I recently spent three weeks at Kalapana Beach Haven. This extraordinary home is in complete harmony with its surroundings. At the end of what is in effect a small cul-de-sac, the house is built to maximize views – and privacy. There are neighbors on either side, but thick vegetation meant that I never saw them, and almost never heard them. The house is ocean front, but a strip of jungle separates it from the beach. This ensures beautiful, garden views from the ground and first-floor lanais, and an exceptionally stunning panorama from the upstairs lanai that takes you over the treetops and off toward the horizon. I brought books to read and DVDs to watch and touched none of them; instead I spent countless hours savoring the view from the upstairs lanai…
Others have written about how well-appointed the house is; I’d like to add how well it breathes. Screens and louvers capture and circulate every breeze; on the rare occasions that the trade winds die down, there are a couple fans to fall back on. I don’t know if the architect planned it this way, but the house also lets in light at all the right times, but shields you from the harshest effects as the sun moves across during the day.
The location is, to be fair, remote – but that’s exactly what I was looking for. Pāhoa, Keaʻau and Hilo are all easy drives, and you’re well positioned to explore the Big Island’s spectacular scenery. The best access point to the lava flows in the Volcano National Park is just a couple miles away; seeing lava burbling out of the ground inspires awe.
Tim, the owner, could not have been more accommodating; I appreciate his patience with all my questions beforehand, as well as his suggestions of things to see and do. Kate, the house manager, was equally helpful. I am forever in her debt for recommending the Makuʻu Farmers Market on Sundays and its stunning selection of tropical fruit (among many other things). Although I did not meet the cleaner, Selah, in person, she did an thorough job mid-stay and was admirably honest in her timekeeping.
Kalapana Beach Haven is the perfect house in the most beautiful part of the best side of the best island in Hawaii. I could not recommend it more highly.