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We've been playing with the idea of an early retirement, followed by the building of a bed and breakfast on the big island. In the current economy, I'm sure vacancies are high right now, but that's not going to last forever.
Anyway, the permit process is well described by the county. What I'm interested in are any tips from those who know this biz about what it takes to make one work well. And customer service is critical, too, of couse. Beyond those two matters...
What about location? I doubt if our third ave HPP lot would work for this reason, but on the other hand there seems to be successful B&Bs in Puna far from the ocean. (We stayed at a great one in Orchidland, in fact.) Can a pool make up for the absence of an ocean front view, or should we think about a new land purchase?
What about the rooms? What is the ideal size? What features sell best?
I'm guessing that a modern building would be a turn off. What style would work best for the structure itself?
Thanks!
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Hi there, I'm not familiar with B&B's, but we've used the www.vrbo.com website several times for short term stays. Type in the city name (Pahoa is where we've stayed) and it shows all the rentals available by owner, mostly private owned houses. Once you've stayed in one, you will never stay in a hotel again! Varying prices, some very basic, some very plush, you pretty much get what you pay for. All the owners that we talked to were very happy with the vrbo exposure, it's pretty cheap for advertising. We rented a 3 bedroom house while we were building, and those owners said the majority of their rentals came from the vrbo website. They work good for those of us that want a low-key place to stay where you can just come home and eat dinner, watch tv and relax, without the frills and social side of a hotel etc. And if you don't want to cook, you always get to eat out, because after all, you are on vacation, works for me!
Good luck, we're all in search of our shangri-la for retirement and semi-retirement!
Dot
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Your HPP location is "close to the ocean", most likely you can "hear the waves". There are quite a few B&B's around, in many different house styles... There is an ultra modern concrete structure on Kehena Pt. that has been used as a vacation spot...
A pool is nice, but not a given, and would really depend on your lot, your willingness to maintain it, the electrical cost (this runs pretty high for our friends that have pools, even solar heated pools use quite a bit of energy...), and your liability (check with insurers on this)
Bicycles are nice in lower HPP
We have friends with B&B's in Hilo & Puna... some oceanfront, most not
Word of mouth has been the best seller of space for all, yet all but one are having more vacancies right now... that one has write ups in travel books...
2 of our B&B friends have mentioned that having a TOTALLY accessible room, esp. bathroom, would be nice for some of their clients...
most are not totally compliant to ADA specs for wheelchair with assistant..
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Sorry Carey, with that kind of deceptive advertising you will never get repeat clients, not to mention a possible legal liability.
As to the original question, you might want to give a call to Scott Wiles (Sharky's Coffee) and ask him. They recently built a two-unit B&B.
Aloha,
John S. Rabi, GM,ARB,BFT,CM,CBR,FHS,PB,RB
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"
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The sounds of the ocean in HPP are very odd. They bounce around in strange ways and can be heard pretty far off. There are times when you cannot hear the ocean at all, even when you are right on the ocean. Sometimes the sound moves to the left. The next night it moves to the right. The waves are silent, then they roar. They are cobalt. They are gray.
In any case, you don't need the ocean or a pool to have a perfectly fine B & B in Puna. I think almost any location in Puna could be nice especially if the landscaping is right. People like pools, but great landscaping can create an unforgettable experience as well. I spent my first night in Puna in Orchidland at a $50 a night vacation rental (no pool). It was fabulous and every bit as nice as the place I stayed at in Kapoho. It was just different. Third Street could be a perfectly fine place for a B & B. It's in the Blue Hole!
Just be aware that we are entering what appears to be a severe and long lasting global economic depression which may negatively affect travel and which may make Hawaii more isolated. If I had to predict, I would say that this is not the bottom of a cycle -- it is the end of an era. There will be no recovery.
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If you build a really nice place that you'd like to live in and add in a few extra bedrooms, then you should be able to find a few B & B guests. If you don't get the B & B folks, you will still have a place to park mainland guests and relatives when they visit.
How about a wood heated or solar heated furo style hot soaking tub (no jets) instead of a swimming pool? B & B folks are usually out and about during the day so they would probably be more interested in an after dinner star gazing hot tub experience, perhaps? Loads of landscaping so it seems tropical and private? Or you could install a jetted hot tub since it would only run the jets when folks were in it, but they can be expensive to run. I suppose you could charge an additional price for the use of the jetted hot tub if the electrical rates got too far out of hand.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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Talk to Jerry and Markie - they probably have gone through it all! And their place is cute!
http://www.artandorchids.com/
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Thank you, everyone, for all of your thoughts. Kapohocat, I have had the privilege of staying at Markie and Jerry's place. They're great!
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Stop by or call anytime. We are happy to share information.
Jerry
Jerry
Art and Orchids B&B
http://www.artandorchids.com
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Wonder if the place makai side of 130 at mm 15 will ever be up for sale. Make a great B&B!
Puna: Our roosters crow first
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