Overall : It is a good property, people are good. It just wasn't a place I would return to but for others, it might work out amazingly. To be clear, I was not disappointed at all but neither was I left happy and enthusiastic. I do wish them well as they seem like great people.
It's just that out of the 5 places I stayed in Big island, I was the least enthused with this one.
The property itself : Very beautiful, very well-maintained, great views, majestic banyan trees and with a history of its own. Very close to Akaka, Waipio and Sugar Mills scenic drive.
The cottage : I stayed in a separate cottage, sort of like an in-laws suite.
-> Pros : It was very well-maintained, clean, had pretty much everything you might need.
-> Cons : 0 privacy. You cannot keep the window curtain open because the other guests would be right across the cottage + the grass mowing would start at 8 am (or 7? not sure) + the door to garage is always open and people might be using the garage while you are in the bedroom. To be fair, no one is ever going to come in but still ...
You have a lovely property. It was well equipped with most of things that I might need, clean and very well maintained. You guys seem like very nice, professional people. Thank you for the dinner on the day of arrival.
The hosts : enthusiastic, professional and polite. They were kind enough to invite me for dinner on my first night.
Experience : This is where I had a few issues. Please remember that this is very much personal preference so nothing that I am about to say may apply to you.
-> Communication : I had 16 emails from Chad before I came to the property since the da of booking. After the 2nd, I treated them all as spam and did not even open them. I prefer fewer, to the point communication before coming on to the property. 3 at max - one with all the required info at booking, 1 sometime before the check-in day and the final one on the da of the check-in. If I need more info, I will contact you. I stayed at 5 places on the island and so can you imagine if I had to deal with 5*16 = 80 different pieces of communication.
->Style of personal interaction : This might be cultural but I found the style to be professional but at every point I felt as if I was being ushered out or in politely, in other words, nothing came across as genuine to me.
-> Retreat : This cannot be called a property for retreat. At 7 am, there is loud music with beats. Starting 8 am, there is mowing. To be fair, the property needs to be maintained and is a lot of work and it was an issue for me only on the 1st day. By the 2nd day, I knew what to expect so it didnt bother me. Even on day 1, when they were going on hammering things right on my bedroom wall (which is connected to the garage), I was just rolling my eyes.
-> Check in : Once I was in, after I had moved my stuff into the cottage, I was told to either wait in the gazebo near the gate for orientation. This was 30 mins.
-> Check out time : 10 am is too early. Plus they pretty much politely usher you out at 10:15 am and have a cleaning lady in by 10:30 am.