The Puna Rainforest Retreat is a truly delightful place to stay near Pahoa. My husband and I spent 3 nights there in August, and had a wonderful time exploring the Puna area. Jacklynn is a fantastic host, being very responsive to the questions I had, and yet allowing us our privacy when we just wanted to chill for the evening.
In hindsight I probably should have taken her up more on her offer of recommending things to do in the area. As it turned out, many of the things my husband and I planned to do were stymied because of the recent lava flow (e.g., the tide pools are no more, and we weren't able to get to Lava Tree State Monument because the road was closed on both sides -- it might also be under lava). The suggestions I did take Jacklynn up on were amazing, so next time I'll pick her brain more about the area.
The Puna Rainforest Retreat property is pretty amazing in and of itself -- Jacklynn welcomes guests to explore the 20 acres on which new steam vents have opened after the recent lava flow (SO COOL!!), and there's even a lava tube on the property! There's an approximately 1-mile path through the forest and back to the guest houses, which takes you through some beautiful foliage, as well as past the new steam vents (SO COOL!!). The guest house that we stayed in (Blue Ginger) was perfect for the two of us, and immaculately clean when we arrived. We really enjoyed the personal touches, like the ground Kona coffee in the cupboard and the notebook provided by Jacklynn with all the necessary information about the property and providing recommendations in the area.
Overall, my husband and I had a wonderful, relaxing 3 days in the Blue Ginger cottage, and will definitely stay there again when (not if!) we're back on the Big Island.