Was highly disappointed. We wanted to stay somewhere local to help support local Hawaiians with everything going on instead of some big corporation. After we arrived we found out there are cats which I'm allergic to. But I figured I would just avoid them and we would be gone most of the time anyway. Then we began to notice bugs. The lizards didn't particularly bother us, but there were millipedes everywhere. Dozens dead behind the bed, and in the corner of the bathroom. Live millipedes under the bathroom counter on the floor and crawling on the walls. Spiders near the AC. And we were getting bit by something in the middle of the night. We tried to stick it out, but after the 2nd day we just couldn't take it. I let the manager of the property know and she was very kind about it. But the owner would not give us any money back for the 3 unused nights, not even a partial refund. I was very disappointed. If you are considering booking here. Just don't. Not worth it. read more

See all

So I'm originally from the big island but never stayed at Luana. Wanted to do something different for our Christmas vacation back home. I am so thankful i found this place! So convenient for me because all my family was in the captain cook area, but it is like a 20 minute drive to town (ali'i dr.) Words cant even come close to describing the beauty of this location and pictures can't do justice. The owner was amazing, so welcoming and made us feel right at home. Definitely gonna stay here more although I already have a home there, my new staycation Hands down if you love scenery and island life this will be heaven on heaven for you. read more

I wanted to love this place - the location alone and the old school feel but it failed to provide the promised perks and services. The hot tub was in a state of disrepair, no grill or barbeque was available, amenities in the kitchen were at a bare minimum - no cookware to fry an egg (!!), and finally all soap products from shampoo to dish soap were diluted. Additionally the mattress was sub-par and in need of replacement. We paid over $600 for 3 nights and feel overcharged and underserved. My partner wrote the proprietor directly and received an exceedingly defensive reply suggesting that we should have been more aggressive with requests to rectify issues but I maintain that it is the proprietor's sole job to make sure a guest has everything they need from the get-go. The last thing one wants to do on vacation is to wrangle for promised services. My distinct impression of the Luana Inn is that it is only a hobby for the owner, something that they are uninterested in making a true success. And this is a great shame because there is true potential in the place. read more

I been searching for a way to write this after my trip, but the last two issues have pushed me forward. We have stayed here for 9nights & it was split into two different stays in 3 weeks (4nights & 5nights) Stay 1: we were expecting a clean room but there was trash in the refrigerator plus about 3inches of ice in the freezer, that really stank! The dishes were dirty and there was food and gunk in the Microwave- . The bathroom was not clean and I spent about 30mins. Leaning it with Alcohol I brought for my wounds, because there was nothing in the room for cleaning besides Dr. Bronzers soap and it was already diluted. One of the worse things was we encountered a large poisonous centipede, that walk in under the door , as there is a large gap under the room door leading from the common area. There is a few Geckos in the cupboards and they climb all over the fruits we bought so it was a mess. We did let the House staff know and she apologized and said the room would be clean when we came back. Our 2nd stay: We are still here for one more night, 2nights ago I found a another centipede in the room in the bathroom ( Apparently they climb in they the drain, which is NOT Secured only a plastic drain thingy, if this is known why not secure it so a guest does not get bit? Our Room w as not clean as promised as soon as I arrived I got a paper towel rubbed the Kitchen Counter and........ just amazing that this is considered clean (see bottom photo). We found another dirty dish in the counter with greasy fingerprints all over it, and a hunk of someone's lunch or something . The bed is soft with a huge dip in it on the left facing side. ImmThe room does smell like dog and it's evident they cater to pets here, but I'm Hypo-Allergenic! It was said at booking that the property was really clean and catered to persons like myself and even washed everything with PEROXIDE. Well the comforter I slept in the 1st time has not been washed since we left the 1st time (Trust me I know , ) Well I have a little over 12hrs left and I'll finish this review upon checkout and will post pictures to accompany the review..... read more

It was great. Clean, accommodating, convenient, exactly the private comfy type of place we needed. a lot of nice great amenities for a very reasonable price. Checking in and out was extremely simple. We originally booked through hotels.com, and apparently their system isn't linked well to Luana. So the original room we booked was double booked. Maya and Mark immediately got a hold of me when realizing the error, and after some quick finagling, they remedied the issue by upgrading us to an available cottage space and even gave us a generous discount for the slight inconvenience. We thought this place was great and we will be recommending to others. The only reason we're giving a 4star review and not 5 is because our master bedroom had a queen size bed and with such a nice, big cottage, a King would have better sufficed. *Side note: We are locals that live on the Big Island. We've experienced "not so great" treatment from other similar places here because of that. But Luana in seemed even more welcoming and happy that we were local. read more

