Winter Paradise
This is a Hawaii many visitors never see. South of the big resorts that line the coast up from Kona. Miles away from touristy beachfront luaus and tiki torches. Kāne Plantation Guesthouse is a tropical luxury retreat perched on a hillside high above the coast of South Kona. At its back door is the distant peak of Mauna Loa volcano and Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. From the front porch, a view down to the oceanfront Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. And to the left and right, lush tropical farms and a patchwork of small coffee producers.
Australian-born owners and hosts David Cox and Michael Corbitt truly understand how to provide gracious, low-key hospitality to their guests staying in the three suites at Kāne Plantation Guesthouse. And with 27-acres of active farmland, they obviously know more than a bit about organic farming. Avocados are the main crop here. A walk around the grounds of Kāne Plantation is a tropical fruit lover’s fantasy. Banana trees tower overhead, coconuts hang from tall palms, and a medley of exotic fruits and flowers grow around the guesthouse. We mainlanders had never seen pomelos, for instance, but this aromatic citrus fruit quickly became a favorite when served at breakfast.
Ah, breakfast. Homemade yogurt and breads, delicious omelets, and a rainbow of local fruits. And of course, fresh Kona coffee. All served on a lanai overlooking the coast. Perhaps the most perfect breakfast we’ve ever experienced at a B&B. Is it the food? Yes. The setting? That too.
South Kona hasn’t always been a welcoming place for outsiders. From Kāne Plantation’s lanais you can catch a distant glimpse of the monument marking Captain James Cook’s ill-fated final visit to the Big Island in 1779. (Cook was killed in an unfortunate skirmish with local natives.) Today’s South Kona is also a study in contradictions—stunning scenery and tropical flora juxtaposed with more than a few shacks and abandoned cars.
Kāne Plantation was once home to artist and Hawaiian cultural historian Herbert Kawainui Kāne. The plantation’s current owners pay homage to Kāne, providing guests detailed historical information and incorporating artwork into the decor. A large exhibition of original Kāne art is on display at the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.
South Kona offers intense tropical island beauty, stunning sunsets, and warm hospitality. You can experience all this and more during a stay at the luxurious Kāne Plantation Guesthouse.
Deb Hosey White is an executive management consultant with over thirty years experience working for Fortune 1000 companies. She is the author of Pink Slips and Parting Gifts, a workplace novel based upon those experiences. With English ancestors on both sides of her family, Deb is a serious Anglophile and an avid traveler.
David Stewart White began his adventures in family travel as a child when he lived in Paris and traveled throughout Europe. He is the author of Let's Take the Kids to London His travel articles have appeared in the Washington Post, the Charlotte Observer, Examiner.com, AAA World Magazine, and in numerous travel websites and online magazines.
Beyond Downton Abbey — A Guide to 25 Great Houses was their first collaborative travel writing effort. They followed up with Beyond Downton Abbey Volume 2 to tell the stories of another group of great homes in Britain.
www.beyonddowntonabbey.com/
