Special place

Guest: S&A (SE Florida)
Date of Stay: 04/18/11 Review Submitted: 05/02/11

We arrived in the town of Hawi with directions on how to get to Lokahi Garden Sanctuary, having no idea where it was or what it was like. The directions were easy to follow and the road almost led us directly into the driveway, which was a dirt road that continued for several hundred yards, past a storage building to the parking area in front of the house. The front entry looked in on a beautifully appointed great room and you could see through to the ocean in the near distance. Unfortunately, it turned out that this was the home of our hosts. We were warmly greeted and directed back to the storage building, which turned out to have a complete well-appointed studio, with great ventilation, a large bathroom and shower, comfortable bed, and it's own very tranquil yard and space. While we didn't have the view of the ocean, we did have the wonderful hens and fruit trees in our front yard. If you are looking for a tranquil place to nurture and heal yourself, a place to be at peace, strongly consider this space. On the other hand, with Hawi just around the corner, there are great restaurants and galleries to visit, and Kona isn't that far away. Most of the restaurants have music on several of the evenings, but if you are a stay at home body, the night sky is incredible. Our hosts were gracious and helpful and had organic vegetables and fruits available for purchase. We can't wait to return.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, girls getaway, families with young children.

Unique and Wonderful Spot

Guest: Matt (Manhattan Beach, CA)
Date of Stay: 01/12/11 Review Submitted: 01/26/11

We recently stayed at the Lokahi Garden Sanctuary and had a wonderful eight days there. If you're looking for brochure Hawaii, drinks with little umbrellas, and those tourist trappings, this isn't the place for you. However, if you are looking for a little slice of paradise, to disconnect, to relax, and to get back closer to the land, you can't do any better. I'm not sure the pictures really do justice to the well-crafted, well-detailed house itself, or to the property as a whole; it really is a neat place. We would definitely come back, and hope that we can.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children.

Happy to be back

Guest: Jenn (Canada)
Date of Stay: 12/05/10 Review Submitted: 12/15/10

We're back for the third stay in this lovely garden studio. The space is light and airy looking out to a beautiful topical garden. The studio has a pleasing simplicity, is well equipped, maintained and clean,. Our hosts Richard and Natalie are wonderful, very gracious, helpful and informative. It is a really special location, very private , being in the midst of a 10acre garden, beautiful ocean views just a few steps from the studio and a 10 minute walk into the town of Hawi. Everything works well for us here and we're happy to be back. I have and would definitely recommend this property to friends or relatives we certainly enjoy being here.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+.

Lokahi Gardens, North Kohala, Hawi, Hawaii

Guest: Susanne (Honolulu)
Date of Stay: 08/10/09 Review Submitted: 12/02/10

We had a wonderful time at Lokahi Garden Sanctuary. The hosts, Natalie and Richard, made us feel welcomed, at ease and were very gracious. We have stayed here twice, once in the main house and a second time in the studio cottage. The house offers a nice queen sized bed with bath down the hallway. There is a beautiful ocean view from the room and from the rest of the house. (The photos you see on this site are of the house and they accurately reflect the setting and the standard you can expect.) For more privacy, the guest cottage is nestled in the orchards. While it does not have an ocean view, it does offer its own kitchen, laundry and is surrounded by greenery. We liked that too. Lokahi Gardens is located on the dryer side of Hawi, North Kohala (which means in the winter time it is less rainy.) It is in excellent proximity to the coastline and only minutes from Hawi town. Very convenient. Lots of great shops and restaurants in Hawi town. Try Bamboo and Sushi Rock -- both very good. Overall Lokahi Gardens is very clean and well maintained. It is impressive that there is so much food being grown in the gardens here! The owners are very committed to sustainability. I have been to numerous vacation rentals and B&Bs on the Big Island and I definitely recommend this one. -- Susanne S., Author, Healing Vacations in Hawaii -- Richard D., Health Practitioner

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, girls getaway.

Don't expect ocean views from the studio apartment

Guest: cyberjoys (CA)
Date of Stay: 11/19/10 Review Submitted: 11/26/10

We booked the studio apartment for 4 days and left after 2. No deck to be found as well as no ocean view. It doesn't even face the ocean! None of the photos shown are taken from the studio. The WiFi failed to operate and the beds were like rocks. Plywood platform beds with VERY limited padding. We mentioned the trouble with the WiFi several times with no resolution. It was very difficult because we were organizing a move back to the mainland and had no access to the internet to contact family/friends and help organize the move. It was clean and functional with limited kitchen supplies and no washcloths to be found. They did offer some sheep skin and a sleeping bag to help soften the bed after the first night. For what you get it is extremely overpriced. We relocated to a 3 bdrm/2 1/2 bath for even less, that was much nicer! This was the only time we've been unhappy with a VRBO booking. We tried this studio because it was the closest one available to the area we needed. It was worth driving a few more miles to find more comfortable beds!

Owner response:We have a small outdoor lanai (patio), the perfect place to drink your morning coffee and marvel at the lush tropical beauty. Our studio is located 200 feet from the main house, very private and is located in a lush tropical forest of trees and flowers. We have a newly purchased queen-size bed. We have resolved the intermittent problem with the wifi and it now works reliably. Our kitchen is fully stocked and we have ample linens for your use.

Recommended for: