Roberts Big Island Tour

If you are staying on, or going to be staying, Honolulu and think you want to go to another island think twice about taking the Roberts Big Island Tour.

It cost me and my partner 拢380. It started at 4.25 in the morning a with a pick up (a disaster but mainly the hotels fault) and a flight from Honolulu airport to Kona. The roberts Staff were disinterested and disorganised.

The flight Mokelelu Airways was brilliant and their staff fun. Don%26#39;t do anything with Go - they are dreadful.

So far so good. We then had to wait 30 mins at Kona for the coach to turn up and then we had to pick up a whole lot of other people before the tour really started at 9.30!! - 5 hours after being leaving Honolulu. But this only meant a two hour drive to Hilo!

The scenario was OK but not that interesting and we didn%26#39;t stop till some waterfall that was less than spectacular on the east side of the town. The snack shop there was ghastly and we hadn%26#39;t eaten since the plane.

On the plus side the driver was articulate (from Hilo) and interesting and coped with a gobby women from NY brilliantly.

We then headed for the Volcanic park - again unremarkable scenery. Now you have to be aware that you will NOT see molten laver. Any hint of it and the place is shut down and tourists are kept away. Also if the wind blows the sulphur fumes the wrong way they kick you out. But they will try and sell you DVDs of it at every available opportunity. The cafe/restaurant is absolutely awful, the worst junk food you could imagine in a room that time forgot.

We then continued clockwise around the island stopping at a orchid farm, another opportunity to spend money, a turtle beach - we did see one resting (best bit of the tour) and a coffee farm (ooh spend more money with our partner company). Then all of a sudden we%26#39;re back at the airport.

Stay in Oahu and visit the plains they shot Jurassic Park and the Japanese temple and make the most of the beautiful scenery there. - fly over the Big Island if you need to see it!

Just don%26#39;t waste your money and time on this tour.

Roberts Big Island Tour

Not really sure what you expected from a ';circle island tour'; but even the volcano tour which leaves Oahu later in the morning doesn%26#39;t guarantee that Mother Nature will cooperate and let you see a lava flow.