Coffee Farm House

The Big Island's Coffee Region Overlooking Kona

Located within the prime coffee growing mountains above Kona, this beautifully designed farmhouse was constructed by an architect and his musician wife who fell in love with the area and worked for years to conceive and perfect it.

The simple architectural design is derived from ancient Hawaiian structures, historic coffee shacks, and the Zen aesthetic of the homes built by Japanese immigrant farmers.

Using indigenous building materials of lava rock and locally-harvested o'hia wood for the "bones" of the home, the remainder is composed of concrete, teak, and metal roofing with handcrafted copper pipe for fixtures and accents. Much of the copper and steel were shipped in and assembled on-site and the entire home was designed using the "Golden Mean" dimensions found in nature. The architecture is open and designed to blend indoors and outdoors seamlessly.

If you're looking for a Kona upcountry experience, we highly recommend this unique home. It's on agricultural land, surrounded by jungle, where you'll hear frogs, chickens, roosters, tropical birds, and even an occasional wild hog. (If you're a light sleeper, though, you may want to consider a different property!)

The main room is warm and bright with lofty ceilings and exposed rafters and purlins that mimic the island's ancient grass shacks. Finished in teak with slide-away doors that open to the poolside lanai, the room opens on both sides allowing for cooling tropical trade winds. 

The living space is shared with the modern kitchen and a breakfast bar with a dining area that seats four overlooking the coffee orchard, the pool, and faces west for an unobstructed 180-degree view of the Pacific Ocean. The bedroom is cozy and bright with breezy slide away doors and teak shoji windows and a full bath that also opens to the pool area.   

Serene and beautiful, this charming Hawaiian home is a great escape that in the words of the architect, "was designed to last a hundred years".  

THE BIG ISLAND'S RICH COFFEE GROWING DISTRICT

Pristine beaches, lush jungle, snow-capped peaks, and lunar deserts, this is an island of contrast and natural wonder with eleven out of the world's fourteen known climates. The Queen's Highway coastline takes you past the dazzling five-star resorts and some of the island's best beaches including Hapuna and Mauna Kea to old Kona and Captain Cook. 

Kona is a bustling resort town and home to the Florentine inspired Queens Palace (The only official royal residence in the US!). Many of the provincial turn of the century homesteads and remnants of early plantations and coffee processing plants are scattered along the road as a lasting reminder of Big Island life and identity. 

Historic Hilo can be reached in just under two hours' drive on the interior Saddle Road or head through the southern route past the archeological site of the City of Refuge in Honauna. 

North Kohala and Waiamea lie just over an hour north with a charming and eclectic mix of historic plantation-style towns of art galleries, cafes and the stunning Pololu Valley at road's end. It's a great stopover on your way to Honokaa and the magnificent Waipio Valley in the historic Hamakua district.  Head up the Belt Road and into the treetop rainforests of Volcanoes National Park at Mauna Loa or the sometimes snow-covered landscape of Mauna Kea where you truly can ski or snowboard in paradise.   

LOCATION

Kona, Hawaii. Nearest Airport: Kona International Airport (20 Minutes)  

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Tropical and warm year round, the Big Island features all but two of the world's recognized micro-climates depending on the area. Fall can get a bit rainy near Kona but is rarely a wash out. Winter months are a bit cooler in the evenings, so bring a jacket. The farm is located in the Kona Coffee Belt at about 1200 feet above sea level. The elevation provides a comfortable retreat from the hotter beach temperatures.