All Reviews for Waikoloa Resorts, Big Island

We really enjoyed our adventure with Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour. Our guide, Maka, was excellent: entertaining, polite, knowledgeable, etc. He was extremely quick and calm when responding to a high altitude emergency when we reached our high altitudes. I was impressed with the Veltra company with their constant updates, emails reminders, and phone call reminder. I gave "Good" review because it was very cloudy and the star gazing was limited. I would book through this company again and I would do this tour again too.

This was our first trip to the Big Island, so of course we wanted to see the summit at Mauna Kea. Our tour guide was Justin- and he was tremendous. He met at pickup location a couple minutes early. He provided a clear outline of what the day would include- and he held to it very closely. On the way to our first stop, He provided a great narration of the volcanic and mythological history of the island. After dinner (and acclimating to elevation for a while) we headed further up the mountain- the safety discussion was very calming, but helpful. The view from the summit was SPECTACULAR. About 10-15 minutes before the actual sunset, sneak to the back side of the area up there, and the SHADOW of Mauna Kea on the clouds looks like another mountain. I am fairly well-travelled, and this was a first for me! After that, we went down to the Start gazing station, and got to see some really cool stuff. Justin's knowledge was superb, enough to engage with a couple college students in our group that studied Astronomy at school. Very impressive. Truly, a great way to see a unique and beautiful piece of the Big Island! Many thanks!

The staff on board were so welcoming and friendly! They took the time to get to know everyone and made sure we had enough to eat and drink! The sunset was beautiful and we were able to take many pictures. Would definitely recommend!

So cool the dolphins were amazing and it was awesome to interact with them and the dolphin trainer couldn't have been more friendly and knowledgeable definitely would do it again.

This was by far the best excursion we did on our trip. The crew was so accommodating and put this adventure over the top. This was my first time snorkeling and they were able to provide excellent training as well as guidance throughout the swim. They dove down to bring up starfish, sea cucumbers, & other creatures for us to check out. We were served lunch and delicious drinks after spending time in the water. The boat was clean, & we had a comfortable ride to and from the snorkeling location. This is a trip you can’t miss!

This is a wonderful catamaran! We didn't see any whales this trip but I love being on the ocean so I didn't care. As a bonus if there are not any whales you can go back for another trip. I recommend this to anyone going to The Big Island.

This tour was magical. We highly recommend using Mauna Kea stargazing Tour and Sunset Adventure. The entire experience was incredible from start to finish. Our tour guide, Gage, was excellent, very knowledgable and had great energy. We learned all about Hawaii's history, landscape, and culture, this was much more than just watching an amazing sunset at the summit of Mauna Kea and stargazing. This tour should definitely make your list of things to do while visiting the Big Island!

Good show, food, and drinks! Long line. Would have liked the seating facing the stage.

The food was great, the dancers were good and very entertaining.
Bar tender was very friendly.

The crew is fun and informative. Great views of the island from the water and even saw some whales breaching. Made for some great pictures and we saw the "green flash" as sunset! You take a tender to the boat and do have to walk into the water a bit so just make sure you have on shorts or something you can lift up while getting on and off. Bring cash for tip and any extra drinks. Departs from the beach behind the Marriott which was super convenient if you're staying here.

This activity is a must do!
The day seemed like it might not be good. Rainy and windy. But once we were i. The tour bus, our guide Gauge, was informative about the island and the areas we were driving through. He assured us it would be a great night for a sunset and stargazing. Like the mountain heard him, she did not disappoint! The sunset was spectacular, with every picture trumped by the next. Is 40 pictures of a sunset too many? Haha.
And when we got to our stargazing spot, the diamonds in the sky sparkled and gave us a show.
Dress warmly so you can enjoy. They provide gloves, but maybe invest a little bit in some good ones.
A++

The guides have so much knowledge! I recommend this.

Amazing, friendly staff and very informative tour. We saw so many different species and learned a lot during our tour. We already want to go again! We recommend this tour

Our Tour guide Travis was extremely knowledgeable on all things Hawaii (also quite humorous). He was super informative on the history, culture, geology and botany, and that was just on the ride to the summit. It is cold at the top, minus 2 deg Celsius when we were there. However warm jackets and gloves are provided. We took a beanie too which was a good idea.
The sunset is amazing on top of the clouds. We then drove down to 12,000 ft for the stargazing, which was incredible. Travis explained everything very well, and never rushed you. It was probably the best 8 hrs we have spent in Hawaii. Can’t recommend this tour any more highly. Thank you.

