Romance at the Big Island Cottage... Hale Aloha Aina

Our Guests Say It Best...

2011-07-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

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Hale Aloha Aina has been recognized for Excellence!!

2011-07-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

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Trip Advisors Vacation Rental 2011 Award Top Vacation Rental

2011-07-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

Find Pahala Vacation Rentals on FlipKey

Zip Isle Zip Line on the Big Island of Hawaii - Ropes Course Tours, Hawaiian Eco Adventure, Zip Line Adventures, World Botanical Gardens, Zip Isle Hawaiian Adventures, Passive Gravity Braking, Professional Ropes Course, Hamakua Coast Zip Line Tour, Zip Line Tours, Garden Zip Line tour

2011-04-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

Zip Isle Zip Line on the Big Island of Hawaii - Ropes Course Tours, Hawaiian Eco Adventure, Zip Line Adventures, World Botanical Gardens, Zip Isle Hawaiian Adventures, Passive Gravity Braking, Professional Ropes Course, Hamakua Coast Zip Line Tour, Zip Line Tours, Garden Zip Line tour Romantic Honeymoon Cottage on the Big Island of Hawaii Escape to www.BigIslandCottage.com

Searching for information on our Forever Hawaii Blog!

2010-12-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

We are posting links for our guests convenience in planning their vacations and daily explorations on the Big Island of Hawaii. In the past, I would send this information by email, but with all the links our emails are often filtered as spam. The main topics that would be helpful to you is finding grocery stores, places to visit, road trip suggestions and lava viewing. Subscribe to the RRS by clicking on the button on the left and you will be able to view all of this information. I am not able to add pages in this blog format so please look at older posts. This is in addition to our main links page that offers links to place to visit while on the Big Island of Hawaii. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like more specific information in planning your stay at Hale Aloha Aina!
Romantic Honeymoon Cottage on the Big Island of Hawaii Escape to www.BigIslandCottage.com

HAWAIIAN LAVA DAILY

2010-12-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

One of our guests turned me on to Leigh Hilbert's blog. He gives you daily reports of the Volcanoes activity on the Big Island of Hawaii. I am sure you find his account facinating and his photography outstanding! You can view his work on display and for sale at the Kalapana Lava flow site. A few vendors are allowed to set up tents near the parking area. I would suggest contacting him on his blog if you are interested in meeting and purchasing his photos to see if he will be available. The last time I went to view the lava the security closed the park at 8:00 pm, but the sign said 10:00?? If the parking lot is filled you may have to come back another day. In my next post, I will give you some tips on planning your days excursion to the east side of the island.

Big Island on-site & real time molten lava reports - Local surf & weather- and other cool stuff -- Presented ad-free

Leigh Hilbert

Gender: Male

Occupation: photographer

Location: Kapoho : Island of Hawaii

About Me

I love sharing what is happening here on the Big Island, especially the on-going lava flow and changes in the weather and surf conditions. I offer daily reports (less often during non-event times) of these and other Big Island events on this blog ... From my home I have a 360-degree perspective of land, sea & sky - Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea volcanoes and the ocean entry lava plume when it is active. I surf and also drive past a local surfing shoreline on the way out to the active lava flowing zone nearly every day; providing me with first-hand accounts of all these things I share with you here. ----- If you would be interested in seeing my photography of molten lava, surfing and a bunch of other things I point my camera at, visit my photo galleries here: http://www.leigh-hilbert-photography.com/

Bio:

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington. I moved to the outer west coast of Canada in my twenties and raised a family. I skippered nature tour boats for many years, capturing some wonderful wildlife on film. (Those images are coming here later after I sort and drum-scan them).

I moved to Hawaii in 1998 and have a decent and growing collection of Hawaiian photos.

Romantic Honeymoon Cottage on the Big Island of Hawaii Escape to http://www.bigislandcottage.com/

Hawaiian Menehune Babies

2010-09-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Sabine Hendreschke and Dane Galiza are the creators and artists of Magical Hawaiian Menehune Babies. They are a couple and live together in the Menehune’s habitat in the beautiful, secluded mountains of Kau on the Big Island of Hawaii. You are welcome to visit them at their home in Wood Valley.

