Reviews

Absolutely highly recommended!!  This was the first major activity that my fiancé and I did upon arriving on Kauai.  I would't have had it any other way too.  It was our very first time to the island, so what better way to get your bearings?   Brandyn was our pilot and he was fantastic!!  He engaged all of the passengers on numerous occasions, but also was very mindful to when we just wanted to look out the windows in awe.  He was incredibly knowledgable of the island particularly with the questions that the passengers had.  He made sure that both sides of the aircraft had equal opportunities to see the highlights of the tour and gave us plenty of opportunity to take our own videos and pictures (despite them recording their own video for sale at the end of the tour).   The tour itself (~55 minutes) was perfect.  I was enjoying ever second of the tour and could have stayed in the air for a lot longer, but felt at the end that I had certainly got my money's worth.  Many of the sites are literally breathtaking!  I had never done a helicopter tour before, and after this experience I will be peppering it in to my travels when possible.  It was an experience that helped kick off an incredible vacation on the highest of notes. Back on land the entire staff were incredible.  Everyone knew exactly what they were doing, very well organized, and had a terrific energy about them.  This is an absolute must if this is your first time to Kauai.  You won't be sorry.

I  have to say that this is currently my favourite Helicopter tour bar none. It certainly helped that the pilot was both a former instructor and local islander. And the helicopter was a new Eco Star. But then you have the Island. What better backstop for a helicopter tour than the Napali coastline, and valleys leading to it? Wonderful, superb, sublime. Thanks Barrot, you are a class act. A perfect day, a perfect tour. We managed to also checkout the ATV and sailing, as well as driving the entire island. But Blue Hawaiian should be on the do not miss list. Essential Kauai = Blue Hawaiian.

My wife and I were most excited about this excursion and it didn't disappoint! They were very organized and our pilot was great w giving us information during the flight. The helicopter was awesome w all the windows to see all the beautiful scenery. Highly recommend this especially on Kauai because you get to see parts of the island only visible by air. Worth the money!

We laughed.  We cried (tears of happiness).  Wow.  What an experience.  I'm not usually one to go for super touristy things, but I decided that I wanted to see the Napali coast without puking my guts up in a boat so the easiest way to do that was by air.  I've never been on a helicopter before and the Blue Hawaiian copters were by far the nicest ones at the airport. I followed a recommendation from the Kauai guidebook and I was not disappointed.  The pilot - Marty - was super friendly and knowledgeable.  The trip itself was completely breathtaking.  Seriously.  This is the way to see Kaua'i.  Loved every minute of it (except when it got bumpy and I felt a little seasick).  A definite must in Kaua'i. Tip: We booked online 5 days earlier and got a $30 discount.

Great tour. Humorous and accurate narration give this helicopter ride high marks. The one hour length was perfect for Kauai. Professional, on time, and they provide a dvd of your ride. I highly recommend this as your first activity to familiarize yourself with the island.

AMAZING trip! A helicopter tour is a "MUST DO" when visiting Kauai, and the folks at Blue Hawaiian were great! Our pilot was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of history about the island(s). Don't set your heart on a "front seat". They will seat you by weight. WEAR DARK CLOTHES! When taking pictures, the reflection from white or light clothing shows up in the pictures. Sit back and enjoy!

We decided at the last minute to take a helicopter tour on kuai.. Blue Hawaii was priced right.. Professional and all around terrific.. Our pilot Barrett really made the trip wonderful.. A native of kuai he was knowledgeable.. And fun.. The views were amazing.. Despite being scared he put you at ease and able to enjoy amazing panoramic views!!

