marylou's big island guided tours

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Fantastic personalized tour! - Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours - Private Tours

• United States    
• Hawaii (HI)    
• Island of Hawaii    
• Keaau    
• Keaau - Things to Do    
• Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours - Private Tours

We had a fabulous day with Marylou when we did her Hilo Public tour. Our tour group was a maximum... read more

Ken and Marylou are wonderful. They embody the motto "service with a smile." We booked the Hilo... read more

Fantastic personalized tour!

Ken and Marylou were incredible tour guides. My mom went on her first solo trip to the big island and I found this tour via Tripadvisor and I was so pleased with every detail! Communication was incredible as well as their suggestions. My mom joined NCL's Pride of America on 2 tours-one around Hilo and the other around Kona. Ken was a dedicated guide to each individual on the tour and made sure everyone's needs were met. They taught my mom so much about the islands, local life and history. They went above and beyond and she was so impressed! They were absolutely wonderful to work with and I will be signing up for a tour myself when my husband and I get the chance to get out there!

My husband and I did not want to take one of the huge tour bus tours from the cruise ship at Hilo. We researched and decided to take Marylou's Private Tour of the Big Island. What a great decision!! Marylou and her husband have very small, comfortable vans and are able to customize the tours based on the desires of their customers. We were thrilled to see the lava flowing at the Volcano National Park, the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm and Factory. a local coffee farm and restaurant where we ate lunch, the black sands beach, and huge turtles, to name a few. Marylou is very knowledgeable of the island and customs and we learned so much compared to other tours we have taken. I cannot recommend this tour enough for getting an up close and personal experience of the Big Island. At the end, Mary Lou gave us all a box of Mauna Loa chocolates!

We had such a great time with Mary Lou! It was just my husband and me. We saw so much with her and she is so knowledge about the island. when we were at the Volcano and in the museum while she was talking to us people came over to listen to her. Loved walking through the lava tube. All the merchants knew her by name. The chicken at the coffee farm were a hoot. Reminded me of my youth gathering eggs. Definitely go with Mary Lou so much more personalized than the cruise ship.

As part of our family trip to the Hawaiian Islands for Christmas on NCL's Pride of America ship, we booked a private tour of both the Hilo and Kona ports of call with Marylou's. Marylou's husband Ken was our primary contact and was incredibly responsive throughout the booking process, on time for our dockside pickups and accommodating of our plans as they evolved throughout the two all-day tours. Hilo in the east is the side of the island to see if volcanoes and lava flows interest you. Ken took us to experience steam vents, black volcanic fields and lava tubes up close, as well as the active lava flows near the Jaggar Museum at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and down by the beach where the lava now empties into the Pacific (creating a massive steam cloud). Safety constraints keep you at a distance, so bring your binoculars. There are also orchid farms and a candy factory to see but we spent most of the day in the National Park. Kona in the west is absolutely beautiful, and a place we will probably return to in the future. We visited a coffee plantation, a bee farm, and gorgeous Kealakekua Bay. Due to time, we missed Kona Brewing and The Painted Church but heard they are great to visit. Insist that Ken introduce you to the rustic Poke Shack for lunch. It is amazing food for reasonable prices. We found Ken to be extremely friendly, customer friendly and vastly knowledgeable about all things Big Island.

We had toured Kona with Ken Smet, Mary Lou's husband, five years ago and we quickly booked him for our vacation during our port time with the NCL cruise in December! He is very kind and has a great knowledge base regarding the island. We felt like we had reconnected with an old friend for our fun day! We especially enjoyed the "infinity pool" that he took us to see. He even gave us parting gifts as we left. I HIGHLY recommend Mary Lou's Big Island Guided Tour!!!

As we did not have a rental car, we hired Ken for the day to give us a flavor of the Hilo side of the island. He picked us up at our hotel in Waikoloa (a 2 hour drive) then drove places of our interest, and a few of his own. Seeing the landscape (totally different from the westside of the island) from a local's perspective means, for example, getting off the tourist path and driving to an out-of-the way state park. Ken's deep knowledge of Hawaii Volcano National Park was extremely valuable. Do the evening lava tour--unbelievable experience!

Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours - Nice folk and wonderful tours

By Linda the Book Lover , June 20, 2018 in Hawaii

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Linda the Book Lover

We just returned from our POA cruise and after itinerary changes more times than I want to count we did get to arrive in Hawaii. My DD, DGD, and I booked both the Hilo and Kona side with Marylou and Ken. This is my favorite island and I could not wait to share with my DD and DGD then the volcano erupted and things changed. NCL canceled plans to stop at this island and when it appeared after a few weeks NCL would not change this we canceled our tours. Even with the loss of revenue this couple could not have been more gracious or kind and handled our cancellation beautifully. Then a few days before we sailed we found out we would be stopping in Hawaii. I sent an email and both days were rebooked for us. We did end up changing to a private tour on the second day at the last minute when my DD asked Marylou during our tour the first day about a beach trip and a tour the second day instead. Marylou worked it out with Ken and the next day we had husband Ken as our tour guide and beach person.

I cannot come up with all of the words to describe how nice they both were to the three of us. Ken even got in the water with my DD and DGD (9). I have a brace and sometimes it is hard to move about and other times I can walk almost normally but every stop both Marylou and Ken checked on my status for the activity and got as close as they could to an entrance. The kindness they showed my DGD who fell in love with her Miss Marylou and Mr. Ken meant so much to me.

If you want great tours with really nice folk who are a wealth of knowledge throughout your tour and smiles on their faces this is the tour for you.

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JBSteelerfan

We just returned from our POA cruise and after itinerary changes more times than I want to count we did get to arrive in Hawaii. My DD, DGD, and I booked both the Hilo and Kona side with Marylou and Ken. This is my favorite island and I could not wait to share with my DD and DGD then the volcano erupted and things changed. NCL canceled plans to stop at this island and when it appeared after a few weeks NCL would not change this we canceled our tours. Even with the loss of revenue this couple could not have been more gracious or kind and handled our cancellation beautifully. Then a few days before we sailed we found out we would be stopping in Hawaii. I sent an email and both days were rebooked for us. We did end up changing to a private tour on the second day at the last minute when my DD asked Marylou during our tour the first day about a beach trip and a tour the second day instead. Marylou worked it out with Ken and the next day we had husband Ken as our tour guide and beach person.   I cannot come up with all of the words to describe how nice they both were to the three of us. Ken even got in the water with my DD and DGD (9). I have a brace and sometimes it is hard to move about and other times I can walk almost normally but every stop both Marylou and Ken checked on my status for the activity and got as close as they could to an entrance. The kindness they showed my DGD who fell in love with her Miss Marylou and Mr. Ken meant so much to me.   If you want great tours with really nice folk who are a wealth of knowledge throughout your tour and smiles on their faces this is the tour for you.

That is great to hear! Thanks for sharing, as we are thinking of booking with them for next year. We will probably only do 1 side or other (right now leaning towards Hilo), did you find one preferable to the other? And which beach did you go to?

Hawaii is my favorite island. I like both sides almost equally so I would live in the middle. ;) Hilo has many sites that I truly love and if I picked only one Hilo would be it. Kona and the bees is a favorite of mine and I am allergic to bee sting:eek: but the farm is very safe and the honey is to die for!

I forgot the name of the beach as Ken gave my DD choices to snorkel with my DGD (9). It had facilities and many families. I will ask her when I speak with her.

Keys2Heaven

We are doing our Kona port tour with them! Great to read this!

Kahaluu beach

We just returned from our POA cruise and after itinerary changes more times than I want to count we did get to arrive in Hawaii. My DD, DGD, and I booked both the Hilo and Kona side with Marylou and Ken. This is my favorite island and I could not wait to share with my DD and DGD then the volcano erupted and things changed. NCL canceled plans to stop at this island and when it appeared after a few weeks NCL would not change this we canceled our tours. Even with the loss of revenue this couple could not have been more gracious or kind and handled our cancellation beautifully. Then a few days before we sailed we found out we would be stopping in Hawaii. I sent an email and both days were rebooked for us. We did end up changing to a private tour on the second day at the last minute when my DD asked Marylou during our tour the first day about a beach trip and a tour the second day instead. Marylou worked it out with Ken and the next day we had husband Ken as our tour guide and beach person.       I cannot come up with all of the words to describe how nice they both were to the three of us. Ken even got in the water with my DD and DGD (9). I have a brace and sometimes it is hard to move about and other times I can walk almost normally but every stop both Marylou and Ken checked on my status for the activity and got as close as they could to an entrance. The kindness they showed my DGD who fell in love with her Miss Marylou and Mr. Ken meant so much to me.       If you want great tours with really nice folk who are a wealth of knowledge throughout your tour and smiles on their faces this is the tour for you.

