LODGING!

[Kelena]

Waaaaait a minute, WaynesB. Just how big IS Puna? In my minds eye, Pahoa and Beaches are just moments away from one another. And there is a place Fern Something that is also located elsewhere.

Oh, god. Is Puna big?

[jdirgo]

Dude, the district of Puna is about the same size as the entire island of O'ahu. Remember, you could fit all the other inhabited Hawaiian Islands onto the Big Island TWICE. Yes, Puna is BIG.

John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell

[Punamom]

hahaha ROTFLOL Hey Glen thats really funny!
East Hawaii in general reminds me of sprawling mainland suburbia with beautiful tropical weather except its like a fish bowl you swim around and around nothing changes they just keep adding more fish,very commercial not at all like you described Molokai.Puna is a bit rustic but its in the process of getting very developed shopping centers and all you'll see some big changes in the next few years or so.you'll just have to see "affordable hawaii" for yourself.Make sure you check out Kehena,hot ponds and Richardsons beaches they are about as good as it gets for beaches/water holes in east hawaii.

[Kelena]

The scales are falling from my eyes and I haven't even arrived yet. And so, if I am up in, oh say Orchidland, and I wish to go to Kapoho (say I want one of them there houses where you just ease yourself off the lanai and into a geothermally heated tide pool --- I don't care HOW long my boyfriend has to work to pay for it). Is that a long way?

What if I stay down at Absolute Sniffy World near Kehena and I want to go look at something in HPP, is that a long way?

Can you commute to Hilo from Seaview Estates?

Should I be driving in this vast wildnerness alone?

Would a "readymap help"? (pause here to breath into airbag).

[Les C]

You're coming from So. Cal. Get real, no two places in Puna will seem "far apart"!

Les

[lkrider]

Glen,

I've lived in CO for nearly 30 years b4 moving to HPP this summer. One of the reasons we chose HPP was because of its relative proximity to places we need to go: 25 mins into Hilo town, 15-20 mins to my work in Pahoa, 35-40 to the Volcano area for hiking and biking. You get the idea. And a 90 mile, less than 2 hr drive to the Kohala coast beaches when I need a white sand fix and want to be really hot for a few hours. That's no drive time at all for a rural CO gal used to driving 3 hrs to Denver to go to ballgames or shop somewhere besides a ski shop.

One thing I've noticed is it takes a while longer (given the distance in miles) to get places since traffic moves a lot slower. My previous road speed of 75 on a two-lane CO road has dropped to 55-60 max. (Hey, I'm getting great mileage) Seaview to Hilo would be a minimum 45 min commute (right folks that are down that way?) and the hiway gets pretty backed up at peak times.

I can second Wyatt's thoughts on deephawaii.com Nothing fancy but pretty area and clean, good central location in HPP. Stayed at Sunset House in '05 and it was clean, but ditto about the ventilation: an enclosed garage is built in front of the house blocking the trades. Somebody wasn't paying attention on that one. Also took 6 months to get the cleaning deposit back-Yikes!

Good luck with your visit- I might be able to tour around w/you on a weekend, help me get to know the area better too. I always thought we'd end up in South Kona where my Pop grew up but got out-priced, and besides, I could not have driven that hiway to work every day!

Linda in HPP

[Carey]

