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Guest Cottage at Historic Estate

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$201 avg/night

2 bedroom
2 bathroom
Sleeps 4

This gem of a guesthouse has been built to accommodate occasional visitors in the plantation days. It is totally preserved in its originality, the floors, the trims, the moldings on the high ceilings, the sash windows on weights, everything still authentic original. Even some of the old window panes with the hand made wavy glass have made it through to this day.

Our property is all about Big Island history.
As soon as you enter the Royal Palm lined drive to the former Ola’a Sugar Plantation estate, you will feel the ambiance of times gone by.
The buildings are authentic Victorian and have been tastefully restored to their old glory and equipped with all modern amenities.
They are surrounded by about ten acres of luscious botanical gardens, meadows, orchards, and jungle, preserving its unique ambiance.

Three aspects make this property unique:
Location, ambiance and history.
There are no similar places on the Island to compare it to.

Location:
Keaau, on the east of the Big Island, meaning the area of water springs.
We are conveniently urban, yet secluded within our privacy.
We are on safe county water and dependable grid electricity and WiFi.
We are always on paved roads and only a minute away from the next supermarket and restaurants in Keaau shopping center. We are 10 to 15 minutes from downtown Hilo and central to all visitor sites, most of them less than an hour away.
We are in proximity to Hawaii Volcano National Park, and the coastal waterfalls.

Ambiance:
In the midst of our botanical exuberance and wildlife you connect with the charm of a simpler life, as it used to be on the Island a century ago. A rare opportunity to experience country living as its best.

History:
The land, originally owned by King William Charles Lunalilo (1835-1874), was purchased by the Shipman family.
In 1902 the first manager of the Ola sugar plantation planted the Banyan tree near the cottage. It is now considered the biggest on the Island.
The Main House, nineteenth century Queen Anne architecture, has been used in many photography sessions and for movies, recordings, magazines, books and commercials.
A 1950’s photo is shown in the book “The Hawaiians”.
Films recorded on the property include: Four Frightened People (Claudette Colbert)-Diamond Head (Charlton Heston)-The Hawaiians (Charlton Heston - Geraldine Chaplin)-Hawaii Five O-Hawaiian Eye-Big Hawaii (Cliff ...

Registration Number: GE-079-875-0720-01, TA-079-875-0720-01, 160030850000

$201 avg/night

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Reviews

Monica W.
Dec 28, 2023
We enjoyed this historic property, beautiful old cottage. Two days here exploring the botanical garden and Volcano NP

Millie K.
Nov 21, 2023
The stay here was amazing. We arrived quite late in the evening and you certainly need a flashlight of some sort to walk the path to the cottage. Beware there are frogs along the pathway. Lol. Thank God for the lights on our phones. Everything about the cottage was more than I could ask for. It was clean. The beds were comfortable and the fresh flowers were so fragrant and added a nice touch. Lisa was wonderful. She was welcoming and helpful with all our questions. She sent me links to all the places we wanted to visit and/or recommended by her. Lisa offered to show us the main house. That was something I was looking forward to based on some comments from other people who stayed there previously but we just ran out of time. My only regret is that we didn’t stay longer and we didn’t have time to appreciate everything that was available to us. I would have love to have cooked a meal there as the kitchen was fully stocked with cookware. Thank you Lisa for hosting a wonderful stay. We will be back in the near future.

Sue T.
Oct 30, 2023
It was a very charming cottage. It reminded me of old Hawaii. A little worn like grandma's, but welcoming. Beautiful grounds with all the vegatation. It was very peaceful even with the roosters and frogs at night. Our property manager was awesome. Quick to reply to text messages. She was full of hIstory about the main house and the property. It was an awesome experience!

Jen W.
Oct 07, 2023
Lisa was an amazing host with a willingness to share history and give local recommendations. If AC is an option, it would be a nice addition--mainly to drown out nature's nightly concert.

Laura and George C.
Oct 06, 2023
Our second stay in this cottage on the large grounds of an old estate house that has a beautifully renovated interior. (On request, we were given a tour of the main house on our previous visit.) We were graciously greeted when we arrived. We like the location, within easy driving distance to the Hilo coast as well as Volcanoes National Park. We enjoyed the evening/night rains, and the occasional gecko. The kitchen was well equipped. Brighter light in the main living area would be much appreciated. We will probably return!

Kim K.
Aug 29, 2023
This little cottage is a great peek into the past - its historic significance is interesting, and knowing how the owners have worked to save this property is incredible! It's simple, has all you need for a delightful stay, and is a quiet oasis (well, see note about coqui, but I love them)! It's close to town but still feels rural. The house is stocked with everything you need, including fans, a great selection of pans, towels, beach chairs, etc. They even thoughtfully provided earplugs, because as other reviews note, those little coqui have a voice 100x their size and the give a concert all night long! I love the sound, so it didn't bother me, but if you're a light sleeper or haven't experienced the frog chorus before, you may need them. There are lovely trees, many beautiful plantings, and you'll enjoy spotting a pig or two crossing the lawn. And we were lucky enough to see the hens and chicks scouting the lawn for tasty morsels, they were such cute fluffballs! The one thing I wish we'd thought to bring or have handy was a flashlight. At night, it's so wonderfully dark, but that's when the toads like to hang out on the brick walkway to the cottage! Being fearless (or slightly dumb, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt), they don't move out of your way, so we were careful to use our phone lights to find them and gently nudge them off the sidewalk so we didn't splat them. Overall, wonderful!

Randy W.
Jul 14, 2023
Charming two bedroom cottage with the feel of rural Hawaii.

Shannon S.
May 14, 2023
My sister and I were looking for a place to just relax and savor ‘old’ Hawaii. We lived in Kona in the late 60’s and 70’s and my parents were there for nearly 30 years. This property was perfect for us and we hope to return for a longer stay. We did a bit of sight-seeing every other day, but wanted a place to mostly relax and read. We only took advantage of the pool one day, but enjoyed peacefully floating in the inner tubes, while exchanging old stories. Gisella was a lovely hostess. The ten acres of jungle comes complete with beautiful flowers, resident chickens and cats - and occasional wild pig sightings (though they apparently aren’t terribly welcome due to their destructive foraging habits). The bedrooms and living area all have high ceilings, with ceiling fans, which seem to deter insects and kept things cool. The bedrooms are large and inviting and it was a bonus for us each to have our own bathrooms. It rains a fair amount on the Hilo side, but the big covered porch area provides a great sheltered spot from which to enjoy the down pours. We both agreed we wished we could have stayed much longer.

Michelle N.
Apr 03, 2023
Gisele was a wonderful host. The cottage was exactly what I imagined, the quintessential Hawaiian cottage in the jungle. Sounds of nature abound and nothing else. Good location to stay to begin each adventure. It rained but never all day, every day. I never missed the AC. Comfortable bed.

Carrie A P.
Apr 03, 2023
I kind of don’t want to tell everyone how great this place is as it will be too booked up for us to get back in. It isn’t for everyone though. If you are looking for pristine and perfect then go to a resort. We loved every single thing about this place. From the cats, chickens, frogs and pigs to the fresh flowers, pool and free standing house itself. Thanks Gisella for your hospitality!