Luana Inn

The inn met our needs very nicely. It’s quiet with decent-​sized rooms, a real breakfast cooked by the innkeepers, and a pool and hot tub that look out on a spectacular view of the bay — looking at the sunset from there is worth the price of admission. We had a really lovely time with this place as our base of operations.
The 5-​star raves for this place make me feel slightly cantankerous for listing any drawbacks at all (I think the euphoria of being in Hawaii leads reviewers to star-​inflation). But for purposes of full disclosure, the location may not be convenient, depending on what you plan to do. It takes a bit of time to drive down the windy road toward that the inn is located on. It takes you closer to the water, so it may not be a problem if you plan on, say, hanging out at Two Step most of the time. But it adds some travel time every time you go somewhere. The rooms are a little charmless, although they’re clean and otherwise just fine. And we were a bit annoyed that breakfast is only served between 8 and 9 — a whole lot of the water activities in Captain Cook start early in the morning, so we missed a bunch of the breakfasts (they will pack one for you to go, but you have to ask by noon the day before).

From the photos posted online, we were sure that the Luana Inn would be beautiful. However, the photos don’t do this lovely place justice. We stayed with Erin & Ken for 9 nights in June 2014 when we visited the Big Island to get married at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. They truly treated us as family in their home. The view from our room was spectacular — we loved to watch the sun set nightly from the pool or hot tub. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and Erin even picked us a white pineapple on our last day. Our hosts made sure that we had anything we needed — snorkel gear, towels, a sack breakfast on a day we had to leave before breakfast was served. They anticipated every need that we might have. John had a surgery prior to the trip and we were concerned about his comfort in sleeping, as sometimes he has to sleep in a sitting position. Erin & Ken made sure John had a recliner available in the room upon our arrival. The breakfasts that they created for us were the absolute best meals we had the entire time we were on the island. Erin & Ken knew every great place to visit — the touristy places as well as the more private attractions. We love children and found their boys to be very entertaining, and we enjoyed visiting their dog, Charlie. The Inn was very private and secluded, which was exactly what we wanted. We are so thankful we chose the Luana Inn instead of a giant resort with millions of other guests, and we can’t wait to go back.

An experience you want to repeat!!!
What a fantastic place!
I thought it was going to be a bed & breakfast
It was much more than that!
First off the host & hostess Erin & Ken
Make you feel right at home.
Captain Cook area feels remote but
You are not too far from anything.
The breakfasts were great.
Our unit came with coffee & all kinds of goodies that were unexpected.
Ocean views abound.
The property is clean and feels homey.
If we were the kind of people that hung out
We’d love to hang out here!
There’s so much on the Big Island to experience that it’s hard to want to stay put!
If I could give the Luanna Inn 6 stars, I would!
Thanks for helping make us want to return
Again & again

There seems to be two ways to visit Hawaii’s Big Island. There’s a stretch of beach, not even a couple miles long, that seems to have dozens of hotels and resort-​type things all right next to each other, with little shops and restaurants all within walking distance. If you’re just there for the beach, and don’t really care about the rest of the island (or don’t want to rent a car), this might be a nice place to stay.
The other thing you could do, though, if you have a car, is find a bed and breakfast among any of the small towns near the island’s coast. If this is what you’re doing, and I strongly encourage you to do it this way, then you should go to Captain Cook and stay at the Luana Inn.
We stayed in one of the rooms attached to the main house (there are also a couple set back from the house). We never felt the way I’m always worried B&Bs will feel: like we’re splitting a house with a bunch of strangers. Our room had a door to the outside and its own bathroom. The weather was pretty comfortable while we were there, but our room also had an air conditioner. There was also a little refrigerator and free wifi access (the latter worked fine with my laptop, but my phone had a weirdly difficult time staying connected). The beds have Temperpedic mattresses, which are a complete pleasure to sleep on.
The house and yard were wonderful. The back side of the house has a great view of the ocean and nearby beach. The downstairs of the house is a common room with a book exchange and a diverse collection of DVDs to rent. There’s a door out of the common room to an outdoor pool and hot tub (the pool & hot tub area also has comfortable chairs for reading or sunning).
In the morning either Ken or Erin (the owners) made breakfast, and it was amazing. There was typically some kind of fresh fruit and local grown coffee. They were careful to verify our dietary preferences or restrictions upon arrival, and every morning they had at least one vegetarian option (my dietary preference). Keep in mind that most of the food on the Big Island is imported, which can make restaurants expensive. Breakfast is included at the Luana Inn, which would be a strong argument in favor of staying there (one less meal you have to buy each day) even before you consider how good the breakfast actually is. We actually ate really well on the Big Island, but breakfast was always great.
Erin and Ken are each terribly friendly and fun to talk to. They seem to have a deep, well-​infomed knowledge of the island’s beaches, activities, and resources. They had good answers for all of our questions, and and were invaluable resources throughout our stay.
The Luana Inn is less than an hour from the Kona Airport (on the Big Island’s west coast) and is also an easy drive from a grocery store, a coffee & fruit co-​op, and some thrift and antique stores. It seems like there are a handful of B&Bs around, but if I went back (and I would love to) it wouldn’t occur to me to stay anywhere else.

