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Hale Lanipuna - the little pink vacation house in the Puna forest!

Our Pohoiki vacation rental home is near Pahoa (in Puna District south of Hilo). It is not far from the Volcanoes National Park, and offers secluded privacy, a natural eco-friendly lifestyle in the Puna rain forest, and a diversity-friendly community. You'll love Puna so much you'll want to buy your own land and build a vacation or retirement home here, too.

This brand-new, cozy one bedroom house in Pohoiki is a brand-new Vacation Rental Home, specifically designed for vacationers. It's located in a secluded tropical forest only 3.5 miles for the ocean at Pohoiki Bay (Issac Hale Beach Park) and about 8 miles from where the lava from Kilauea is flowing into the ocean.   Hawai'i (called the Big Island by everyone) is famous for its geography, its dark flavorful Kona coffee, the great diving, and of course, the volcanoes (one of which is active, Kilauea). Our vacation house is located in a more sunny micro-climate area that extends to the coast. We actually get less rain than they do in Hilo and up the eastern coast of Hamakua toward Honoka'a.

You can find our listing on VRBO.com #202216     and on HomeAway.com  #206599

Please go to this VRBO link when are you ready to reserve your vacation stay in our home.

Summary:
 Additional landscaping and other improvements were made in March/April 2009, and August 2009 (bbq area with new gas grill), Feb-March 2010: Palms in a border hedge row,  coconut palms, flowering shrubs,  fruit trees, (papayas are bearing fruit),  new gas grill under the back shed, an adult mountain bicyle (Dec '09) a new Magtag washing machine (Feb '10).

 Enjoy a quiet holiday stay in our newly-built small but elegant vacation home with all the modern conveniences: 1 bedroom / 1 bath (sleeps 2 – 4 people)(up to 6 is possible using the twin floor futons). It has a fully equipped kitchen connected to public water system (not rain catchment).  Our rates are very reasonable.  Located in lush rain forest south of Hilo on the eastern side of Hawaii, the Big Island,  our cute vacation cottage is about 25 miles from Hilo Airport. (or three hour-dirve from Kona Airport on the western side.)
 It's within 5 minutes of Pahoa town for shopping and dining, and 3.5 miles from the ocean. Close to some spectacular natural sights – see the lava flows at Kalapana (what you won’t be able to see inside Volcanoes National Park), near Kapoho Thermal Ponds, and not far from clothing-optional Kehena Black Sands Beach.




Details about our vacation rental home:

  Built in 2007, Opened as a vacation rental  in September 2008!

Details: Puna has rapidly become the newest Big Island destination for an authentic Hawaiian-style vacation. Our newly-built Big Island vacation home was designed specifically for that purpose by the local general contractor, Paul Baillie and Sons, Inc. Unlike many Hawaiian vacation rentals, you will not be crammed in a small condo, apartment or hotel-like quarters or in many cases living in a room adjoining or only slightly separated from the owner’s private house (often called an 'ohana' ). Our elegant cottage was built to be a vacation home and sits on 1 acre of land.  There are few neighbors. It affords comfort, privacy and a good location for a reasonable price – starting at $60- $75 a night (depending on the season). Daily rentals possible (please inquire, discounts for long-term and advanced bookings). 

This house was recently built  (Oct 2007) and furnished as a vacation home in the summer of 2008.  It is really quite new since it's only been occupied by a small number of visiting guests, and all the furnishings are new. Repeat renters will be given a discount off the published rental rates. Booking now can also save you money in the future. There will be discounts for advanced booking and also for early payment. Our check-in days and times are completely flexible. Be sure to check our reservation calendar online  at our VRBO listing – drop us a note even if your desired dates appear to be full. At times, these dates are my own or my family members’ tentative dates. Arrangements can even be made for private or group tours, airport pick-up, and housekeeping services to make your stay at Hale Lanipuna even more amenable. (Inquire at time of booking or afterward).

NO TV programming! This modern-style Hawaiian hale has all the conveniences of home - including WiFi Internet and a digital TV screen with DVD player – with the exception of TV channels (No access to TV channels) – the lack of which is a conscious choice. Why would you come thousands of miles to seek paradise on the truly dynamic and inspiring island of Hawaii – the Big Island – just to watch TV.  However, there is an excellent PBS Hawaii radio station broadcasting clear FM Radio 24/7 at Mhz 91.1

If you plan on getting some work done while you are here, please know that most mobile phones work fine (ATT seems to have the best reception). Free high-speed DSL Internet is available in the house. (plug in or wirelessly roam about the house, lanai, yard). There is a computer desk in the bedroom along with a Canon printer/fax/scanner that you can set up easily to use with your laptop.

Our one-bedroom, one bath vacation home is a small but space-efficient home. It has 684 sq ft inside plus  another 125s q ft in the large covered lanai (porch) across the front of the house. There is one separate bedroom with an extra-firm queen size mattress along with a separate bathroom with tub/shower. 