Sabine creates and sews the Menehunes, their clothes and bedding. She decorates the coconut cradles matching each babies’ unique personality. She also writes each babies inspirational story using many Hawaiian words as well as following concepts of Hawaiian spirituality and culture. She commits a lot of creativity, detailing, inspiration, and love to each individual doll. Sometimes it takes a long time to finish a Menehune and his or her cradle because she doesn’t stop working on the baby until it has a spirit and a soul. Sabine puts a great deal of her Mana (spiritual energy) into each individual Menehune until it becomes a part of her and she falls in love with him or her. As a result she gets very attached to each doll and it is always difficult for her to let go of him or her. She says:” I put so much time and energy into each doll. It makes the Menehunes priceless. My main objective with Magical Hawaiian Menehunes is to bring joy and inspiration to people .”

menehunebabies@gmail.com

http://www.hawaiiancollectiblemenehunedolls.com

Call Sabine Hendreschke for directions at Tel.: (808)928-6491

Romantic Honeymoon Cottage on the Big Island of Hawaii Escape to www.BigIslandCottage.com

Grocery stores and places to eat in Hilo and Kona

2010-08-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Romantic Honeymoon Cottage on the Big Island of Hawaii Escape to http://www.bigislandcottage.com/

For our Guests arriving at the Hilo Airport (ITO)

note: use backspace to return to blog!

The Hilo farmers market is open on Wed. and Sat. but there are always vendors selling vegetables and such so you may check this out before heading to the grocery store. http://www.hilofarmersmarket.com/index.html

Ken's Pancake House is a good place for breakfast... a local's favorite! Directions are at this link: http://kenshouseofpancakes-hilohi.com/

KTA grocery store is another local favorite and has a great bakery with local deserts... Hapia is my favorite! Look for Puainako street on this website: http://www.ktasuperstores.com/kta-puainako.asp

Safeway is near the Hilo airport as well. http://www.superpages.com/bp/Hilo-HI/Safeway-L0143076753.htm

Suisan is a great place to buy fish: http://www.suisan.com/

This website may interest you to find other alternatives such as the farmers markets, shopping and health food stores. There is a variety of info on Hilo http://www.hiloliving.com/Healthy_Hilo.html

For our Guests arriving from the Kona Airport (KOA)

If you are interested in going to Costco it is near the KOA airport on Hina Lani Street. Maybe the place to fill the tank before returning your rental car. http://maps.google.com/maps/place?rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS311US217&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=costco+kona+hawaii+hours&fb=1&gl=us&hq=costco+kona&hnear=Hawaii&cid=8064614540103819581

There are several areas to buy groceries on your way to the cottage but I was told that Capt. Cook area is the easiest to get to since it is right on the way. It will be approximately 25 minutes from the airport on the mountainside. You will find some nice fruit stands along the way as well.

There is a Safeway near the intersection of Borders in Kona. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&gl=us&g=73%285600+Maiau+Street%2C+Kailua%28Kona%2C+HI+96740&q=captain+cook+grocery+in+Hawaii+&btnG=Search+Maps

If you pass this one then there is Ocean View and Naalehu. Remember that these markets are local owned with limited stock.

You will also find a nice bakery in this town called the Punalu'u Bakery for great sweet bread and gifts. Pahala, which is five minutes from the cottage, has a small local store with all the necessities and more. http://www.bakeshophawaii.com/

If you want a bite to eat there is a great cafe called the Coffee Shack in Capt. Cook which is above Kealakekua Bay...beautiful view! http://www.coffeeshack.com/

Fun things to do while staying a Hale Aloha Aina

2010-06-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

!. Just hanging out at the cottage is a treat in itself. The grounds are incredible and there is so much to explore together. The flora and fruit are definitely a plus, but the sound of the birds singing in the eucalyptus trees makes everything come alive. You will want to spend a day having a picnic in our own oasis. There is even a crochet set our guests left or you could ride bicycles around the beautiful valley. opps! I meant CROQUET set... don't think anyone is interested in sitting around crocheting leis except me!

Grab the cooler, pack a lunch and off we go! Sorry, but Pahala Cafe went out of business. There is a small market that carries all the necessities… like ICE! And BEER! There are coolers, beach chairs, snorkel gear and beach mats at the cottage for your convenience. There is also a great place to have lunch at Punalu'u Bake Shop in Naalehu which is 20 minutes from Pahala going towards Kona

Hawaii Revealed and Trailblazers are really great tour books.

http://www.wizardpub.com/bigisland/bigisland.html
http://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Big-Island-Trailblazer-snorkel/dp/0967007259

Make sure you check out our links page for MORE things to do! For some reason our website is viewed better using Firefox?? All the wording is in the right place???

http://www.bigislandcottage.com/vacation_rental_pages/links.html

2. Swimming with the turtles or HONU is always one of my favorite things to do at Punalu’u Black Sand beach which is a 15 minute drive (towards Kona) from the cottage. The best entry point is where the boats launch. That way you won’t be beat up by tumbling rocks on the shoreline. There is even a fresh water pool near the dock where you will see kids playing. Punalu’u is named for the water that comes up from the ground. There is a stand that sells some really nice quality sweat shirts and tee’s to bring home.