Glen, First this County (Hawaii) is almost the size of Connecticutt. Puna is smallish compared to Kau district, about 30 miles by about 25 miles, and growing (only U.S. place to say that). If you take Keaau as the nothernest town (6 miles out of Hilo), Fern Acres is over 7 miles up & SW (Volcano village almost 23), Pahoa is 11.5 miles SEish from Keaau, and the shoreline at Hawaiian Beaches/shores/Rec is about 6 miles E of Pahoa, and Kalapana is 6+ (how daring are you?) miles W of Pahoa. Now to help you get further boggled, there are 4 largeish (100's - 1000's of lots) subdivisions on the east side of 130, and 8 on the west. Lots sizes range from city 1/4 ac. or so to multiacre lots. Elevation range from shoreline to 4000', climates from hot & dry to cool and wet. Vegetation from none to dense forest. Public utilities from none (not even roads) to high speed internet. Income & property from dirt floor poor to million dollar mansions. For areas that get it, there is a very good free public transportation system, however most of the district has no access to it, and some areas have only rough four wheel drive roads.
So, research as much as you can before you get here (many of the large subdivisions have websites & forums, and some even have counter websites) ask, as you have, LOTS of questions (including honest ones to yourself, what do you want from the move? what will you miss when you move? is there anything here that can fill that?) We totally enjoy the theater, and coming from near a huge city, wanted to know what theater was available....luckily for us the UHH theater has many of the performances we would normally go see (and with the added bonus of VERY REASONABLE ticket prices!)
Hope this long message helps. It took us about 3 months to narrow down where we wanted to live on the East Side, and Katrina & renting in a 'dream location' to bring up what we really wanted at this time. (Our house & location are totally different than what I would have said the first week or two here, and had ever lived in before!)
Aloha, Carey




Edited by - Carey on 09/08/2006 22:12:29

[Punamom]

I'd say a ready map is a must have.commuting from Seaview? Well its done I guess,If ya don't mind a lot of bumpy,curvy slow going but beautiful roads till u get to the highway.I'm thinking about an hour or longer but I've never done it so?
Perhaps tell us what ur looking for and we can point you in the right direction.
I don't know if you'll find alot of Hawaiian culture here, like you did on Molokai,Just lots of big monster trucks for all the driving
If your the type who likes to walk to the store,park,beach ect you'll probably like Hilo Town, otherwise its drive everywhere like 15 to 30 min. to the nearest grocery store from just about anywhere.
So what are your priorities? you want to be close to the beaches/ponds go for lower puna if you want to be close to Hilo try Keaau area (hpp,ol) if you like it chilly go above Keaau,MT.View.
You'd definatly like Kapoho vacationland and farmlots close to water holes and the highway
HPP is still affordable but one day when they get paved roads and utilities watchout! Everyone will move there for its central location and coastal weather.Orchidland you'll get looooots of privacy but it rains more and its chillier than HPP and the roads can give you and your car a hemorrhoid!

[alohatile]

Place to stay?

Do a google for YAMI'S RETREAT. $45/nite increbibly beautiful cabin located in upper Leilani and the owner
is swell. Hardwood floors, fully furnished, fruit trees on 1.5 acres.

I love this place.

[waynesb]

Glen,
Well, your questions about distance seem to have been answered pretty thoroughly! Beaches IS right near Pahoa, but it is ONLY near Pahoa, and where I stayed was like 7 miles @ 30 mph and 3 or 4 stop signs from the nearest store and the exit from Beaches.

Commuting from Seaview is probably not as bumpy as some may have conveyed (You're more likely to hit falling albizia branches than a pothole). It's just slow! Being in urban California, one gets used to driving at high speeds on multi-lane roads and having convenience stores, drug stores, grocery stores & restaurants within a mile or two.

The roads we're talking about are 30-40 mph, few opportunities to pass, and a goodly distance to the amenities. And those are the MAIN roads! I just got tired of driving over the same road over and over again to get to anywhere at all. And it's not like I could turn the driving over to my partner. He gets a MAJOR aloha deficit on the road!

For a place to stay while exploring, I'd stay close to Pahoa. Really close! If looking for elevations over 1000', then somewhere along the Volcano Highway.

Seaview and Puna Palisades are probably closest to a Californian's concept of coastal living. I'm curious to know where you got the Absolutely Sniffy World. I got that impression, but it was 2nd or 3rd (or more?)-hand.

As someone who fell in love with Hawaii on Kauai, Puna was really quite a surprise. Yes, there are similarities, but it's really different!







Edited by - waynesb on 09/09/2006 14:35:58