The entire experience was so wonderful. Everything at the property is well organized and with the…read morehelp of strategically placed signs, guests are able to navigate the property easily. The cabanas are very nice - sleeping in the hammock actually ended up being some of the best sleep and best dreams I have ever had. My husband is 6'2" and he loved it too. We are getting hammocks at home asap. Even when it rains at night, you stay dry inside and cozy with the blankets provided. The amenities available at the main house like food storage, a fridge, coffee and French press and grill - are amazing. There are stores, markets and even a wal mart near by with prices that are reasonable and very similar to Indiana. There is a bakery, Mr Eds, down a beautiful rain forest road- that sells amazing breakfast foods, baked goods and other goodies. The entire little town of Honomu is perfect and we loved Hilo in every way. It is possible to get your laundry washed while staying here, go for walks, play with the kitties who live there and interact with other residents staying for one night or more. The open shower/bathroom turned out to be an awesome experience. There is a lot of parking available and it's an easy drive any where you go. You definitely need a car. The entire place is beautiful, colorful birds and dragonflies are everywhere! Of course with any place , it is important to be realistic. Like I mentioned earlier, there could be multiple people staying there on the property while you're there so there could be some noise at different times of the night or day, but for the most part it's not major. You might have to wait for a restroom- but there are two restrooms . This is the rainier side of the island so you might get more rain than what you might've expected And inside the cabana if it's very windy, the curtains will move some. Because it's the wet side of the island there's a chance that you'll have some mosquito interaction. Just make sure you bring your (natural) repellent. This location is earth friendly with multiple people there so that means you're not going to take a 30 minute hot shower and you're not going to just have unlimited power usage, etc. The entire Island has an increased capacity for mold, so ya, you might see mold. There might even be a roach from time to time on the island. Overall, love it. We plan on staying here frequently!

Gorgeous place, loved swimming in the waterfall. The cabanas are adorable and it was a great place…read moreto glamp but still use the shared kitchen house. It was not particularly private, but thankfully the staff were all fantastic, helpful, and kind. It felt like staying with friends.

Beautiful park with a well-marked and well-maintained trail system; great for a day hike. It…read morewasn't nearly as remote or primitive as I had been led to believe by online descriptions of it. There are flush toilets, several cabins, and a nice covered picnic area. We saw one other couple there, but there were also rangers and maintenance workers around. The forest is very dense, with ferns, moss, VERY large trees and a lot of birds. We saw some exotic "sea anemone" mushrooms and a lot of ginger flowers. There is an easier nature trail near the picnic area near the bottom of the park. The rest of the trails are all uphill from the entrance. We hiked most of the trails in the park in less than four hours. The park is basically laid out in a rectangle maybe a little more than a mile from top to bottom and maybe less than a mile side to side. You start at the bottom; the parking lot is near the middle of the bottom side. There is a four-mile-or-so loop that goes around the perimeter of the park - part of that loop is called the horse perimeter trail. On the other side of the rectangle is a "gulch" trail that runs uphill mostly along a deep gulch said to have been formed mostly by pleistocene era glacial ice-cap runoff. The gulch trail is connected to the "perimeter" trail by a trail across the top of the park. There is an old "jeep trail" that runs straight up the middle of the park from the parking lot to the top of the rectangle, and a couple shorter transverse trails that run between and perpendicular to the jeep trail and the gulch trails. There are signs located at all of the trail intersections. There are a few places where water can run through the park during up-mountain rains, leading to possible flash-flooding. Some descriptions of the park say the flash-floods can be dangerous, and in at least one place there is the potential to be washed down into the gulch. Some descriptions say that the trails can be muddy. When we were there in August, the trails were hard-packed and the streams dry.

Lovely, peaceful trails at this park. In this visit we only had time for the nature trail which was…read morewell maintained and had a number of interpretive signs describing the various trees and shrubs. Also near the nature trail is the arboretum of native plants with additional interpretive signs, be sure to visit both areas. If you have more time, do the jeep trail to gulch trail as a loop.

Beautiful scenic park. Please stop and read about the park's history. Clean and very well…read moremaintained bathrooms. Friendly local families during the weekend.

Visiting many beaches and finding that most are Lava Rock base and the Sandy ones have you in for…read morehikes. Love the beach and views.

First of all, how am I the first to write a review of this place that has been here since 1990?…read more Owned and operated by the same family since its establishment. Yes I did my homework before arriving! Now that I'm here, wow! Just wow! Located close to ITO airport and the beautiful beach, this property has a little or a lot of everything for every traveler! From incredible house/lodge style accommodations (think barndominium - I live in Tennessee) to basic hotel style rooms and suites, even onsite camping for travelers! I was immediately greeted by concierge Lauren who took her time, walking me around the grounds even though I'm just here for the night. I arrived late, but just before sunset. Ok ok, let me go back.... I was flying in from HNL and as my flight departed at 5:00pm, I received a text from Arnotts confirming my arrival. This personal touch started my journey to this review. Being only 12 minutes from the ITO airport, a taxi ride is about $15.00. The drive is beautiful, scenic, and the view of the ocean pretty much the entire drive in reaching the resort. The atmosphere is green, lush, and quiet. Many common areas, so if you're traveling alone, not to worry, this Lodge makes you feel like you're among friends! Check in and be ready to be escorted around the property with a personal tour of all the amenities and your room! Although there are no TVs or phones in the rooms, WiFi is strong and the air conditioner is cold! What more do you need? You're in Hawaii! Go enjoy the sights! The Lodge has its own tour company, excursions! No need to leave your accommodation to find things to do, this place has its own all. 10/10 for sure! Listen, if you want the beach, close to the airport (without noise, I literally heard chirping birds only), excursions, friendly people, beautiful lush grounds, a clean room, and peace! This is your place! Thank you Lauren! You made my first visit to Hilo one I won't forget! ~ Kerry Kirchenberg K9comfortpaws.com

