Glamping is Hot in Hawaii

BY MIKE GAST

Glamping is still a new, largely unheralded option for folks planning that once-in-a-lifetime Hawaiian vacation. But the lure of the active Kilauea volcano on the Big Island has thousands flocking to the island paradise – and looking for unique glamping experiences that Big Island glamping entrepreneurs are eager to fulfill.

Kilauea – the newest of the island’s five volcanoes and the only one currently active – has been erupting within its main caldera consistently since September 2021. After the sky darkens each night and well into the early morning hours, visitors take the half-mile-plus trek down the closed-to-vehicles Crater Rim Road to find the closest viewpoint. Dozens brave the chill air and frequent showers to stare mesmerized at the orange glowing lava in the nearly three-mile-wide abyss.

It’s a special place, and it has spawned several unique glamping accommodations. A quick Glampinghub.com search for “Glamping near Volcanoes National Park” yields nearly 200 nearby locations.

Glampers can pick from among any level of comfort and amenities from conveniently close to small island towns to deep in the Big Island’s rain forest. Here’s a look at four unique glamping offerings we found that capitalize on one of the world’s most accessible natural wonders.

hamakuahouse.com

Mathew Dietrich started his highly unusual glamping facility in 2012, long before the word glamping became part of the lexicon.

“I just dreamed it up one day,” Dietrich said of his unique open-air cabanas that house suspended Brazilian cotton hammocks. The cabanas come with a complete list of amenities that includes lockboxes, linens, coolers, electricity, and WiFi. Hammock glampers also have access to a communal area with a full kitchen, grills, refrigerator space, a TV room complete with Netflix, and plenty of outlets for charging phones and laptops.

The six 10-by-12 covered cabana platforms have privacy curtains and the deluxe units are fully screened and come with a lockable door.

Each cabana has a breathtaking view of the blue Pacific Ocean. The facility lies an hour’s drive from Volcanoes National Park, and the orange-glowing caldera of Kilauea is a major draw.

“Every guest here has plans to visit the volcano during their stay,” Dietrich said. “It’s a pretty unusual attraction, to say the least.”

Hawaii’s statewide pandemic lockdown in the spring of 2020 essentially closed Dietrich’s facility. He took the opportunity to improve the property by upgrading the deluxe cabanas and pouring concrete paths to each unit.

“We were closed from March 2020 until the fall,” Dietrich remembers. “The only traffic we were seeing was inter-island (within the state) and that wasn’t profitable since we had things marked down 80%.”

Dietrich, who also owns rental units and a hostel in Ohio, said his Hawaii facility is intended to encourage social interaction and he didn’t let pandemic shutdowns change that mission.

“I believe that people come here because of what there is to see in Hawaii, but it’s the people they meet along the way that makes their trip meaningful,” he said.

Business took a turn for the better around Christmas 2020, when the State of Hawaii eased travel restrictions. “There have been times during 2021 where we have broken all of our past occupancy records,” Dietrich said.

Rates for the Hamakua Camping Cabanas are determined by occupancy. “It’s finally starting to calm down a bit,” Dietrich said. “We just had our first rate decrease in months.” He keeps nightly rates at about $80 a night for the deluxe hammock cabanas. The rate drops to about $56 a night when booking two nights or more. The facility has one “dorm” hammock cabana where single travelers can share the unit with up to two other travelers for $35.45 for one night or $25.51 for two nights or more.

“Volcanoes National Park is obviously a major draw for all of the accommodations in this area,” Dietrich said. “But we are also very near Akaka Falls, which is the number two attraction.”

Operator Tip: Dietrich says developers of unusual glamping options shouldn’t get discouraged by government regulations that haven’t kept up with the burgeoning glamping industry. “It was challenging here because the county government has a monopoly on camping,” he said. “Be prepared for a potential long battle to do what you want to do.”

skye@volcanotreehouse.net

Nestled deep in the Hawaiian rain forest just five miles from the Kilauea volcano rim sits one of the most unusual accommodations in glamping – the Treehouse Skye.

To call Skye Peterson’s eclectic creation one of a kind would be a massive understatement. Peterson used recycled materials gathered on the island of Oahu to build two rental treehouses 18 feet up in the Ohia trees. The living trees are completely integrated into the design, giving guests the feeling of being outside when inside the structures.

“I was planning to build a glass house until I stayed in a treehouse in a nearby valley,” Peterson said. “That inspired me, and I already had land with a lot of trees.”

