On Saturday morning I awoke to the phone ringing at 5 am.  It was our guests, worried about what they’d seen on the news about a possible tsunami coming to Hawaii following the massive earthquake in Chile.  At six o’clock the tsunami siren sounded.  I got out of bed quietly and crept out into our living room.  The room was still shrouded in darkness and I could hear the surf pounding.  A siren by nature is a harrowing sound and it filled me with fear.  The sirens are tested once a month, but we’ve never actually heard one used for-real.  Both Ken and I did some quick research online and found that indeed Hawaii was under tsunami warning status, and that a tsunami was expected to hit the islands at around eleven a.m. 

We already knew that, were a tsunami to hit our shore, we would not need to evacuate, being that we are perched on a hill at 300 feet above sea level.  The best plan of action, seconded by the civil defense, is for people above shoreline areas to stay put.  Their concern is people panicking, leaving their homes unnecessarily, clogging up roads and not allowing the folks who really do need to leave, to leave in a timely fashion.  We planned to stay put, watch the news, and keep our eyes on the water. 

As the morning unfolded, the sun came out, the siren continued to sound hourly, and we checked in with the local news.  I served breakfast to our guests, we did maid service, answered the phone, and proceeded with our normal work.  Eleven am came and went, as did twelve, as did one and two and three.  We have a massive view of the coastline stretched out before us and watched the ocean constantly throughout the day.  There was no discernable shift (on our side) in current, color, level, or wave pattern.  The Kona winds picked up and the afternoon was sunny and clear.  In Honolulu, people panicked and flooded grocery stores and gas stations, but here, it was an extraordinarily quiet Saturday afternoon.

By evening the warning status had been lifted and there was an almost palpable feeling of relief in the air.  We could hear a stream of traffic heading down the road as the folks who live along the water returned home.  I heard people out on their lanais laughing and playing music loudly.  The sirens stopped, the threat was gone, and the islands endured no damage – thankfully.

Last night we had an errand to run at the Keauhou Shopping Center (about ten miles/twenty minutes from our house). I’d known for some time that they had regular entertainment there but had never found myself there at the right time to see it. After we ran our errand we sat down for an early dinner outside of Habanero’s, and I noticed a flyer taped to the window that noted hula performances each Friday evening from six to seven. Each week a different local halau is featured.

As luck would have it, we were just in time. We strolled over to the main courtyard (over near KTA supermarket and Kenichi Sushi) and were happily surprised to see a large group of visitors had amassed to watch the performance. We sat on the ground while our son danced happily in front of us. There was some nice slack-key guitar first, followed by traditional hula performed by young girls.

The dancers on this night utilized traditional instruments as well, which was wonderful to see. So if you happen to be in Keauhou on a Friday night, waiting to catch a movie or perhaps grab dinner, please stop by the courtyard and see what’s going on. It was fantastic to see some traditional hula, which can be hard to come by.

Recently our neighbors watched a very interesting scene unfold in front of their house. They were sitting on their lanai drinking coffee when they saw a rental jeep pull over and a man hop out. The jeep was left running with the other passenger inside. The man hopped the rock wall into their orchard, and started climbing a papaya tree to get at the ripe orange fruit at the top.

It’s necessary to clarify some things about papaya trees at this point in the story. Papayas grow like weeds all over the island. The trees can grow very tall, very quickly, and produce fruit within a year. The trees have tall stalk-like trunks, with a clump of leaves at the very top and a cluster of fruit just beneath the leaves. They’re classified as herbs rather than trees, and, most importantly, their trunks are hollow and weak.

So, as the man started to climb, the trunk cracked and both he and the tree toppled onto the wall. He cried out, jumped up, scuttled back to the jeep and tore away as quickly as possible. Our neighbors, who’d witnessed this scene unfold in its entirety from their obscured lanai found this quick karmic-return very humorous. The moral of the story is simply to not steal fruit from people’s property; it’s not right, and it can be dangerous!

It is humpback season and we’ve been watching them from the house. The humpback whales migrate down to the Hawaiian Islands from Alaska each winter to give birth and mate. They can be spotted along the west coast of this island, some years clustering up the Kohala way, and some years hanging out down here in the South Kona area.