My gentleman friend and I stayed at The Luana Inn in June 2013 and were very pleased with our visit there. It was our first trip to Hawaii, and staying in a small town with hosts who know the area definitely enhanced our experience of the Big Island (as opposed to staying at a resort). Ken & Erin are both great cooks, making fresh baked goods most mornings, serving fresh local fruit, and providing delicious Kona coffee. They're also happy to accommodate dietary restrictions. Ken is not afraid to talk politics at the breakfast table, which we appreciated. And speaking of breakfast tables, the communal dining area is set up so that you can easily have an intimate breakfast, or sit at a bigger table and talk with other guests. There are only five rooms at the Inn, so it doesn't feel overwhelmingly busy, even when the Inn is full. We enjoyed meeting travelers from other parts of the world and the US. They have clearly put a lot of thought into the accoutrements in each room, and have a very thorough homemade guide book to tell you about Captain Cook, as well as the Island overall. The rooms and the Inn are spotlessly clean. Everything feels fresh, clean, and sunny. We felt very well taken care of. The Inn is near the top of a big hill, so you can look all the way down the Island to the ocean. We slept with the windows open and doors unlocked, which definitely added to the feeling of being in paradise. Other bonuses: -Ken and Erin's two adorable sons who you can occasionally interact with or see frolicking (like dolphins!). -The fact that they let us check out as late as we wanted on our last day, allowing us to have one more magical morning at nearby Ho'okena Beach. -Ken sent us his recipe for amazing lemon pancakes! -They're good at giving directions to local beaches, which can be a bit confusing to find, once you get off the main highway. After spending a week driving around and seeing other parts of the Island and places where we could have stayed, I think we definitely found a gem. Can't wait to go back! read more

There seems to be two ways to visit Hawaii's Big Island. There's a stretch of beach, not even a couple miles long, that seems to have dozens of hotels and resort-type things all right next to each other, with little shops and restaurants all within walking distance. If you're just there for the beach, and don't really care about the rest of the island (or don't want to rent a car), this might be a nice place to stay. The other thing you could do, though, if you have a car, is find a bed and breakfast among any of the small towns near the island's coast. If this is what you're doing, and I strongly encourage you to do it this way, then you should go to Captain Cook and stay at the Luana Inn. We stayed in one of the rooms attached to the main house (there are also a couple set back from the house). We never felt the way I'm always worried B&Bs will feel: like we're splitting a house with a bunch of strangers. Our room had a door to the outside and its own bathroom. The weather was pretty comfortable while we were there, but our room also had an air conditioner. There was also a little refrigerator and free wifi access (the latter worked fine with my laptop, but my phone had a weirdly difficult time staying connected). The beds have Temperpedic mattresses, which are a complete pleasure to sleep on. The house and yard were wonderful. The back side of the house has a great view of the ocean and nearby beach. The downstairs of the house is a common room with a book exchange and a diverse collection of DVDs to rent. There's a door out of the common room to an outdoor pool and hot tub (the pool & hot tub area also has comfortable chairs for reading or sunning). In the morning either Ken or Erin (the owners) made breakfast, and it was amazing. There was typically some kind of fresh fruit and local grown coffee. They were careful to verify our dietary preferences or restrictions upon arrival, and every morning they had at least one vegetarian option (my dietary preference). Keep in mind that most of the food on the Big Island is imported, which can make restaurants expensive. Breakfast is included at the Luana Inn, which would be a strong argument in favor of staying there (one less meal you have to buy each day) even before you consider how good the breakfast actually is. We actually ate really well on the Big Island, but breakfast was always great. Erin and Ken are each terribly friendly and fun to talk to. They seem to have a deep, well-infomed knowledge of the island's beaches, activities, and resources. They had good answers for all of our questions, and and were invaluable resources throughout our stay. The Luana Inn is less than an hour from the Kona Airport (on the Big Island's west coast) and is also an easy drive from a grocery store, a coffee & fruit co-op, and some thrift and antique stores. It seems like there are a handful of B&Bs around, but if I went back (and I would love to) it wouldn't occur to me to stay anywhere else. read more

