A visit to Kalani

I never really wanted to travel to Hawaii, my thoughts always turned to the Brady Bunch episode where Mike is sent to Hawaii to check on a construction project for his firm, and the entire Brady clan (and Alice) get to come along. During the trip, Bobby unearths an ancient tiki said to bring bad luck to whomever is holding it. The first evidence comes when Greg is involved in a serious surfing accident...Hawaii seemed frightening.

I'm a road less traveled kind of gal and the thought of all those Tourist really didn't look appealing. Thankfully, a friend told us about this other side of Hawaii. So we planned a trip not quite knowing what to expect, and found a little piece of heaven called Kalani. Kalani is located 1 hour south of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. It's all Jungle out there, with rolling fields of black lava in every direction. The road to Kalani is covered in a lush canopy of beautiful trees, very magical. Kalani is not a resort, but a retreat center set on 125 aceres. Everyday they offer a variety of yoga classes and delicious vegan food. The black sand beach is a mile up the road. We hiked along a steep trial to find Akaka Falls, only to find just up the river, another set of falls and a swimming hole. Mount Kilauea is an active volcano you can hike to see the flowing lava(we only made it to the crater). My favorite part of Kalani happened on our last day. It was called Ecstatic Dance, 2 and 1/2 hours of no talking and just dance. It was one of the most interesting things I've ever experienced. If you need to get away from phones, TV and just about everything else, Kalani may be the place for you to visit.