My partner and I relocated from the Bay Area to the Big Island and Banyan was our landing spot for the first 2 weeks.
The Banyan Tree Sanctuary is a magical place! Rae, Ben, and Maggie are spectacular hosts and people. Their lovingly and carefully crafted community at Banyan offers guests unique access to scrumptious and healthy fresh food, heart opening activities like yoga and breathwork, and relaxing delights like lomi lomi massage in the dolphin temple (Rae's wife is an excellent masseuse). The most difficult decision one is forced to make at Banyan is whether to choose the sauna, the pool, or the hot tub to begin the day.
Rae went out of his way to communicate with us before we even landed on island, and gladly shared his tips for local restaurants, hikes, and holistic therapy practitioners. The room was the perfect mini-apartment: clean, comfortable and beautiful. The king size bed was luscious and fluffy. The mini fridge was surprisingly spacious. The in-room kettle made our nightly tea ritual very easy!
We both needed space to work while we were at Banyan. Between the reading nook in the room, our private lanai, and the central living room area, we had enough room to be on our laptops, use wifi, and make calls at the same time.
An unexpected bonus was the daily visits by all kinds of beautiful creatures. Brilliantly colored geckos would come by and stare at our fruit plates (big star fruit fans). Monarch butterflies, cardinals, and other colorful mystery birds fluttered about all day. Most importantly, Smokey the matriarchal cat visited our lanai every afternoon to lay in the sun. When she was feeling generous she would jump up in my lap, and then it would be a truly perfect day.
We will definitely be back!