Glamping is coming to VAR!

 

OMG I am so excited about the next chapter at VAR!  While we were closed due to COVID, I was working a 9-5.  One morning I realized we have hardly seen anyone, we haven’t traveled, we haven’t gone camping and I need a break!  I ordered a tent, air mattress and folding chairs on Walmart.com, picked it up on my way home, and that night Randy cooked under the stars and we slept on the most uncomfortable deflating air mattress ever!  But from that night my vow to bring Glamping to VAR was born!  Ok, honestly, it’s something I had been thinking about for quite some time, but never really put it into action because we were always so busy running multiple properties.  In hindsight, I am not sure how we did it, but the pandemic did have a way of putting what is important for the future into focus. 

Part of the charm and the whimsy of Glamping is having all the amenities and modern creature comforts you want but being close to nature and its beauty.   “Lucky we live Hawaii” is a mantra most locals and Kama’aina say on the regular as we appreciate all the aina (land) has to offer as it is seen as the provider of everything: food, shelter and a place to just “be” with ohana and friends, new and old.  It is in this spirt that we are bringing Glamping to VAR.

Our 6 meter bell tent came today and I asked Randy if we could put it up “just to see” and of course he obliged.  This thing is massive! We will be putting it on specialized deck since most of our land is uneven, and for me, that is where the fun begins.  Planning every aspect of what our guests have come to expect in terms of rustic lux comfort but making it all off grid!

The tent will be outfitted with a queen size bed with a memory foam mattress, luxurious linens, fluffy pillows and even a mosquito net if you want to sleep with the door open. Nightstands with battery operated lights, a small café table with chairs, luxurious layers of rugs and a wealth of other amenities will make this an incredibly special place to unwind after a day of hiking in Volcanoes National Park. 

How about a hot shower to help “wash the stink of the day off ya” (as my Mom always says), okay consider it done!   We have purchased a Joolca Hot Tap which will run off propane and a solar charged generator. Just like the main house, we will have a small catchment system set up for just for Kahua Ho’omoana with a sump pump to pull water so you can take a hot shower AND have hot water for the sink.  This thing was designed to be used in the Australian Outback so I am certain it will be a welcome addition to our little glamping set up.

Then of course there is the business of “doing your business” in the wilderness.  Don’t worry, we have that covered too.  We purchased a Laveo Dry Flush Toilet.  It’s kinda like a diaper genie but for adults who don’t wear diapers but do have to find someplace to go number two.  It is battery operated, odorless and chemical free with a patented bagging system that works with the push of a button.  Genius!

Now for some, a vacation does not mean cooking, so for those of you reading who feel that way, just skip to the end.  For those of you that like to show off your culinary cooking kills over hot coals and in open nature, we have you covered too! Our camp kitchen will have everything you need to make a gourmet camping meal.  Providing the camp cook a choice of propane grill, butane stove or the old-fashioned way with a cooking grate over coals in the lava rock firepit ensures you have plenty of options to make a meal to remember.  Potable water for cooking, a 5 day cooler to keep things cold and a charming place to eat outside with the stars. 

As we are a licensed Bed and Breakfast, we are required to provide breakfast, so we will provide the same options for our standard rooms to be delivered the morning of or the night before to be put in your cooler and reheated in one of the afore mentioned ways. Sorry no microwave in the wild, we had to cut a few things out to make this workable…

We are hoping to be ready to open for glamping in June sometime, but there are a lot of things still in play.  There are back orders on a lot of the equipment we have ordered, not to mention waiting for the weather to improve so we can get the deck and kitchen/bath areas built.

Glamping still won’t be for everyone, but that’s why we have regular rooms too! Stay tuned as we provide updates!