Honua Lani Gardens

had a great time in the passion fruit suite, beautiful property and suite, not a bed and breakfast though but great location, 10 minutes from Kapaa and the beach and Jai (the host) was great

My husband and I recently stayed for a week at Honua Lani Gardens in the Passion Fruit Suite. The grounds are lovely– lush tropical jungle, cool trade winds and lots of noisy (in a good way) critters. We loved sitting on the porch each evening and listening to the sounds of nature. The suite itself is very nice– large, clean and well appointed. We loved that they provided beach chairs, towels, snorkel equipment and boogie boards– very nice– but don’t expect to use the bikes that are mentioned on the website as they are in disrepair. The location is a little bit out of the way– but peaceful and lovely– especially if you are looking for somewhere off the beaten path. Beautiful stargazing at night– if you have clear skies.
The accommodations were nice but the hospitality was a bit lacking and the website promised more than what was delivered. It is more appropriate to think of this place as a vacation rental, as opposed to a bed and breakfast. We were not greeted when we arrived and it was a little confusing to know where to go or what to do. The only indication that you are in the right place is a badly sun-​faded sign near the stairs.
The website says that guests will be greeted upon arrival with a welcome basket of fruit that can be replenished throughout the week, as well as coffee and chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Our fruit basket left something to be desired. All of the fruit was mushy, brown and mottled– even moldy. We had to throw it all away– which was a real shame because tropical fruit is such a treat. There was no coffee or chocolate covered macadamia nuts included and the fruit was never replenished.
A few more personal touches would have gone a long way.
We appreciated the beauty of the rental and the beach equipment, but we were a little let down by the lack of hospitality that usually makes a B&B experience so much more personal than a regular hotel stay. A good choice if your expectations are in the right place.

I rented the guest cottage here last summer with my boyfriend and 2 friends. We arrived a few days before the other houseguests so had the advantage of picking the bedroom with the kingsized bed. I’m glad for this because while this is advertised as a 2 bedroom… it really should be stated that the second bedroom with queen-​sized bed is actually in the upstairs loft area and is only accessible by a built-​in wall ladder. (We actually mistook said ladder for a bookshelf when we first arrived until we were hunting around the place for the 2^nd bedroom… and looked up) Luckily, when the other guests arrived they were good sports about it. However, this could be a problem for disabled vacationers who should really know about something like this upfront.
The guest cottage is spacious and has all the accomodations that are advertised on the webpage. We enjoyed cooking breakfast in the kitchen each morning before heading to the beach or whatever activity we had planned for the day. The owner provided us with snorkel gear, folding chairs, umbrellas for shade, beach towels, and a great map of the island with highlighted eateries and points of interest enjoyed by locals. In the evenings we weren’t dining out somewhere in Kapaa, we grilled dinner on the huge wraparound patio and enjoyed the sounds of the jungle at night while we dined on the patio furniture. The property is surrounded by the owner’s beautiful garden of a variety of fruits, which Jai (owner) provided us a sample of in a gift basket that greeted us the night we arrived. There’s even a sauna and we took advantage of the couple’s lomi lomi massage one evening which was a real treat.
This vacation rental was a great retreat for us and a good deal, considering all the luxury hotels that don’t provide all the accomodations, character, and personal touch we got from staying here.