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Mary Lou's tour in Hilo

Havin'fun

By Havin'fun,
in Hawaii

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Tyskie

Tyskie

Posted
Posted
Ken was very prompt.....but we got tied up in the restaurant. We called him and told me were on our way and apologized. He was waiting for us with 2 other couples who were very nice. We went to the volcano national park (make sure to bring a sweater it was chilly) He talked to us about the volcanos and the different kinds of rocks while we tour the museum. Other tour groups stopped to get in on Ken's information. We did some short hikes, saw some waterfalls, coffee tasting, orchid farm, macadamena nut factory, went looking for that elusive white pineapple, but could not not one (bummer) He has a cooler with water in case you get thirsty. Some people ate lunch at the macadamena place. My husband and I just got some delicous ice cream. We had a great time and learned alot of things. Not rushed and a small group was great. We also did his tour in Kona, but there was no others in our group.....still had a fun and learned and saw many things.

 

Debbie, slightly off topic, did you end up doing Wings over Kauai? Does my memory serve me correctly that this was your plan?

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debster818

debster818

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Debbie, slightly off topic, did you end up doing Wings over Kauai? Does my memory serve me correctly that this was your plan?

We did do Wings over Kauai and it was terrific. The people so very very nice and the trip was outstanding. We saw so much for the air. The plan does not go into some of the crevices that a helicoper can, but we saw many waterfalls. It was beautiful. They take your picture before your flight and when you are done, they give you a CD with your picture on the front and highlights of your trip. Now it isn't "your" trip exactly, but similar. The CD does not even come close to all you see. I would recommend this tour!!

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NapaMike

NapaMike

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We were with WW Cruiser on that tour and totally agree with their review. Ken provided a personalized tour with added commentary about life in Hawaii. It was not a rushed tour and we saw everything we wanted to.

Mary Lou's tours will let you customize your day if there are things you definitely want to see and will even do giuded hikes to the lava flow areas, although we didn't do that.

 

Highly recommend them.

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wwcruisers

wwcruisers

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We were with WW Cruiser on that tour and totally agree with their review. Ken provided a personalized tour with added commentary about life in Hawaii. It was not a rushed tour and we saw everything we wanted to.

Mary Lou's tours will let you customize your day if there are things you definitely want to see and will even do giuded hikes to the lava flow areas, although we didn't do that.

 

Highly recommend them.

 

Of course, a big part of what made that tour so special was the great company! :D

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  • 3 weeks later...
bramj

bramj

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Just back from mary lou's tour, they were fantastic, we had Ken be our guide, what a nice fellow, he even gave us a box of chocolates at the end our our tour, stopped at a local fruit market to get us some white pineapple as we had never tried it, nothing is too much for him. I would really recommend them

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Tyskie

Tyskie

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Just back from mary lou's tour, they were fantastic, we had Ken be our guide, what a nice fellow, he even gave us a box of chocolates at the end our our tour, stopped at a local fruit market to get us some white pineapple as we had never tried it, nothing is too much for him. I would really recommend them

 

Great to hear..................we'll be touring with them next week !

:D

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  • 8 months later...
Atwell

Atwell

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Marylou toured a group of four from our cruise ship docked in Hilo on Feb 11, 2013. We all had a wonderful time. Nothing is too big or too small for her to make your tour enjoyable. We were with her about 6-7 hours and it was fantastic. We toured the Volcano National Park (including the Jaggar Museum) overlooking the active caldera at Kiluea (Halema'uma'u Crater); the steam vents, the Thurston Lava Tube, the Hilo Coffee Mill, the Hilo Orchid Farm, the Mauna Loa macadamia nut farm (where we had lunch and ice cream), the black sand beach (where we saw a group of really big sea turtles), and a tour of Hilo town.

 

We could have gone to see waterfalls, gone shopping, or enjoyed more beaches but we needed to get back to the ship on time. We also crossed paths with Marylou's husband, Ken, who had a separate tour group that day. He also seemed like he would be a very congenial tour guide. Everything went very smoothly. Marylou gives you a lot of good information and even took 50-60 digital photos of our group which she provided us (at no charge) the same day for viewing and downloading.

 

We would highly recommend Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours. Her Toyota van was perfect for our group (one of us using a wheeled walker). Marylou will customize your tour to what you want to see and do. You will not be disappointed.

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Ronnieslady

Ronnieslady

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Marylou toured a group of four from our cruise ship docked in Hilo on Feb 11, 2013. We all had a wonderful time. Nothing is too big or too small for her to make your tour enjoyable. We were with her about 6-7 hours and it was fantastic. We toured the Volcano National Park (including the Jaggar Museum) overlooking the active caldera at Kiluea (Halema'uma'u Crater); the steam vents, the Thurston Lava Tube, the Hilo Coffee Mill, the Hilo Orchid Farm, the Mauna Loa macadamia nut farm (where we had lunch and ice cream), the black sand beach (where we saw a group of really big sea turtles), and a tour of Hilo town.

 

We could have gone to see waterfalls, gone shopping, or enjoyed more beaches but we needed to get back to the ship on time. We also crossed paths with Marylou's husband, Ken, who had a separate tour group that day. He also seemed like he would be a very congenial tour guide. Everything went very smoothly. Marylou gives you a lot of good information and even took 50-60 digital photos of our group which she provided us (at no charge) the same day for viewing and downloading.