We’ve seen them at South Point, and this year, we’ve had guests see them up off Waipio Valley. We often see whales from our house in the mornings just off Keei Beach or in Kealakekua Bay. Just the other morning during breakfast we saw a mother and calf tail-slapping right in close to shore.

Their season is November through May, with sightings seeming to peek in February, which is Humpback Awareness Month. Like all wildlife here in the islands, there’s no guarantee you’ll see one while here. But if you do, you will undoubtedly feel moved.

We’ve watched them at all hours from the house and from shore, we’ve known swimmers who’ve encountered them in the water and/or heard their calls. No matter how many times you see one of their huge, shining black backs emerge out of the ocean, it always feels lucky.

For Island visitors who will be here next week, please note that the City of Refuge National Park – Pu’uhonua O Honaunau – will be hosting a talk by Justin Viezbicke, Coordinator for Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, on Wednesday February 17 at 6.

I went to this talk a couple of years ago and enjoyed it immensely. This is a chance to learn all kinds of things about the humpbacks you may not know. For example, did you realize that the whales – even the birthing, nursing mothers – don’t eat while in Hawaii? They give birth, mate, and make the journey home to Alaska, all without a thing to eat.

Also, did you know it is only the male humpbacks that sing? The songs have been studied and it has been noted that each year the song is added on to, the rest remaining the same. Pu’uhonua O Honaunau is a beautiful park, a fantastic place to whale watch from shore, and provides a wonderful setting for such an informative talk-story session. We encourage attendance.

Recently I was talking on the phone to a prospective guest. I was describing our guest rooms to her while she looked at the photos on the website. She was excited about booking with us and breathlessly stopped me part way and asked, “Are these photos for real?” I was a little taken aback, but assured her that yes, we took them ourselves, and that yes, the property and everything she sees there is exactly as pictured.

Her question seemed strange at first, but as I thought about it, I realized that it was fair. In fact, it wasn’t the first time I’d heard it, or something similar like: Do you serve breakfast? Do you have to pay for parking/internet? Do you really have an ocean view? Are your breakfasts really the way you describe them? Is there parking? etc. We’ve tried to provide loads of helpful information on our website, and are always ready and able to answer questions via email and phone, so we’re always slightly surprised by these questions. But what we’ve eventually come to realize isn’t that we aren’t being clear in our communications or marketing, but that there’s lots of misleading info out there in general that tourists and visitors have to wade through (oh, and the standard of accommodations on the island is unfortunately surprisingly low in some cases).

We realize our photos aren’t that great. In fact, we took them ourselves. Don’t get me wrong, we would LOVE to pay a professional photographer for new photos that really capture our place. Our photos really don’t do justice to the place, especially to the size of the guest rooms. But on the other hand, we always wanted to paint a REALISTIC picture of what’s here. Our guests arrive and either say, “it’s exactly as it looks online”, or, “it’s even better than we thought it would be!”, which is EXACTLY the reaction we want. We would never want a guest to arrive after all the expense and effort of travel and planning and be disappointed.

We have, however, heard plenty of stories of guests who have been mislead, and we have also been misled. For example, a common pet-peeve of ours is when B&B’s or vacation rentals advertise panoramic ocean views and sport great ocean-view shots on their websites, but have either used photos that were taken with a telephoto lens from miles away OR have had their once fine view obscured by foliage (which can happen in a place where there’s no end to the growing season). This gives a false impression of proximity to the ocean and/or of the view from the property. We once stayed at a place that had a photo taken – obviously once you’ve been here and seen it – from Alii Drive, but was actually located at least five miles up mauka.

Oh, and the view from the property, while probably great thirty years ago, was totally overgrown with trees and vines. You could only see sky (which is fine, but not what we were expecting). Everyone says “ocean view” here, because we’re all near the ocean and probably sitting on a hill, but not all views are equal. Another pet-peeve is guest-room shots that make the rooms look much larger than they actually are (fish-eye view). We’re always grousing about our lame efforts and how our photos only show a portion of each room. We’ve shot from all angles, at all times of day, sitting down, standing up, crouching, etc., but again, we’d rather delight than disappoint. It seems that it’s common practice to go the other way. We had some guests recently who stayed at a place where it turned out that the guest rooms—although they looked large and roomy on the website—were all in a converted basement and had very low ceilings. They felt so claustrophobic they left. We stayed at a place a while back that looked to be a massive cottage online, but in reality was a teensy-tiny little studio.

