Hines Tours

What’s a Unilocaler to do, when she must not be wai sek and stay away from all the food that makes her waistline grow? Well, she can write about all the other things that are to Unilocal about.
Hines Tours is a small, family run business. They have nature and historic tours. I took tour #17 which is apple picking and the Renaissance Fair. Drivers/​tour guides were at the waiting destination early and were there to check people in. They had 1 van and 1 car. Three of us couldn’t fit into the van, so instead of telling us tour was full; they had a car ready for 3 more passengers. I was one of the passengers in the car. In total, there were 15 of us minus the drivers.
You have to sign a waiver of any loss items or injuries but they give you the pen. So that is the first freebie. They start you off with a bagel and cream cheese package from H&H Midtown Bagels East, also their pickup/​drop-​off point. What a clever place to meet because H&H is open ²⁴⁄₇. If you don’t like their choice of bagels, you have an option to buy other things. Along the way, we all got cold drinks such as water, iced tea, Capri sun and small snacks to give you some energy and nourishment. This is one tour where you never have to bring your own snacks and drinks. The good thing is the drinks are nice and cold.
My driver was fun and it made for good conversation. Tour #17 was $ 119 and I think a good buy for a day out of City. At the end, they hand you a mysterious envelope with just the tour # on it. It was a letter thanking us and a magnet of the Renaissance faire as a memento.
On another occasion, I took tour #20 which is Mystic Seaport and Cider Mill. A tour bus was waiting right in front of H&H Midtown East Bagels and again Nick Hines was early and checking people in. As usual Nick was being his professional self counting and making sure everyone was accounted for, affixing Hines Tours bracelets on us, collecting waivers and giving out snacks, and what a breath of fresh air it is to see someone actually doing his job and loving what he does. There was a change to the itinerary as Cider Mill does not allow tour buses, so we went to Mystic Village instead for some shopping. Nick gave us literature and maps before the tours so we can plan our time. The driver was alert and drove safely and there were no issues or over bookings. The bus was clean, and equipped with a bathroom, overhead space for any luggage/​packages and television. By 7:00 a.m. the bus was closed and we hit the road. There was over 1 ½ hours at Mystic Village and a total of 5 hours to explore Mystic Seaport. On the way home, a movie was played on the small televisions for the enjoyment of the tour group. We made it back to the H&H around 7:00 p.m. and once again you get a magnet memento.
I would definitely travel with them again.

I went on Hines Tours to the Catskills. All in all, it was perfect. Nik is an amazing tour guide and really took care of us from A to Z. He covered all bases and I will definitely go back for another tour.
A little bit about my experience:
First you meet the bus on the UES at 645a.m. Don’t be late! The bus is very comfortable with lots of legroom. Once you sign the waivers and the bus has taken off, Nik serves bagels with cream cheese for breakfast along with lots of extras! Juice, yogurt etc.
Along the bus route, Nik explains what to expect on the tours and gives a bit of history and fun facts about what we explore
The first stop was a Buddhist Temple. We got to go into all of the buildings and explore the vast grounds. It was simply gorgeous. Nik gives you ample time to explore on your own.
The second stop is a small hike to view a beautiful landscape in the Catskills.
Then we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. It was an all inclusive, all you can eat buffet. There was enough vegetarian food served and was quite tasty.
After that we stopped at a museum to get some real local history. it was unexpectedly very interesting and informative.
Finally, we went on a much steeper hike and got an amaaaazing view of the Catskills. I recommend wearing hiking boots because they really helped on the steep hike.
On the way way home, Nik served us snacks with juice again. He dimmed the lights and put on a movie. He really took care of us at each point of the trip! I will definitely book another trip with Hines Tours.

I joined a group of friends this past weekend on a crazy Caving and Rock Scrambling Adventure by Hines Tours. This specific tour is geared for the thrill-​seeking type as we spent the day exploring a wild noncommercial cave and scrambling up a steep exposed mountain with views of the Hudson River. Our trip was well organized by Hines from the get-​go. First, we convened at the requested meeting point in the UES. That’s where we met our tour guide, Nikolai, and his girlfriend/​side-​kick for the day (so sorry, forgot her name!). I assume he owns the company as his last name was Hines? Anyway, while we signed our lives away (waivers), Nik prepared our van — which seated 12 – 15 comfortably, nothing shi-​shi but got us from point A to point B safely (I was informed that they usually use buses for larger groups).
Okay, on to the good stuff!
Spelunking/​Caving
We were lead by an expert caving instructor, Steve, who had us crawl down a little tiny hole that was the entrance to the cave. If you plan on doing this, you definitely need to dress appropriately as it’s COLD, slippery and wet over all. Luckily, you’re equipped with a helmet light, knee pads and flashlight — the helmet came in handy as I frequently bumped my head on the cave’s ceiling when crawling through the more narrow pathways. Steve gave us a well balanced experience as he provided us with background spelunking knowledge but also physically challenged us as he steered the group through various locations (e.g. «big room», «little room» and inner-​windings of the cave). Supposedly we didn’t get to see much so I definitely want to explore the caves more in the future! Just be mindful that there were times when water was up to our knees (wear galoshes and heavy duty gloves); plus there were tight spots that required agile maneuvering to get through. FYI, this was my favorite part of the trip!
Hiking/​Rock Scrambling
The temperature for this portion of the tour was the total opposite (aka, HOT!). You’ll need to dress lightly but smartly and with hiking boots (silly me, I had on an old pair of shox). The climb was exerting and even a little hairy at times, especially for people who are afraid of heights (big tip: don’t look down, keep your eyes straight ahead!). It’s not the usual hike as I really scrambled for crevices in the boulders to make my next move. Also, hiking boots would have really come in handy as the traction in my old sneakers made me a little nervous throughout. Not sure if I’d do this type of hike again but I’m damn proud/​glad I did it! Or maybe I’ll change my mind once I purchase a proper pair of hiking boots…
Overall, our meal situation was all-​inclusive as we were 1) provided with bagels, cream cheese and juice boxes at the start of our trip, 2) served a set lunch at a restaurant right beside the cave, 3) given water and snacks for the hike and 3) finished off with snack packs and juice boxes for the ride home.
I wanted to be the first person to review Hines Tours as they definitely opened my eyes to an incredible experience and wanted to spread the word. I’d likely do another tour with them again :)
P. s. Total duration start to finish was 14 hours
P. p. s. For every 6^th person in your group, the 7^th is free!