Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

We returned recently from a bucket-list trip to French Polynesia and Australia, planned with great care by Kleon Howe. We initially began to plan the trip in 2020 but ended up having several false starts, due first to the pandemic and then a couple of health issues. Each time we said we had to pause our planning, Kleon was endlessly patient and understanding, which we greatly appreciated.

During the planning process, he listened very carefully to what we said we wanted in a hotel and he was unerring in choosing accommodations that matched our taste and budget. Our first stop was Vahine Island Resort in French Polynesia, a small hotel of only 9 rooms located on its own little island. It was as close to paradise as we’ll probably ever get.

The next hotel was on Moorea, and getting there required a couple boat rides and a short flight on an inter-island airplane. But Kleon had arranged for someone to greet us whenever we got off a plane or a ferry and escort us to our next stop, so that it felt as if we were just floating from one venue to the next.

Kleon had strongly suggested that we take a food tour while staying on Moorea, and this turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. Our charming guide was fascinatingly informative as he drove us to a variety of small restaurants and food stands that the locals frequent, where we had an opportunity to taste the unique foods that Tahitians eat on a daily basis. We would highly recommend this Moorea Food Adventures tour for anyone visiting that island.

After 8 blissful days in Polynesia, we flew to Australia. Our plan was to spend 3 days in Sydney at the beginning of our time there and 4 days in Melbourne at the end, and to take a week driving between the two cities, so that we could get off the beaten track and stay in small towns along the way. During our drive we were always on the lookout for native wildlife and were eventually successful in seeing scores of kangaroos whose preferred habitat was a golf course, a family of kookaburras that lived on the grounds of a charming B&B, lots of colorful parrots and cockatoos and, finally, one elusive koala sleeping way up in a eucalyptus tree.

We took fascinating walking tours of the downtown areas of both Sydney and Melbourne, spent a memorable day driving along the Great Ocean Road with a wonderfully informative guide, watched the surfers at Bondi Beach near Sydney, and marveled at Melbourne’s amazing skyline.

We are both in our late 70s, so It was affirming to learn that we are still able, with the guidance and support of an expert travel planner such as Kleon, to take a three+ week trip halfway around the world with ease.

Our family of 6 adult children and a 4-year-old grandchild recently returned from a trip to Tahiti from December 29 to January 12 organized by Kleon. Kleon did such a good job getting quotes for various options, from chartering a boat to picking out the best resort for our family for the week stay. The Conrad Nui Nui in Bora Bora was perfect for this holiday adventure with the entire family. My husband and I added a 5-night stay at The Brando, which was an incredible resort especially for the privacy, the beautiful units, and numerous activities offered there. The most unique travel experience was observing 80 or more baby turtles being released twice during our stay at The Brando.

The trip Kleon Howe put together for us was perfect. There are a lot of islands in Fiji, and a lot of resorts on those islands. We wanted quiet, beauty, and a heavy focus on snorkeling, with just enough other activities to keep us happy if it rained too much. Kleon found two perfect resorts that were just what we wanted. We could snorkel off the beach or the pier at both resorts, the coral and fish were superb, and the off-island expeditions were excellent. The problem was that it was virtually impossible to get from one to the other. Kleon worked tirelessly—and I mean both worked and tirelessly!—to set up a combination of boats, cars, small planes, and helicopters so that we could be where we needed to be with as little down time as possible. What could have been a slow, confusing, multi-transport ordeal ended up being a really fun part of the itinerary. It’s that combination of creativity, expertise, and determination to find solutions that makes him such an asset, and such a pleasure to work with.

Katie Stiner | September 29, 2023

We had a magnificent trip to Tonga planned by Kleon this past August. Reef Resort was the perfect blend of quality accommodation and relaxed vibe. The food was delicious and we appreciated the easy access to Japanese Gardens snorkeling reef and Swallows Cave, which you can get to via kayak. But the real star of the show was all the humpback whales with which we were able to snorkel. Herwig, the owner of Reef Resort, set us up with the perfect snorkeling operator who had a less crowded boat and very helpful staff. We saw so many whales, both in the water and from the boat. Our captain also took us to Mariners Cave, which was a cool experience. As an avid wildlife-photography hobbyist, this was one of the more fulfilling and relaxing trips I’ve taken, as you don’t have to get up too early or stay up too late to get a great experience.

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