Hawaiian Volcanic Organic - Mountain View, Hawaii

Sage J.

Wow! What a great experience. I recently took a trip to Hawaii and wanted a peaceful visit that was close to the volcanoes, so I actively looked for a great spot for my 5 night stay. This place was fantastic! And the best part was, it was only $45/night. The owners, Rick & Katy, were super friendly and welcoming and made my stay even better than I imagined.

The room I stayed in was like a mini apartment - everything was very clean and tidy. The home had a few others staying there as well and everyone was very nice to speak with in the common room at night. They even had a great selection of vegan food for me to prepare - so good!

If you're looking for a peaceful room to stay in that's close to a ton of epic hiking locations and the volcano - this is the spot! I believe they also have yoga workshops here during select months, so it's definitely a rad spot if you have an alternative lifestyle. 5/5 stars

Jessie W.

Location was pretty good - close to nature and a really serene place, and also has lots of animals. But I'm sorry - the hosts were not friendly at all and it kind of ruined the experience. There were so many rules plastered around the place with what we could do and couldn't do. The worst part was that it was late and everything was closed, so we quickly bought some food wanting to eat it in our room. But they didn't even let us eat them on the property because there they weren't completely vegan. We weren't even allowed to eat them in the car and out of their sight. It was pouring as well.... And so, the hosts made us drive out of the property (which was probably 10km? I'm not sure). We had to find somewhere to microwave our food when it was really late at night. Then, we had to eat in the car in the pouring rain, before driving all that distance back to the property. No mercy at all. While the place is lovely and the experience was fine, the hosts were just too over-controlling, and you don't want that from your holiday...

Elisha H.

Rick and Katy are some of the most kind and friendly people you will ever meet. The house and rooms are very nice and comfortable. The property is beautiful and you can really relax and enjoy the moment here. The provided healthy breakfast and coffee is a great way to start your day. Katy offers mindfulness and Qi-Gong sessions on the front deck - life changing!

Scott N.

It was a real treat to stay here. Hosts were very engaging and brought us in like family. What was something that we quickly noticed is that the place was even better than all the pictures I had seen. Rooms are spacious with comfortable beds. This place truly shaped our enjoyment of the trip. The breakfasts were varied and delicious.

Orange C.

I stayed here not too long ago and I've been mulling over what to write because I want other guests to get an accurate feel for this place.
The Good:
-Price! Budget travel in Hawaii is difficult, finding a place to stay if you're trying to be thrifty is a problem and this offers a solution to that.
-Clean. Rick and Katy Joy keep a tidy establishment.
-Quiet. If you want a retreat away from it all. This is definitely it.
-Great Breakfasts (Thank you!)!

The Not So Good:
-Rick made many comments about his '$1.5 million home". That information is not necessary to my stay. If you want people to feel they are getting the value for their stay, reiterating your real estate valuation is just tacky, there are other ways to let people know they are getting a value. I'm sure the people that own the Motel 6 down the road from me also paid in the millions for that property and thats still $60/night too...

-Passive aggressive notes everywhere. I know the power and necessity of notes. However, the notes you'll find here are not so friendly and feel more like your college roommate complaining over someone not washing the dishes.

-I witnessed Katy Joy more than once watching intently what other guests were doing, only to find a note about it the next day. Please just have a conversation with people if you don't like what they are doing, or restrict access all together if your concerned your home may get ruined. I know running accommodations is difficult and requires much maintenance, especially if you live there too but if you're not willing to accept the risks, just don't offer anything extra at all. People will stay there for price and price alone.

-Kitchen 'access' and being able to use a kitchen are two different things. You will only be allowed to use the microwave and (maybe?) the toaster. If you're like me however, and chose this place because they seem aligned with a healthy way of life (Yoga! Qi Gong! Vegetarian!) you may not ever want to use a microwave, so be prepared to not be able to prepare any meals.

-There's a disconnect between practice and preachings here. It seems like the kind of hippy-woo-woo place that would make you feel enlightened and special but something about it just felt tense and off. It was uncomfortable to even linger and have a conversation with other guests for fear of always being scrutinized.

A great place to stay if you're only planning on sleeping and leaving and budget is the utmost concern. Not so great for relaxing. Spend the extra $20 - $30/night on an airbnb and get your own space with a full kitchen at the least or pay the same for the hostel in town and meet other travelers and relax.

Jessica Y.

We spent three nights here and our retreat with Katy Joy and Rick was just as described - not your typical air bnb which is what we loved. They have the most beautiful home and space, and invited us to join them in their peaceful way of life. We loved waking up to a morning qi gong session or mindfulness session on the deck to kickstart our day, however you can choose to participate as much or as little as you'd like. They also went out of their way to make sure we felt at home, and welcome to the Big Island giving us great advice over cups of tea, not to mention the most delicious wholesome breakfasts. Will definitely be coming back here and recommending this beautiful retreat to anyone wanting a break on the Big Island. Thank you again Katy Joy and Rick for being the best hosts!

Ira G.

The place is very new and clean. The rooms are spacious and the breakfast is tasty. The hosts are accommodating. However the place is very very inaccessible (horrible gravel road) and combined with the rain and a small Honda Civic the drive there was quite stressful. Would not recommend if you don't have a 4wd!

Martin F.

When you have found the right way up the hilo, you'll find a pleasant, silent and neat retreat as starting point for for vacation and chill out. The owners are really helpful and take care for their guests.