This was my third stay in four years at the Volcano Home, which probably tells you something about how I feel about this wonderful retreat. We all write of places we like, "Would LOVE to stay here again," but I obviously mean it for this wonderful oasis that Joshua and Geneva have built. In fact, for my Big Island trips, I now check availability at this home BEFORE looking at airfare and rental car dates and prices. Priorities!
You can find feedback for my previous visits back in June 2019 and March 2021. They still stand. And like those, this stay was excellent; plus I noticed right away some updates and refreshes in the home and on the property since last year, so it's definitely getting better all the time.
Here's how my travel partners and I think this home is best enjoyed as part of a Big Island trip:
* Spend the first half of your Island visit somewhere else. Chilling at that resort (you deserve it), or over in Pahoa getting all earthy sometimes at Uncle Robert's (you might deserve it), or staying for free at your cousin's friend's place near Waimea in exchange for watering their plants and taking care of their dogs for a few days while they're in Juneau (they probably deserve it). Or whatever else you've got. That's the first half of your Island stay.
* Spend the last half of your Island visit at this Volcano Home, but make it the place you come back to in the late afternoons after hiking miles and gonzo miles each day on the hardest (and most starkly beautiful) trails at Volcanoes National Park. To me, that's one thing that makes this home best come alive. The design echoes (but soothes against) the hardened lava paths you've walked that day.
Some other things we like about it:
* Being greeted by gifts of fresh, ripe fruit and fresh island flowers.
* Relaxing on the Lanai after dusk listenting to the chorus of forest and jungle critters.
* Relaxing on the Lanai in daytime hours if it's raining.
* The beautiful indoor shower with the rain showerhead.
* The outdoor shower after a hot sweaty hike.
* Falling asleep to the rain and frogs. Or just the frogs.
* Eating all meals out on the lanai, even if rainy or chilly.
If you stay just a night, maybe even two, you'll feel cheated. I think you need at least three nights here to start to fully appreciate it.
I'm already looking forward to my 4th visit. It's turning into an annual pilgrimmage.
A couple other notes:
* Compared to previous visits, the final 1.5 mile gravel road seemed a bit smoother this time around. That's good.
* Compared to previous visits, I got a lot stronger cell signal (Verizon) at the house than in previous years. That's not necessarily what you want. :)
Enjoy!