Hawaiian Retreat

I actually stayed in the farmhouse, not the Namaste, the host upgraded me last minute, which was very nice. Pros: It's a working farm and it really feels like it, there's people working the garden, trimming fruit trees, and even a produce stand where you can buy fresh fruits and veggies. The farmhouse kept the bugs out way better than I expected, the I side was virtually bug free. Hot shower was great. Cons: The farmhouse have basically no privacy. It's made primarily out of screen windows and is surrounded by the garden, bathroom, and other lodgings, all of which can absolutely see inside. The biggest issue is the directions for getting there, or lack thereof. Only the gps coordinates of the Namaste cottage itself were provided, meaning the only possible way to get directions is the 'open in maps' feature in hipcamp, which bring you to the completely wrong location, not even the right street. This, combined with me arriving very late, well after the host had understandably gone to bed, resulted in me being unable to find it at all and having to find different lodging for the first night. Once I got additional information from the host it wasn't hard to find, but the listing desperately needs to be updated

Josh B.

4 reviews

Recommends

· August 2025

Beautiful all natural place, very magical and highly recommend

Advocacy C.

2 reviews

Mixed feelings

· June 2025

Jungle atmosphere

Group trip ·

Janelle was very kind and hospitable. Oven didn’t work and Janelle kindly cooked our frozen pizzas in her own oven and delivered to us upstairs. She also dropped off apple bananas from her farm in the morning. Since this cabin is located in the jungle, expect geckos, bugs, and frog sounds. Also, a cat wandered into our part of the cabin through a hole in a screen in the window and napped on the cabinets. We love cats so it was all good with us!

Kelli F.

2 reviews

Recommends

· June 2025

It was rustic and a beautiful. We enjoyed learning a out the fruit trees and edible plants.

Chad N.

3 reviews

Recommends

· May 2025

Beautiful night in the jungle

With kids ·

Nature Cottage

Amazing little bungalow in the rainforest! Janelle was a great host and brought us a lovely basket of fresh fruit. The outdoor shower was so fun and the sounds at night were exotic but not overwhelming. Would love to stay here again!

Nels L.

2 reviews

Recommends

· May 2025

Beautiful farm

Wonderful little hale on a beautiful farm. A very clean and whimsical place. I loved it.

Sarah T.

2 reviews

Recommends

· May 2025

Beautiful fruit farm! Everyone is friendly. We had a little trouble finding it, had to go online to find the address, but other than that absolutely no complaints!

Lillian W.

8 months on Hipcamp

Recommends

· April 2025

Nature Cottage

Cabin worked great! It's well stocked for the kitchen, and the outdoor shower was warm and had great water pressure. Directions made it easy to find, and you're pretty well removed from traffic and people. I will mention two things: the tree frogs and some wild pigs are pretty active at night, so you may need earplugs. Second is that you'll wake up with the sun, so if that's not in your plans, a sleep mask wouldn't go amiss.

Josh W.

2 reviews

Recommends

· April 2025

Nature Cottage

If you are looking for an off-the-grid, rustic, fruit-jungle experience. Janelle's Hawaiian Retreat is for you! Be prepared to unwind in this beautiful, bountiful homestead. A comfortable bed, flushing toilet, gas stovetop, fridge/freezer and outside hot shower make this an affordable paradise! You won't be disappointed! Mahalo~

Christina C.

8 months on Hipcamp

Recommends

· March 2025

Janelle was so kind and we felt at home right away. The setting was rustic but still had everything we needed and we enjoyed the complimentary fruit from the farm in the morning. Would stay there again if we’re coming that way!

Bennett H.

2 reviews

Recommends

· September 2024

Peaceful, quiet, relaxing, very beautiful property

Sergio M.

5 reviews

Not recommend

· September 2024

Definitely not Namaste

Showed up to the site and was yelled at by the extremely rude host that she was not ready and we needed to leave. We had already paid and still have not received our full refund. We are born and raised on the big island and can tell you there are many nicer hosts to stay with and avoid this place at all costs. They have no Aloha. Definitely not “namaste”. If you can , rent from locals and not mainlanders who use our culture for greed and treat locals poorly.

