We were assigned a guide who has been in Maui for about 3 years, by his own admission, not a local with expert experience and knowledge of Hana as advertised. There was no cultural perspective. Information and dialogue about Hana was extremely lacking. Our guide spent the day pointing out the same 2 or 3 types of plants over and over again as the bulk of his narrative. All guests wore masks during pick up process. After the breakfast and back on the bus, masks were off. Not mandatory, we were told we could make our own decisions. I kept mine on. This was early December, beginning of Omicron.
After our lunch, where at least 4 vans of people were together, guides announced it was time to put bathing suits on for swimming at Black Sand Beach. There were two tiny bathrooms for all the people who needed to change and/or use facilities, leading to congestion and wasted time. At Black Sand Beach, there were larger bathrooms suitable for changing. However, the beach access was closed due to rough surf, so swimming was not possible. Not Valley Isle's fault for sure, but as excursion experts would they not know this before arrival?
The road to Hana is a very long day. It is great not having to do they actual driving, to relax and look out the window. When using the services of a tour you need to consider the realities. You will spend much time during pick-up, drop off process, stopping for bathroom stops you may not need, sitting shoulder to shoulder with people who are not required to wear a mask. Some parts of the day which should run with a little more planned efficiency are somewhat unorganized. Although promised, you may not get a guide who is an expert, or who is at all informative. And it is not inexpensive. This was my Hana experience with Valley Isle.
Одговор домаћина
Feb 2022
Aloha EnzoX2
Thank you for sharing. Your feedback is helpful and valued. There are some things we will look into and work to improve to avoid future experiences like this. Masks should be worn while on the cruiser. We will remind all of our guides to enforce this policy. I will inquire if there are ways to be notified by state park officials if and when they close beach access at Waianapanapa.
Generally, our guides are pretty great at running very time-efficient tours and in sharing unique insights of both local and native culture. I am not sure who your guide was but do know that we do provide our guides with continuous training, learning and professional development opportunities.
Mahalo again for choosing Valley Isle Excursions and taking the time to share your experience. We are always working to improve in our abilities to deliver great memorable Maui experiences with our guests.
Malama Pono - Stacy