Groups of 6 or less rent the top main floor of Champagne Cove with the main living, dining and kitchen areas, a completely enclosed wraparound lanai with a panoramic ocean and pool view, 2 bedrooms with king & double bed, and 1.5 baths. Groups of 6 or less may obtain access to the ground-floor Ohana for an additional fee. Groups of 7 or more have use of the ground-floor portion of Champagne Cove called the Ohana, with another living and dining area, kitchen, 2 more bedrooms with king & double beds, and another 1.5 baths.

Champagne Cove is completely and comfortably furnished to supply all of your home-away-from-home needs. Cook in one of the beautiful kitchens while you gaze at the Pacific Ocean through the 30-plus palm trees. Outdoor dining with shade umbrellas for poolside lounging makes for an unforgettable stay. The outdoor charcoal barbecue faces the pool and is adjacent to the outdoor shower that is a must for everyone to try at least once. In the pool you can view the waterfall and the 12-foot mural of “Hilo Town” at the same time. Look for its artist “Arenzo” who is also the gardener and ask him about his work and his life; it is worth the wait.

You can see whales off-shore (in season) and sea turtles visit year ’round. Don’t miss the 3-mile drive to the popular geothermally heated pond called Ahalanui (the “Hot Pond”). At night you can view the cruise ships passing in the night or enjoy one of the televisions. You are “connected” while at Champagne Cove through both hard-wired and wireless DSL connections. Champagne Cove has a local massage therapist “on call” and an on-site massage table for your use.

Nothing compares with the old Hawaii feeling in downtown Hilo and great kindness reflected by the neighbors and the natives of this lush area. Being only a few miles from Kalapana and being able to see the lava enter the ocean is another wonderful attraction. Champagne Cove is located less than a mile from the old town of Kapoho and the lighthouse on the point is a reminder of times gone by. The nearby picturesque town of Pahoa has an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants, some with live music and all filled with aloha.

Champagne Cove gets sunrises like you never imagined, and even though the sun sets on the other side of the island, the sky over Kapoho comes alive with spectacular colors! This is truly an awesome place. Kapoho is the warmest, sunniest spot on the windward side of the island. It often gets sun when it is raining in Hilo. Here you will experience beauty and tranquility with a rare taste of lovely “old Hawaii.”

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Hale Mahana is a multi-facetted building designed with the temperate Hawaiian weather in mind. There are two master suites, the each has a Queen size Select-Comfort bed with a 4″ memory foam mattress topper, wet bar with sink, microwave and mini-fridge, flat screen TV, screened lanai and full en-suite bath. Both master bathrooms have jetted tubs, tiled floors and garden views. Each suite also has its own screened in lanai with a view of the Hale Mahana pond. The lower-level lanai also has a futon day bed for that 5th guest. From the lanais you can hear the ocean just a couple of blocks away. There is a third bathroom off the kitchen that boasts a large and artisic outdoor shower! The stained glass shows several Hawaiian fish, can you name them?

The kitchen is well equipped and with an outdoor gas grill as well, you can feast on local Hawaiian seafood and produce! There is room for dining al fresco under the stars or in the garden view dining room just off the kitchen. There is even a small flat screen TV in the kitchen so you don’t miss a thing while you’re cooking away! And if you’re visiting in winter, you just may get chilly enough to turn on the small electric fireplace to warm your toes with your morning coffee or tea.

The tidepool ranges from 6 feet deep at low tide and up to 15 feet at high tide. The temperature varies from 88 degrees F at high-tide to 91 degrees at low tide, year round. This lagoon is one of the original natural tidepools in Kapoho and neighborhood legend has it that King Kamehameha III frequented these grounds and swam in this tidepool!

Kapoho is known for its great weather and the renowned Champagne Pond where you can swim with sea turtles and tropical fish, just two blocks from Hale Mahana. Pahoa Village is a 12 minute drive and has great restaurants, quaint shopping and even a public pool. Fly into the Hilo airport and you’re an easy 45 minute drive to Kapoho or fly into Kailua-Kona about a 3-hour drive.

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Charming cottage with beach right on Champagne Pond! For those lucky enough to have stayed in the Beach Lots community of Kapoho, you know there are only 6 homes that front the very popular Champagne Pond, and this is one of them! Walk out the lanai, climb the ladder into the crystal-clear inlet in front of the cottage, and swim out with the turtles to the large part of Champagne Pond. For those who haven’t yet experienced Champagne Pond, it’s a huge geothermally heated warm pond, with incredible snorkeling in calm warm waters with sea turtles and colorful tropical fish.