Our tour guide Gage was both informative and very pleasant. The entire tour was amazing, with incredibly gorgeous views of both the sunset above the clouds and the star filled sky. Gage was very knowledgeable and pointed out many stars and constellations as well as providing many interesting facts. Please heed the advice about bringing layers of clothing. They provide the parka but I also recommend bringing a hat and gloves if possible. The food was also good but make sure to bring water.

Overall it's an must do cruise to go out on the ocean on a Catamaran near the Waikoloa area.

We saw whales from far off as it was afternoon and the bigger ship is not attractive to the whales.

We would do the morning trip on the powerboat with fewer people or go for the sunset cruise.There is not much info provided during the cruise so it's lacking the fun in whale watching as it can be boring if nothing happens.

It would also be better if there was a spotter pointing to the breaches as it happens very quickly and multiple people spotting can be confusing.

After you get on board you are mostly left on your own and the boat only goes less than half a mile out.

We saw more whales from the shore than on the boat but it was good to get out on the ocean with this cruise.

I was not sure about spending so much time in the van. Travis was educational and fun. We had clouds, rain, sun and stars. It really was a wonderful experience. The food was fine. I appreciated the larger telescope and good star viewing.

Our family’s first experience whale watching was truly impressive. The crew was professional with information and safety. They did not leave out the fun and had a nice variety of refreshments. We did take the 1:30 pm tour and saw many whales.
The confirmation email as to directions to find them was not so great. They are not in front of the Lava Lava restaurant ( which kept us circling for 10 mins) they are to the right of iLava Lava down along the beach 100 yards aprox, is 2 palm trees on the beach w/ small orange sign to check in. You should notice the platoon boat and catamaran out in the water awaiting for you.
Have extra cash available for tip they are worth it.

Maka was a great guide. Extremely knowledgeable about geology, vulcanology, astronomy and Hawaiian history. The views were spectacular.

The tour was excellent even if the surf had made the water a little cloudy. The guides were excellent and knowledgeable.

We loved this tour - being on the summit was amazing. You can always tell when your guide is excellent and passionate about what they are speaking about. Maka was amazing and knowledgeable not only of Mauna Kea and the surrounding areas but you could tell he loved astronomy. Highly recommend this and I’d we come back again we will try to time it in the summer on a new moon to see even more.

The crew was knowledgeable, friendly and fun. The surf didn’t allow for good visibility on the day we chose to go, but they informed us ahead of time and gave us the option of rescheduling. We chose to go anyway and they worked hard to still make it a great experience.

Our guide was warm, informative and great with the telescope. We experienced a magnificent sunset at 14000 feet. We saw the rings of Saturn and moons of Jupiter, several high points. It was a perfect evening.

Great staff and fun little outing for my 6year old :)

Our guide was informative and personable, and made the best of a bad situation as we arrived to the visitor station to find the road closed due to bad weather, then had to wait for an accident to be cleared on our way back down.

We are being refunded, no complaints!

We loved this excursion. We came prepared and had plenty of clothes, hats and gloves. The dinner was yummy. The snow was hysterical- we live in CO and had to go to HI for snow- our guide was over the edge with enthusiasm and knowledge - loved our stargazing- don't delay-book today! This was not an easy one to book!!!

The tour guide was excellent and had some great stories, but we were completed clouded out and didnt see any stars.

Despite a windy day, Captain Cindy was able to find a great place to snorkel. The briefing provided by the captain described the best ways to snorkel. I learned something new! I felt safe as the crew had a member who went on a surfboard to watch over the participants.

I can’t believe the hospitality of the crew— serving drinks, food and snacks with ease.

This was one of the highlights of our trip.

Nicely done and very interesting. The scenery was fantastic. The guides were knowledgeable and accommodating. The veggie lasagna dinner was better than expected. It was a memorable lifetime experience. The snow that had fallen recently was an added bonus.

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.