We did the Full Circle Big Island Tour with my family of 2 adults and 2 young kids (5 and 4). Everyone loved it! This was a perfect way to see the island in one amazing day!
From the start, Shawn was very communicative about the general itinerary, while allowing us to customize both before and during the trip. He sent us menus for potential restaurants for both lunch and dinner, and checked in the day before the tour began.
We had two young kids with us - they're curious and generally attentive but a day on a tour bus would be taxing for any kid (and many grown-ups!). The private tour was perfect for us. Shawn plied us with snacks and drinks throughout the day, and we had ample opportunities to stop, whether to rest, stretch our legs, use the facilities, or just to take an unscheduled gaze at the many spectacles the island provides!
We spent a little less time at the Coffee plantation (which was very cool! We're just not big coffee people - 20-30 minutes was plenty there), but took our time at various other places. We stopped at a black sand beach where we saw tons of turtles (!), had amazing pastries at the Punalu'u Bake Shop, grabbed lunch in Volcano and ate by Kilauea (which we got to see erupting!). We got to do a hike through lava tubes, then a few more stops before going to Akaka Falls for another hike to a waterfall! Kids loved this! We also stopped at the Waipi'o Valley Outlook before heading to dinner in Waimea. It was lovely learning about the island and Hawaiian history, but also having an extremely friendly and thoughtful guide made the day easy and fun. Dinner with Shawn was a nice ending to the day, the kids (and adults) had such a blast through and through. Mahalo Shawn, we look forward to seeing you next time we're on the Big Island!
