Published on Apr, 2024
Our day long excursion from Kauai to Pearl Harbor was on our bucket list from the time we booked our vacation to Hawai’i nearly a year prior. I actually booked the day trip online from our home in Indiana, not really knowing what to expect. The communication back and forth with the Sunshine Tours staff was surprisingly personal and reassuring. The day of the trip from Kauai to Honolulu started out at 4:00 am driving our rental from the north end of the island to Lihue Airport to catch our 5:20 flight. A Short 19 minutes later we’re back on the ground and I’m waiting for my guide at the predetermined location at Honolulu Airport. I made a call to Sunshine Tours and spoke with a very helpful agent who conveyed that my driver was enroute and to answer any incoming local call because she may be contacting me. What a reassuring and mind easing conversation. When our tour guide, Kanoe arrived just a short time later, she was like a breath of fresh air. She got out of the bus and personally greeted us and got to know us before we boarded her small bus that already held about 20 fellow passengers. Kanoe immediately introduced us to the others, calling most of them by name, making us feel so right at home. She called me and my wife by name the whole day, and constantly brought up tid bits of information from our getting acquainted conversation prior to boarding the bus. I don’t know how she kept us and everyone else straight in her mind, but she was amazingly sharp. On the drive to Pearl Harbor she conveyed a history lesson to us all over the loud speaker while perfectly navigating her route. Very moving and expertly delivered. She remained at or near our groups side the entire day, giving very helpful tips of must see places and the most efficient order to view the many historical sights. When she would send us on our own, she always had a time and place to meet back up, and her judgement of time needed and punctuality was impeccable. After a long and enjoyably tiring day of soaking up a plethora of World War 2 history, she safely delivered my wife and myself back to Honolulu Airport in plenty of time to catch our return flight to Lihue. As she dropped us off, she even explained the navigation through the airport to help guide us where we needed to be. Many kudos to Kanoe and Sunshine Tours for providing us an enjoyable, stress free, and unforgettable adventure in the beautiful state of Hawai’i.
