプ(おそらくヘナではない、その夜に濡れティッシュで簡単に落ちた)、けん玉?のような遊具やボードゲームなど。ヘナだけ体験し、無料のカクテルを飲んでいるとテーブルへ案内されます。8名掛けの円卓に我々夫婦とイギリスから来たという4名のグループが同席。旅行英会話程度の我々でもだいたい理解できる英語でMCが進行してくれます。
同席のイギリス人の英語が分かりづらいのと私の真後ろにスピーカーがあったので会話に難儀しました。程よい広さで一体感のあるルアウ。客席が近いから安全性を重視するのか、ファイアーダンスは振り回しているうちに火が小さくなっていってやや迫力に欠けます。
それでも男女とも迫力と完成度高いダンスパフォーマンスに圧倒されますし、三人編成のハワイアンバンドが前座、幕間を程よい音楽で楽しませてくれます。他者のコメントで時間が長いとありましたが、確かにお子さん向けではないかな。
食事の途中、最初に撮影した写真を$20で売りに回ってきます。おのぼりさんですから気前良く買いましたが背景など構図をもっと気にしてほしかったです。前日のリコンファームを失念し当日朝に慌てて電話しましたが問題なかったようです。
ハワイ島最後の夜に参加して大正解でした。次回、もっと英語が聞き取れるよう勉強して再訪したいです。
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Packages: | Test Package |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/10/29 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/08 |
Reviewed by: Linda R
It was an interesting experience. We enjoyed it but a couple people did get sick on the long boat ride. Lots of mantas rays showed up and swam with us.
Aloha, We appreciate you taking the time to write a review. Unfortunately sea sickness does happen to random guests. We keep ginger chews on the boat for this reason. Mahalo for joining us and hope to see you again your next visit to the Big Island. Aloha
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Packages: | Moonlight Cruise & Evening Manta Snorkel Tour [2 hours] |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2017/10/28 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/08 |
Reviewed by: dusty
their lights were dim compared to other companies, and they went in much earlier than the other boats.
Thank you for reviewing your tour with us. The lights we use are quite powerful, we do place a special blue filter over them to attract more of the microscopic plankton which the mantas' appear to prefer over the larger zooplankton, that may be why they appeared to be dim by comparison.
Mahalo
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling [Early Evening Tour] |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/10/25 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/22 |
Reviewed by: まるちゃん
スタッフさんは英語のみでしたが、参加は私たちも二人で貸し切り
シュノーケリングスポットに着くまでにも、ボートから見える観光スポットに寄ってくださいました>^_^< イルカは残念ながら背ひれしか見えませんでした イルカと泳ぐツアーではなく、ウォッチングなのでしょうがないですね
こちらのご予約は必ずブリントアウトして持っていってください スマホなどの確認画面はNGです
あとはボートのヘリに座るし、1時間くらい移動するので酔い止めの薬を飲んでおくといいです
水温も低くシュノーケリング後はかなり冷えるので上着とバスタオルを持っていってください
シュノーケリングは2ヶ所で2本、軽食も二回出出来ました よかったです!
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Packages: | 8:30出港 |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2017/10/25 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/16 |
Reviewed by: Fava
They were in time, very good welcome. Very gentle team.
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Packages: | [Arrival] Airport to Hotel |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/10/24 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/21 |
Tips and suggestions
Reply from activity provider
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Aloha Scott, Glad you had a great time and thank you for such a nice review. Sorry to hear about your girlfriend, hope she is better now...ankles take time healing though!
Mahalo,
jeannie