Another unpleasant surprise relating to size has to do with guest room bathrooms. Because traditional B&B’s are usually converted homes (and often guest rooms are old kid’s rooms), it is not uncommon to either have to share a bathroom with other guests, or to have a small bathroom in the room that’s been converted from a closet or other small space. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this, you just have to know what you’re getting. We had a guest stay at a place that did have private bathrooms—which was nice—but the shower was so tiny she bumped into the sides when she had to bend over to get soap. She laughed about it, but it had been uncomfortable and claustrophobic.

It is such hard work to plan a trip and find the perfect place to stay, and our thought as innkeepers is that, after all the effort, guests should find something that makes them happy. If, when we’re speaking with a prospective guest we get the sense that they may not be happy at our place, we will say something and make a recommendation that we think we’ll be a better fit for them. The last thing we want is for someone to be unhappy here. As a visitor, it’s important to do your due diligence and find a place that works for you. Your vacation-time is precious, and you should be able to relax and enjoy it.

When visiting the islands it’s tempting to fill each precious vacation day with things to do.  Of course there are loads of things to see here, but in our travel experience, we’ve learned it’s also important not to plan too much.  It’s good of course to have a general idea of where you’re going and what you want to see so that you are prepared, but it’s also important to be flexible and open and allow things to unfold.  You never know how a given day may turn out, and what fantastic opportunity may present itself.

I was reminded of this the other night when we went out for dinner.  It was the last night of our vacation and we thought it’d be nice to have one last dinner out.  We had a certain restaurant in mind but when it was full had to go somewhere else.  We took this in stride and decided to try some place new to us.  This other place turned out to have a fantastic band playing.  We enjoyed our dinner, and spent the last part of it sitting up next to the stage (at the manager’s suggestion) so our son could dance.  It turned out to be a wonderful night.

We’ve had many experiences like this here, and so have our guests.  When you’re out and about, you never know what you may discover.  We’ve come across hula performances, impromptu musical gatherings, small festivals, exhibits, fantastic restaurants, and off-the-beaten path beaches and activities.  You also never know who you’ll meet.  Big Island people embody the aloha spirit, and sometimes the most memorable experience is a talk-story session with someone new.

My apologies, dear readers, for not keeping up on my postings.  Our little son is going through another bout of teething and has required lots of additional distraction.  He seems to get them in fours so I’m hoping he’ll soon be through.

On the topic of family, we’re often asked how we came to be innkeepers.  Our first connection to Hawaii was through Ken’s family, who is from Oahu.  We knew we wanted to raise our own family in the islands and moved here from northwest Washington in December 2005.  We opened Luana Inn to strong reviews a few months later, and continue to work hard to improve the business.  Although it seems that B&B’s have the reputation for being side-jobs or hobbies, Luana Inn is a serious business, the source of our livelihood, and much more than a full-time occupation for us both.  Like most small family businesses, Luana Inn is the product of much hard work and love. 

We are very thankful for all the wonderful guests we’ve been able to meet and serve over the years.  We will continue to work to make Luana Inn a place our guests love, and a business of which our son can someday be proud.

We are pleased to announce that our Spa Room is finally open!  The Spa Room is an open-air room in our main house that we’ve converted from an orchid growing-room into a wonderful room where our guests can receive massages and facials.  We have two excellent licensed massage therapists and an esthetician available to provide a variety of treatments.

The Spa Room is situated upstairs in the main house over our koi pond.  As you rest on the massage table you can hear the koi-pond waterfall just below, along with the wind in our cocoa palms.  There’s lots of fresh air blowing through, but because the room is screened-in, you don’t have to worry about bugs, strong wind or sun.  With all the natural light pouring in and the wonderful breezes and birdsong, you feel like you’re outside without having to worry about the sheet blowing off (it’s happened to me) or flies.

Ken and I both had massages there earlier this month and were both so comfortable and relaxed we both nearly fell asleep on the table.  I had my massage in the late afternoon and afterwards the sun was burning brightly before its final set.  I lay down in a cool shady corner and took a quality nap.  I awoke just in time to watch the sun set and felt fantastic for the rest of the day. 

