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 Potts)-Danger In Paradise (Cliff Potts & Ina Bolin).
After the plantation closed and sold the residence in the early 1980’s, it fell in disrepair until the present owners acquired it and worked for several years to restore it to its original beauty.
But the history dates back beyond the plantation era to ancient Hawaiian legends and fairy tales.
The most known is of the mythical Princess La'ieikawaii, hiding in the place known as Paliuli.
The Mango forest on the south-west corner of the property still holds the remains of an ancient hei'au.
The Hawaiian movie Choreographer Henry Pa, recounts in an interview: "When I was involved in the movie, "Bird of Paradise," my grandmother Grace Kealiiaua Pa told me to go to the island of Hawaiʻi, to Olaʻa, at Keʻeau. I was to sit beneath a certain tree, which was the birthplace of my grandfather and his former home. There I was to gaze out at the water and look for two stones, one of which was Hiʻiaka-ika-poli-o-Pele, and ...
Registration Number: GE-079-875-0720-01, TA-079-875-0720-01, 160030850000
Cindy G.
Mar 28, 2024
Loved our stay at this lovely cottage set on 9 beautiful acres. It felt like we were actually guests of the original plantation house. Stayed for thirteen nights, and were joined by our daughter for five nights. Plenty of room for the three of us. Favorite times were morning coffee and afternoon cocktails on the veranda. Easy drive to both Hilo and Volcano, and Foodland grocery is a mile away. Highly recommend.
Christiane Y.
Mar 28, 2024
This historic cottage is an absolute gem! Surrounded by lush gardens on a quiet estate, it is about as peaceful and relaxing as you can get. The cottage is beautifully furnished and spacious. The location is convenient to Volcanoes National Park as well as Hilo and the Hamakua Coast. I look forward to coming back in the future!
teri k.
Feb 11, 2024
The cottage was beautiful and well restored. We only stayed two days and would have liked a few more. The cottage was clean and comfortable. The beds were the perfect comfort level and we all slept well. The cats and chickens running around added to the charm. We didn't use them, but be sure to use the ear plugs if you are disturbed by early morning roosters crowing, they were loud!
The cottage is a little hard to find the first time in the dark, but we were prepared so only had a little trouble.
Be sure to stay several days if you book the cottage!
Laila M.
Jan 19, 2024
We had a lovely peaceful stay here. We really enjoyed sitting on the porch in the mornings with our coffee watching the wild pigs and piglets. We wished we had booked it for longer. The cottage is decorated impeccably with everything you need.
Monica W.
Dec 28, 2023
We enjoyed this historic property, beautiful old cottage. Two days here exploring the botanical garden and Volcano NP
Monica W.
Dec 16, 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.
Millie K.
Nov 12, 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!
Sue T.
Oct 29, 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.
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!
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!