But wait! There’s also a white sand beach! A rare find in East Hawaii, but the owners of this cottage decided to build their own rock wall overlooking the pond and fill it up with that white sand that slips through your toes. Sunbathe away in sunny Kapoho while you relax on lounge chairs and feel that ocean breeze.

It’s not just about location at Champagne Pond Cottage. This truly charming two-bedroom cottage was built in 1957 by James and Mildred Kuwana. It survived the 1960 lava flow that covered Kapoho. Mr. Kuwana and another long-time resident had the lava flow dredged to create what is known today as Champagne Pond. The home was refurbished in 1994 and just recently upgraded with a new kitchen and bath, complete with granite countertops and beautiful windows.

The cute kitchen is well equipped with refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, microwave, coffeemaker, toaster, blender, rice cooker, pots and pans, cutlery, dishes, and there is a full-size washer and dryer. (The kitchen has no conventional oven but there is a charcoal BBQ on the lanai.) Windows surround the kitchen on three sides to bring in the view.

Ohia wood floors grace the living area, which has comfortable seating, a flat-screen satellite TV with a gazillion channels including CD-quality commercial-free music stations, and a DVD player. The outdoor lanai serves as the main dining area with a picnic table overlooking the pond.

The cottage has a strict maximum of ony 4 people on the property at any time (sorry no invited guests are allowed at this property) due to the small septic system. The master bedroom has a queen bed and the second bedroom has bunk beds. The bedrooms are small but work well for a family.

Champagne Pond Cottage offers a glimpse into an old Hawaii home, with upgraded features and a location you will never forget!

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Kapoho has great swimming & snorkeling in Champagne Pond, a large geothermally heated lagoon where you can often swim with green sea turtles (go for a dip right after your morning coffee  – early a.m. is the best time for maximum turtle action, what a way to start the day!), in Kapoho Bay, and in unique private brackish snorkeling ponds that many of the homes feature.

Kapoho Vacationland, a mile away, is home to the Wai Opae tidepools marine sanctuary, a unique labyrinth of volcanically created tidepools that is home to an amazing variety of marine life. This area boasts some of the best snorkeling on the island, indeed in all of Hawaii. Venture out towards the breakers and you’ll reach a vast forest of coral.

Travel another mile down red road past Vacationland and you’ll find Ahalanui Park, aka Millionaires Pond, another geothermally heated lagoon at the ocean’s edge that is almost Jacuzzi temperature. Isaac Hale Park at Pohoiki Bay is the local hot spot for surfing and boogie boarding, and is about 4 miles from Kapoho. Kehena black sand beach is about 9 miles from Kapoho.

Eclectic Pahoa Town is 9 miles from Kapoho, with yummy restaurants (we love Paolo’s for authentic Tuscan cuisine, Kaleo’s for pacific fusion, Nings for Thai, Mike’s for fantastic New York pizza), and fun shopping at stores like Puna Style and Jungle Love. Pahoa also has a 7-11 convenience store, several grocery stores, Longs Drugs, banks, gas, etc,

Historic Hilo is 30 miles from Pahoa, with museums, parks with amazing waterfalls (we love Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls and the Boiling Pots), fine dining, a world-class planetarium (www.imiloahawaii.org), the country’s only natural rain forest zoo (www.hilozoo.com), and some of the world’s most beautiful botanical gardens (www.htbg.com).

No trip to the Big Island is complete without at least one visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (www.nps.gov/havo) a 45-minute drive from Kapoho.

The world’s most powerful terrestrial telescopes live on the Big Island atop Mauna Kea; see the stars like you’ve never seen them before at the Mauna Kea Visitors Center (www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis) – 1 ½ hours from Kapoho – where grad student volunteers take visitors on “Star Tours” of the heavens every night.

Several years ago the county of Hawaii built a lava viewing area in Kalapana, 20 minutes from Kapoho. The volcano is ever changing, and eruption status is updated daily here: http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/kilaueastatus.php)

For a truly memorable experience, we recommend Lava Ocean boat tours. There’s no better way to view lava! Find them online at http://www.lavaocean.com/

Excellent local foods, crafts, music, etc can be enjoyed at Uncle Robert’s Market every Wednesday evening, located at the very end of Hwy 137 (Kapoho-Kalapana Road), and at the Maku’u Farmers’ Market Sundays from 8am – 3pm on HWY 130 just north of Pahoa town.

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