Do not rely on this public transit service ever. For anything. Not even as a last resort transport…read moreoption. YOU WILL AT SOME POINT OR ANOTHER BE LEFT STRANDED. Whether it's because the busses have absolutely no communication between drivers. Unmarked, inconsistent drivers, bus stops, pickup, and drop off locations. Same time, same number bus routes, constantly changing which stops are covered depending on the driver causing a HUGE time difference in arrival completely SEPARATE from changing road conditions. The excuse that it is a free service therefore is excusably this horrible is so overused at this point that I believe their original plan was to make it free to absolutely not GAF anymore. yes our island is large, far apart, and is constantly changing. But the few things that they CAN control to help, they absolutely DO NOT. Although I'm sure they are EXTREMELY NICE AND KIND CARING PEOPLE; Calling Hele-on dispatch service is useless as they will just give excuse after excuse as to why this public transportation system is so shitty with not even the slightest kine resolution offered, or even a straight answer to your question, or concern. they literally don't care. It's so frustrating because of how vital public transportation is to SO many communities, especially with the world being so expensive, you're double punished when you're forced to ride with them.

wow absolutely terrible service unreal, hours and hours waiting on a bus that if your lucky comes…read moretotal waste of precious time. disgrace and stain in Kona it's not worth it free it's not worth a star

Locally owned and operated they have rentals from the smallest car to the largest truck and then…read moresome vehicles in between. Make your reservations in advance; call them upon arrival and their shuttle will be there in minutes to pick you up. Harpers is located outside of the Hilo International Airport grounds but still close enough to do things timely. The vehicles are checked before you leave with those mirrors which permit you to see the underside of the car... I suppose they want to make sure you don't drive over lava rock or something.... suffice to say; INSPECTION at its MAXIMUM. Same upon your return. You return it the same way you got it is their bottom line. Be sure to return the car with a full tank of gas or you will be surcharged some horrendous amount. The good part is there are a couple gas stations on the way to the Harpers Rental location. If you have a Hawaii driver's license and address; you will qualify for a "kamaaina" discount. so be sure to ask for it. With the volcanic activity in full motion on the big island, Harpers would be the place to get your 4 wheel vehicle rental. If you need hauling trucks they got it and even if it's just a car to rent for your visit they are the ones! Locally Owned, Locally Operated Local Attitude with "aloha" attitiude!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! When all the other BIG name companies were out of cars, Harper…read morecame through! Thanks to my friend who's from Hilo that suggested this place, we were able to rent a car for a busy weekend. The location is a shuttle ride away from Hilo airport. If you let them know in advance, they will pick you up from the airport. Yes, the car wasn't as clean and nice as the other places, I'm not going to complain since it's a working car. The car came with a USB charging port, but that thing charged my device SO SLOW. Don't worry though... it still got us up to the visitor center on Mauna Kea. I'm tempted to rent from this place again just so that they can stay in business.

We booked early, they were right on time. They had car seats available and a really friendly driver.read more

Prompt Pick-up at the airport in the sprinter van, as requested and paid for. The return trip from…read morethe resort to the airport was a different story. The next time we travel to Kona, we will likely try a different provider. Nothing against the drivers, the company baits you with the sprinter van reservation (arrival and return) yet the luxury van is there on arrival and but we got a taxi for the return trip.

We were making a trip to Kauai and we're going to have a 3 hr…read more layover in Maui. What I wanted to do during the layover was take our guests to Mama's Fish House. I contacted Alii and got the owner Tho. He gave me his rates and had the best rates of all the services I called. When we arrived he was at the airport waiting for us. As soon as our plane landed he texted me to let me know where to meet him. He picked us up in a van (that's what I requested) that was extremely nice and was spotless. He had cold water available for us and took us directly Mama's. He then waited for us while we ate. He then took us to a nearby beach so we could view the Sea Turtles that gathered there. He then took us back to the airport to catch our next flight. He gave us exceptional service and was a pleasure to deal with. l would not hesitate to use his services again.

Wow! What an amazing experience! Great looking vehicle with COLD Air Conditioning!!! The coolest…read moreride I had yet with majority of the limousines I've had this one beat them all. Cold water bottles, good sound system, very roomy, lights that make you very hyped! Great service by the Gentlemen.

