Kona Coffee & Tea Suites

Three suites on a working Kona-coffee farm above Kailua-Kona — the Greenwell family, fifth-generation Kona-coffee growers, run a tiny farm-stay alongside their working operation. Kona Coffee & Tea Suites is the rare Hawaii lodging that's actually a farm — not a farm-themed hotel, but a hundred-year-old family coffee farm with three guest suites and a working harvest cycle outside the door.

The suites sit on the farm's land in the upcountry above Kailua-Kona, at elevation, with views down the slope to the ocean. Coffee grows around the buildings. The farm runs year-round; coffee harvest is fall.

The setting

Kona is the dry, sunny west side of the Big Island. The Kona Coffee Belt — the narrow band of land between roughly 800 and 2,000 feet of elevation on the western slopes of Hualalai — is where most of the world's Kona coffee grows. The Greenwell farm sits in this belt, above downtown Kailua-Kona.

Kailua-Kona's town and the ocean are fifteen minutes downhill. Kona's main coffee farms (Mountain Thunder, Hala Tree, Greenwell Farms — the same family's larger commercial operation) are within a short drive. The Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua o Honaunau) is forty minutes south. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is two hours south.

The building

A restored older farmhouse plus a couple of detached units on the farm's land — small-scale, plantation-vernacular, with corrugated tin roofs, painted clapboard, and porches facing the slope. Materials are clapboard, pine, and woven lauhala. The aesthetic is refined-Americana applied to plantation Hawaii — simple, well-maintained, no design pretensions.

The farm itself is the property — coffee trees in rows on the slope, the processing equipment (a small mill, drying patios), and the farm house.

The rooms

Three suites — that's the entire inn. Categories vary slightly: a one-bedroom unit, a larger two-bedroom, and a smaller studio. Each has a kitchen or kitchenette, a private porch facing the slope, and the kind of full-residence layout that suits longer stays. Bathrooms are simple and well-kept. Beds are good.

Rates from $245 in shoulder, which on the Big Island is reasonable for the property's land and uniqueness.

Food & drink

Breakfast on the farm is included — Kona coffee from the farm itself, fruit, baked goods. There's no full restaurant. Kailua-Kona has the wider restaurant scene fifteen minutes downhill.

On the property

The farm is the program. Self-guided coffee-farm walks, conversations with the family about Kona coffee, and the slope view are the daily rhythm. No pool, no spa, no fitness room.

• Working coffee farm with self-guided access
• Breakfast (with farm coffee) included
• Kitchens or kitchenettes in all units
• Private porches with slope views
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Coffee people who want to stay on a working Kona farm
• Travelers who appreciate small family-owned operations and the rare authentic Hawaii agritourism
• Couples on a longer Big Island trip with a kitchen
• Anyone tired of resort Hawaii and looking for the quiet upcountry alternative

Who it's not for

• Travelers wanting any resort amenities — there are none
• Anyone needing to be on the beach (the farm is fifteen minutes uphill)
• Travelers without a car

Nearby

Greenwell Farms (the same family's larger commercial coffee operation, with public tours) is nearby for the coffee-tour experience. Kailua-Kona's town, the seawall walk, and the Kona Pier are fifteen minutes downhill. The Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park) is forty minutes south. Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook's monument and snorkeling) is twenty minutes south. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is two hours south. The Mauna Kea summit drive starts an hour northeast.