Haleiwa Town, North Shore

This tour offers more than just what is on the pamphlet. First of all, the trip to the Dole Plantation provided different attractions that are relaxing and self paced with beautiful backgrounds for pictures. There was a ... more large gift shop for those who enjoy a little vacation shopping with a food court where everyone should try at least one of the special pineapple menu items. Secondly, the stop to Haleiwa was a short distance from Dole, and there's so many shops to visit just by walking in a straight line. If you keep moving, you're bound to find something you that interests you, like the shaved ice, surf shops, and snoopy store. For each stop, the tour provides about an hour or two for you to explore yourselves, which is plenty, so you won't have the feeling have being rushed.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the two main stops of the tour, but what made the trip so memorable is the staff and driver of your bus. Our driver was Marlon, and he made it his second priority to make sure everyone in our group knew what options they had before reaching each stop so that we could plan accordingly once we arrive. Of course his first priority was ensuring our safety and comfort, making the tour easier for us to kick back and enjoy. During the extra free time, he even took us to a nearby coffee shop that grows and grinds their own beans. That's something he added to the tour himself since we had free time, but also because he wanted to show us more of the island. He has an excellent sense of humor, and everyone in our group felt comfortable approaching him. He even speaks multiple languages for the passengers that may not be fully fluent in English. During the stops, I noticed him walking around offering to take family photos, starting conversations with people about the places we visited, and answering any questions they had. He is an amazing driver, awesome tour guide, and overall just a friendly person you'd want to have with you when visiting new places.

We enjoyed our trip to the Dole plantation and on to Haleiwa. Our driver Chris was very knowledgeable and pointed out many of the local points of interest on the way to and from our destination. The train ride at Dole ... morewas worth taking and the Dole whip was very tasty. We did a little shopping there to which did not really leave us much time to tour the garden area. It would be a great idea to add 30 minutes more to the time here giving longer to do at least two of the three activities here (train, garden, and maze). The cost of the train & garden combo ticket was $19.99. After that it was on to Haleiwa. Chris gave multiple recommendations on where to eat and we chose the 7 Brothers hamburgers from his list. The hamburgers here did not disappoint. Both my wife and enjoyed our burgers and we split an order of fries. Despite having had breakfast and a Dole whip already that morning the burgers were just so good we had to finish them :-). After some shopping it was time to go back to our hotel. On the way back Chris had some suggestions on things to do and places to see before our time in Hawaii is done.

The only negative comments we had were that the bus seemed a little dated, it had a small problem with its “kneeling” feature and there were no cup holders for our drinks. Would definitely recommend Chris and this trip.

The area were we rode was still wet and muddy. I got a horse who refused to move so was led the entire ride. The Dole plantation party of the tour was too short and the place wasn't even open yet when we arrived, cuttin... moreg into our time there. The town we visited on the way back was just a time sick, although we found a great burger place to eat lunch. I would not recommend.

If you do not want to drive this tour is perfect for some time to explore the gorgeous Haleiwa!

I had a great trip to the North Shore with my shuttle driver. He picked me up first and then two couples from neighboring hotels. He did a great job explaining the different areas in Haleiwa to the whole shuttle and then... more dropped the two couples off near the beach. We then proceeded to Waimea Valley where I had a great time hiking to the falls, exploring the botanical gardens, and learning about the Hawaiian culture. I finished early and so he was good with dropping me in Haleiwa early which allowed me to explore the area a little more. Great driver who makes his own shuttle music. Drove us safely in the rain. I would totally take this shuttle again. He is most respectful and is bilingual in English and Japanese.

I feel like our time staying in the North Shore would've felt incomplete if not for getting to explore it with Aina, our personal local! We saw gorgeous places we likely never would've seen on our own, learned a surprisi... moreng amount about O'ahu's history and culture in a casual way, got more familiar with the town and even returned to places on our own, enjoyed greeting Aina's friends and family along the way, got some great recommendations on where to eat, and that's just off the top of my head! Aina was very easy to be around, and his tour was a highlight of our stay. Mahalo!