Agree they are fantastic! Booked with them in March...loved both Hilo and Kona! They are very knowledgeable and friendly. Going in a group of 5 or 6 is the best! Book them early!

We have them booked for both days on our cruise in September- private tour from Hilo and regular from Kona. Fingers crossed that nothing changes with the itinerary anymore and we get there too! All I hear is great things about Mary Lou and Ken so I'm very excited for our days with them!

I am sure you will love them. We read about them on CC and they did not disappoint!

Hawaii is my favorite island. I like both sides almost equally so I would live in the middle. ;) Hilo has many sites that I truly love and if I picked only one Hilo would be it. Kona and the bees is a favorite of mine and I am allergic to bee sting:eek: but the farm is very safe and the honey is to die for!   I forgot the name of the beach as Ken gave my DD choices to snorkel with my DGD (9). It had facilities and many families. I will ask her when I speak with her.

Thanks for all the info!! That was the beach we were thinking about.

They were our first choice for Hilo but were not available. But, the did point us to another provider who has great reviews as well. Very much looking forward to our Kona tour with them.

We used Marylou Tours in February for Hilo and Kona. We had Ken at both ports. I cannot recommend them enough. He was so pleasant and helpful. You will not be disappointed!

We have booked them for our cruise next May for Hilo and Kona looking forward to it first time to that part of the world for us.

I hope you enjoy the Big Island as much as we did.

FishinChris

They are the best! First time that we had a tour guide that was more like traveling with a old friend.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

They are the best! First time that we had a tour guide that was more like traveling with a old friend.     Sent from my iPad using Forums

I agree with you!

All of these wonderful comments make us feel like we have found a hidden gem in touring the Big Island! So looking forward to our tour with them next year!

• 2 weeks later...

GeezerCouple

This is great to know, but not any surprise.

We had booked with them a few years ago, and they were TERRIFIC to work with to customize a day including Volcano National Park (!) and a few other preferred stops. We had to work with a few special needs, and they were really responsive and helpful.

But then we had to cancel about 2+ weeks in advance, because DH had a medical emergency, and the entire trip was cancelled on short notice.

They are at the very top of our list when we do get to Hawaii!

And it's great to know that they can help with a beach day. Perfect!!

This is great to know, but not any surprise.   We had booked with them a few years ago, and they were TERRIFIC to work with to customize a day including Volcano National Park (!) and a few other preferred stops. We had to work with a few special needs, and they were really responsive and helpful.   But then we had to cancel about 2+ weeks in advance, because DH had a medical emergency, and the entire trip was cancelled on short notice.   They are at the very top of our list when we do get to Hawaii!   And it's great to know that they can help with a beach day. Perfect!!   GC

They are so kind that I know when you meet them you will feel the same way we did. It is not easy making sure three generations all have a great time as what we can do and want to do are different. I am blessed to have a daughter who always takes into consideration some of my physical issues (I wear a brace on my right ankle and foot) and between her, my granddaughter and both days with Marylou and Ken I could not have asked for a better time.

• 1 month later...

Thank you for posting this. This is very helpful info!

I am so happy to hear this. We had to cancel when our ship didn't stop in Hilo last year and they were amazing with our last-minute cancellation. we ended up booking them again for this year and I cannot wait :-)

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

I am currently on the ship and our port at Hilo was rescheduled to Friday. They were very kind about canceling the tour even after they switched it to Friday. My dh wants to do a helicopter tour over the volcanoes. They even gave us some names to lead a tour in the afternoon. However I think we unfortunately won’t be able to stop at Hilo since the port is closed

NYCruiser243

We used Marylou’s for both Hilo and Kona in 2016. We had Mary Lou the first day from Hilo and she was wonderful. When Ken met us in KOna he told us that my friend and I were the only 2 who had booked that day. Another small group had contacted him but not confirmed. We saw a couple who we had met on the ship and invited them along. We had another spectacular day! Both Mary Lou and Ken are friendly, professional and knowledgeable.

I found them thanks to the folks on this board and can recommend them to anyone visiting the BIg Island!

We used Marylou’s for both Hilo and Kona in 2016. We had Mary Lou the first day from Hilo and she was wonderful. When Ken met us in KOna he told us that my friend and I were the only 2 who had booked that day. Another small group had contacted him but not confirmed. We saw a couple who we had met on the ship and invited them along. We had another spectacular day! Both Mary Lou and Ken are friendly, professional and knowledgeable. I found them thanks to the folks on this board and can recommend them to anyone visiting the BIg Island!

