Aumakua Gardens Retreat — Hotel in Hawaii

Volcano Fern Forest Retreat had so much potential, but we would absolutely not book here again.||||We stayed during a colder period with outdoor temperatures in the mid to low 50s. The room lacks central heating, leaving only a gas fireplace for warmth. Our first night, we ran it a bit before going to sleep and turned it off before bed. By morning the room was freezing again, so showers were not happening. Before heading out to spend a few hours at the volcano park, we turned the fireplace on again in order to warm the place enough to shower and relax after a bit of time exploring. We returned to find the owner upset and asking us why we'd left it on while out. He stated we had caused permanent damage which would require him to replace the fireplace, paint the walls, and replace the curtains, and even worse, asked if we had purposely damaged the room. Why on earth would we try to damage a room we needed to stay in? We entered the room to find no damage (of which we took photos) and what looked to be a working fireplace with the gas simply turned off. (Note: A couple of engineers are not so easily fooled.) I'm not sure if he was simply angry at our extra use of utilities, trying to blame us for an already faulty fireplace so as not to refund us for our unheated stay, or simply a bit nuts, but the entire thing was more than ridiculous. His only offering of an alternative to deal with the lack of heat was to tell us there were extra blankets in the closet if we were cold at night. I'm sorry, what? Because of this, we spent three days in a room with no heat and no way to shower. Not exactly the vacation we had in mind.||||Needless to say, our next trip to the area will not include a stay at Volcano Fern...

I stayed one night at Volcano Fern Forest Retreat. I drove in from Hilo during the day and Lenny allowed me to check in early and drop my things. Lenny is a kind guy who has a couple of dogs on property. His place is tucked away on a somewhat back road, almost the last house at the end of the road. As a single woman at the time, I don't know if I would stay here again due to it being so remote. Also, it's Hawaii so it's super dark everywhere which can be creepy.||||My room was really nice and large, a queen sized bed and a little couch and TV. There was a good selection of local Hawaii books to peruse on the shelf. There was a small kitchen set up with a fridge and biscuits and cereal in the cabinet. Lenny brought a nice little breakfast in the morning which was a nice touch. ||||As another visitor mentioned, it can get cold at night. I would also bring a flashlight if you come home late. Because I was creeped out I slept with the lights and TV on. There wasn't wifi available to guests. The water comes through on a catchment system but mine was fine and warm. The bathroom is a good size and has little amenities like soap and shampoo. The property is well maintained and has a very homey feel. If you're looking for a place to stay close to the volcano and want a homey Hawaii feel, I would recommend...

This place was pure magic. My partner and I stayed in the Fern suite while our close friend stayed in the Volcano Suite, so we had the whole structure basically to ourselves (no one was in the apartment at the time). The land here is so lush and beautiful - the property owner has really done a wonderful job taking care of the GIANT trees and other brilliant plant life on the property. Much of the ground here is literally just moss. Walking around barefoot is chefs kiss - it rained some of the time while we were there but the rooms were so cozy and the porch space in the volcano suite was a great place from which to watch the small storm. Also we were apparently there during guava season because they just grow all along the roads. We went for a few walks and I must have eaten 40 guavas during my stay, straight off the tree. The volcano store is really close for provisions. The owner, Maria, was super sweet and so hospitable. 10/10...