Sarah C.

1 year on Hipcamp

Recommends

· September 2024

I wan' na stay at Namaste

Beautiful artwork in a private room. Private cooking facilities and access to shared bathroom facilities including hot showers on demand. Access to fruit stand that is well stocked with local fruit and vegetable varieties grown on site. Surrounded by well-maintained landscaping.

Sheena A.

1 year on Hipcamp

Recommends

· June 2024

Beautiful jungle adventure

Lovely place. Well kept up. Beautiful jungle place. Stores and things to do are about a 20 min car ride away. The farm hands and host Janelle are very nice and helpful.

Jen D.

3 reviews

Recommends

· May 2024

Retreat indeed!

We stayed in the farmhouse at the Hawaiian Retreat. Janelle was a great host! It was pouring rain when we arrived and she walked us back to our cabin. We also woke up to a beautiful fruit and vegetable basket the next day. The cabin was clean and tidy, has a mini kitchen (no frig, has cooler though), dining area with big family style table, 2 large rooms separated by door and 4 beds total (2 twins, a queen and a full). Shower was attached to outside of cabin with hot water heater. The bathrooms (toilet and sink) were a short walk away in view of the cabin. Overall, everything was in livable condition. Somethings to note: There are no privacy shades on windows in cabin (probably to keep air flowing through, had no issues with this but something to be aware of). There was wifi but low signal during our stay (probably due to the weather). It's located in a rain forest environment, off grid, with animals (boars, cats, etc.) in the vicinity. Beautiful land and surroundings with a nice drive in. Hope you enjoy your stay like we did!

Keisha W.

2 reviews

Mixed feelings

· May 2024

While the farm itself was wonderful, the cabin was not as advertised. The cabin I was in did not match the pictures at all. There were no mosquito nets over the beds, so I got some gnarly bites during the night on my face and arms. While the bathroom and shower facilities were ok, there were no lights at night to light your way, or illuminate them. The cabin was big and specious, I had electricity and some running water in a kitchen. Most of the kitchen equipment was rusty though. I think there is really good potential for this place, but right now, it's mediocre at best.

Laura G.

3 reviews

Not recommend

· March 2024

Aweful experience.

Worst hipcamp/ Airbnb experience to date. The main concern was that 3 out of the 4 nights Janelle the host was verbally abusing her partner while we tried to sleep upstairs. She was audibly intoxicated and was shouting, cursing, slurring nasty things at her partner late into the night. A few times I heard things being thrown around downstairs. It stressed and freaked us out to have to hear that and we hardly slept those nights. On top of that there was a rat in the kitchen, rat droppings on one of the light switches and a rooster that would crow right outside our window at 5am.

Chris M.

1 year on Hipcamp

Recommends

· February 2024

Favorite out of the 3 Hipcamps!

Felt relaxed and at home immediately once we figured out where we were going. Everyone there is super chill and friendly. We tried fruits we never had and were sooo happy that they provided towels and a hot shower. Such an amazing experience!

Melody A.

2 reviews

Recommends

· February 2024

Charming Farm

With kids ·

Janelle and Steven were warm and inviting hosts. The cabin is rustic and full of charming artifacts and books. Lots of chickens and owner’s cats and dogs hung out in the space below the cabin, which definitely added to the atmosphere. It’s a beautiful jungle farm, it feels like it is treasured by the owners. We had a lovely time exploring the grounds. The main house (the space we stayed in) would be fantastic for two couples traveling together. It is spacious for entertaining. It feels like you are in a true tree house. One thing to note is that the bathroom window in the shower is an open space… it made me a little bit nervous because my 3 year old likes to explore and climb, but after talking to her about safety and heights, everything was fine. We enjoyed our time on the property.

Sara S.