We used Marylou Tours for Hilo and Kona in February, 2018. We highly recommend then also!!!

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Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours - Private Tours

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Marylou'sBigIslandGuidedTours - Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours - Private Tours

• United States    
• Hawaii (HI)    
• Island of Hawaii    
• Keaau    
• Keaau - Attractions    
• Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours - Private Tours

We had a fabulous day with Marylou when we did her Hilo Public tour. Our tour group was a maximum... read more

Ken and Marylou are wonderful. They embody the motto "service with a smile." We booked the Hilo... read more

Marylou'sBigIslandGuidedTours

As experienced cruisers we are always looking for safe, high value tours for port days ashore. Did we get a great deal on the Island of Hawaii with Marylou's Guided Tour! She collected us at the ship, gave us a full day of knowledgeable touring for half the cost of a ship excursion which might include two of the dozen places we saw ($75 per person). We rode in a newer air conditioned van, complete with water and snacks. She stopped whenever we asked as well at the known photo stops. Of the stops: Volcano Park, Volcano Winery, Thurston Lava Tube, Steam Vents, the Orchid Garden, Hilo Coffee, Mauna Loa Mac Nut Farm, Rainbow Falls and more, my favorite was Black Sand Beach where she located many sea turtles feeding in the shallows! When we arrived home, Marylou had photos of us all waiting with a big Aloha and Mahalo for choosing her company. Try it...you will love it!

Recently sailed on the Ocean Princess with my husband, didn't want to do the ship tours with hundreds of passengers, preferred a small tour. Found Mary Lou website and while on the cruise was able to organize the best ever tour of the island. Ken, Mary Lou's husband was the perfect tour kind and did everything to make our day one never to forget. Do yourself a favour and support this great business run by husband and wife. Ken was informative, and friendly, Anne

My husband and I were on a NCL cruise around the Hawaiian islands. We were leary of the BIG tours offered by the ship, not waiting to be herded around with 50 plus others to each site. We were just going to go into town and souvenir shop when we met with Mary Lou at the port in Hilo. I remembered reading good reviews about her tours on the internet, and she had a long list of spots she was offering to take us to with only TWO OTHER PEOPLE..and at a considerably less cost than what the cruise offered. .All other independents were collecting groups. We meet the other two ladies and after a quick discussion we found we all had the same ideas of what we wanted to see and how long it would take us to do so - we like to look quickly and move on, not study every detail and our partners were the same. Mary Lou took us in her vehicle to see the volcano, steam vents, craters, waterfalls, rainbow trees, a Macadamian nut factory, the Thurston lava tube, a black sand beach, we saw whales and sea turtles. She offered personal information on all the places, answered all our questions, and even provided us with cold bottled water, macadamia nut samples and white pineapple for snacking. We stayed at each site only as long as we wanted, and even skipped the orchid plantation and coffee spot because we wanted to be sure to see all the other sites. Those two would have easily been included in the tour had we cared to see them. We managed to stay a good 20-30 minutes ahead of the huge busload tours...it was fun to out run them! Throughout the trip Mary Lou took pictures at each spot with her own camera, and downloaded and emailed them to us at home! She would use our cameras too whenever we asked. I can't say enough about how great this tour was. I strongly recommend using her to see Hilo or Kona, as she travels to both. Her husband was trailing behind with a slightly larger group of people in his van, so if you have a larger crowd you can choose to go with him. This tour was so thorough and great we decided we didn't need to do any others on the rest of our trip as we felt we saw it all! Thanks Mary Lou, we will tell everyone about you. We actually even gave your card to a waiter on the boat who was interested in touring the area the next time he was in port!

Four of us visited Hilo on the Island of Hawaii by cruise ship. For a tour to visit the volcano and other attractions, the ship charged $159 per person. We did the trip with MaryLou's Big Island Guided Hawaii Tours in an air conditioned car for less than half that price and did all the things the ship's tour did plus seeing some sea turtles. MaryLou was a terrific person who was friendly, knowledgeable about the Island and prepared to adapt the itinerary to our needs even stopping at Walmart for 15 minutes for our emergency purchase.

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Attractions Nearby

• Liliuokalani Park And Gardens
• Richardson Beach Park
• Akatsuka Orchid Gardens
• Coconut Island
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• Hilo Tropical Gardens

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