I visited the Banyan Tree Sanctuary with my boyfriend Allan this August and had a really wonderful stay. The Sanctuary was the perfect place to call home. The photos and description put my hopes way up there and the Sanctuary still exceeded all my expectations--my only regret is that my days were so packed full with things to do (Kailua and the surrounding area certainly isn't lacking places to explore) that I didn't get to spend very much time enjoying the Sanctuary itself! Rae greeted us as soon as we arrived and gave us an extensive tour of the property, and told us a little bit about its history. We both immediately felt at home there.

The Sanctuary is big, and there is no shortage of fresh fruit (passionfruit, papayas, bananas, and limes were all in our room waiting for us, fresh from the backyard), wildlife (wild turkeys, pheasants, geckos, the two resident cats, etc), and company. There is a cool pool and a hot tub in the common area, as well as a full kitchen that guests have access to (and there's usually someone there to talk to!). Make sure you try out Benjamin's inversion swing as well!

Our room was on the top floor of the house and we had our own private linai from which we overlooked the entire sanctuary and saw some spectacular sunsets in the evenings. Everything was clean, well maintained, and everyone we met on the property was lovely. Getting to and from all our activities in the area was simple as well; the Sanctuary is well located, and Rae provides information for an easy parking location once you've dropped off all your things on your first trip out.

Overall we both felt really secure and welcome at the Sanctuary. When we make the trek back to the Big Island and Kailua-Kona, this is the first place we will be looking to stay. As far as I'm concerned I can't think of a place that would offer a better Kailua-Kona experience. A big mahalo to our hosts and hopefully we will see you again in the not-too-distant future!

Lorelei and Allan