Puakea Ranch

"We had my daughter's wedding here. Rented out the entire ranch, and family stayed in all the cottages. If you are holding an event, you do have to bring in all your own vendors, but that was fine with us. It gave us more creative control. The venue is beautiful and quiet, the perfect backdrop for the wedding. Christie is communicative and helpful. We would love to come back and just enjoy the peace and beauty of the ranch one day!"

"As Angelenos for more than 2 decades, our family has visited Hawaii scores of times, and we love the state, its people and its culture. While each of the islands is unique & alluring, the massive scale & pure drama of the Big Island always calls us back – and in early May, we spent 6 days at Puakea Ranch (my wife and I, our two grown sons & my still-adventurous 95-year-old mother). The ranch was a great discovery stumbled upon in an old issue of Sunset magazine, and for all of us, Puakea was a truly distinctive & memorable experience. We stayed in Yoshi's House, which sits atop the slope of the ranch with sweeping views west to the Pacific and, across the channel, the island of Maui. Each night, sunsets from Yoshi's spacious & perfectly weathered lanai were cinematic events, with splashes of red, orange, pink & deep blue painting the evening sky. At these moments, we couldn't imagine being anywhere else in the world. Eggs fresh from Puakea’s henhouse and a vegetable & herb garden from which we picked green onions, purple basil, cherry tomatoes, baby squash & sunflowers for the house simply added to the organic feel of the ranch. Our bungalow was well appointed: with comfortable bedrooms, a well-stocked kitchen, an airy living room with folding doors that brought in the ocean breeze, and a splendid, outdoor bathhouse with copper tub & rain shower. The cottage is lived in, befitting its history as the 1940s home of the ranch's foreman. And the property surrounding Yoshi's is full of flowering trees – plumeria & hibiscus – as well as mango & other fruit. Puakea Ranch is a world apart from the polished resorts of South Kohala 30 minutes away, and its location – a few miles from the town of Hawi, an eclectic blend of galleries, cafes, restaurants and the convenient Nakahara Grocery – is a perfect, unplugged getaway. For us, mornings began with strong local coffee and stunning oceanside hikes. Two musts are the nearby Upolu Airport Trail (a 4-mile out-and-back that hugs the rugged coastline and ascends to the vast, sacred ruins of the ancient Mo’okini Heiau) and the steep, switch-backed Pololῡ Valley Trail (down nearly 1 mile to the iconic black sand beach and the ocean’s crashing waves). Lounging around Yoshi’s private, black lava swimming pool after lunches of fresh Foodland poke was the perfect segue into early evening and the nightly technicolor show to the west. For a great alternative to the manicured and, yes, quite beautiful Big Island resorts (like the Four Seasons, Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani & Hapuna Beach), Puakea Ranch is a singularly special & transportive experience. Thank you, Christie C. We look forward to our next visit."

"This place is amazing. We stayed in Miles Away cottage which was very private and had an incredible view of the ocean. The entire property is very peaceful, and if you’re looking for this away from the tourist crowds, this is the right place for you. The cottage itself is very comfortable and the Japanese bath is great. Warm winds, sunset, and the pool - all incredible here. Would highly recommend this Puakea Ranch. The staff are also very responsive."

"We stayed in the "Miles Away" cabin during the first week of the new year. We thought it had a great mix of feeling comfortably old and rustic but also luxurious. We were well informed about expectations of living in an old house on a ranch surrounded by tropical vegetation. Be prepared to see bugs and lizards and geckos and mongoose and a wide variety of beautiful birds, a friendly ranch pup named Bo (Beau?), birds bathing and fish swimming in the pond and whales breaching in the distance from the front deck. (Beautiful sunsets viewable from the deck...we even saw the green flash one evening.) The house was spotless upon arrival. Only a few indoor geckos; a welcome bug patrol- I didn't even notice any bugs. Our favorite feature was the separate bath house, almost close enough to touch from the back porch, even a casual visit felt like a trip to the spa. The kitchen was well stocked for cooking and eating in. A little disappointed that the farm garden and poultry were not producing ...however we did pick some basil and rosemary. The pool area was in great shape - a nice place to hang out and a pleasant, cool water dip. The ranch location is very private with some great north side historical sites, snorkeling and hiking destinations nearby. Limited restaurant selection in Hawi and Kapa'a but a not touristy, friendly feeling to the area. I found Christie to be very responsive and a welcoming host. I would go 4.5 stars if that were an option."

"Puakea Ranch is one of the best wedding venues on the Big Island of Hawaii! I am a local wedding planner, and Puakea Ranch is one of a kind! Not only can 18 guests stay on site in the four cottages, but there are two beautiful pools, hot tubs, sprawling grounds, tons of photo locations, insane sunsets and best of all it is super affordable! A vacation rental and a wedding venue all in one is hard to find in Hawaii and there are few places as beautiful as Puakea Ranch!"