I am a huge fan of massages and facials and have enjoyed many treatments over the years.  If I was a guest here and interested in a massage or facial, I would schedule it for the late afternoon after a morning spent in the ocean.  I would take a long, slow swim/snorkel at Manini Beach in the morning, come back and take a dip in the pool, then have a light lunch.  I’d relax on the lanai then have the treatment, then afterwards have a nice long nap before sunset and dinner.  I once had a shiatsu massage and a facial at a hotel in Honolulu that left me so weak-kneed I barely made it up the elevator back to my room.  After a day that includes ocean, sun, pool, hot tub, and massage, it’s hard to feel stressed out about anything.  Here’s to relaxation!

Since I’ve been discussing breakfast service I thought I’d talk a little more about our gluten-free offerings for guests with celiac disease.  I’ve cooked for many, many years and was comfortable using “alternative” grains such as quinoa, millet, buckwheat, rice, etc. before I became gluten-intolerant myself.  For most my life I was a happy bread-eater with zero problems.  Some of my most favorite meals over the years have consisted of chewy French or Italian-style breads, cheeses, and wines.  However, being pregnant with my son suddenly flipped a switch in my body and I could no longer tolerate gluten (I get a terrible rash if I consume it).  Since figuring this out I’ve stopped consuming it completely (except for the last time Ken made croissants).  So, my eating habits have changed a bit and I have more empathy for all the other folks out there in the same position.

Although I do miss the chewy texture of wheat bread (rice flour just doesn’t deliver the same chew, in my opinion) I have enjoyed coming up with new, gluten-free recipes.  I don’t think you need to sacrifice taste at all in going gluten-free.  Here are some of my favorite new breakfast items: buckwheat pancakes (pure buckwheat flour or toasted groats that I grind myself), millet or brown rice bread with fruit, zucchini bread, cornbread, potato cake-bread, homemade polenta, coconut oatmeal or mixed/grain cereal cooked in coconut milk, and rice-bread French toast.  We also always have homemade granola on hand.  (I’ve been making it with star fruit lately since our tree is laden this time of year.)  I also came up with a wonderful buttermilk pancake recipe using rice flour, oats, and bananas.  The cakes were so filling I could only eat one (with peanut butter and fresh yogurt).  I also like to incorporate some Mexican or Southwest flavors into breakfast and make huevos rancheros with fresh beans, and heuvos Mexicanas with chorizo, peppers, and tomatoes.

Overall, not being able to eat wheat has just pushed me to work a little harder in the kitchen by expanding my repertoire.  I love these new recipes and I enjoy constantly adding new ones. In fact, both Ken and I are constantly researching and trying new recipes and dishes.  We both love cooking and sharing food and serving breakfast to our guests is our very favorite part of our business.

There are many ways to run breakfast service at a Bed and Breakfast. Some have one set mealtime. Some leave food in the guest rooms the night before. Some serve a basic continental breakfast. Some serve a hot breakfast. Some buy-in items, some make items from scratch. And some “Bed and Breakfasts” don’t serve breakfast at all (which we personally find pretty strange).  

We have always enjoyed the traditional sit-down homemade breakfast and this is what we serve to our guests. We love food and cooking and make all our dishes, pastries, batters, and breads from scratch. We are committed to making delicious, quality food. Chances are, if you stay with us for a week you won’t have the same breakfast twice. 

Here are some sample breakfasts (in addition to these mains, we always have fresh fruit, homemade granola and other cereal, juice, coffee, and a variety of teas available.): 

Homemade macadamia nut pancakes, bacon, eggs any way you like. 
Dutch babies (German pancakes) with fresh honey-butter, homemade French bread, frittata with spinach, feta, and tomato. 
Spanish tortilla with potatoes and olive oil, homemade multi-grain bread, homemade cream scones with ginger and lime. 
Creamy scrambled eggs with herbs, Portuguese sausage, homemade Hawaiian sweet bread, homemade star fruit bread (made from our star fruit). 
Most recent Celiac breakfast: fresh-ground buckwheat pancakes, yogurt, warm mango sauce (made from our mangoes). 
Most recent vegan breakfast: breakfast burritos with scrambled tofu with spinach, fried red potatoes, rosemary mushrooms, salsa, and fresh avocado.