This was 4 star service and a 3 star tour experience.  Realize that this is not a negative review, the experience is recommended, with some alterations to our itinerary.   Note our departure point was Hilo and we took the less expensive 50 minute Circle of Fire and Waterfalls flight.  Total cost was around $365 for the two of us. First, the 4 star service: All of the aspects surrounding the purchase, check-in, follow-up, and handling leading up to boarding the helicopter were excellent.  The courtesy reminder call at the resort the day before was especially appreciated.  Online booking was simple, fast and came with a 15% discount.  I'd recommend that over using the resort or calling.  The pilot was very friendly, very informative and very entertaining.  When we landed, one of the ground crew asked how it was.  When we said that it was good, but that we'd missed the waterfalls because of the conditions, he quickly suggested the spot-on route to Rainbow Falls, just a few minutes up from downtown Hilo.  Turned out that the GPS didn't know where it was, so without his directions, we'd have missed it.  It is worth seeing if you're in the Hilo area. As for the 3 star tour experience, the weather was a factor and my expectations for a view of moving red-hot lava, explosions as the lava reached the sea and an open crater were apparently unrealistic.  We chose to take the tour we did, driving to Hilo from Waikoloa so we could see the volcano.  It was a very interesting experience, but not nearly as good as we'd hoped.  Now that I know, I'd either drop the extra $200-300 (per person) and get the 2 hour run from Waikoloa that includes more of the island, so that there would be a better chance that weather wouldn't ruin the trip.  Hilo is basically in a tropical rainforest, which explains why it was so wet on our trip.  The rain and overcast conditions made visibility very limited at time.  Other times of the year may be a better choice.  We did see much of what was intended, though, and it was enjoyable. If you're concerned about flying in a helicopter, don't be.  My ride was smooth and with all that there is to see, you'll be distracted for much of the ride.

A must see! I have traveled the world and this was the best experience ever. I have flown on helicopters in Iraq, Afghanistan, Greece, Hawaii, Nevada am to name a few. The experience with Blue Hawaii is the best, you definitely need to go on the big island 2 hour tour, you see whales, lava, volcanos, waterfalls and more. If you have ever flown in the grand canyon this 1000 times better. Contact Blue Hawaii or Gary at Pleasant Travels as he has the connections and will get you VIP treatment with a front seat. A++

We did the longer tour and it was worth every penny and then some. The only way to get a great tour of all the island variation.

Upgraded to an ecostar at no charge and got the front seats as requested. Jason, our pilot, was awesome (not to mention, his mom was my 8th grade teacher -- random, right?) and was an excellent tour guide over the Big Island (see photo). Can't say the same for the mute family in the rear seats, but hey, Jason tried his best with the jokes. Yes, the operation is efficient, and they plow out close to fifty flights a day, but that's what us city dwellers expect on vacation when we shell out this much for a "tour" - efficiency! Given this was from an island based business, we were quite impressed. And, for the reviewers who thought they were going to see bubbling lava all over the island, look up if the lava is flowing BEFORE you come to the island. Blue Hawaiian isn't responsible for how much lava you see -- sheesh! Many times this is the only way to see lava on the Big Island when it is not flowing into the ocean. Oh, and the LZ (landing zone) girl with the short shorts (see photo), yeah, you had me at shorts... Will do again, except on Kauai!

At first I thought.."wow this is expensive" but so worth it.  Amazing way to see The Big Island.  Steve the pilot was so knowledgable about everything.  The waterfalls were breathtaking. The terrain changes were so dramatic. Well worth every penny.  If it's the only excursion you do it is worthwhile.

We did the Big Island Spectacular tour from Waikoloa. Some of the reasons for the -1 star isn't their fault.  There was not much lava. I got a little plane-sick. I was annoyed because I brought medication and they told me I likely wouldn't need it.  Take meds if you get motion sick! The waterfalls are gorgeous and the lava is cool.  You do get views that you can't get anyway else. The staff is very friendly and the pilots are very impressive.

My boyfriend and I visited the big island for our 1st time and the Helicopter Tour was our favorite activity!  Jason splurged (the cost is definately worth the experience) and we enjoyed the 2-Hour - Big Island Specatcular on an Eco-Star Helicopter!  We traveled to Kilauea volcano & did see a little bit of lava, though we were wishing Pele was a little more feisty.  Then our tour headed north to view some specatcular waterfalls.  This tour was voted #1 by The Travel Channel as the "World's Best Helicopter Thrill."

My one regret on a previous trip to Alaska was not splurging for the helicopter tour, so 10 years later in Hawaii we didn't hesitate.  We  took the Circle of Fire tour from Hilo and we weren't disappointed.  As lava was not actively flowing, this was the only way to see it in the Puu Oo crater and that was the highlight for sure.  It was also interesting to see how old lava flows had covered towns and what was left standing - it really made real to me how lava has shaped and re-shaped Hawaii.  Also neat to see our hotel from the air! We took the Eco Star and were seated in the back - got lots of great photos even without being in the front seats but certainly would have preferred that less obstructed view (seats are assigned by weight ratios).  But the pilot made sure to approach everything from both sides and spin around so everyone got a good look. I am a little susceptible to motion sickness on small boats, so was worried, but the ride was smooth.