All Reviews for Kailua-Kona

We saw two whales during our trip! We went on a tour in December, when the whale watching season just started, yet we were lucky to encounter two whales. The tour departed from Waikaloa, which was a bit of a drive from our place in Kona. However, it is supposed to be a better area for spotting whales. Overall, we had a very pleasant experience.

Travis was fantastic during our trip up Mauna Kea. His knowledge and presentation made it interesting and insightful. He personally took the extra time to make sure the adventure was complete. We even had snow, something unexpected for travelers to Hawaii.

Excellent pageantry and making educational entertainment fun for the whole family that includes history of the various South Pacific tribes together with an excellent orchestra, singing and an outstanding master of ceremonies. The buffet food was fine but you go here to enjoy a majestic recreation of Hawaiian tradition!

The experience was amazing. A big ray came so close touched my elbow.

We had an amaZing time! We saw whales. The crew was incredible. No dolphins tho which was a bummer but that’s ok!

This tour was Amazing! We have traveled to many fabulous places around the globe with lots of adventure & this tour was right up there with the best! Our guide, Gage, was fun, informative, patient, and an all-round delightful young man! Having to reschedule due to the Kona Low & Mauna Kea blizzard was easy & ultimately a better tour due to lots of beautiful snow at the summit! Our guide prepared us well for the seriously high altitude and checked on everyone frequently! Be sure to pack hats & gloves and the tour provided parkas were plenty warm. A couple e of things to keep in mind before going: bring a refillable water bottle, remember to nose in & slow pursed lip breathing out, bring your camera or cell phone for pictures, visit the restroom at the visitor center so you won’t have to go at very high elevation, and eat before the tour begins (the provided dinner is pretty simple). Just pack a smile and enjoy the “high”! The stargazing with the telescope was extra special! Who knows, we saw a Jedi, a snowman, & a crazy snowboarder so maybe you will too! Thanks for a great memory!

Our entire family had an amazing evening swimming with the Manta Rays, it was magical. The crew, with Captain Bryce were fantastic, knowledgeable, and fun. Highly recommend this trip!

Pirate Wednesdays - Would highly recommend. You get a comedy show as well as the manta rays

This was our very first time in Hawaii, and of course our first luau. The show was great, the food was good, and so were the drinks! It was a beautiful evening and very well done, and completely safe! I highly recommend this luau whether it’s your first or you are a seasoned professional!

It was a smaller boat, so I felt a little bit squished, but I guess that is how submarines must feel!

Learning about the manta ray and watching them feed was amazing! The crew is hawaii is always so helpful assisting me and caring for us! I would recommend this to anyone and love all my excursions here- MAHALO!!

Lunch was delicious and the boat is amazing! The size is awesome and it is super clean! We loved the snorkel and the crew was extremely knowledgeable as well as helpful assisting me in the water!

Very unique. Views of a lifetime!
The host was amazing. Very informative and helpful. Really enjoyed my time on this tour. Will definitely recommend!

The boat and crew were great! The snorkeling equipment was first class. We didn't see that much wildlife at the two stops. A lot of small fish. The second stop was better. Didn't notice in the sign-up that the BBQ was vegan. That is nice for folks who like it but it would have been good to offer non-vegan food as well. We paid extra for the food on the cruise and I would have liked some regular food. Overall, the bar and drinks offered were very good and served with a smile. My wife thought the boat and seating were the best. The crew were very informative and happy to share their knowledge and culture with the guests. Would do it again!

Everything went very smoothly. Our crew was wonderful & very helpful. I had trouble getting into the boat after climbing the ladder & Trevor was so kind to help me in the boat. We had a wonderful time. The Manta Ray experience will be hard to top! So great of them to share pictures they had taken from below!

Not only could we ask her about anything going on 'under the sea', she could tell us in English OR Hawaiian. Wish I could retain a smidge of all that excellent info!

The crew were fabulous! We all would do it again!