2 reviews

Recommends

· February 2024

Indoor-Outdoor Living

Really awesome experience. The main lodge space is upstairs and has a front balcony and a back balcony, both with plenty of room to hang out and enjoy the sights and sounds of the rainforest. It was surreal waking up every day to the beautiful foliage outside our windows. The amenities were good enough for us, and we were able to make dinner one night. You feel like you're outside the whole time. We had a few geckos and roaches visit us, but it can't be helped given the location and there are bug nets so they don't disturb you while sleeping. We also visited the fruit stand and some of the workers showed us around and told us about all the trees and gave us some good recommendations for our days. Overall we had a great time and really enjoyed our stay!

Lj H.

1 year on Hipcamp

Recommends

· February 2024

Fun

With pets ·

Very cozy, great fruit, staff was very friendly ! This is a magical place.

Sergio M.

5 reviews

Recommends

· January 2024

Organic Farm in the Jungle!

Group trip ·

We are 3 couples (56-72 years old). What we liked: - "A sense of place." Very comfortable space for lounging around. - In the Jungle: Frog sounds, birds, chickens, roosters. - Very large space, with lots of interesting books and stuff - "normal" electrical outlets powered by batteries charged with solar and generator. - Kitchen: stove, refrigerator. We cooked all our meals. - Filtered drinking water supplied by gallon jugs. Faucet water fine for rinsing fruit and veg. - Has WiFi. Worked great! - Tour of Organic Farm, with tasting. Very cool! - Close to famous Volcanos National Park, which has great hiking options - Black Sand Beach all to ourselves! It's by the nearby lighthouse, without car access. See where lava has entered the ocean. The beach is black because it is still breaking lava down into sand. You need to cross a short stretch of lava to access the paved road that goes to the lighthouse.

Stephen S.

2 reviews

Recommends

· December 2023

Josanas garden was such a soft landing pad to have during our adventures around the island. So grateful for the eclectic peoples of the land that gave us great advice on experiences and were always so welcoming.

Joshua C.

2 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· October 2023

Janelle was so gracious and her farm is beautiful! We really enjoyed our stay!

Austin S.

2 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· October 2023

Camping in “rainforest “

Group trip ·

I think you go there whit an open mind, it was very special. At first they forgot that we should arrive. But it was fast fixed. We just slept there for one night but it hade bin fun to hang there for a one more day. So much to see, and experience. Felt like rainforest. We had booked the Main lounge .

Eva F.

2 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· October 2023

Love me some Kapoho

Janelle and her family and staff were one of the highlights of our trip. We completely enjoyed every moment on her acreage. They were all so accommodating, kind, happy, generous and inclusive. We have nothing but great memories from our time there. I would absolutely live there!!! We didn’t have any downsides at all. A remark was made by one of the owners that sometimes people complain about smell. Well, animals (chickens, dogs, cats, ducks, etc. DO LIVE on the property… this is a FARM type place. So while I may agree, certain places do have your farm-friend smell. It didn’t bother us any. The farm tour was completely worth it! We truly enjoyed our stay and 100% would go there again. Love Cortney & Dustin

Cortney R.

5 reviews

Recommends

· September 2023

GLAMPING +

Janelle has an absolutely beautiful piece of land. There are so many plants and wildlife to see there. Our little one was in awe of it all - as were my husband and I. I would describe Namaste as a step up from glamping. No electric but a clean room, towels, clean bathrooms, a sweet outdoor shower set up that has heated water…and Janelle made us an amazing 3 course breakfast on our last morning there. She made the best pancake we’ve ever had and a great frittata too. There are several people staying on the land and all were very friendly. We are so glad we came across this Hipcamp site - it definitely made our trip to the BI memorable. DO bring insect spray if mosquitoes are attracted to you.

Hannah H.

2 reviews

Recommends

· August 2023

With kids ·

Farmhouse

Such a great experience. The place is magical. We bought many fruits at the farm stand right at our property. We liked having all the cats and dogs and birds at the property.

Vika G.

2 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· August 2023

Omg!! This place is amazing and beautiful. Janelle and her team are wonderful, Janelle is so knowledgeable not just in her farm but the history and culture. I cannot wait to visit again. Do the fruit tour and tasting!

Rebeka R.

3 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· June 2023