I will be honest, I was a little worried about the review the last person left. I had already booked this and had thought about canceling because the person made the experience seem like it was a nightmare. Let me tell you, DONT! I am so glad we did not cancel.
One, we did not see any ants. I saw a few outside but NOTHING like what the gentlemen said. The ants are called Odorous House Ants. They mainly like to get away from rain or eat anything that is sugary. There is tons of fresh fruit growing on trees and around the gardens so that is why you probably see them if you are out and about. Like I said, we did not see any in places that weren't expected.
The outdoor shower is probably my favorite part. It is covered in beautiful lushes trees. There was zero mold (we are from PNW so I know mold when I see it) there was none. I didn't even see moss. It was clean and had seashells imbedded into the stone. Water pressure is good, and water gets nice and hot.
The staircase that goes behind the shower is far away from the actual shower. It is also your own personal staircase that takes you to the yoga room where they have a certified teacher every morning.
You can not see the owners place at all, only if you go outside and walk to the staircase. At that point you see trees and bushes. You can't even see inside the house. Everything is extremely private. No one bothered us the entire time we were there.
I wanted to make sure that people understand that the person below must have just been an angry person and was upset over all the rain that happened that week. It definitely feels like a personal attack because what we saw was absolutely nothing of the sorts.
Now all the amazing things not mentioned. The waterfall is a 7 minute walk from your stay. We walked there and got to jump in the 3 different waterfalls leading up the the huge 150 foot waterfall. The view is godly and the water is perfect and fresh. When you leave you walk through a garden of fruit trees. Star fruit, oranges, and different native Hawaiian fruits. Each one you can just pick a piece of fruit off and eat it. There is something so magically about picking fruit off the trees and eating it.
The views are magical. Every morning we woke up to a newly painted sky. The stars are out of the world (literally) and you can see Andromeda as well as the Milky Way perfectly. Being able to see the Milky Way alone is worth the trip.
There are dozens of trails and each lead to a beautiful view. We saw chickens, cats, and tons of different birds. You have to remember that there is no predators on the island. Regular cats are actually the biggest threat to life on the islands and coming from a place that has bears, mountain lions and bigfoot (lol jk) it is so amazing to not have to worry.
I did not get any cult vibes. These people live a certain way of life and it has to do with putting mother nature first. They grow all the food they eat, they come together as a community to tell stories by a fire, and everyone who lives on the property (which is around 8) all take care of the environment for certain initiatives for Hawaii since the owner (Kutira) is on the board of Maui food security. (I google everything). You can also just have a conversation with the owners and see that they are very passionate about conservation and sustainability of the people living in Hawaii. If being in a "cult" means you are apart of a community that loves and cares about people, environment, and sustainability please sign me up! lol
One of the best parts is having two chiefs come to your place and cook for you. These guys will be famous one day. Hands down the best food I've ever eaten in my life and they just work on the property cooking for people!!
This place is not like any other. What they have built and what they just happen to share is so special and priceless. Every dollar you put in goes back to the people who live on this island. The fact they even share this place is beyond me. It is so special and so beautiful it is hard to comprehend. I wish I could share pictures! If you have any questions please find me and I would happily share with you my thoughts and feelings of this place. Words do not describe it. If you want to see pictures go to my IG digrucc.io
You will never forget this amazing experience. 100/10 stars.