Hawaiian Sanctuary Eco Retreat Center

Friendly staff and a lovely cottage accomodations and good yoga class. And vegan/ veg breakfast was surprisingly good.

The bed. The birds!

I was so excited about this place, and ended up really disappointed and annoyed. This week was expensive and disappointing. I booked one week which basically includes 6 times yoga at 9am. Monday and Tuesday no teacher showed up. Really disappointing! And a lot of leaks in the roof, water was dropping… also not clean there. Of course no breakfast included. Lunch is 20 Dollar. No dinner. I liked nature and birds, but it was mostly loud all the time from cars. not spot in green without cars, because everyone parked their car in front of the cabins. Gym was really really bad, very old and rusty! Some sports equipment was not useable!! Disappointing!! A lot of money for just sleeping and showering! I loved Hawaii and I’m back soon. But for sure not there. I Wouldn’t recommend it.

The sounds of the forest at night and the farm in the morning was very therapeutic. The open concept spa allows you to really be immersed in nature.

The cabin is so great that I immediately regretted I only booked it for one night. I should have booked for more nights!!! There are lots of animals: peacocks, turkeys, hens, geese, pigs, etc. There are lots of birds chirping in the forest, but they did not affect my sleeping at all. There are also many tropical trees in the garden. Cocoa tree, banana tree, etc. It is pleasant to walk among them. The staff Lakshmi is super nice. I like this hotel so much. If I visit the big island again, I will definitely stay there longer.

The cellphone signal is very weak there. There is even no cell phone signal at the beach at the south east corner of the big island. Please remember to get there before sunset. Otherwise it is hard to find the unpaved entrance. But as long as you find it, you will like it. The breakfast costs $12 and it does not look delicious. I did not try it though. It is OK to go to the nearby Pahoa town to have breakfast.

We came for one night to sleep only and attend a wedding at a location nearby, and so we wouldn't have to drive about 80 miles home late at night as we live in Discovery Harbour in the Deep South of Ka'u. Welcome was lovely.. room was adequate..

EXCEPT.. not a venue for 'older people' with disabilities which I was unaware about.. due to my not having time to research it more. That was definitely MY FAULT... My husband is 84 and has Alzheimers.. in your 80's most people have to go to the bathroom several times a night.. I was not aware that our room would not have a toilet/shower or any water available to it. Nothing to wash our muddy feet.. after treating back to our room.. Worried that my husband needed to 'go often' ... and the toilet was about 100' away.. on a very muddy path (after all the days of rain lately) so to get to the facilities was definitely a challenge. .. I couldn't sleep at all, as I was worried that David would go out the door by himself.. and would for sure get lost. OR.. slip on the mud and break his leg or hip.. (I'm an old RN.. so am very conscious of our problems) SO.. it was quite a trek in the dark to the bathroom with me accompanying him.. and the rain did keep coming down.. This retreat is in a great location .. is very well organised and for a restful spiritual vacation would be wonderful.. but definitely not ideal for older folks with challenges.. Some elderly folks without handicaps would love it here..

The sound of the rainforest at night was amazing. The property is beautiful. The people were friendly. We were communicated with very well via email and text prior to arrival.

There were a few things that could use improvement. We were told the coffee/breakfast bar would open at 7 am and we waited until after 8 am for it to open and another 15 minutes for the person to be ready to serve coffee, which was cold when he first gave it to us. We got in the hot tub while we were waiting for the coffee bar to open and there was a huge clump of hair in the filter. The sponge in our "kitchen", which was just a hot plate and a fridge with a few random dishes was dirty/used. It would be an easy upgrade to put a way to make coffee in the room and a mug or two.

The serenity. The property is just absolutely beautiful and calming. The people there were so kind, lovely and accommodating. The facilities were beautiful and extremely clean. I had everything I needed to disconnect from stress and connect with myself, nature and my new found friends.

Leaving. It was the most difficult part of my stay there. I truly enjoyed every moment. From swinging in the hammock, to the semi-outdoor showers, to the spa. Let’s not forget about the amazing food the incredible chefs created. I mean, how do you leave paradise?

Pahoa is at a walkable distance, I do strongly recommend hiring a car to go to the beach/volcano. The sauna/hot tub area was really nice and readily available for use. The owner is very engaged in developping the property with organic farming and interested in feedback. A group of long-stay hippie style volunteers works and learns here. They all seemed content. Never heard so many birds at night, truly a phenomenon. On some days there is a possibility to join extatic dance or soundbaths on the premise.

The gym was huge but worn out by the humidity