Open Eye Tours LLC One-of-a-kind customized tours since 1983. Visit places seldom seen, or the most popular ones, with or without walking. Your day, your way.
02/16/2025
Joanne A
Unparalleled Service and Incredible Day
Review of Open Eye Tours & Photos
Reviewed 1 week ago
What a fabulous day my husband and I had with Pono, traveling the Road to Hana and seeing the sights along the way, many of them hidden from the road and unreachable had we been on a typical tour bus. We considered a few other companies but riding around on an impersonal tour bus with countless tourists didn’t appeal to us as a way to discover this side of Maui. From the moment I called him to get more information, he was in constant communication, emailing us recommendations, possibilities, and ideas on what to include in our tour.
He certainly customized the day to our preferences and wants and even brought along plenty of drinks and snacks for us. We were staying in West Maui and opted to meet Pono near the airport to maximize on the opportunities along the road to Hana. We started the day with a Hawaiian chant and boarded his Honda Pilot, where we had plenty of room to sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery, the Hawaiian music playing on the car stereo, and his explanation of the island and sights. Among our favorites were the botanical gardens, lava tube, and witnessing the sea turtles swim ashore at sunset for their nightly rest at the beach. Most of the places we visited we had all to ourselves! Lunch of homemade pulled pork and an iced pineapple smoothie from a local eatery about halfway to Hana were delicious.
He’s lived in Hawaii for over four decades, has an educational background and attends Hula School, where to this day, he continues to learn about Hawaiian culture, chants, songs, and traditions that he enthusiastically shared with us. His knowledge of Hawaiian history, ancient customs, botany, folklore, and local stories rival the best of any Hawaiian native. He sings, plays the ukulele, speaks Hawaiian, and is a world traveler. All these experiences contribute to his passionate, unique, personalized tours. And with his welcoming personality and “dad jokes,” he quickly becomes more of a close friend than a guide.
Added bonuses included leis that he handmade from his flowering garden (which made heads turn whenever I wore them), an assortment of delicious, never-before tasted exotic fruits from his organic farm, and a goody bag full of Maui souvenirs. Every stop included photos of the natural landscape that surrounded us as well as portraits of my husband and me (beats the selfies!) that he shared after the tour. We now have a digital album of our day and countless of memories documented!
His hospitality didn’t stop with the tour but continued the following day with dozens of emails providing links to more information on what we saw, the music we listened to in the car, the games we played, and a follow-up phone call. We highly recommend his exceptional services and in fact, started passing along his contact information at our resort the day after the tour. Whatever your interests, age, or mobility, Pono Fried will give you an extraordinary day and unforgettable experience in Maui. Mahalo, Pono, for an incredible day!
Date of experience: February 2025
