After staying ten nights at resorts on Oahu and Maui, six nights at Cedar House was a welcome change. Laura and Fred were great hosts, the accommodations were excellent, and Laura presents innovative and yummy breakfasts. Most importantly to us, it was peaceful and quiet. There's plenty to do in the area-snorkeling, shopping, golf, kayaking, "swimming" with the manta rays(an excellent adventure!), and sightseeing, and Volcanoes National Park is "only" two hours away. We thought that we would have to go up to Kona for shopping and restaurants, but there's a big grocery store at the foot of the hill that we used frequently, and Laura and Fred know where the good restaurants are in the area. If you're looking for a non-resort on Hawaii, but with the same tender loving care you get at a resort, check out Cedar House!

My husband and I stayed in the Ulu room for 5 nights in December of 2007 and it was very pleasant. The rural, coffee farm setting of the Cedar House is beautiful and quiet. To get there you will drive on a 1-lane road that is very typical for rural Hawaii. Just remember that downhill drivers must yield to uphill drivers. The road is paved and there is little traffic. With Laura’s directions the inn was easy to find, even though we arrived after dark. Our room was clean and spacious with a king sized bed, a double futon, a 4-person dining table, mini-fridge, T.V., etc. The Cedar House was very reasonably priced. We paid only $115 per night (plus tax) minus a 10% long stay discount. The towels were new and fluffy, the sheets were of standard quality and the bed was firm. The pillows were a little flat, but there were enough of them, so I simply doubled up. Beach chairs, beach towels, coolers, and snorkel gear were provided for our use. The hosts, Laura and Fred, were great sources of information. They were gracious and kind, and they really know the island. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want or need (within reason). I asked for a referral to a day spa for a massage and was given several options including an in room massage, which I chose, it was excellent! Breakfast was great when we were there to eat it. When we had to leave early Laura left us a “sack breakfast” with fruit, baked goods, breakfast bars and juice boxes.

To be a truly helpful reviewer I feel that I must add that pillows, mattresses and bed linens could be upgraded. They were exactly what one might expect for $115 a night, but I wouldn’t mind paying more for higher quality. Also I prefer white towels, I like to think that all linens are bleached between visitors. It would be nice if there were more water pressure, but I’m not sure if there is a reasonable way to increase the pressure with a caught (rain) water system.

Taking everything into account, we were very happy with our stay. Our room was large, clean and comfortable. We felt well cared for and the Cedar House was a great value. We would not hesitate to stay there again.

We stayed in the Pikake Rose for one night (it should have been two but our flight was cancelled). We didn't arrive until well after 9pm, but Fred came out to greet us and show us our room. Our luggage was delivered at 11:15 pm and Fred had no problem with us locking up after the luggage arrived. We are very grateful for how accommodating Fred and Laura were to us. We felt right at home instantly.

When we walked in our room we noticed a little smell of what we thought might be dampness. It was not major and did not keep us from getting a good night's rest. This may either be due to the rainwater that is used to wash the sheets or since the Pikake Rose is on ground level. Nevertheless, the view of the ocean and of the mountain was amazing! The coffee bean farm was fun to walk through. We felt like we were in the middle of nowhere at Cedar House and being on our honeymoon, this was truly a good feeling. The B&B is 2200 feet above sea level and it was a perfect temperature in the room even though there is no air conditioning.

Breakfast was wonderful! We had fresh fruit, a delicious banana dish, fresh bread and marmalade (I believe it was mango) and 100% Kona coffee. The coffee was outstanding and right from the farm. We were quite pleased with Cedar House and are thankful to Fred and Laura for being so accommodating to us.

We very much enjoyed our stay here. In reading previous reviews I want to agree with what they said. Breakfasts were excellent as was the coffee. The hosts have lots of information about things to do, and based on their advice we took up their recommendation for an outfitter to rent a kayak to cross Kealakekua Bay to the Captain Cook Monument and snorkeling. On the kayak trip we saw spinner dolphins for the first time...what an amazing site. I highly recommend you doing this as a half day trip. The snorkeling there was great too. If you are concerned that it may be too adventuresome for you, be assured that we are a couple in our 50s and we negotiated it just fine, so you can too.

Forget what the other poster said about suggesting you rent an SUV to get to the B and B. We did just fine in a compact car, and I think the road is paved the whole way to their driveway. They send excellent directions for how to get there which you will need as its a bit off the beaten path (which is what we wanted). Even though the road is paved, it is only one car width wide, even though it's a two way street, so it can be a bit intimidating initially. Would recommend you drive there the first time in day light if possible, but once you've figured the way there you can come and go at night and you'll have no problems.

We really enjoyed walking the grounds of the coffee plantation. Their cat escorted us the entire time we were walking the grounds.