Great potential, but definitely no longer a bed & breakfast experience. Expect an Airbnb that's a good budget option. Unfortunately when we booked - that was not our expectation because we did not know the owners had changed. I think they are still working through some issues, so I'll try to keep this review as productive as possible and hope they can improve. Pros: price compared to other nearby properties was decent, strong hot showers, nice common room, provided beach towels, access to hot tub, pool, bbq and laundry is convenient Cons: Mid way through our visit we were told by Alex the groundskeeper that the new owners don't have access to the website so they couldn't change the information. This explains a lot. We were told in advance that there was no breakfast included anymore..so that was fair. But there was no maid service in the rooms the whole time we were there. Also there was no WIFI access from our room and we had to walk over to the pool area every night which was inconvenient. When we arrived, some light fixtures were unplugged and the cable wasn't set up properly. Something that would REALLY help is to make sure all the rooms are set up properly for your guests in advance of their arrival. Please include an FAQ sheet explaining the situation with the WIFI and how to properly dispose trash. This is important because we had an ant problem and after talking to Alex we worked out a situation where we would leave trash bags outside our room and he'd dispose them for us. We only had an email we could use to communicate with the owner who we rarely saw. The only clear communication we received was a letter on how to self check in/ park which was signed by the PREVIOUS owners with their phone numbers... Please update that with your current name/ phone number for your guests because we wound up accidentally calling the former owners of the Luana Inn. Email is a great way to communicate but when there are issues it's helpful to have a phone call or a face to face meeting because we got frustrated by some of the back and forth. read more

This place is amazing--I wish I could have stayed here forever! The rooms and the grounds are immaculate and beautifully decorated. Our room looked out onto a beautifully landscaped patio with pool/hot-tub, and a stunning view of the Pacific. The rooms are spacious with microwaves, fridge, and many other conveniences. The staff was incredibly professional and friendly. And the BREAKFAST--gourmet and delicious!! I high recommend to anyone. You're also close to some of the best snorkelling in the world--Captain Cook area. read more

Excellent on just about everything: service, location, premises, and the owners are very friendly. This is quite simply the best B&B experience you will get - We felt right at home, and the praise that this place seems to be getting all over the Internet is fully justified. read more

BEWARE: This B&B changed owners and pictures of rooms are no longer current, and they no longer offer any kind of breakfast. The guest cottage was junky and while the landscaping is being tended to, it was neglected for a while and the pool was dirty. read more

An experience you want to repeat!!!! What a fantastic place! I thought it was going to be a bed & breakfast It was much more than that! First off the host & hostess Erin & Ken Make you feel right at home. Captain Cook area feels remote but You are not too far from anything. The breakfasts were great. Our unit came with coffee & all kinds of goodies that were unexpected. Ocean views abound. The property is clean and feels homey. If we were the kind of people that hung out We'd love to hang out here! There's so much on the Big Island to experience that it's hard to want to stay put! If I could give the Luanna Inn 6 stars, I would! Thanks for helping make us want to return Again & again read more

The inn met our needs very nicely. It's quiet with decent-sized rooms, a real breakfast cooked by the innkeepers, and a pool and hot tub that look out on a spectacular view of the bay -- looking at the sunset from there is worth the price of admission. We had a really lovely time with this place as our base of operations. The 5-star raves for this place make me feel slightly cantankerous for listing any drawbacks at all (I think the euphoria of being in Hawaii leads reviewers to star-inflation). But for purposes of full disclosure, the location may not be convenient, depending on what you plan to do. It takes a bit of time to drive down the windy road toward that the inn is located on. It takes you closer to the water, so it may not be a problem if you plan on, say, hanging out at Two Step most of the time. But it adds some travel time every time you go somewhere. The rooms are a little charmless, although they're clean and otherwise just fine. And we were a bit annoyed that breakfast is only served between 8 and 9 - a whole lot of the water activities in Captain Cook start early in the morning, so we missed a bunch of the breakfasts (they will pack one for you to go, but you have to ask by noon the day before). read more

