Kamuela Inn: Your Waimea Base Camp on Hawaiʻi Island

Perched on a small hill in historic Waimea is the cozy Kamuela Inn, an idyllic place to hunker down. Melanie Holt and Tim Bostock purchased the inn in 2015 and have been remodeling the rooms to make the property feel more like a second home and live up to the Inn’s tagline: Timeless charm, upcountry hospitality.

“The aloha spirit lives here,” said innkeeper Edlyn Carvalho. “It’s a different spirit of aloha than you find down at the Gold Coast … we absolutely love our community, we don’t just come to work here we all love and are a part of this community in one way or another.”

Family-owned and operated Kamuela Inn is a two-story, 24-room hotel with enough options to accommodate solo travelers, couples, families and large groups. Located in Waimea, an hour from the Kona International airport and 15 minutes from the Kohala Coast, there is lots to see and do.

Waimea is a paniolo, or cowboy, town tucked into Hawaiʻi Island’s rolling upcountry hills. With a population hovering around 12,000, Waimea maintains its small-town feel. Officially, the town is called Kamuela by the U.S. Post Office to distinguish it from towns named Waimea on both Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, but most people call it Waimea. The name Kamuela is the Hawaiian translation of Samuel, as in Samuel Parker — heir to the Parker Ranch estate established in 1847, which is one of the oldest working cattle ranches in the United States

The friendly faces that checked me in immediately made me feel right at home and my quaint 280-square foot room was impeccably charming with an ocean-blue accent wall highlighting a paniolo painting from the owners’ art collection, rustic wood flooring and crisp white linens inviting me into the custom-made Simmons Felicity Pillowtop bed that is made for the Kamuela Inn on Oʻahu. It was so blissfully soft I sunk into it and didn’t want to get up.

Guests are encouraged to wander the property grounds and pick flowers to make lei, which the team will assist you with. There are rocking chairs in the gazebo behind the property. I was beckoned to start stringing blossoms there, feeling like I’d found a fairy garden.

Coffee, tea, juices and water are provided for free throughout the day. Bring a reusable water bottle to fill. There is no bottled water available at this eco-friendly establishment.

A full, hot, complimentary breakfast is served each morning from 7 to 9 a.m. in what feels like the breakfast nook at Grandma’s house. I loaded my tray with a blueberry scone, steamy scrambled eggs and Portuguese sausage, prepared a latte from a high-tech coffee machine and settled into a picnic table outside where I could gaze over the tranquil grounds, listening to birds chirping above.

I could’ve filled up for the day with all the offerings. There were also bagels, toast, oatmeal, a variety of cereal and even gluten-free items. I was tempted by the local māmaki tea from Waimea Herb Company, but I decided to save that for my evening wind down.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed relaxing in a surprisingly comfortable, Adirondack chair locally crafted from a Jacaranda tree that once resided in front of the inn. It was positioned perfectly for watching the sunset over the verdant Waimea hills from the second-floor, open-air community area.

Kamuela Inn features nine different types of rooms. Some are ADA accessible and some are a roomy 1,010 square feet outfitted with multiple beds and full kitchens or kitchenettes. Each room features distinctive décor themed around Waimea’s ranching history, such as sliding interior barn doors and hooks made from horseshoes. Blackout curtains allow for sleeping in. Bathrooms all have rain showers and, as sustainability is a focal point here, offer refillable toiletry dispensers stocked with locally made, plant-based, chemical-free Ola Tropical Apothecary bath products.

Paintings from the owners’ private art collection, including framed locally-made quilts, are hung in many of the rooms on colorful accent walls. Rooms on the first floor are decorated in blues and greens representing “mauka to makai,” or from the mountains to the sea. While rooms on the upper floor are sunset-hued in goldenrods and pinks. Some of the rooms have framed quilts likely made long ago.

Their Executive Suite boasts two bedrooms and two full baths, one with a luxurious claw-foot tub, a 55” flat-screen TV, abundant seating plus a full kitchen with range, refrigerator and ice maker. Carvalho, who has managed the inn since 2015, said bridal parties particularly love this suite, while the second Executive Suite, which has a more masculine décor, could accommodate the groomsmen. This one has two sets of bunk beds, a master bedroom, living room, one bath and full-size kitchen with six-person dining table,

The Kitchenette Suite is great for travelers with small children and includes a microwave, gas cooktop and mini-fridge with freezer. For groups wanting to prepare more meals, the Kitchen Suite has everything you need including a gas range, full-sized refrigerator with automatic ice maker and dining table with seating for four, along with two twin beds and a pull-out sofa sleeper.

Parking spaces are conveniently located in front of each room.

If guests want suggestions on what to do, Carvalho’s team will provide them with a suggested itinerary, and the front desk stocks beach towels and chairs for guests heading to the beach. Otherwise, here are my suggestions for things to do and places to eat nearby.

Kamuela Inn is a short walk from restaurants, shops and activities. Just a half mile down the road you’ll find Firehouse Art Gallery, where you can check out works by local artisans. Visit the bustling Waimea Coffee Shop for a pick-me-up and peruse its witty t-shirts and handcrafted mugs for sale. Next door, the Waimea General Store has many cute gifts, kitchen gadgets, jewelry, books, mementos and locally made goodies. The Waimea Nature Trail is also nearby.

About a mile from there, you’ll find the Paniolo Heritage Center at Pukalani Stables where you can learn about Hawaiian cowboys, which pre-date the horse-riding heroes on the U.S. continent. There are farmers markets held here on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon is the Waimea Town Market at Parker School, which is an easy walk from Kamuela Inn.

Parents will love the enormous Anuenue Playground, which is also within walking distance of the inn. With so many slides, forts and things for kids to climb and swing from, it may be the coolest playground I’ve ever seen anywhere. I smiled with a bit of envy at the squealing and laughing children.

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Where to go for lunch and dinner may happily be the toughest decisions you make while in Waimea. Of course, you can always stock up at the grocery store about a mile away and use the Inn’s on-site barbecues or the kitchen in your room to cook your meals.

For those wanting someone else to cook, within walking distance of the Kamuela Inn are Pau Pizza and Taco Rosa, great sources for dine-in or grab-and-go pizza by the slice, salads, street tacos, drinks and desserts all under the same roof. Moa Kitchen, directly in front of the inn, has delicious sushi, ramen and yakitori while nearby Merriman’s, a longtime leader in Hawaiʻi’s farm-to-fork dining movement, serves gourmet dishes made with locally-sourced seafood and meats plus farm-fresh fruits and vegetables.

Kamuela Inn, 65-1300 Kawaihae Rd., Kamuela, HI 96743, 800-555-8968, thekamuelaInn.com

Bookings must be made direct, either by phone or on their website

Rooms range $269 to $499 per night. No resort fees.