The long road to get to the farm is an experience all of its own. Like riding through Jurassic park with plenty of spots to pull over and take pictures/enjoy the view at 15mph. We timed being there one morning to watch the sunrise with water splashing into the lava rocks. It was about 1hr 15 min drive from the Hilo airport. Wish we’d arrived before 6:30 as it got dark very quickly after that.
Our group stayed in Namaste & Candlelight rooms. The shower was so much better than I anticipated with an area to put your clothes, towel, washing products, hang a light or two… The fully working toilets were a relief.
This was a beautiful, warm, welcoming group of people and animals (cats, ducks, chickens, etc). The basics were covered with extras like tap lights & paper towels. We were arriving rather late and Janelle offered to make us dinner (which turned out to be a unique and memorable 7-course culinary experience that we were glad to pay for…)
The weather felt like clockwork… misty around 6 and lightly raining by 7. Some heavier rain a few hours later. Loved hearing the symphony of birds/crickets/frogs/rain throughout the night.
Whatever we asked about, they warmly accommodated. Ask specifically where to put your trash/food/recyclables. Ask where the common areas/chargers are. Ask how to use the kitchen setup.
We ended up buying gallons of water, a bbq lighter, and a small battery operated fan (just for added comfort - the breeze flows through the screens at night after the rains but still just a little warmer than we prefer).
The cabins are far enough for some privacy but still close enough to get to the common/shared areas.
Candlelight room has a good bit of stairs/climbing stones and separated little areas for kitchen etc. It seemed to catch more breeze than Namaste.
Namaste is on the ground, I believe only one step up and more basic with just one simple room with a bed and 2 end tables. We used the net the first night but had trouble keeping it on the bed the nights after that. But… we also found that we didn’t really need it as there were surprisingly no bugs or mosquitos. Another unexpected plus! Just 2 geckos that kept to themselves and never got in the way. Namaste room had 7 or so hooks/nails for hanging up backpacks, grocery bags, clothes, towels, etc., two end tables and a bed. We didn’t need anything more, really.
We were already recommending it to friends before we even left. I’m glad we stayed 3 nights and we were sad to leave.