My gentleman friend and I stayed at The Luana Inn in June 2013 and were very pleased with our visit there.
It was our first trip to Hawaii, and staying in a small town with hosts who know the area definitely enhanced our experience of the Big Island (as opposed to staying at a resort).
Ken & Erin are both great cooks, making fresh baked goods most mornings, serving fresh local fruit, and providing delicious Kona coffee. They’re also happy to accommodate dietary restrictions.
Ken is not afraid to talk politics at the breakfast table, which we appreciated. And speaking of breakfast tables, the communal dining area is set up so that you can easily have an intimate breakfast, or sit at a bigger table and talk with other guests.
There are only five rooms at the Inn, so it doesn’t feel overwhelmingly busy, even when the Inn is full. We enjoyed meeting travelers from other parts of the world and the US.
They have clearly put a lot of thought into the accoutrements in each room, and have a very thorough homemade guide book to tell you about Captain Cook, as well as the Island overall. The rooms and the Inn are spotlessly clean. Everything feels fresh, clean, and sunny. We felt very well taken care of.
The Inn is near the top of a big hill, so you can look all the way down the Island to the ocean. We slept with the windows open and doors unlocked, which definitely added to the feeling of being in paradise.
Other bonuses:
–Ken and Erin’s two adorable sons who you can occasionally interact with or see frolicking (like dolphins!).
–The fact that they let us check out as late as we wanted on our last day, allowing us to have one more magical morning at nearby Ho’okena Beach.
–Ken sent us his recipe for amazing lemon pancakes!
–They’re good at giving directions to local beaches, which can be a bit confusing to find, once you get off the main highway.
After spending a week driving around and seeing other parts of the Island and places where we could have stayed, I think we definitely found a gem. Can’t wait to go back!

Excellent on just about everything: service, location, premises, and the owners are very friendly. This is quite simply the best B&B experience you will get — We felt right at home, and the praise that this place seems to be getting all over the Internet is fully justified.

We stayed here for a portion of our honeymoon and absolutely loved it. The location was perfect… Very close to fantastic snorkeling at the captain cook monument, and the view from our room was stunning. The sunsets there are picture perfect. We could easily get to a variety of restaurants and sites as well. Ken and Erin are perfect hosts… The breakfasts were amazing, and their recommendations for places to eat and things to do were spot-​on. They take hosting an inn very seriously and strive to make your stay wonderful. The room was comfortable and spacious, and they have lots gear that you can rent (like snorkel stuff) or simply borrow (towels, boogie boards)… They also have a huge DVD collection at your disposal if you find you need a break from the beautiful surroundings. Erin and Ken are simply great people and it was a real joy to stay with them. We would stay the again in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.

This place is amazing – I wish I could have stayed here forever! The rooms and the grounds are immaculate and beautifully decorated. Our room looked out onto a beautifully landscaped patio with pool/​hot-​tub, and a stunning view of the Pacific. The rooms are spacious with microwaves, fridge, and many other conveniences. The staff was incredibly professional and friendly. And the BREAKFAST – gourmet and delicious! I high recommend to anyone. You’re also close to some of the best snorkelling in the world – Captain Cook area.