1 Epic Tour, LLC — Attraction in Honolulu

My family and I planned to take a trolley tour when we were approached by a salesman representing 1 Epic Tour. He sold us a private tour of the island at a unsolicited-discounted price. He called Captain Vince - on speakerphone, to confirm all pertinent details; which he did without hesitation. The salesman requested an $80 cash deposit, however, we did not have cash at the time so the salesman immediately called Captain Vince again to clarify how we were supposed to pay. Again, on speakerphone, he said that paying with credit card at the time of pick up would be acceptable. We already missed the trolley at 9 AM that we had originally planned to be on to meet Captain Vince at 10 AM. We went to the location and was there 10 minutes early and waited until 1030; hearing every five minutes “he’s right around the corner”. At 10 AM the salesman showed up and met us at the location of pick up only to find that we were going to be waiting longer because captain Vince didn’t have the correct phone number to confirm our appointment therefore he was not going to come. Although we just spoke to him one hour before verifying that we would show up. After waiting for about a half an hour finally captain Vince showed up in a BMW not a 21 passenger van which we were told which we were told numerous times that he was getting the bus to pick us up. At the time we decided to leave & make other plans for a day because we’ve already wasted two hours of our time. This was our last day before departure and we wanted to make the best of it. As we were walking away captain Vince jumped out of the white BMW and told us that he owned the company and that he does not do business this way. He was not going to show up with the van if he didn’t get confirmation from us although we spoke to them one hour prior to the meeting time. I am not sure how much more confirmation is necessary. He did not offer the confirmed tour that we were initially sold by the representative. He obviously was not planning on taking us on a tour although we heard him over the speakerphone that he was going to be on his way and to meet us at 10 AM. He did not arrive in a bus or anything that would be suitable to fit four additional people for a tour. The salesman kept trying to stall us, telling us that captain Vince was right around the corner only to find out that he had already pulled up in the white BMW five minutes prior. As we were walking away captain Vince jumped out of his BMW come told us that he owns a company that he does not do...

An Epic Experience with Captain Vince!

We recently had the pleasure of taking a tour with 1 Epic Tour, and it truly lived up to its name! From the moment Captain Vince picked us up from our hotel at 6:30 AM, we knew we were in great hands. Our group of four was lucky enough to be the only ones on the tour that day, and we got a personalized, unforgettable experience.

Captain Vince is the embodiment of the spirit of Oahu—warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, and full of aloha. His deep understanding of the island’s history and culture made every stop not just scenic, but meaningful. Thanks to his experience and early pickup strategy, we managed to get ahead of the crowds at all the major sites, making for a smooth and serene experience.

We visited a fantastic lineup of locations: the stunning Diamond Head lookout, the Dole Plantation, a lively macadamia nut farm (where Captain Vince enthusiastically introduced us to an array of sauces—he could have had us convinced he was getting commission!), the peaceful Byodo-In Temple, and a charming local fruit stand. The highlight for many of us was exploring the beautiful Waimea Botanical Gardens and waterfall.

Our tour also included a drive past historic landmarks like Iolani Palace, the King Kamehameha statue, and my personal favorite—the iconic Hawaii 5-0 building (Ali‘iolani Hale). We wrapped up the day with a delicious lunch at Nico’s on Pier 38 and a comfortable ride back to our hotel.

As a bonus, we even picked up a bit of the Hawaiian language—Captain Vince made sure we could all say "mahalo nui loa" ("thank you very much") by the end of the trip!

We highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Oahu. We’re already planning to book with Captain Vince again, and even arranged our return airport transportation through him. If you're looking for a tour that’s both fun and filled with authentic island insight, this is the one!

Mahalo nui loa,...

As first time visitors to O’ahu, we had no experience with tours of the island and wanted a great experience. My husband did some online research before our visit and because of great past reviews, we selected "The Awesome Circle Island Tour." (We booked through Viator). We were not disappointed!! Right from the start, our tour felt personal with a warm welcome and jovial conversation throughout. (It didn't hurt that our tour group only totaled 10 passengers). Our tour bus was clean and comfortable with big windows to allow maximum site lines. Our driver and guide, "Captain Vince," engaged with each member of the group - by name - and was especially inclusive of the kids on board. Vince is gregarious, personable, knowledgeable, and makes you feel at ease - all important characteristics of a great tour guide. By the end, he made us feel like a family! We saw great views from Diamond Head, Halona Blowhole, visits to cool stops like a macadamia nut farm, Waimea beach, Iolani Palace and Dole Plantation. We stopped for lunch at Fumi's Shrimp Shack ($ not included in the cost of the tour), which was excellent. We then stopped at a produce stand for a fried lumpia, something I'm sure I wouldn't have done without Vince's recommendation. I personally appreciated that Vince knew other tour guides and was friendly with all of them but wasn't shy about telling us he wanted to stay ahead of the other tour groups, lest we suffer bottle necking of large crowds (...and restrooms!) We learned a number of Hawaiian words and sayings, adding the all-important local flavor to our tour. By the end of the day, 9.5 hours had flown by, and I was a little sad to leave our makeshift tour group family. My husband and I both felt our time (and money) was well spent on "The Awesome Circle Island Tour." I'd highly recommend this tour for anyone looking to see the sites and become family with strangers... even for...