If there are more than two people staying, the living room sofa-sleeper opens into a full queen size bed – with an extra mattress pad and pillow-soft mattress topper available so that it makes into a quite comfortable bed. In addition, if you have children or teens along, you could squeeze in extra sleeping areas by using the two twin-size Japanese-style floor futons. (foam pad with cotton padded mattress).

The house does not have central air conditioning. Most nights are rather cool (68-72 degree F) so the ceiling fans (living room, bedroom), floor fans, and attic exhaust fans should make it cool and breezy enough – except the most finicky.

The house is elegantly furnished inside and fully ready to satisfy your needs for comfort and for enjoying life while on vacation. The living room –dining room - kitchen areas are in one great room with a vaulted ceiling. There is a large center counter to which everyone will undoubtedly gravitate – to talk, nibble as food is prepared, and to relax. An Indonesian glass-top rattan table completes the dining area. The kitchen is fully equipped with appliances, pots and utensils, dishware and flatware for six. There is lots of extra storage space, a large capacity refrigerator, and storage containers to help you organize your food preparation and economize while here. You could even hold a dinner party since the home’s layout is perfect for cooking and entertaining. The kitchen is designed and equipped well for both the complete chef and the casual microwave ‘cook’, too.

A brand new Maytag washer machine has recently been installed (Feb 2010) along the dryer. 

For your daily excursions to the beach or sightseeing spots in the area or around the Big Island, you will find a water jugs, a cooler, a portable BBQ, beach chairs, and picnic table available for your use. When you get back to the house, be sure to wash off the sand at the outside shower near the back door.

Advice on Big Island Tourism - Some advice for new visitors and returning tourists

Having made the trip to the Big Island and your stay at our Pohoiki (Puna) vacation rental sound so idyllic so far, it would be a disservice to you, our valued guests, if I also did not point out that everything in Paradise is not always heavenly. Hawaii is, after all, one of the most isolated places on the face of the Earth; it has its own history, a very diverse mix of cultures and many residents (native, longtime residents and visitors alike) from various cultures. It also has its own set of environmental problems and economic challenges.

Here, in a nutshell, are a few things you should “know before you go” on a vacation to Hawaii.

• Prices are not cheap. Hawaii is far from the mainland US. Almost everything has to be brought in so prices and the cost of living are expensive. You can cut down your cost greatly by staying at cheaper accommodation, such as our Hale Lanipuna vacation home. You can also economize by cooking at home, carrying a cooler with drinks and picnic-style foods, and using our home as a base for day trips. Gasoline prices are the cheapest in Puna and compare favorably with California. Be willing to experiement, to try something new or different than you’re normally used to – like each a Spam musabi or cooking out a BBQ at the beach. Besides being mildly surprised by how pleasant it is to do things the ‘Hawaiian’ way, you may also save money.
• Some food and other products are grown and made locally. Try out the real Hawaiian stuff – Our neighbor down the street raises bees and produces an excellent raw honey - that's almost organic.  There is organic produce and food sold as most groceries, especially the Island Naturals store in Pahoa. The IN store in Hilo (in front of WalMart) has a great delicatessen - with daily specials of organic and vegetarian food sold by weight - fill up a plate (or eat light).
• Other taste treats:  Grass-feed and raised on the Big Island, an excellent variety of local fish caught fresh mean that there are outstanding seafood restaurants. Some boast their own local styles of Hawaiian-style sushi.
• Plants grow like weeds – probably because it's warm year round, they are agressive, and are found everywhere.   We have a regular yardwork and lawn man come; he's also done most of the landscaping and planting too.
• Insects are buggy little creatures. We have a lot of them  OUTSIDE - do you part to keep them there. 
• There are NO bugs inside the house,  there are screens on all the windows, and won't be as long as you do you part to keep them out.  Do not leave food items out where they attract fruit flies, gnats or ants. Wipe up spills and keep things tidy.
• Mosquitoes are not much of a problem. The house is away from the 'shade' cover of the many tall trees so it's not mosquito-friendly. However, if you go out into the brush or heavy tropical forest, you should be prepared to be bitten by mosquitoes.
• There are no poisonous creatures on land - just in the ocean, and some dangerous ones there too.  
• There are several anoles (small green cameleon-like lizards that climb on the back porch and the eaves of the house. No , they aren't geckos - though they exist in Hawaii, too. The anoles are harmless and often almost friendly - they also eat insects. They have the unique ability to change their color to match their surroundings.  
• Always be aware of tides and ask locals or people who know about swimming or entering the water. Tidal and swell conditions change daily – even hourly. Each spot- beach, cove, point, harbor - has its own particular dangers – as well as its safe areas. Ask first before going into the water in a strange place (outside public parks and public beaches).
• Crime is a low risk in Hawaii – EXCEPT for automobile break-ins. Never leave anything visible in a car (or even hidden in the trunk). Frequently, thieves break the car windows and run off with the stuff. Sad fact but true.
• Park in designated zones or use public parking at beaches and parks. Leaving a car at a deserted spot along the highway may be an invitation for break-ins.