From the photos posted online, we were sure that the Luana Inn would be beautiful. However, the photos don't do this lovely place justice. We stayed with Erin & Ken for 9 nights in June 2014 when we visited the Big Island to get married at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. They truly treated us as family in their home. The view from our room was spectacular - we loved to watch the sun set nightly from the pool or hot tub. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and Erin even picked us a white pineapple on our last day. Our hosts made sure that we had anything we needed - snorkel gear, towels, a sack breakfast on a day we had to leave before breakfast was served. They anticipated every need that we might have. John had a surgery prior to the trip and we were concerned about his comfort in sleeping, as sometimes he has to sleep in a sitting position. Erin & Ken made sure John had a recliner available in the room upon our arrival. The breakfasts that they created for us were the absolute best meals we had the entire time we were on the island. Erin & Ken knew every great place to visit - the touristy places as well as the more private attractions. We love children and found their boys to be very entertaining, and we enjoyed visiting their dog, Charlie. The Inn was very private and secluded, which was exactly what we wanted. We are so thankful we chose the Luana Inn instead of a giant resort with millions of other guests, and we can't wait to go back. read more

See all

We researched many of the B&B's on the Big Island and decided on the Luana Inn. It was a wise choice. Personally, I've stayed at several B&B's over the past two decades, and I can say unequivocally, this one ranks at the top. The accommodations exceeded expectations; each of the delicious four breakfasts was different from each other, with fruit, eggs, sausage, cereal, juice, and--of course--delicious Kona coffee. We enjoyed breath-taking sunsets, well-maintained grounds, a beautiful pool, internet access, even a coffee press in our lovely room. Our hosts, Erin and Ken, graciously and personally welcomed our arrival and ensured our visit was a most pleasant experience. Would we stay there again? In a heartbeat! read more

We stayed at the Luana Inn for 7 nights in June and we were very sad to leave! Our stay was absolutely wonderful. First off, the inn itself had beautiful grounds. They were well maintained with a great patio, pool, and hot tub for relaxing. There were also grills available that could be used by guests at any time. Perhaps our favorite thing about the grounds was the killer view of the ocean - a great place to catch a beautiful sunset at the end of the day. The room we stayed in was simple yet spacious and extremely clean. It had everything you could ask for, including a fridge and a microwave which allowed us to stock up with snacks for our daily activities. In addition to all this, there were a number of various amenities that were provided to guests - beach towels, boogie boards, an ice machine, coolers, flashlights, and anything else you could think of. Snorkeling gear and a large collection of DVDs were also available to rent from the owners (for very cheap). In addition to all this, each morning you got a freshly prepared breakfast. The hosts, Ken and Erin, take your food allergies into consideration. We saw them go out of their way to make sure each guest got a breakfast they could enjoy. The food was always delicious! Ken and Erin were both very knowledgeable about the Big Island and were always happy to recommend activities and look up information for guests. They were both made us feel very welcome and at home. In addition to all the Luana Inn itself had to offer, we also loved the area in which the inn itself was located (Captain Cook). There were several great beaches within 20 minutes of the inn, hiking, and amazing snorkeling (at a place called Two Step). In walking distance from the inn was also the Kona Coffee Co-op, a great little place to stop for a cup of coffee or a snack (Vanilla Macadamia Nut Ice Cream was our favorite). We felt we could have spent a whole week alone just exploring the Captain Cook area. However, there is so much to see and do on the Big Island. We often spent each day packing up a cooler, and going hiking in the morning and then relaxing at a beach in the afternoon. For where it was located, all the amenities it provided, and with very knowledgeable hosts, the Luana Inn made a great "base camp" for us to explore all the Big Island had to offer. On top of all this, the cost of staying at the Luana Inn is very low compared to other hotels in the area. We hope to be back again soon, and hopefully for a longer stay. We highly recommend the Luana Inn! read more

We stayed in one of the rooms that's separate from the house, it was very comfortable. The B&B has a pool and hot tub- the hot tub is kept at its hot temperature 24/7 which is nice. The breakfasts were great, she makes them from fresh ingredients every morning. The only reason for 4/5 stars is the place is a ways from restaurants- 10 minutes to the closest and about 30 minutes to the main restaurants in Kona. read more

We stayed here for a portion of our honeymoon and absolutely loved it. The location was perfect... Very close to fantastic snorkeling at the captain cook monument, and the view from our room was stunning. The sunsets there are picture perfect. We could easily get to a variety of restaurants and sites as well. Ken and Erin are perfect hosts... The breakfasts were amazing, and their recommendations for places to eat and things to do were spot-on. They take hosting an inn very seriously and strive to make your stay wonderful. The room was comfortable and spacious, and they have lots gear that you can rent (like snorkel stuff) or simply borrow (towels, boogie boards)... They also have a huge DVD collection at your disposal if you find you need a break from the beautiful surroundings. Erin and Ken are simply great people and it was a real joy to stay with them. We would stay the again in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. read more