Arnott's lodge Mauna Kea summit tour in October 2026 was a nightmare. We wish we'd asked for a…read morerefund before it started, as a different person did. The air conditioning in the van was out, an inconvenience but manageable so we went for it. Wish we hadn't. As we were driving, noticed the seatbelts were locking up, we had to keep undoing and redoing to get freedom of movement. We got past the visitors center when your guide noticed the van had a flat tire. We were stuck on the side of the road for an hour and 15 minutes waiting for a replacement van. We missed sunset on the peak. Our driver was understandably in a rush to get us to the peak so we zoomed up. The headlights from all the vehicles leaving were directly in our eyes. The front passenger seatbelt was broken so a passenger drove without one. The guide asked Rangers to give us a few minutes at the observatory. We stopped at the top for a few minutes to snap a couple photos, then had to rush back down as Rangers were wanting everyone off the summit. We didn't get a summit sunset or time to eat our picnic dinner. This is not an experience I'd recommend for anyone visiting the big island, I'd have rather spent my time elsewhere and feel this wasn't worth the price.

After visiting the green sand beach, we headed to the Volcano National Park. We had heard there was…read moresome recent activity and ultimately saw some lava from a hiking trail we took! The lava tube was so unique and such a quick, fun experience! I'm not sure what I expected but it was so interesting to see what the lava had once created. Definitely a must see while visiting the Big Island!

Another one of the things in Hawaii that we did wrong simply because we had a lot of crap packed…read moreinto our schedule over a very large area of the island, so things had to get cut or modified and this was one of them. We made two visits at night, which I highly recommend. Why? No $30 entrance fee - amazing views of the night sky - superb vent glow We had, like everybody, hoped to see an eruption. Kilauea was building up for episode 53 and we missed that by hours. That episode started while we were on the tarmac in Kona getting ready to depart. So, what did we see? Visit #1 - The most amazing clear night sky. Not a cloud out there and the difference in temperature compared to Hilo was fantastic. There was also a good bit of smoke and vent glow and while there were some people out along the Crater Rim West trail, it wasn't crazy for 8pm on a Friday. Visit #2 - Very cold and blustery and completely clouded over. Pitch black darkness along the roads and trails and very spooky taking the drive over to the overlook on Crater Rim Drive East since nobody else was there. Who would have thought episode 53 would start the next day? The amount of smoke and glow from three days prior was remarkably less. If there is ever a next time, I'll make it a priority to be here during the day for all of the traditional things like the Visitors Center, Steam Vents and more of the trails and lookouts. Either way - five stars - easily

I drove here to take a picture of the sign…read more Mackenzie is my niece's name, my sisters name and my man's last name so it was only fitting that I get a photo of the sign. What a crazy drive to get here but worth it. I drove in and out of the park- very pretty. The drive is only that crazy due to the blockage from 2018/2019 volcano ruins.