This was our first luau experience and it did not disappoint! We were all very pleased with the friendliness of the staff, the beautiful location, the delicious food, and the spectacular show. It was really entertaining!
Just one thing I found odd was that the Mai Tais felt "virgin". I am a very light drinker, and I get tipsy with 2 glasses of wine, but I had 5 Mai Tais and I was completely sober... weird. They were delicious though! That's why I had 5 :)

Good venue and parking was easy to find. Plentiful food with a lot of variety and a beautiful view with the water. I especially liked the production showcasing the different island cultures.we brought family with us that had never exp Hawaii or a luau so was especially nice to share that experience in a positgive light.

This activity was great. Our tour guide gave us informative details on our stops we visited. Getting to view the stars, the moon and the planets were stellar! My 7 year old had a blast. We would do it again. The area we stopped at had a restrooms and nice little playground. The sandwiches were good and the hot coco was yum!

The entire experience from start to finish was amazing! The sunset cruise was a fun addition to swimming with the Mantas. The staff is super fun, helpful and knowledgeable. The Mantas are breathtaking- we were in awe of them! I’m so glad we did this tour, definitely a major highlight of our week in Kona!

Ok, this is honestly one of the best tours I have ever taken. The van was super comfy, and our guide Arthur was informative, friendly, and honestly just plain fun! Obvious he LOVES this tour.

Words just cannot describe the beauty of this tour. From the drive up, to the spectacular sunset, to the jaw dropping star gazing......endless beauty. Plus, Arthur made sure we stayed safe, and kept us informed about what we should do and what to expect. I felt comfortable and at ease.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this amazing experience. If you do one thing on the Big Island......do this.

This experience was amazing!

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon and we can't stop talking about how cool this experience was.

We got to see BIG and BEAUTIFUL mantarays and they were really close too.

The guys from the crew were also super nice, funny and told us lots of interesting facts about the marine life.

This was such an awesome experience! The sunset was beautiful being that high up and the stargazing was amazing. It was our favorite experience on the island. Our guide Gage was so great! He was so knowledgeable on the island, the history there and the stargazing. He also helped us feel comfortable and safe on the drive up and back down. We highly recommend this experience!

Tour Guide was an enthusiast, patient, native who shared culture, history, science, jokes and Hawaiian myths and songs. You can't ask for more from a guide. Try to book for a moonless night for best view of stars. They use an automated 11 inch telescope. The food was surprisingly very good (vegetable lasagna), the brownie decadent and the hot chocolate and biscotti at the end a nice touch. Had an issue finding the pick up spot, but a phone call resolved this since we were close. If you miss the sign for the international market (if that's your pick up spot), look for the 76 gas station, enter there and drive to the back. Dress warmly and bring a refillable drink. Cold (but not terribly) even with the given parka and gloves. A very enjoyable 8 hour afternoon & evening l

The islander Breeze Luau was everything we expected and more. The staff went above and beyond to make sure that Covid restrictions were in place and the experience was not compromised. Each party had their own table that was 6 feet apart. The food was fantastic and fresh! The drinks were good as well! And the star of the show was the music, dancers and the master of ceremonies! They all really put their aloha into the show! Thank you for a great experience.

I give the music snd dancing all the credit. It was a wonderful show. My impression of the food was it was just ok. Maybe we just don’t like Hawaiian
Food but thanks for trying. The deserts were soggy and lacked flavor. For the total experience, this was way over priced and disappointing.I don’t think I would recommend this luau to my friends due to the food.

Our tour guide Krystal was amazing. She had background in Astronomy and physics with lots of stories from Big Island. We observed entire milky way galaxy with powerful telescope and it was out of the world experience. Our best part was watching all planets and moon with craters. Thank you Krystal for wonderful explanation and experience.

We decided on this luau -from many- because they were family friendly and the other reviews. They were right, we had a blast. The staff were so accommodating to my daughter (1.5yo). She loved the show and even tried to Hula. We were also celebrating my moms 77th birthday and she loved it too. The best buffet of hawaii's essential plates and desserts too. I would definitely would go back.

Rich was the best guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable about everything we saw, and even when it was cloudy on Mauna Kea, he told us ancient Hawaiian stories until the clouds cleared and we could see everything we came out to see. A++++ would go again in a heartbeat. Thanks Rich!!!