Overall Ratings & Reviews Kirpal Meditation and Ecological Center

Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I was happy to be there at the same time as the founder, and he was gracious and kind, offering to lead meditation in the morning. Of the beaten bath and down to earth, this is a great place to stay if you like a

This is the real Hawaii! The property is located in a relatively remote area about 30 minutes south of Pahoa. Beautiful setting in the middle of a forest not too far from the beach. Isaac Hale Park is within walking distance and although the beach isn’t very safe for swimming there is a pond there that you can swim in. The accommodations are primitive and like camping but Mango Cabin was very spacious and the beds were VERY comfy. It is off-grid but there is electricity to the cabins. The cabins are screened and ours had a ceiling fan that kept us cool at night. There are community bathrooms and a kitchen but we never had any issues and I get up multiple times in the night.i would highly recommend, at a minimum, to eat breakfast at the community kitchen before heading out for the day. Very healthy with most ingredients grown on-site. We had a great time and staff (and other vacationers) are very friendly and helpful. Great place to disconnect and discover what “Island Time” really is. Highly recommend!

A great escape, off the grid hidden gem

We were arriving at 8:45 which according to their rules was not an issue and they would not even let us check in so we had to sleep in our car with two young children!

Zero communication. They ask you to call them if you are going to be late checking in. I did but one number no one answered and the other went directly to voicemail. Gave up after eight hours after receiving no call back or acknowledgment of any kind. Forfeited full price and ended up cancelling since I could not confirm someone would be there after 9 p.m. to let us in.

I loved the night time action hearing all the wildlife it was amazing. Having the bathroom outside was awkward but was trying new things and the second night i wanted a hot shower and it was nothing but cold water...my husband and I are plumbers and we take a look at the water heater and it wasnt staying lit...so we didnt even get to have a shower after sweating all day and going to the beach...pretty place but they need to take the money from the extra days i didnt stay there and possibly fix there amenities.

I LOVED the three walled bathroom, bathing in rain water, my cabin, and the quiet time!!

It is very quite and nature. Staffs are so nice and helpful for valuable advices.

Kirpal is a unique experience. This is not luxury accommodations for the body but it makes up for that in the friendly people, the simple and comfortable sleeping space, the cleanliness albeit in the jungle near lava flow, and as it recovers. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the entire experience from our morning walks, to excellent meals, and interacting with staff.

Very Nice People. Peaceful Atmosphere. Nice Bathrooms.

Everyone there was really nice. Even other guest's

We were nervous about staying here given some of the reviews, but we absolutely LOVED it and will stay again. It was a great place with a welcoming staff. Even my teenagers loved this experience. If to stay, make sure you are there on a Wednesday so you can go to uncle Roberts farmers market. Wifi was also better than we have at home.

The person who checked us in blatantly gave us the wrong room. We paid for their premium room with a private lanai and outdoor ocean view bedroom and shower clearly marked on the reservation to a cottage with a bunk bed and a worse view.

There are no locks on any of the doors, and our lanai door was broken so it wouldn't close all the way letting a lot of insects in. (I had to throw away a pair of underwear that was being ravaged by ants) Whenever I asked "volunteers" about different aspects of the camp they made me feel like I was inconveniencing them. The outhouse is scary at night, and while I admire their dedication to water conservation I wish the "yellow let it mellow" situation had been advertised to me beforehand. The Wifi was really hard to connect to and when I did, it was extremely slow. Also I can see a sliver of the ocean from my apartment in Kaimuki. I don't call it an "ocean view." Kirpal Meditation Center really shouldn't either.

Clean, comfortable, pleasant stay. A remote, peaceful area. A little Spartan in some aspects.

The person that showed us to our room was very friendly but she said this was more of a place of healing and comfort than a hotel. She welcomed us to a vegan supper and breakfast and their yoga classes if we wanted to attend, which we didn’t. She said when it’s in season guests can help themselves to fruit off the trees, as much as they care to eat. The acreage is beautiful as it’s full of trees and wildlife and is a short drive to the beach. We could barely see the ocean from our Oceanview room (my guess it that it’s close to a mile away). The nearest bathroom was essentially an outhouse about 100 yards away and their septic system doesn’t accept toilet paper so, a health hazard in my opinion, you had to put the toilet paper in a garbage next to the toilet and wash your hands with cold water. The room had numerous holes in each of the arcs of the tin roof and large gaps under the door so there were lizards crawling around. She told me the top sheet was to always stay on the bedding to shield the bedding and towels from lizard poop. We skipped our shower the next morning as it was outside coming off the side of another building where you would either have to shower naked or in our bathing suits. The heat to the shower was propane so she said we would need to come get them in the middle of the shower if it started running cold. We recieved a call from them within a week after we left saying they had a job opportunity for us, which we never returned.

This was in an extremely remote location, which we had not anticipated. There was no running water when we arrived, and despite the website indicating that these cabins are spread out, we found ourselves in a cabin with a walking path entirely surrounding it right up against other cabins, so we heard voices and noises the entire night from people passing. No privacy, difficult to reach even by car. This was more like camping, and I do not believe that this hotel should be available for the package flights and hotel deal that we got on Expedia. After realizing that this was not the place for us, we asked for whatever refund they could give us (we booked for a week, left early the first morning). They did not offer is even one night's refund, and were extraordinarily rude to us over the phone. Expedia told us to call the hotel, hotel staff told us to call Expedia. All in all we were extremely disappointed with our experience, and we are unlikely to purchase a package deal though this website again.

We enjoyed our four day stay in the Yoga Hale. It is a cozy cabin-style room with a cute lanai overlooking the jungle. Shared bathroom about 30 feet away near the shared kitchen facilities, which are handy for making coffee/tea or a meal. (It's a vegetarian kitchen so no meat, fish or eggs; dairy is ok.) This retreat is great for people who are willing to get off the grid with great morning yoga classes followed by community breakfasts. The staff - who are mostly yoga teachers - are incredibly welcoming and kind. Great folks to talk to with some very interesting personal stories. The location is perfect if you want to make day trips to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hilo, and a number of quiet and beautiful beaches that are all nearby. You can have a vegan dinner there or go offsite to a number of cute places in the area. We had dinner a few times in Pahoa, Volcano, and Kalapana. Yoga classes every morning were challenging and inspirational. Come here with an open mind - don't expect a standard hotel - and you'll enjoy the experience!

This is not for everyone, I enjoy it because it's off grid and I can adjust to anything, for my wife it was a shell shock to her but she quickly adjusted..great host and staff...lovely garden and scenery...

Overall, the stay was okay. It was like camping. We rented an ocean view room, but all we could see was a forest. The wifi only worked from certain areas and not from our room. Our washroom was outside, with no doors and little privacy. However, it was peaceful and the staff were nice. Important to note that the manager takes down your credit card information and keeps it on her computer indefinitely.