 

We would highly recommend Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours. Her Toyota van was perfect for our group (one of us using a wheeled walker). Marylou will customize your tour to what you want to see and do. You will not be disappointed.

What rate did you pay?? Is it per person?? And did she require a deposit ahead???

thanks for the info

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Ronnieslady

Ronnieslady

Posted
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Marylou toured a group of four from our cruise ship docked in Hilo on Feb 11, 2013. We all had a wonderful time. Nothing is too big or too small for her to make your tour enjoyable. We were with her about 6-7 hours and it was fantastic. We toured the Volcano National Park (including the Jaggar Museum) overlooking the active caldera at Kiluea (Halema'uma'u Crater); the steam vents, the Thurston Lava Tube, the Hilo Coffee Mill, the Hilo Orchid Farm, the Mauna Loa macadamia nut farm (where we had lunch and ice cream), the black sand beach (where we saw a group of really big sea turtles), and a tour of Hilo town.

 

We could have gone to see waterfalls, gone shopping, or enjoyed more beaches but we needed to get back to the ship on time. We also crossed paths with Marylou's husband, Ken, who had a separate tour group that day. He also seemed like he would be a very congenial tour guide. Everything went very smoothly. Marylou gives you a lot of good information and even took 50-60 digital photos of our group which she provided us (at no charge) the same day for viewing and downloading.

 

We would highly recommend Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours. Her Toyota van was perfect for our group (one of us using a wheeled walker). Marylou will customize your tour to what you want to see and do. You will not be disappointed.

Do they have a web site?? I do have their phone #, but can't seem to find their web site.

Thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
lawgirl

lawgirl

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Posted

Mary Lou was booked for our April 2013 stop, but recommended these folks.... So great!! We felt lucky to get them. Just another option... Review :

 

All I can say is "Wow!" My husband and I have traveled expensively and taken many tours and shore excursions around the world. This was truly one of the very best!

 

The response to scheduling was top notch, courteous and quick!

 

Tyler met us at our cruise port and planned a packed day traveling throughout the Island with us and two friends. We went to Rainbow Falls, a huge Banyan Tree, the Volcano, Jaggar Museum, several viewing spots of smoke emanating from volcano, lava fields, a rainforest, a lava tube, an orchid farm, a macadamia nut factory AND a black sand beach!! All the while Tyler filled us with wonderful information about the island and volcano.

 

Tyler is crazy knowledgable, having studied extensively and lived on the island for years. He brought wonderful treats to share... Local fruit, nuts and these great Maui chips! We stopped at so many interesting places and while other tourists stayed in the "usual" spots, Tyler took us off the beaten path to show us the beauty of the island. Even in crowded spots, other tourists stopped their tour to "sneak" onto ours, as Tyler was clearly the most informative and entertaining guide at the museum, etc.

 

He was so accommodating and took tons of GREAT photos of us! His van was quite comfortable.

 

We bought great souvenirs as well, shipping beautiful orchids home from the farm...which all arrived safe and sound.

 

Of our 15 day Hawaiian trip, this day was the absolute highlight because of Tyler. I only hope you are lucky enough to get this tour! Move quickly, as there is NO WAY another guide could surpass him. Can you tell we loved this tour??

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  • 2 months later...
3onTour

3onTour

Posted
Posted
Mary Lou was booked for our April 2013 stop, but recommended these folks.... So great!! We felt lucky to get them. Just another option... Review :

 

All I can say is "Wow!" My husband and I have traveled expensively and taken many tours and shore excursions around the world. This was truly one of the very best!

 

The response to scheduling was top notch, courteous and quick!

 

Tyler met us at our cruise port and planned a packed day traveling throughout the Island with us and two friends. We went to Rainbow Falls, a huge Banyan Tree, the Volcano, Jaggar Museum, several viewing spots of smoke emanating from volcano, lava fields, a rainforest, a lava tube, an orchid farm, a macadamia nut factory AND a black sand beach!! All the while Tyler filled us with wonderful information about the island and volcano.

 

Tyler is crazy knowledgable, having studied extensively and lived on the island for years. He brought wonderful treats to share... Local fruit, nuts and these great Maui chips! We stopped at so many interesting places and while other tourists stayed in the "usual" spots, Tyler took us off the beaten path to show us the beauty of the island. Even in crowded spots, other tourists stopped their tour to "sneak" onto ours, as Tyler was clearly the most informative and entertaining guide at the museum, etc.

 

He was so accommodating and took tons of GREAT photos of us! His van was quite comfortable.

 

We bought great souvenirs as well, shipping beautiful orchids home from the farm...which all arrived safe and sound.

 

Of our 15 day Hawaiian trip, this day was the absolute highlight because of Tyler. I only hope you are lucky enough to get this tour! Move quickly, as there is NO WAY another guide could surpass him. Can you tell we loved this tour??

 

Are you allowed to give the tour company's name? Your description of the tour sounds fantastic!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

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lawgirl

lawgirl

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Looks very interesting and well recommended. Nice website but no tariffs.

 

Can you give a ballpark charge for two people?

 

Their van holds six, so I don't know the price for just two. You could get others on CC to join you. I recall it being around $100 pp, plus we tipped. That was a great price for how much we saw, the snacks provided, etc....especially considering how expensive Hawaii is! It included all entrance fees.

 

And, yes, we saw a black sand beach. Kind of cool, but not as cool as we have seen in other countries. Clearly, the Volcano was the highlight, as well as Tyler's incredible knowledge. Have fun!

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