Ka'awa Loa Plantation — Hotel in Hawaii

Our stay at Kaʻawaloa Plantation was meant to be joyful—we had booked here the night before our wedding ceremony, believing the online presentation of a beautiful and welcoming Hawaiian retreat. Unfortunately, what we experienced was the opposite of aloha. Upon arrival, we were not greeted warmly but with a dismissive, “Oh, you’re here. Who are you? I never know who’s coming. I don’t make the reservations—that’s what Greg does.” The man delivering this welcome was wearing a spam T-shirt, hardly the hospitality one expects when paying for a plantation stay marketed as upscale bed and breakfast. The property itself looks nice at first glance, but basic needs and respect for guests are lacking. There is no air conditioning—this was our challenge something that was not made clear to us beforehand. Frankly I never thought about it our wedding planner suggested the place. When I, a tired and nervous bride with hair and makeup scheduled the next morning for my ceremony , asked politely if there was air conditioning, the response was condescending: “We don’t need air conditioning here. We have the Tradewinds.” When I explained that it was uncomfortably humid and I simply needed a moment to process, I was met with: “Oh, we’ve had your type here before.” Not only insulting, but entirely devoid of compassion. When we stepped away to decide if we could realistically stay, his immediate reaction was: “Well, I can’t give you your money back.” We never asked for a refund—we were simply trying to problem-solve. In the middle of a tropical storm with no tradewinds and no cooling system, staying was not feasible for us. To his credit, he did mention a nearby hotel as an alternative, but it was clear he wanted the interaction to end quickly and was not interested in helping beyond that. He literally disappeared.

Days later, in the spirit of hoʻoponoʻono (to set things right), I called the plantation directly, hoping for understanding. Instead, I was met with equal defensiveness and disdain from the owner himself Greg. No listening, no empathy, and certainly no aloha. In the end, this is not about money—it is about basic hospitality. A plantation that presents itself online as serene and welcoming should deliver warmth, compassion, and professionalism. What we encountered was arrogance, dismissal, and a lack of care for guests at one of the most important moments of our lives. Nineteen years in business means nothing if respect for guests has been lost along the way. I cannot recommend Kaʻawaloa Plantation to anyone seeking genuine aloha spirit or even a minimally professional experience. Some of our favorite spam shirt quotes during our not so welcome tour and rules “You will not roll your luggage and ruin my floors” carry your luggage 😳

“We have a swing, but people are complaing how the hot tub is I can’t figure it out” 🤔

“We’ve had your type here before” 🤯

And the funniest aloha moments of them all was the sign on the treats on the table only one person guest 😂😂😂 it was brownies not gold covered...

Oh my GOSH! This was the best place I've ever stayed, EVER. I've been to many 5-star hotels, budget motels, hostels, eco-friendly lodges, etc. This is literally the best place you can possibly stay at.

We were on a Hawaiian vacation and were trying to be spontaneous. What we learned is you can't be spontaneous with room bookings during the months of December - March in Hawaii. Luckily I found this place and called them up. I spoke to Greg, who wasn't at the plantation at the time, so said he'd call me back in 10 minutes. 10 minutes later he was calling! Little did we know, we were so incredibly lucky that they had openings because apparently that isn't a thing. It was late at night, so Greg told us what to do when we got there and emailed us detailed directions.

We got in with no issues. The directions were perfect, the instructions were spot on, and their king suite was GORGEOUS. We splurged and took a bath in their HUGE bathtub, then fell asleep on the most comfy bed. We got the best sleep since being on our vacation for the past two weeks. We were supposed to stay in the suite for another night, but mistakenly it was already booked for someone else. So Greg informed us that we could stay in their budget room or their ocean view room. We chose the ocean view room which was just as awesome as the king suite, minus the suite lol. The bed was just as comfy! The budget room is just that ... it's pretty noisy and you hear EVERYTHING, but it's still worth staying in for sure.

They have lots of beach toys for you to take out at your leisure. And their volcano outdoor shower is LEGIT! They have a sauna, a hot tub, lots of garden and green space, a beautiful wrap-around deck, and a tree swing! Gah, we were in love. And the view is stunning. It was always super peaceful (minus staying in the budget room lol).

Their property, the house, them, their breakfast is all superb! Best customer service, best stay, delicious breakfast. This B&B is a MUST stay. If you're on the big island, and on this side, you need to seriously consider...

My husband and I just returned to Boston after a month's travel. Little did we know when we started our trip that we had saved the best for last. Our last three nights were spent at Ka'awa Loa Plantation. It is a place we will carry in our hearts for the rest of our lives: it is stunning. Sitting in rocking chairs on the veranda, surrounded by lush plantings and birdsong, overlooking the sea simply cannot be beat. It is here we had wonderful breakfasts (many types of fresh fruit selections, eggs, homemade pancakes or waffles with either maple or homemade coconut syrup, various breads, bacon or sausage) and where we returned after a day of exploring the area. In the afternoon, freshly baked goods were left out for guests to enjoy. Our room was clean and very comfortable. The bottom floor is mostly living space that guests are free to enjoy. This includes a sitting area with a fireplace with candles. Guests are also free to use the kitchen to make tea or to use a small refrigerator for personal food. We mostly interacted with the wonderful, gracious Hannah whose calm, friendly manner never failed to put a smile on our faces. She is also a wealth of information on sites to visit: we were very interested in cultural and historical sites and gathered much insight from her. While I read one review from a person complaining that the instructions about cleanliness were excessive, I appreciated the efforts to keep everyone healthy. The space is shared, including use of the kitchen. Don't we all teach our children to wash their hands before eating? The requests to wash or sanitize before using shared space and utensils seemed wise to me, not OCD. I wish we could have stayed longer. During our stay, we did scoot into Kona for some shopping and were VERY happy we were not staying there. One can always drive there but Ka'awa Loa Plantation offers a tranquility that is impossible to beat. Just drive up and down the driveway slowly....tis a bit winding and bumpy! Stay here! You will...