We’ve now transferred to Hawaii ‘Big’ Island where we are having our first ever AirBnB experience. We’re staying at the delightful Puna Rainforest Retreat in the Lavender Orchid cottage.
The retreat is wonderfully quiet and peaceful. At night all you can hear are the sounds of rainforest tree frogs calling. There is no light pollution so we have views of incredibly clear night skies dotted with millions of twinkling stars.
By day there is a constant mix of bird chirping sounds and the occasional hum of aircraft in in the distance. Since being here we’ve heard no traffic noise and as the other guests are so quiet we’ve heard no people. From our cottage bed we can see the orange glow of the sunrise every morning and have been enjoying breakfast in the sun on our decking area.
The retreat is eco friendly and a rain catchment system is used for the deliciously tasting water. All energy comes from solar power.
We would certainly recommend this idyllic little spot particularly for those wishing to relax and ‘get away from it all’. It is so lovely that we’ve preferred to stay here, cook meals and enjoy a bottle of wine rather than going out for dinner. (Which says a lot as Laura is not exactly into cooking…)
We were lucky to see this praying mantis which only came to our attention as it flew towards us and landed in the undergrowth.
Sharing our terrace….An orange spotted (or gold dust) Day Gecko. This gecko is native to Madagascar and was introduced to Hawaii.
There are a couple of small trails within the grounds of the retreat. The first one (above) was overgrown so quite an adventure.
The second trail (above) was less overgrown and had a clearer pathway.
The nearest town to the retreat is Pahoa where we brought our supplies. Lonely Planet describes Pahoa as “a weird mix of Wild West frontier town and hippie commune, a ramshackle ragamuffin town with a bohemian edge” which certainly seems to be the case!
frombluetogreen.com 
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