My wife & I spent 5 nights at Kaeo and Carl's Eco Hale. It was exactly as advertised and more. I would have to say it was the best and most unique AirBnB experience we have experienced in our extensive travels.
Eco Hale is as much an experience as it is an accommodation. My wife and I typically search out the unique and unconventional in our travels. Eco Hale meets those criteria
Those who would enjoy the type of experiences we had at Eco Hale, would feel right at home. Those experiences included:
Cooking homemade banana pancakes, Kona Coffee along with tropical fruits for breakfast in the morning on the outdoor lanai while being welcomed to a new day by the many singing birds in rainforest.
Doing a stir fry of shrimp and ahi, in the evening on the lanai listening to afternoon and evening rains showers beat their magical drum on the roof.
Just wandering around the rainforest grounds enjoying the many orchids and tropical plants Kaeo has propagated.
Sitting in the small Japanese soaking tub on the lanai, surrounded by candles, burning incense, sipping a glass of wine and nibbling an apertive of cheeses, humus and grapes gifted by Kaeo. All while being seranaded by the Coqui Frogs in dark rainforest.
By the way, if the clouds break up at night, walk out into an open area in the rainforest, and look up into the sky and see the milky way and stars many light-years away. There is no light pollution here. A magical experience.
My wife is an artist and she could not stop admiring the artistic and creative detail Kaeo & Carl have put into Eco Hale. Whether it is the art and crafts, the tropical landscape or the poetry you find at every turn, you feel the love Kaeo & Carl have for put into Eco Hale for what must have been an evolution over many years.
Ok, a few practicalities:
Eco Hale is an off grid experience. This was not an issue for us, because we owned a remote off grid cabin for many years and have experience with solar systems, etc. The off grid nature of Eco Hale should not scare you away. There is electricity, lights, hot water, indoor plumbing and WiFi. You just have to be environmentally minded and be a bit conservative in your consumption of electricity. While there is WiFi, there is no TV in Eco Hale. Btw, why would you want to come to this paradise just to watch TV or surf the internet?
Eco Hale is about 5 miles from the main highway. All paved, although a bit bumpy in sections. We had no problem finding our way. You will be about half way between Volcano National Park and Hilo. About 1/2 hour drive to each. About 1 hour to the new lava flows and black sand beaches down by Pohoiki in the Puna district. Btw, if you are there on a Sunday, be sure not to miss the Maku'u Farmers Market (also known as the "hippie fair") near Pahoa.
In summary, we enthusiastically recommend a stay at Eco Hale, for couples and singles, who love nature and are environmentally aware.
Now, what are you waiting for?