• Hawaii is the most culturally and ethnically diverse state in the US.

1. Hawaii is among the most diverse places in the world - both geographically, geologoically, and most importantly, culturally diverse. It helps to realize that things don’t work exactly like they do back home. In most cases, some patience, some good humor, and a willingness to try something a new way or accept a substitute will go far to helping your avoid frustration.
2. Hawaii is a multi-cultural society and the US's most diverse population.
   
3. So you'll need both an appreciation for diversity and a willingness to experience new cultural customs, and different cultural values.
   
4. In many cases, you may the sense that once you are here on the Big Island (and in particularly in the semi-rural district of Puna), you are visiting someplace almost foreign – the faces and skin may be different than yours, there are languages or dialects you hear that you can’t understand (at least at first), and things you can buy in the stores or foods people eat which may seem exotic or unfamiliar. So you need to be open to the experience and willing to accept differences. You'll probably find that you like what you see and will want to try new things.
   
5. If you don't like it, that's OK too. But just keep your complaints and comparison in check (and to yourselves). 
6. Just remember – it wasn’t long that long ago that sushi was a word people hardly knew – hard to believe since today is one of the world’s most popular ‘new’ foods. A lot of things like that are true for Hawaiians, too. Cultural change and culture differences can work both ways – both sides need patience and understanding.  Let the culture you bring to Hawaii and how your receive ours,  add to the the Aloha spirit, so that you, too, may take a little of that spirit back home with you.
   
7. Fortunately, the Aloha spirit seems to be alive and well. Hope you can take in some ‘aloha’ while you here. 

Some more Detailed information about the above points. 

• Plants are everywhere and constantly on the offensive. Talk about the ‘meek inheriting the Earth’ – I don’t think Big Island weeds have a meek bone in their little green bodies. The growing season is year round, so trees (seedling turn quickly into saplings and larger), and weeds grow constantly. This is particularly a ‘problem’ for homeowners (especially long-distance ones like me). We do our best, but there will be weeds and tree seedlings growing prolifically around the yard of our vacation home.
• Insects are everywhere. With such abundant plant life, you can understand then while insects are just a numerous. There are lots of mosquitoes in jungle areas. While West Nile virus is not a serious problem, you should protect yourself from bites. The house has ample screens on the windows, but not when the doors are left open. Further, the strawberry guava trees attract a specific type of fruit fly – one that is tiny enough to come in through the screens. They are harmless but annoying. It helps you seal away fresh fruits and vegetables and dispose of garbage in tightly sealed bags.
• Crime rates are one of the lowest in the nation (USA). However, there is one exception – automotive break-ins. Never leave any valuables (at all) in your rental car. Don’t leave anything visible (or even hidden in the trunk). Thieves will often simply smash the car window with a lava rock in order to check out what might be left that is valuable. When you go to state or county sites there is never such a problem. The thefts sometimes occur is you left your car along the roads as unmarked or deserted places far from other passing vehicles. To be safe, you could leave the windows partially down or the doors unlocked. Remember – you are on an island – nobody is going to steal a car unless they own a ship that will let them transport it. It’s the transient person (in need of quick cash) who is tempted to break-in and steal a purse or an object from a parked car (such as a video, a camera, a laptop etc) since they might be able to get cash (or credit cards) or things that can be pawned or traded for immediate cash.
• Finally, please realize that Hawaii was the 50th state admitted to the United States (1959). However, it is also the most diverse in terms of ethnicity (race) and there are many cultural traditions from all over the world, as well as fully ingrained sense of cultural mores that are particular to the Hawaiian islands. Some things may seem ‘frustrating’ or the way things work may be different from what how things happens in your own community back at home (or in your country). Some US Americans from the mainland forget that fact. While is truly is an American state, its people were not always so. There have also been a huge number of immigrant waves that brought new people from any corners of the globe to these Islands. As such, you may need to have a little patience for doing seemingly simple things like ‘standing in line’ or getting things done (‘the infamous Hawaiian time’ – how islanders dally about getting things done ‘on time’), or expectations about traffic rules or driving behavior. It is one aspect of a vacation in Hawaii that both frustrates and also fascinates people visiting from other parts of the US and the world. Take off your rose-colored glasses (your own way of seeing things) and try to see this world and life as it is lived on these islands from a different perspective – it’s part of what the Aloha spirit teaches anyone who is lucky enough to be able call him/herself an inhabitant of Hawaii.

About Puna - The Big Island of Hawaii's undiscovered paradise

Pohoiki, which is only 3.5 miles south of Pahoa, will be an excellent location for visiting the amazing local attractions of Puna, and also will also serve as a great home base for day trips to the other magnificent sightseeing spots around the Orchid Isle of Hawaii, known to its residents commonly as the Big Island. Our big island is larger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined, but a three-hour drive will put you at almost any place you want to be on the Big Island. A day trip to for hiking down the Waipio Valley or even to visit the lovely art galleries and King Kamehameha’s birthplace in the scenic little village of Hawi in the far north tip are perfectly possible in a one day trip.

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.