3. If you drive around the Punalu’u beach you will find the golf course. Not the best, but I heard it was fun. You can park along the shoreline and hike to the heiau, where an old Hawaiian village use to be. There are some tide pools to explore as well.

4. Kawa Beach is another hidden black sand beach that is just past Punalu’u. The surf can be pretty rough so swimming is not recommended unless you are sure of your ability. It is generally a surfing beach and fishing area. The coast line is gorgeous and there is even a birthing Heiau you can hike too. You will see it on the left above the lava. Many visitors leave offering at a small rock temple. Fresh water comes up to ground and forms cold ponds that are great for a refreshing dip. You can read more about this on the internet at this link. http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Parks.kawa

5. Green Sands Beach is located near South Point. If you love hiking then this is a must. It is a five mile hike round trip. A four wheel drive is fun too. Bring lots of water, emergency kit and wear proper clothing for the sun and surf. There are no facilities anywhere so plan on that as well. Great pics on this link: https://volcanogallery.com/Places-GreenSand.htm

6. The best place for the slightly experienced snorkeler is at City of Refuge which is the easy way to say… Puuhonua O Honaunau National Park. The locals call this entry :”2-step” since you can sit on the lava rock to put your gear on and two steps gets you to 15 ft depths. The tropical fish are incredible here and the visibility is really clear on most days. The Big Island has some of the best visibility for snorkelers since the island is surrounded with rock cliffs instead of sandy shores. You can pay five dollars entry and park your car at the Park. It can be very crowded along the one lane road in front of the snorkeling area and dock. You can enter the ocean from the park and leave your slippers where you can find them when you return. Some people know to strap them to their body while they snorkel. The lava is not kind to tender footed persons! There is a bathroom at the park where you can rinse off and head to your next destination. Of course you will want to visit the historic area as well! This is where you will see the tiki’s and learn why it is called the City of Refuge. Here are some comments from Trip advisor.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60941-d108277-Reviews-Puuhonua_O_Honaunau_National_Historical_Park-Honaunau_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

7. Honomalino is my FAVORITE spot since I love to be off the beaten path. It is located on the south end of Kona in the old fishing village Minolii. The hike in is fascinating. First you will climb through a jungle where an old Hawaiian village was and you will see the Kaiwe trees wrapped around the walls. Thin rubber slippers are not recommended. The thorns from these trees can be one inch long and it will pierce the rubber for sure. As you make your way through the jungle there is a small cemetery. Please be respectful. Then you will trek through the water and up on a white sandy area and over another lava flow where you will finally see a coconut lined beach. If you get there early you may even have the chance to swim with the dolphins. I can't remember how far but the walk takes about 30 minutes at the most. This blog has some really nice photos and information on the Big Island. They are promoting a GPS tour that would be really handy for visitors as well. http://tourguidehawaii.com//

http://lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/hiking-to-honomalino-bay-big-island-hawaii

8. Volcanoes National Park is our main attraction which is 20 minutes from Pahala. There is tons of information out there about the park and updates and you can also find links on our website www.bigislandcottage.com on the Things to do page. You can visit the park 24 hours and the fee is 10.00 for the week. I would recommend that you get your pass and visit it during the day and at night to see the glow in the crater. Bring some warm fleece wear because it can get darn cold on the Volcano. If you stop at the museum you can sign up for a guided tour and plan your hiking trip.

There are so many great places to explore on the Big Island of Hawaii. This is just the tip of the ISLAND! I will be posting some driving tours and excursions for our visitors to get the most of your day and precious time in PARADISE!!!

Paradise few will ever experience...

2010-06-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hale Aloha Aina has been a honeymoon destination for over seven years that has proved to be one of the most memorable experiences for our guests visiting the Big Island. The cottage is quaint and charming and the manicured gardens provide your own park like setting to reconnect, renew and rejoice with that special person in your life. Small families have enjoyed the freedom of letting their children run on the lawn without a care. Once you have read our uncensored guest comments you will be delightfully surprised that you found this secret hideaway. Our rates are very affordable for the quality of amenities we provide for your vacation. Besides the fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer, fresh linens and toiletries, we have provided two bicycles, snorkel gear, coolers, gas grill, beach chairs and towels. Check out the virtual tour on our website at http://www.bigislandcottage.com/

Romantic Honeymoon Cottage on the Big Island of Hawaii

2010-06-23T11:46:00.001-07:00

Secret Hawaii Hale Aloha Aina

Our Guests say it best...

