This cabin is a great option if you want an authentic, peaceful experience on the Big Island. I stayed in a resort in Kona back in 2013. Staying at this cabin in Nāʻālehu enabled me to have a more authentic experience and learn more about local culture. You will need a rental car, because the cabin is about an hour and a half drive south of Kona and about an hour and a half drive from Hilo. I would recommend getting a rental car anyway if you want to see all the island has to offer. No place is far, so why not see as much as possible? We live in Houston, and can easily drive an hour and a half just to drive across town, so this is nothing.
One advantage of staying here is that breakfast for two is included every morning that is not a holiday. Patty, the owner, has a restaurant, so every morning we ordered two meals and two drinks from the breakfast menu. (Pro-tip—the menus are located oustide the restaurant by the front door. Choose what you want before going inside to order.) I loved the orange juice, my daughter loved the POG, and her aunt loved the passionfruit lemonade.
I wish I could have tried the desserts and pies on display, but alas, I have a dairy allergy. But they look incredible!
Another advantage of staying at Patty’s Motel is the location. It only takes a few minutes to walk to the famous Punalu'u Bake Shop. They have a variety of Hawaiian sweet breads, malasadas, and a tasty and inexpensive lunch menu. They also have a nice gift shop and a wonderful outdoor garden.
There is also a library within walking distance and a nice food truck with fresh açaí bowls, smoothies and shrimp. We enjoyed walking around and exploring the town.
The other locational advantage of Nāʻālehu is apparent in the name (Hawaiian for “Volcanic Ashes”). It is just about a 15 minute drive from Punalu’u Beach (black sand made of basalt, formed when lava flowed into the ocean and exploded into pieces). About half an hour drive will take you to Mahana Beach (green due to the sand being olivine, also due to lava flow). About a half an hour drive north will take you to Volcanoes National Park, home of two active volcanoes. One is Mauna Loa, the worlds largest volcano, and the other is Kīlauea. We were priviliged to see the Kīlauea eruption at night and see the lava flow! As a geologist, this was a dream come true. (Pro-tip—check the NPS website regularly to see if the volcano is actively erupting. It pauses for days at a time. It was not erupting at all during our first visit. It was actively erupting on our second visit, but raining and foggy, so we couldn’t see anything. The third time was a charm.)
If you would like to visit a lovely archealogical site, I highly recommend visiting Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, which is about an hour drive from Ms. Patty’s. Listen to the guided audio tour! There is such a sense of tranquility on the sacred site, and the tour will explain why.
About two and a half hours of driving will take you to Mauna Kea, an inactive volcano and the worlds tallest mountain (base to summit).
Besides incredible geology, gorgeous botanical gardens abound, as well as educational farm tours (cacao, coffee, fruits, you name it).
To summarize, Ms. Patty’s Motel gave us a safe, quiet, peaceful place to stay. I love that we didn’t have to deal with crowds or traffic during most of our vacation (except the times we went to Kona). We ate delicious, inexpensive Hawaiian food every day, which was not something I had access (or awareness of) when I stayed at the resort in Kona. We also had the chance to meet some locals, and it was a wonderful experience. We stayed for a full 14 days, which was nice, but that was not enough to fully explore the island. We will be back!
Thank you Ms. Patty for having such a great place to stay which is off the beaten path, allowing for such a unique experience.