I challenged the lava rock trail here and the lava rocks won. Just ask my scraped up knee, calf,…read morewrist, hands and wounded pride ;p. I blame the ghosts! That's right. It turns out this spot is known to be haunted! I didn't even know this until I looked up information on this area after our hike here. It's rumored that the souls of the prisoners who died repairing the trails in the 1800s are here, and it's also known generally as a place where wayward souls ('uhane) congregate. It's also rumored that the prisoners who died were also buried here in unmarked graves. It's safe to say you shouldn't camp here when the zombie apocalypse comes. There's also a history of some serious crimes committed here at night which is another reason to be wary if you stay here from dusk til' dawn (Unless you're with the brothers From Dusk Til' Dawn). This spot was actually closed for months due to the volcano but reopened just a month ago on Sept. 8. GPS "Fastest time" directions will not work here for the recommended route. The most direct path is closed due to the volcanic eruption so the roundabout detour route will feel like you are Lara Croft or Drake from Uncharted, driving through a lush green jungle of vegetation on narrow roads, dodging multiple mongoose (Mongooses? Mongeese?), and seeing native birds flit by. We certainly felt like we were in an adventure game driving on the detour route, especially when the torrential downpour of rain hit! We came here as a recommendation from the owner of the B&B we stayed at. I had wanted to see the lava flow but since a lot of the previous sites were now off limits due to the recent eruption our local expert mentioned that if you hike about an hour into the trail here, you can see the new lava formations. Note that this is not a trail for those with mobility problems or those that aren't used to hiking trails with minimal path markers. The trail itself consists of uneven lava rocks. Our local guide said "Make sure you stay on the trail!" quite emphatically. We got off the trail unintentionally a few times though and I see why he was so concerned. While the trail is rocky, a bit hazardous and requires some careful stepping to make sure you don't slip and fall, the rocks on it, while still craggy and rough, aren't sharp enough to do any major damage. Now the lava rocks that are off the trail are a different story. Those haven't been worn down by shoes and can splinter off quite easily. They are razor sharp. The rocks are also quite unstable. What you might think is a solid rock might actually be a lava rock "shell" or bubble that is hollow on the inside. Just imagine stepping on a rock like that when you think it's solid to have your foot sink down, getting various scrapes, bruises, and deep cuts along the way. Believe me, you don't want to be picking out lava rock splinters and dust from your wounds on vacation. The only trail markers are the white stones/coral and sprouting palm tree seeds scattered sporadically. It's like Hawaiian Hansel and Gretel made this trail. You will be walking on rough uneven surfaces so wear sturdy shoes. The experience of walking the trail here was a little freaky because you can feel the heat radiating from underneath the rocks in certain spots due to the volcanic activity. I hiked maybe 3/4 mi, passing by 2 beaches before I headed back. I later found out you have to hike about 5 miles to get to the lava flow. I'm not sure how the rest of the trail fared after the first mile but it did get rockier and harder to follow after reaching the first beach. I wasn't really expecting the trail to be this rugged. Had I known in advance I probably would have worn long pants since I tend to be accident prone. I did see most people walking the trail in shorts and even some wearing a dress and sandals. I also probably would have brought some gloves to make it easier to grip onto the lava rocks. Regardless of your gear, make sure you have plenty of water. It's very easy to overheat here. Equip yourself with a sense of adventure, some sturdy shoes and give it a shot!

I came here as a volunteer in March of 2012 knowing nothing about Hawaii or the Big Island. I…read moreintended to stay for only 2 weeks, but ended up living here for about 6 months. This place was the most amazing experience of my life. This is where I met lifelong friends, travelers and business contacts. Hedonisia attracts eccentric, interesting, talented hippie types and the like who all have something to contribute to the "community of individuals" that comprises Hedonisia. At Hedo, I learned how to do yoga, cook curry, tend tropical gardens, build structure from re-used and re-purposed materials, build trails, hula hoop, among many other fascinating hobbies that I would have ordinarily never have tried, all in one place, none the less! The most amazing aspect of this place is the people. Without them, Hedonisia would not be as enriching of an experience. Hedonisia is on roughly 4 acres of tropical rainforest and it's built in a whimsical play land sort of way. There are fun funky nooks and crannies to explore, lots of colorful art, cooky but functional structures, a converted hippie school bus, the works. One of my friends I met here described it perfectly once: This place feels like adult hippie summer camp. You work hard, you make friends, and most of all you have so much fun! In addition to all the property has to offer including fresh fruit, beautiful flowers, vegetables, it is located in an amazing spot in Lower Puna which is rich with folklore and culture, as it is in the wake of Kilauea (active volcano's) path. There are geothermal warm ponds just up the street, black sand beaches, amazing camping, cool farmer's markets and night markets and overall the most interesting mix of people you'd ever hope to meet. This place is somewhere to go if you have an open mind and an open heart, if you are eager and hungry to learn, explore, adventure and have fun. The owners are open, honest, fun, youthful and amazing people who I have become lifelong friends and business contacts with. They have an open door policy and often get their hands dirty themselves doing work, weeding around the property, getting to know all their volunteers, all their guests, and generally opening their little slice of paradise up for everyone to share and enjoy. Do yourself a favor and volunteer here. Now.

From the first moment I got to Hedonisia I felt at home. I came as a volunteer with no return date…read morein mind so far from home I was so glad to feel comfortable as soon as I arrived. Everything is rainbow colored and mostly open air, even the kitchen which was one of my favorite parts! The property has multiple levels and its own volcanic crater! I stayed in the Avocado Tent which to my surprise was a large tent with carpeting and a real bed inside! Over my time as a volunteer I got to meet lots of really great and interesting people. This is a great place to spend some time at getting to know people. You wouldn't really get a chance to appreciate this place if you only stay for a couple of nights. If you are looking for something truly unique I would highly recommend checking this place out!

This place is the perfect restroom stop on the way from Hilo to Kona…read more Beautiful and super clean with plenty of toilet paper ! It's high up so I bet it's gorgeous to look for the Milky Way and stars! Gorgeous surroundings and Mountain View to see! Enjoy!

Looking for beautiful sunrises o , sunsets or rainbows? This…read moreis the spot to see them all. I was blown away every day at the gorgeousness of this spot. It is on the long storied Saddle Road and you will have to drive through the clouds to get there, but it is worth it!! Be cautious, careful and drive safe. Afternoon rains are normal and cold! Pack your warm weather gear, scarves, hats and gloves and warm jackets. Oh? And your camera! The stars here are fantastic. If you need to connect with yourself and nature, go here.