Hotel Pa'amalu is a very comfortable and welcoming traditional Hawaiian cottage. Even though you are only a few steps up, inside one has a sense of floating in the palm trees. There are all sorts of Asian and Polynesian touches that make this little place very charming.

The cottage is just as presented in the photos. There is an open porch on the front and a large screened lanai running the entire west side of the cottage. Inside is a compact but efficient kitchen, a lovely bath with walk-in shower and a large bedroom area with seating, TV, closet and dresser.

There is hardly any wall space in this cottage because there are so many windows. The cottage itself is surrounding by palm, mango, tangelo and banana trees. And orchids, did I mention orchids? There is a wonderful bubbler fountain off the lanai where, during our stay, we counted 19 species of birds bathing and frolicking.

There is a lounging area outside off the lanai with space to plant the BBQ and grill while the sun sets. The parking is on the grass, but there is a lovely carport to shade the car while it is resting.

The cottage is located just above Kealakekua Bay and about a 15 minute drive from Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park and snorkeling at Two-Step. Kona is very accessible and there is a well stocked grocery at the top of the hill. Volcanoes National Park is a nice day trip away.

Charles is very welcoming and accommodating. Scooby, the dog, will do a perimeter check in the morning and evening, will greet you when you come back from your days adventures and will sit quietly on the front porch waiting for the cottage lights to go out for the night. He is a charmer, that one.

We stayed here for nine days in February and as I mentioned in the title there is just one little problem with this place. There is a lot to see and do in Hawaii, but once the refrigerator is stocked and you let the mainland go, it is really hard to leave the cottage behind.