Cozy, private rain forest retreat cottage situated above Kona in the Kaloko Mauka Honua'ula Forest Reserve. Located on a 3-acre property, this cottage is set away in a lush forest of Ohia trees and Hapu'u tree ferns. Enjoy the sweet aroma of ginger surrounding this one bedroom cottage--perfect for a romantic getaway! Escape the heat of the Kona coast and come explore the mauka forest and trails of Kaloko with excellent bird watching at this cool elevation of 2300 feet. We are located 2 miles above the upper Mamalahoa Highway in a rural setting. Only 10 minutes to the airport, town of Kona, and beaches. This cottage has a great back deck for star gazing and enjoying your meal. The living room is furnished with a comfy double recliner, desk, and swivel mounted 43-inch flat screen TV that can also be viewed from the dining area, DVD player, and WiFi/streaming. The kitchen has granite counter tops, equipped with a full-size refrigerator, counter top induction burner, coffee maker, and electric barbecue out back.
Registration Number: GE-065-882-7264-01, TA-065-882-7264-01
Donald H.
Dec 16, 2024
From the house photos, and location at 2,500 feet, we were expecting rain every afternoon, but only saw it clouding over in afternoon and on two days had clear blue skies to sunset. The deck was very wet in the morning with dew. It is a lovely house, with a great deck to enjoy breakfast from, set in a beautiful, extensive, private, tropical garden, which we loved walking around. We enjoyed the great, very peaceful, relaxing, location that was within a ten minute drive down the hill to Kona, and the beaches, but also close to the "Belt Road" for easy access to north, south and east of the island. We did find the house chilly in the evening (no heating) and cold in the morning, even after the sun had warmed up the outside deck. So be prepared! Of all the places we have stayed at in Hawaii over the years, this was the best and we plan on returning there next time.
Gillian B.
Nov 27, 2024
This property is at a higher elevation which is great to come back to after a hot day on the beach. That said it is quite cool in the morning and evenings - we wore sweatshirts and pants inside. Mid-morning it starts to warm up and the back lanai is a beautiful spot to lounge in the sun.
The cottage grounds are beautiful - with lush, tropical plants everywhere. We had no issues with mosquitoes, just the odd moth but didn’t bother us.
Inside of the suite does feel like a cottage in the forest and not a hotel. Floors were not the cleanest and there were some dead bugs in the throw rugs. We did find a couple cockroaches in the kitchen around the sink, but I would expect this anywhere in this sort of environment. Some appliances could use a clean (coffee maker).
The cottage itself provided everything we needed - from shower amenities/hairdryer, to extra sunscreen to beach chairs and snorkel equipment. The beach umbrella was a lifesaver and we used it on a number of occasions. Our beach towels did get quite grimy after a couple days. Our host did ask if we wanted replacements but it was almost the end of our stay and we didn’t have any more trips planned.
Bed was comfortable and blankets the perfect weight. Tree frogs are loud but earplugs block them out completely and they stop sometime around 1 am. We got used to them after a few days and didn’t have a problem.
Would definitely recommend staying somewhere like this rather than in Kona.
Nick S.
Oct 30, 2024
This is a great place to stay with you and one significant other. Beautiful sights and sounds, while still being close enough to town to go in if you want. Great launching point for adventures.
Anita F.
Sep 25, 2024
We enjoyed our stay and proximity to all the great Kona beaches. The visiting pheasants were a lot of fun. The higher elevation made it great for sleeping at night.
Elizabeth B.
Sep 09, 2024
My partner and I absolutely loved staying in the tropical cottage- it was so beautiful both inside and out, and had everything we needed. We loved the visits from the pheasants every morning and falling asleep to the coqui frogs every night. The landscaping is just gorgeous, and the decorations in the cottage are lovely. The perfect place for a little romantic retreat.
Patricia H.
Aug 12, 2024
This cottage is even better than the pictures!!! First time we stayed at a rental that exceeded our expectations! The owners are wonderful and had great recommendations. Highly recommend!!
Mike D.
Jul 26, 2024
Loved the cottage. Great location that isn't far from Kona sights but feels like it's in a different world. Quiet nights with nothing but the sounds of the jungle. One of the things we appreciated most was the gloriously cool nights. The jungle temps were often 10 degrees cooler than down by the coast making sleeping amazingly comfortable.
Mark B.
Jul 24, 2024
What remarkable rain forest sounds at night! A beautiful cottage and wonderful hosts.
Katelind J.
Jul 20, 2024
This vacation was my first without children in 3 decades and we were really looking forward to a week back home. We started in Hilo and this was my first experience choosing through VRBO. That experience went perfectly...5 stars. I chose this location for Kona side mainly based on privacy. The neighborhood was very quiet, the gardens were beautiful, and the pheasants were a pleasant surprise. What wasn't expected was the printout front/back of rules, plus the messages of additional rules! Hawaiians tend to live Aloha so it just seemed unpleasant to have to squeegie the shower or face additional cleaning fees. We wanted to sit outside at night but because there's standing water we were eaten alive by mosquitos even with the citronella candle. And, the mosquito zappers didn't work. She didn't tell us when we booked that the gardeners would be coming as early as 8am on Monday during our stay. If she told us early on we could have cancelled since we work night shift. The internet worked a few minutes out of each day and Mary did reboot the modem...finally she told us we could use her internet to check in for our flights but we asked someone back home to do it for us. Overall, I would give the experience 4 stars but I think we would choose another location the next time we are Kona side.
Jenna H.
Jun 27, 2024
This was a gorgeous little cottage tucked into a very private/rainforest feeling area. The space had everything needed—beach towels, beach chairs, coffee maker—just really set up to host well
Robert V.
Jun 14, 2024
The cottage is very comfortable and private. You are surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers. The stars on a clear night are bright. The host was fantastic and you’re only 15 minutes from downtown Kona. This is a fun place to stay while you enjoy the rest of what the big island has to offer.
Ryan M.
May 23, 2024
Great stay, lovely location!
It is a little bit outside of the centre up the hill so you are likely to get rain if there is any!
Only complaint was that some gardening needed to be done at 8am one of the days which was very loud and disruptive, the internet was extremely slow and patchy and the rules listed are quite strict, especially regarding charges for losing items such as towels or kets and excess dirtiness. This wasn't an issue for us fortunately.
Tom K.
May 22, 2024
We really enjoyed our stay! It is a magical place for two.
robert a.
May 21, 2024
This was a romantic getaway cottage. The night sounds were enchanting. The host thought of every detail! They even have coffee stocked. Visiting with the pheasants was joyful. Be sure to check out the cloud forest sanctuary up the road ( reservations are a must. Also, the coffee plantation a little further. Free tours on the half hour, very educational.
Unfortunately, the wifi was out, and my Hotspot reception was in and out, but really, we were one vacation.
Mahalo!
Kit D.
Apr 30, 2024
Beautiful, uniquely designed cabin amid lush rainforest plantings. We especially enjoyed the deck to hang out on ( even in frequent showers). And neighborhood pheasants were a particular pleasure! Quiet and peaceful base for Kona explorations.
