Mo'ohana on the Big Island

A new off-grid retreat perfectly situated for exploring the Big Island, Mo'ohana is stylish, contemporary, and well appointed for a comfortable extended stay. Just 20 minutes from the Hilo airport, Kurtistown has a “country” feel with farms, open space, and no city noise. It’s central to all east-side attractions - beaches, waterfalls, Hilo’s historic downtown, and Volcanoes National Park. High-end furniture, quality bedding, a full kitchen, original artwork, and a screened lanai await you! The space Hawaii Transient Accommodations Tax ID Number TA-135-954-6368-01 Other things to note Local shopping, restaurants, sights… From Huina (the road you turned up to get to your house) and the highway, all main services are to the left (back towards Hilo) except for Volcano, which is to the right. SHOPPING. The little shopping area at Huina and the highway has gas, a post office, a 7-11, a small general store, and a café. The store is J Hara – it’s geared towards outdoor sports, and if you’re bothered by mounted game on the walls you’ll want to avoid it. But it’s got all the main staples plus some good prepared dishes at a hot counter. The café is Kurtistown Café. It’s a bit short on ambiance, but the food is very good and generous. They make a great breakfast sandwich and the roast pork plates are homey and good. A few miles towards Hilo in Kea’au is the main shopping for our area. There’s a Foodland grocery store, Kea’au Natural Foods, Ace Hardware, and a Pizza Hut. Right across the Kea’au Pahoa Road is Longs Drugs, and in the next block just past McDonald’s is a GREAT bakery and deli; The Big Island Bakehouse (people line up) and The Kea’au Deli. Both only offer takeout, but it is topnotch. The best farm stand in the area, Mei’s, is on the road that fronts the Foodland shopping center, Old Volcano Road. Mei’s is on an empty lot next door to the HFS Federal Credit Union, the easiest way to find it is to Map/GPS yourself to the credit union. Back near the airport is the mall (with movie theaters) and the “big box” stores: Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Ross, TJ Max, etc. Downtown Hilo has a great farmers market (open 7 days and huge on Wednesdays and Saturdays) and lots of cute stores and galleries in the adjacent blocks. The Maku’u Farmers Market is on Sunday mornings and is top notch – you’ll find produce, crafts, gifts, prepared food… To find it take Hwy 130 towards Pahoa, it’s on the highway between Paradise and Maku’u. ENTERTAINMENT. The Palace Theater is an art-deco-era theater and a great place to see a movie on a big screen. They often have plays and live music. The local museums (Lyman House, Tsunami Museum, Imiloa Astronomy Center, Mokupapapa Discovery Center) are all excellent and worth visiting. Google for hours and special events. DINING. For dining with ambiance, head to either Hilo or Volcano. Hilo. Café Pesto, Hilo Bay Café, Jackie Rey’s, Temple Bar, Lehua at Imiloa, Miyo’s (Japanese). All take reservations and have very good food with lots of local ingredients, all casual to nice attire, all medium to high prices. Hilo Bay Café is right on the bay with a beautiful view. Lehua at Imiloa has a top-rated chef and live music. Another good food option is Sakura for Japanese and sushi, it’s inexpensive, but does not take reservations – go early or line up. In the farmer’s market there are 3 food stands together with picnic table seating – Kula smoothies, shave ice, and acai bowls; a burger place, and a poke place. All very good, fast, and reasonable. Volcano. Volcano House in the park has glorious 5-star views and pretty good food. Go for the view! Outside of the park Kileaua Lodge is very nice. For breakfast or lunch Lava Rock Café has good food, reasonably priced, but not much ambiance. SIGHTS. All the major sights are listed in guidebooks and online, and truly all are “musts” to really get a feel for the island. All of the beaches are beautiful and have different personalities, the waterfalls are beautiful, Liliu’okalani Gardens is a lovely Japanese garden right on the bay (tip – it’s next door to Hilo Bay Café, lovely for a meal and a walk). For hikes, I like what’s listed on the bigislandhikes site (sorry, I can't share the link due to airbnb's limitations, but it's .com). For a local gorgeous spot that’s not ever crowded, my favorite place is Ala Heaiu. It’s about 20 minutes away, right on the cliffs with shade, tidepools, walking trails and lots of places to sit and soak in the scenery… To find it take Hwy 130 towards Pahoa, and at Maku’u turn left. Follow Maku’u to the bottom. Where it T’s, turn right onto Ala Heaiu. The road ends in ¼ mile. Park on the side of the road end explore. This is a great destination to take a picnic from the Kea’au Deli, or to visit after you hit the Maku’u Farmer’s Market on Sunday. I’m happy to expand on any of the above or offer insight on an area you’re interested in. Please ask! Aloha, Leslie