This gem of a guesthouse has been built to accommodate occasional visitors in the plantation days. It is totally preserved in its originality, the floors, the trims, the moldings on the high ceilings, the sash windows on weights, everything still authentic original. Even some of the old window panes with the hand made wavy glass have made it through to this day.
Our property is all about Big Island history.
As soon as you enter the Royal Palm lined drive to the former Ola’a Sugar Plantation estate, you will feel the ambiance of times gone by.
The buildings are authentic Victorian and have been tastefully restored to their old glory and equipped with all modern amenities.
They are surrounded by about ten acres of luscious botanical gardens, meadows, orchards, and jungle, preserving its unique ambiance.
Three aspects make this property unique:
Location, ambiance and history.
There are no similar places on the Island to compare it to.
Location:
Keaau, on the east of the Big Island, meaning the area of water springs.
We are conveniently urban, yet secluded within our privacy.
We are on safe county water and dependable grid electricity and WiFi.
We are always on paved roads and only a minute away from the next supermarket and restaurants in Keaau shopping center. We are 10 to 15 minutes from downtown Hilo and central to all visitor sites, most of them less than an hour away.
We are in proximity to Hawaii Volcano National Park, and the coastal waterfalls.
Ambiance:
In the midst of our botanical exuberance and wildlife you connect with the charm of a simpler life, as it used to be on the Island a century ago. A rare opportunity to experience country living as its best.
History:
The land, originally owned by King William Charles Lunalilo (1835-1874), was purchased by the Shipman family.
In 1902 the first manager of the Ola sugar plantation planted the Banyan tree near the cottage. It is now considered the biggest on the Island.
The Main House, nineteenth century Queen Anne architecture, has been used in many photography sessions and for movies, recordings, magazines, books and commercials.
A 1950’s photo is shown in the book “The Hawaiians”.
Films recorded on the property include: Four Frightened People (Claudette Colbert)-Diamond Head (Charlton Heston)-The Hawaiians (Charlton Heston - Geraldine Chaplin)-Hawaii Five O-Hawaiian Eye-Big Hawaii (Cliff Potts)-Danger In Paradise (Cliff Potts & Ina Bolin).
After the plantation closed and sold the residence in the early 1980’s, it fell in disrepair until the present owners acquired it and worked for several years to restore it to its original beauty.
But the history dates back beyond the plantation era to ancient Hawaiian legends and fairy tales.
The most known is of the mythical Princess La'ieikawaii, hiding in the place known as Paliuli.
The Mango forest on the south-west corner of the property still holds the remains of an ancient hei'au.
The Hawaiian movie Choreographer Henry Pa, recounts in an interview: "When I was involved in the movie, "Bird of Paradise," my grandmother Grace Kealiiaua Pa told me to go to the island of Hawaiʻi, to Olaʻa, at Keʻeau. I was to sit beneath a certain tree, which was the birthplace of my grandfather and his former home. There I was to gaze out at the water and look for two stones, one of which was Hiʻiaka-ika-poli-o-Pele, and the other was Lohiau. I was to meditate on the task before me. By doing this, I would receive the strength and inspiration that I needed to choreograph the dance scene for this movie."
