Formerly, tourists tended to think of The Big Island as place to visit on a day trip from Honolulu; they would hop on a inter-island plane early in the morning, spend all day on bus tour leaving from Kona to the Volcano National Park, and herd back onto a evening flight to return to a cramped hotel room in Honolulu and to the overly crowded beaches on Waikiki. Today, discerning tourists and budget travelers alike see true value – both economically and in the quality of the travel experience – in coming to and staying on the Big Island as a comprehensive resort destination in itself – thanks to its majestic natural vistas unlike most any other place on the planet. Moreover, the popularity of the eastern or Hilo side of The Big Island has continued to grow. Hawaii, (the Big Island or Orchid Isle) the largest is this “the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean" wrote Mark Twain, so frequent a visitor he was adopted by the natives as their own.
The Big Island of Hawaii is often likened to a ‘mini continent’ – for good reason. It is such a diverse natural environment that it is like visiting a whole country in one continent – one completely encircled in a seven-hour long drive less. It has forests, beaches, mountains, valleys, volcanoes, jungles, and deserts - all within a short distance from the powerfully beautiful and awe-inspiring ocean. There also fascinating cultural traditions and its history is one that sometimes seems to defy the imagination – all of which make the Big Island vacation one that will become one of your best travel experiences and a source of endless memories – until you are compelled to return once again to our enchanting Pacific Paradise. Where else can you go scuba diving with dolphins, see manta rays while snorkeling, then hike over the harsh almost alien terrain of cracked black lava rock, slosh your way through muddy tree-lined path under lush jungle canopies, ride horses across verdant hillside pastures or go skiing on a mountain nearly as tall as the biggest ones in North America – all in the same glorious day! These are only part of what makes the Big Island so special.
Located in the lush rain forest of the southeast district of Puna on the Big Island of Hawaii, it is just a short ride to the nearest conveniences, and only 20 minutes to drive from Hale Lanipuna to Hilo, the state’s second largest city, where you find the airport, a shopping mall, the University of Hawaii, theatres, along with galleries, cultural and artistic events. With its own distinctively vintage atmosphere, Hilo is one of the last old quaintly historic Hawaiian towns.
With Pahoa town just 3.5 miles away, fast-food and restaurant dining, shopping, an all-organic grocery, supermarkets, pubs, a hardware story, churches, a post office, a laundromat, pharmacy and medical clinic, a public swimming pool, and two gasoline stations are just a few minutes away. Hale Lanipuna, as we affectionately call it, affords you virtually total privacy. The house is situated on a one-acre lot with county water (not rain catchment) with no other houses within 250 yards (meters) except for the property manager who lives on the lot next door.
Amazing natural sightseeing spots and local cultural attractions are within a short driving distance. The Kapoho thermal ponds are just 5.5 miles away. The spectacular lava viewing is 15 minutes away in old Kalapana town, which makes our location ideally situated. The Lava Tree State Park and the scenic roadway leading to it and to the amazing scenic oceanside drive, the Red Road (Hwy 137) from Kapoho along the Puna coastline to Kalapana is within a few minutes reach.
In fact, one of the best places to actually see the lava flows of Kilauea Volcano is only 8 miles from the house – not inside the Volcanoes National Park, (as most people seem to expect). The VNP park itself is the most visited tourist spot in all of the Hawaii isles, so you don’t want to skip, but you’re actually more likely to see the lava flows by traveling to viewing points not far from our vacation home.
Inquire about discounted sightseeing tours of the area or for the nighttime Lava Viewing Tour from Majestic Hawaii Tours (a tour company operated by our property manager). You can to reach the National Park in a 30-minute drive from our Hale Lanipuna vacation home.
Even closer is the world-famous Kehena Black Sands Beach, located in a hidden cove on the Puna coastal road. It’s clothing-optional and boasts an alternative and family-oriented atmosphere that is embraced by the locals, hippies, long-term residents, and tourists alike. If possible, schedule your trip over a weekend so that you can participate in Kehena’s Trance Dance celebration, which happens most every weekend.
We have no swimming pool, but there are warm-water pools, fed by geothermal-heated hot springs on a short drive away – just passed the Issac Hale State Park with its picnic grounds and boat launch. There is a free public swimming pool in the center of Pahoa village – open weekdays from 9:00-4:00pm.
Northward along Hwy 19 from twenty minutes to an hour beyond Hilo, you will find such sights as Akaka Falls, Laupahoehoe Point (spectacular rocky sea coast views) and the sublimely pastoral views of grassy slopes above the azure sea along the Big Islands’ Hamakua coast stretching up to the quaint little town of Honoka’a and further to Waipio Valley just 6 miles beyond it.
Further south from our Puna jungle home, stretching out beyond Volcanoes National Park, there are such wonderful natural scenic attractions as the Green Sand Beach at South Point, the southern most of the United States, Black Sand Beach at Punalu’u and the Kau (Desert) District, just to name a few. Eventually, you will turn northward and come to South Kona and to Captain Cook area before reaching Kailua-Kona, one of the Big Island’s most popular tourist resort towns, and to the white sand beaches and intense sunshine of the balmy leeward coast of Hawaii that extends up the western side of the Big Island from Kona to Kohala.