When I saw that renting a car for one week at the Kailua Kona airport on the big island would cost…read more$566 using Discount Hawaii Car Rental, I checked out other alternatives. We were staying at Hilton Waikoloa Village, where parking the car would cost $33 a day, with no street parking nearby. $231 a week, plus $566 a week is $797. Looked up taxi fare calculator at https://www.taxifarefinder.com/ for going from the 20 miles from Kailua Kona airport to Hilton Waikoloa Village, and it's $104! Uber X is $43 if you can find one, as only recently has Kailua Kona airport accepted ride sharing, and that's assuming no surge pricing due to shortage of available drivers. And getting a ride back from the hotel in the boon docks to the airport might be questionable using ride sharing. Checked Roberts Hawaii web site at https://www.airportshuttlehawaii.com/shuttles/hawaii/ , and it's $32 per person, or $64 for the wife and I, to go that distance. Sliding scale from $20 to $36 per person depending on distance from airport to hotel. Made reservations online, listing date, time of arrival, and flight number. Hours before the flight, get a text message confirming the arrival. Got in to the airport, after a 6 hour flight from California. There at the gate is an attractive young lady with my name on a placard. Christiana is wearing a spiffy Roberts Hawaii uniform top, and the usual black pants and shoes of Hawaii tourist industry associates. My wife goes up to her, and says yes, she's Robert C. Yeah, sure blond haired lady with Chinese last name. We go a short ways around the airport, and there's our wheels -a full size, state of the art 56 passenger touring bus just for the wife and I! Driver Sun M. was taking the bus back to the depot near Hilo, but dropping us on the way at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Yes, he cleaned all the windows just for us. Exchanged life stories during the 30 minute trip, with wife and I sitting in the front seat. Door to door service with a smile, which got bigger with the $10 tip. One week later, hotel pickup at 8:15am. Full size touring bus arrives at 8:14am, with 4 people already on the bus, from an earlier pickup point. Bus driver waits and waits for another missing party. Finally at 8:27, a missing party of 6 Japanese tourists from the same party arrive. An adult male leads the party through the bus, apologizing in Japanese to the 4 Japanese and myself. Not the first time I was mistaken for a Japanese! 8:58am the bus arrives at the airport. No pickup stops in-between, in fact no civilization, let alone hotels, in-between HWV and the airport 20 miles away. Paying $797+ for a rental car and parking for a week, is a lot, about the price of seven all day Roberts Hawaii "Grand Circle Hawaii Island Tours", after the 15% discount coupon code they gave me. How could I not give 5 stars to the company named after me?

Nope way would we ever use or recommend this service. This is my first negative review ever. We…read moreused this service to get from the airport to our Airbnb in Honolulu, and paid in advance for our ride back to the airport. They let us know that they'd pick us up at 5:30 AM. We were in the lobby at 5:30am, and wandered around up front for 7 minutes before calling the provided number. They let us know that the driver left at 5:31 (!!!!! One minute after our scheduled pick up) because they didn't see us. They wouldn't be able to pick us back up until it was too late for our flight, and no refunds would be issued. Dispatch let me know that their policy is for riders to load the shuttle ten minutes in advance, because the pickup time is actually the time that the shuttle will drive away without you without looking in the lobby or calling. I'm fine with strict policies as long as the business tells you about them. Why isn't this important detail described on the provided receipt (pictured) to be picked up? This business left me and my two small children, including a baby, stranded without a ride to the airport at the crack of dawn. We didn't have car seats since we were banking on a shuttle service. The receptionist at the hotel was appalled and said she's never seen this poor of customer service with a shuttle in the 20+ years she's worked there. I'll update with a comment if this business changes their mind and chooses to make this right. Otherwise, 100% would never suggest anyone uses Robert's shuttle. Lost lots of money and had lots of stress because of this joke of a business.

I choose Alamo first off bc I've used them before and second because the reviews on multiple…read moreplatform were so good! There were def cheaper options but I'm willing to pay more to not have to wait in line and not get a bum car and I've read from other reviews for other companies. I was able to check in online and bypass the line. Although there wasn't much of a line bc there was so much staff available to help. I was able to choose whichever car I wanted. Drop off was even easier drove up, the staff checked everything in a few minutes and we immediately got a receipt for our car. A seemless efficient and easy process. I will most definitely rent from Alamo again. They also provided a list of some great places to explore !

I was skeptical, but I had an excellent experience at Alamo at the Kahului Airport. I booked…read morethrough Costco Travel but was still able to set everything up in the Alamo app so that I could skip the counter and go straight to the car. When I got there, the employees in the garage area were friendly and helpful, pointing me to the row of vehicles from which I could choose. At the time I was there, I had quite a few vehicles to choose from. While I had the car, I realized that the key fob lock/unlock button wasn't always functioning, though I was always able to lock and unlock the vehicle by using the door handle button. I mentioned this when I turned the vehicle in, and they credited me for a day's rental for my trouble--something I didn't even ask for. Returning the car was simple, quick, and easy. The charges came through to my credit card exactly as they should have. I would easily do business with Alamo at this airport again based on my experience.

Ryan, Jordan, (forgetting the lady drivers name,) were awesome guides…read more They were great for our elderly mother and kids alike (youngest being 7 year old.) It's worth the price people - it really is memorable and bucket list worthy. (Will upload pics once we receive them.)

Set in the heart of a beautiful rainforest, Botanical World Adventures' Zipline tour is truly one…read moreof the most scenic excursions! Nick, Kavahi, Lish, and Heno are the dream team who helped guide us through the adventure, offering fun insights on the local flora and fauna along the way, as well as some some stellar "dad" jokes and banter! You truly can't go wrong with the ziplines at Botanical World--the team is communicative, enthusiastic, and safety conscious, while the location is unmatched!

Hawaii Island Volcano Adventure Tour (from Hilo)…read more The entire place is a delight to the senses - and Dexter, the world's greatest tour guide, gives you the best day ever! The day I spent touring the area in and around Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was probably the greatest guided tour experience of my life! Of course, the beauty, majesty, and power of this unique place creates one of the most amazing natural galleries of art and science on earth. But what made my full day of adventure truly exceptional was having Dexter for our bus driver and tour guide. He put his whole heart into giving us the most personal and delightful experience we could possibly have - for a full 9 hours! His knowledge and passion for the land, history, ecology, wildlife, and people of the Big Island of Hawai'i radiated through his ability to identify and describe myriad points of interest in a manner that was clear, steady, engaging, informative, fun, and personal without ever becoming overbearing, monotonous, or canned. He answered questions with gentle unassuming honesty, shared personal perspectives without being intrusive, and made me feel as if he was personally offering me the very best experience of Hawai'i - as if I was an old friend and he was catching me up on all I need to know and love about this Pacific island hotspot. Thank you for masterfully and hospitably wrapping a week's worth of adventure, wonder, learning, and laughter into one of the best days I've experienced in all my fifty years on this planet! Mahalo and Aloha, Dexter - you're the best!!!

My wife and I recently booked a Pearl Harbor tour with Polynesian Adventure Tours, and while there…read morewere definitely some positives, the overall experience left us feeling rushed and wanting more--especially given the cost. The Highlight -- Leo the Tour Guide The best part of the entire day was our driver and guide, Leo. He was kind, informative, and thoughtful from start to finish. You could tell he genuinely cared about the guests and took pride in sharing the history and making the ride enjoyable. He truly set the tone in a positive way, and he deserves recognition for that. The Biggest Issue -- Time (or lack of it) The main problem with this tour is simple: everything felt rushed. We arrived at Pearl Harbor National Memorial around 8:25 AM and immediately started moving. By 8:27, we were already trying to quickly go through the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. We barely had time to walk the submarine itself and didn't have any time to explore the museum building before needing to head across the complex for our 9:15 AM call time for the USS Arizona Memorial. Even though we were on time, we were initially placed on standby. After realizing we might miss our 10:40 AM bus return, we had to speak up just to get onto the correct launch. Because of that, we missed the 20-minute documentary that plays before visiting the memorial--which is a pretty important part of the experience. The memorial itself was meaningful, but the visit is only about 15 minutes, which felt surprisingly short given the significance. Ford Island & Missouri -- Not Enough Time Next, we headed to Ford Island, where we had lunch and visited the aviation hangars. These exhibits were good, but again, time was limited. Guided tours weren't clearly explained, and it felt like if you joined one, you'd miss seeing other areas entirely. The biggest disappointment for me was the USS Missouri. This was the main attraction I had been looking forward to my entire life. I could have easily spent half a day exploring the ship--but instead, we were rushed through it. I didn't get to fully experience the areas I wanted, missed out on exhibits, and didn't even have time to properly explore or enjoy the ship at my own pace. On top of that: We weren't informed ahead of time that the front turrets were under restoration It started pouring rain toward the end of our visit, and we got soaked The rushed schedule meant we didn't even have time to browse shops or grab anything onboard It turned what should have been the highlight of the day into the biggest letdown. Suggested Improvement One major area for improvement: transportation logistics. There were multiple hotel drop-offs at the end of the day, which took about 1 hour and 40 minutes before we even reached our stop. When you factor in pickup time as well, that's easily 2.5-3 hours of the day spent just driving. If the company reduced the number of stops to 2-3 max, they could significantly cut down travel time and give guests more time at the actual sites, which is what everyone is really there for. Final Thoughts This tour has potential, and Leo was outstanding--but the overall structure made the experience feel rushed and, at times, stressful. If you: Want to take your time Are a history buff or military enthusiast Or want to fully experience each site ...I would honestly recommend visiting Pearl Harbor on your own. You'll save money (around $500 for two people in our case) and have the freedom to explore at your own pace. Great guide, but the schedule needs serious improvement. - Dr. Rick

This was a good deal if you're willing to wait in line. The line to actually get in to see a…read morecustomer took about 45min to an hour. It took about 5 min for her to give us the car! You get to go pick out the car. Then about 10 min line to get out of the parking lot. They need more employees to speed up the process!

What could you improve? Start from the basics - customer service and genuinely caring about your…read morecustomers. My only wish was that I would have read the rest of these reviews before choosing Thrifty for our rental car company. If you want hidden fees from a scam artist, followed by waiting in a line for 1.5 hours to get a car, then by all means, this is the place to go. Come on Thrifty - take some ownership, read the reviews, and care about improving your business. It's horrible. We will not be using your services one more day in our lifetime.

SANDY has a wealth of knowledge. She has confirmed the very best rates for me and truly gave me…read morethe best advice with regards to places to visit while I am visiting the Islands of Hawaii. Its comforting to know that there are people working at a customer services level who can communicate the passion they have for people and their work. Sandy, Thank you very much for making me feel special ! Gloria Franchi Richmond Hill, Ontario

Staffs at Discount Hawaii Car Rental were very knowledgeable and they were able to give me…read morerecommendations based on two day plan at Hilo coming off a cruise ship. They responded emails and phone messages promptly and they were very helpful in finalizing my plan.