Hawaiian Sanctuary Retreat Center — Hotel in Hawaii

This poorly marked camp retreat location is in the rain forest about 30 minutes from Hilo. “Spa” and “Hotel” are misleading terms for this place so beware but the rooms we had were very clean and nice. Hearing the rain at night mixed with the nocturnal wildlife (frogs, birds, who knows what else) was very relaxing and made for a camping like experience. The sanctuary reminded me of a logging or fishing camp where you can use their kitchen to cook or store food, clean your own dishes etc. They host daily yoga frequented by the locals and also have a rusty gym (both luxuries in the bush). Otherwise the property is more of a hobby farm partially staffed by “interns” which is short hand for unpaid labor with room and board. The spa is a hot tub (no chemicals) and the hotel has 2 rooms in their main lodge and a number of small cabins that share wash rooms and showers with no paths or lighting which is tough at 2am. We had one 75 year old family member who was not happy. Without light they need flashlights or something. We noticed more cabins being built with private outdoor showers. Staff was very accommodating and let us use the laundry. Granola and fresh fruit or smoothie was offered for breakfast. Not much to do for kids and construction with heavy equipment on the property made us nervous with kids out on their own. The local town has a great restaurant called Kaleos but not much else aside from a cafe bakery and a couple other small stores. Location wise you are about 5 minutes from Fissure 8 new lava flows and 15 minutes from the new black sand beach (both worth the visit) as well as the Volcanoes National Park about 45 minutes away. We stayed 2 nights and that was enough since we were not on a camping style...

I unfortunately had the worst lodging experience of my life here. Other than the automated emails and texts, everyone was so unwelcoming. No one wanted to help me. My cabin was disgusting: door did not lock, sheets not washed (I could smell the sweat from prior guests), shower not cleaned, hot water only worked some of the time. I let them know that my fire alarm was ripped out but no one cared. Ants were everywhere. There was a man at the cafe who made me feel like a bother, his energy made me want to run. So many people were doing drugs around me, when I looked into peoples eyes I saw such immense depression and a desperation for help. No one cared to help me know of the event calendar so couldn’t even partake in any of the activities. The area it is in is very creative but also very dodgy. I saw 3 brawls during daylight 1 ft in front of me. I went to get food at night, 5 different men kept coming up to me and one even grabbed my shoulder. I went to get breakfast and felt so unwelcomed. Then the chef came in to the front area demanding compensation because I guess they are not compensating her for her services….It was SO upsetting experiencing this because I was so excited coming into my stay from all the great reviews. Maybe this place was great at one point but now, especially if you’re a solo female traveler like me, don’t come anywhere close. This is not a sanctuary. Also, before posting this review I emailed and texted my experience to their general manager and main reservations team and my point of contact at the lodging area…as you guessed,...

This was the worst experience. We checked in around 8pm and there was a very loud party going on. The person who checked me in, Lakshmi, told me it was posted all over their website they have a loud party every Friday night and they make sure to advertise that on their website. I didn’t book through their website so I was not aware. It was later and there was no where else to stay. We were tired and wanted to go right to bed after a long day. The windows have glass slats so there was no way to block out the music. We couldn’t fall asleep until after midnight due to the loud music. The base of the music was so loud it gave me an earache and headache so I couldn’t fall asleep after. The next morning at 7am we didn’t have any hot water to shower with. I called the hotel and they said the maintenance doesn’t arrive until 9am. I messaged Lakshmi and told her we didn’t have gas for the hot water. That was replaced fairly quickly but then when I got in the shower I realized there was only one set of towels so I had to share with my boyfriend. This place was super disappointing and not peaceful like advertised. I tried getting a refund but the hotel stated that since the party is advertise on their website there is nothing they can do. Priceline and Booking was also no help. They don’t care to accommodate their guests when they are in the wrong. Had I seen the advertisement for the party on the Priceline or Booking website, I would’ve never booked it. Please make sure you advertise on all platforms for your hotel so that these...