2010-06-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Find Pahala vacation rentals on FlipKey

2009-12-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Hawaii May 2009

2009-12-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

Our Favorite Place on Earth

Guests from Edmonton, Alberta
Review Submitted: August 23, 2009 Date of Stay: August 2009

On our frequent trips to each of the Hawaiian islands, we NEVER go back to a vacation rental twice. Our recent and second trip to Hale Aloha Aina was the first time we broke that rule, because we've never been able to find another place that evokes the level of emotions that this perfect cottage does. There is no better place to be in love! The Big Island is called big for a reason, and we can say that although we noted very high activity at the volcano and much larger plumes of volcanic fog than on our last trip, we never noticed it at or near the cottage, even though its only a 20 minute drive away. Every morning except one was bright sunshine and clear skies. We did not stay for the 7th night as originally planned, in order to make it to Kauai for a vacation home rental that required we stay at least 5 days. That was the most expensive place we have ever booked at approx $500/night, a huge place on an oceanside bluff with hot tub, jacuzzi, and every amenity one could imagine, including access to its own private beach. Yet, we found that within a couple of days our minds and hearts were drifting back to your cottage, a place that makes us feel like no other vacation home we have ever rented on any island on 13 island trips. And so, as we write this review, and since we've returned home a few days ago, we find our minds constantly drifting back to thoughts of Hale Aloha Aina, and the cottage, the outdoor shower, the stars, cooking for each other in a surprisingly well equipped kitchen, continuous walks around the beautiful and expansive property. If there's a place on earth that brings a higher level or peace, intimacy, love and passion, we haven't found it yet. We'll keep looking, but in the meantime, can't imagine a trip to the Hawaiian islands without an extended stay at Hale Aloha Aina.

Recommended for: Honeymooners, Nature lovers, Eco travel, Age 55+, Adventure Seekers, Sightseeing, Romantic Getaway

Owner's Response: Aloha Rob and Paula, How wonderful that you feel so connected to the lush aina and sweet hale! After five years of renting our home, we never get tired of hearing what a wonderful experience it was for our guests. It fills my heart with joy that we can offer a place of peace and contentment for people like yourselves who just need some 'time out'. It is hard to put into words, but having a chance to just breathe is precious. It is a spectacular site to see the lava enter the ocean and where on earth can you be in paradise and witness an active volcano. The Big Island is like no other Paradise on Earth! I truly feel that the 'Mana' of Hale Aloha Aina is a guiding spirit that helps us to reclaim our connection to the Aina (earth) and brings us closer to those we love. Reading our guest comments says it all!

Aloha from Hawaii

2008-05-11T21:38:00.001-07:00

Happy Mothers Day! Hope these photos of the Mexican dancers brighten your day. Can feel the spin in their shirts, ha!

Merrie Monarch Free night show 2008

2008-04-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more delightful than watching these talented dancers do their stuff LIVE! These photos were taking on the free night to all visitors at the Merrie Monarch Festival. There were at least 500 people in line...200 didn't get in! We were the fortunate! This night Mexico City Halau showed us their traditional dance as well as the hula...Spectacular Shirts...and oh my...what they can do with them. And of course our traditional Hawaiian hula dancers gave us a show with an authentic feel of days past. As always the Tahitian dancers lured us into temptation with their beauty and their rhythm. I did some photo art on some of the pictures that I thought looked cool. Still learning how to use my Nikon d-70. The photos were shot with a telephoto lens, some cropped and edited with Adobe Lightroom.

Our stay at the cottage has been great. No television!

Ducks Ice Skating at Mirror Pond

2008-03-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is just too cool! Like I am publishing a professional site. I am still learning how to format so this is good practice. I think I will put on our cottage to this blog and send it to potential guests.

God's Natural Splendors

2008-03-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Words alone can not describe the beauty of our earth. She is a living and breathing reflection of the love God has for us. To bestow such grandeur to our meek existence is to grant us only a glimpse of Heaven.

Photography allows us to recapture the visual moment, but it does not allow us to feel the warm air breeze whispering in our ear or the waterfall mist spray on our face. I want you to visualize the warm amber smell of pines needles in the wake of spring, the chill of a cloud as it shades the sun and then passes, and a sense of one with mother nature. Enjoy God's Gift to Us! Happy Easter!

Besides getting to know You Tube I thought I would learn about blogging as well. Still not sure about format and placement of photos etc. but this may be a nice way to share photos of our adventures and family. The photo below is a short video so you can hear the falls. Hope you enjoy the blog!