Linda and Marty’s “gazebo” home is magnificent!!! It is charmingly, almost luxuriously decorated with great care, love, and attention to detail. I enjoyed great peace & privacy, with Linda welcoming me warmly and then giving me space the rest of the 4 days (I didn’t meet Marty). Their lawn is serene, with ample seating with shade (including a hammock!) and has the most AMAZING view of the ocean I’ve seen in Hawaii (and the world), with whales popping up to blow and breach often many times a minute in my Jan 2022 visit. This place is a glorious paradise. Hikes and beaches are only 10-30min (or more) away.
THE COTTAGE. Tall ceiling, natural reed (like mini-bamboo) covering the walls and ceilings for delicious “hut” feel, nautical flourishes like portholes in the headboard. King bed, lemongrass essential oil diffuser-lamp, gorgeous ceiling fan, additional fan, books, binoculars, full fridge, stone, small camp oven, toaster, microwave, filtered water dispenser. Not much room to eat, but that’s ok because you eat outside! There’s a little deck with a table and two chairs too. You can see whales from the bed!
SEPARATE BATHHOUSE. Huge, tall ceiling, again lovingly appointed with reeds on walls and ceiling, Japanese paper screen windows, cute tile, beautiful decor, personal touches. Bathtub/shower. Lots of bath products.
OUTDOOR SHOWER. The outdoor shower has complete privacy, and is shielded from view except for a view to the ocean.
GENERAL VIBE. Inside you will periodically encounter geckos, and you will hear the birds in the trees. It’s like your own desert island (but with many luxuries).
THE YARD. The sloping yard is huge – perhaps 100x50 yards (more??). It provides a luxurious sense of space, leading down ~2,000 feet to the ocean. The neighbors are distant and rarely heard. There are privacy bushes lining the property, so you won’t see or be seen by others. You hear the birds and the ocean. It’s amazing. And you can see whales blowing and breaching nonstop (in January at least). I actually noticed that it often took less than 1 second between looking up from my book and seeing a whale blow. The view is incredible – it’s actually better than being right on the shore, because the height from the volcanic slope lets you see much further and much more. Magical.
Linda’s 4 friendly dogs (grandmother, mother, two daughters) roam the area, with one daughter in particular eager to say hi (the others I rarely saw).
2 OTHER HOUSES. The nearest structure is Linda and Marty’s home, directly adjacent, but even when they are present, you won’t see them unless you need something and email them for help (I got confused about the drain to the sink, and Linda came immediately after my email). The other structure is a house behind (uphill from) the gazebo that is also rented out. One day I heard a family there but I never saw them.
NEARBY TOWN. The town of Hawi is 12 minutes east. It has some very cute (and expensive) shops and lovely restaurants (one Mexican, one more general) and a cafe and such. You can get fancy chocolate, coffee, kombucha, smoothies, bagels, art, crafty souvenirs at San Francisco prices. With the rich, white tourists from the expensive resorts milling about, this area has a dash of hip Hamptons vibe, but still friendly (largely because the visitors are in such a good mood and the shopkeepers are so kind and welcoming). There’s even delicious fried chicken and other foods at the family-owned gas station (yes it sounds weird, but it’s true).
OTHER. The road to the cottage has lots of gnarly patches, so you’ll need to quickly slow to 5 mph to avoid breaking your car. Also slow down to 25 mph as you enter the towns (they monitor and do give speeding tickets).
CONCLUSION. Amazing, magical, restorative, peaceful, beautiful. I wish I could go there every year.