The feeling of isolation is key to the experience at Treehouse Skye. Peterson set each treehouse in the middle of a four-acre tract. “I put them in the middle and make them hard to find,” he laughed. “I guess I tend to protect them. Mostly they rent to somebody I know with a deposit.”

Peterson relies on word-of-mouth marketing to rent his treehouses. The units come complete with full kitchens, bathrooms, and entertainment centers. “I originally built these to be lived in,” he said. “They are off the grid, so everything runs from solar with batteries and inverters.”

Peterson said the treehouses have strong appeal to travelers who are bored with hotels or bed and breakfasts. “It feels like a regular home, but you are way up in the trees and it’s definitely something different. There aren’t many opportunities around like this.”

Peterson has built a total of four treehouses on his land, with two available to rent. He built the first two by himself but had help with the others. “You have to remember that each piece has to be carried through the rain forest including the water catchment system, solar panels and the septic,” he said. “It’s a big job.”

Peterson said his rates are “flexible,” sometimes reaching $350 a night, and sometimes dropping as low as $200.

Although having an active volcano on his doorstep has led to interesting questions from guests, he always assures them that he is on the “safe side” of Kilauea.

“They come for the volcano, but they leave with a treehouse experience that you just can’t get anywhere else.”

Operator Tip: Peterson urges those considering a glamping operation to take advantage of what nature already offers. That includes looking for opportunities to recycle materials and minimize your impact on the environment.

keolaretreat.com

It took Ilya Bilyk five years to complete his dream of building his geodesic dome glamping facility in the remote southern corner of Hawaii Island. He started building his dream shortly before the pandemic in 2020 and couldn’t fully welcome guests until May 2022.

“The dome tent was manufactured in China, so we had to wait,” he said. The dome is 20 feet in diameter and has plenty of clear windows and inside comforts.

Like many other accommodations in the remote southern end of the Big Island, Keola Retreat is off the grid. But that doesn’t mean you are without luxuries. The dome tent features a queen bed, concrete outdoor bathtub, propane stove, an outdoor kitchen, mini fridge, dinnerware and cookware, an outdoor hammock, and USB outlets.

Located on the edge of the tiny town of Na’alehu, the Retreat is central to great hikes and is less than an hour away from the lava viewing at the Kilauea volcano.

“We are booking now almost a year in advance,” Bilyk said. “We are also working on another dome right now that will be more high-end with fancy furniture and other amenities.”

Bilyk decided against a bell tent and went with the steel-framed geodesic dome because of its strength and durability. “Geodesic domes make the strongest structures you can build.”

“The guests definitely come here to see the volcano,” Bilyk said. “But on the drive over there they get to see the barren lava landscapes, black sand beaches, and tons of great hikes.”

Operator Tip: Bilyk says glamping operators should strive to surprise and delight their guests. Today’s glampers are looking for unusual experiences, and operators – even those with unique offerings in special places – still have an opportunity to dial up their accommodations, he said.

airbnb.com

Kehau Hall had a specific plan when she decided to go into the glamping business just 10 minutes from the gates of Volcanoes National Park. She wanted to create an upscale hotel room in a 10-foot by 20-foot tent.

You are in a cabin tent in the rain forest, but you have a king-size bed, hot outdoor shower, private bathroom, a place to prepare meals, and all the utensils.

The outdoor shower is worth another mention. Located on the spacious lanai, the shower opens to a wonderful view of the rain forest.

Hall’s facility now has two tents. The second tent is 10-feet longer and able to accommodate four people.

Hall said guests often ask if the Glamping in Glenwood location is safe, since it’s so close to the Kilauea volcano.

“We always have to tell them that we aren’t in harm’s way,” she laughed. “We are definitely off the path of any lava if it flows.”

She also tells guests that it’s up to Mother Nature (or perhaps Pele) whether they’ll actually see volcanic lava in the caldera. “We tell them the truth, that the conditions change daily.”

Regardless of the volcano’s whims, guests always leave with a smile. Hall charges about $100 a night for the smaller tent, and from $200 to $250 for the larger unit. “Right now, we are booked out until November,” she said. “It’s a great place to stay to split time between the east and west sides of the island.

While she’d like to add another tent or two, “I do it here all by myself, so there’s a limit.”

Operator Tip: Hall says you don’t need to dedicate a lot of space or have a huge staff to run a successful glamping operation. “I do this all by myself, so keeping it small was necessary,” she said. “What I wanted to create was a high-end hotel room in a tent.”