The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls — Hotel in Hawaii

We stayed in the Jade Cottage for four nights and wished we had just one extra day! The Inn is located on a private farm property with multiple options for accommodations. The area itself is about 15 minutes outside of Hilo and feels world's away. The area itself is private, with gates that require code access to protect the outlying farms and community. The entire staff is friendly, helpful, and warm.

The Jade Cottage is a smaller, one room, separate bungalow style room. The cottage is small, but had everything you could possibly need for two people, including your own parking spot! The lanai is gorgeous, and we sipped coffee and wine while listening to the rainforest sounds and waterfall. The view of the waterfall from this room is somewhat obstructed from the lush surroundings, and is still magical nonetheless. It's a great option for folks who want explore wild and wonderful Hilo, and the surrounding areas. There are critters and bugs, mostly just outside your room (we had a mosquito or two inside) but remember, this is Hawaii. There is no housekeeping but you can ask for anything you need. The vibe is best for those who want a unique stay that includes sustainable tourism mindfulness, for those who are respectful and self-sufficient, and that want the "off the beaten path" experience. The room was clean and comfortable, and has a separate toilet and shower area.

For those staying at the Inn, you can scan a QR code daily to reserve one of three breakfast options (included in the price of your stay) and the time you wish to eat. You can eat at the outdoor restaurant with the falls as your backdrop. You can also get a breakfast sammie to go if you want to get your day started early. Breakfast includes delicious fresh fruit and all the coffee/tea/juice you may need. They also have a snack/refreshment area you can help yourself to as you need throughout the day with drinks, pastries, snacks and fruit. It's a very thoughtful approach and the food is delicious.

We opted to do the chefs dinner one night, and Dominique, our chef, was talented and friendly! The food was delicious, and on our night included a pork belly topped potato soup, wagyu salad, and salmon with roasted veggies. Portions were plentiful and high quality. We also did the wine pairing. De-freaking-lightful.

There are various other experiences you can book, we did the waterfall rappelling. Will and Ben, our guides, were amazing. We felt safe and holy cow, what an amazing experience. You do a mini practice rappel that's about 30ft down a cliff before the main event. We had minimal experience and are in our late 30s, and boy, what a rush. You can also swim in the pool below the falls (with permission, because conditions can change), and rent kayaks and SUPs. The water is COLD, but just get in. There are various short trails along the river you can trek and the whole place is stunning. We wished we had an extra day to do the farm tour and cooking class, but opted to adventure to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Mauna Kea Summit, and drive the Hamakua coast.

We live on O'ahu and it was a perfect "get-away-from-it-all" experience. Internet is stronger at the main Inn, and best to expect spotty access. It's an "unplug" kinda place, and if you choose to stay, unplug,...

Please take time to read the two and one star reviews before booking (I so wish I had) along with the owners responses which are telling as he does not take responsibility for anything. We paid $214/night for a very small room that just fit a queen size bed with one small window, a fan but no A/C and a small bathroom with tile work not finished. The Hibiscus room was behind the kitchen/living area and you could easily hear conversation from other guests which meant that they could clearly hear us giving us no feeling of privacy. The breakfast was identical both days (main course a Belgian waffle) with no protein except for a sad, tasteless inedible failed souffle the owner called a quiche since it had failed. I would have laughed if it were not so sad. The walk down to the falls toward the end was not safe with bad footing sinking into mud, hidden rocks in mud, etc. The owner requires anyone going into the pond to swim sign a release but he needs to take note of the path safety and make repairs to insure better footing. After the first evening stay we asked Lenny if we could change/upgrade room since the Hibiscus room was so small and close feeling making it difficult to sleep. He was not receptive arguing with us about the size of the room and how we were feeling in the room. He said that the room opened into a screened lanai increasing the size of the room. Keeping the door open into the lanai did not visually increase the size of the room as it was in a WALL. The lanai outside screen door has large openings in the screen and at the bottom and does not lock to the outside. I explained to the owner Lenny that I get eaten alive!!!! from mosquitoes and to leave the door open at night was not an option meeting deaf ears. At this point I was not going to argue with him and told him to forget it. I certainly did not want to put him out. He had our money and did not really care how we felt as guests. Not only did he seem not to care my husband felt he acted like he was in a haze. In addition, the lanai was not appealing with two small almost dead plants and a sunken grate (about 2'x3') with sump pump that gave off an awful odor. I would really like him and his wife to sleep in the room and sit in the lanai for two nights. The only plus to the property for us as there are countless beautiful views throughout Hawaii was the staff, friendly and helpful but there again we encountered the Aloha spirit everywhere else during our 14 days stay on Hawaiian Islands from North Shore Oahu, Maui, Lani, and Hawaii. In our 40+ years of traveling this had to be our worst experience at a...

We stayed here for our honeymoon. It was a mostly regrettful choice but there were some positives. I will try to list the positives and negatives to help anyone considering make an informed choice.

Positives:

1. the breakfast was above average for a free/included breakfast. The coffee was good. It was nice waking up and being the first one on the patio at 7am to enjoy some coffee in a very peaceful environment. The breakfast begins at 8am and Passion-orange-guava juice is included and absolutley delicious. 2)nice view of the waterfall from the patio 3)overall just very peaceful 4)the room was nice, it was clean and well appointed but......(see negatives about room) 5)free use of beach tots and boards to play in the waterfall pool

Negatives: 1)It is too far away from everything. They have a private chef available to hire for dinner, a bit expensive, but for anything else there will be a substantial drive. Even then, the choices in Hilo leave a lot to be desired. There are no really nice beaches on the Hilo side. And the only decent restaurant we found was Cronies bar. 2) It rains ALOT. 3) we expected to be able to see the waterfall from our room but could only do so by standing on tippy toes to look over the roof, disappointing 4) NO AC in the room. This is advertised on the website so it is no secret but you should be aware. My wife did not realize this when she booked it. This is an off the grid location, no AC, no fridge in the room, and no TV. The nights were a bit muggy, and we even had a lizard in our room once because you have to keep the windows/doors open. Although they do at least have free WiFi. 5) the private road to the hotel can be a bit treacherous during heavy rain 6)we went there just after the hurricane which had washed out the trails to the waterfall. This meant a very muddy and slippery hike down to the waterfall pool. A hike we only did once because of that. The water is also fairly cold which discouraged us from swimming. 7)Hilo sucks!

In conclusion, whether or not to choose this locale depends on what you are looking for. My wife, as she had her feet stuck in slippery mud, came to the conclusion that it would be a place to visit but no to stay. However if the lack of AC and access to ammenities are of less concern to you then the peacefulness this place offers than it may be right for you. It was an overall disappointing experience for us, with a couple positive glimmers...