Volcano Places

Kate’s Volcano Cottage is a large studio cottage, its shingled exterior fitting naturally into its forested setting. The covered front porch has a small built-in bench as well as a chair and ottoman, along with umbrellas. The cottage is located on the same acre of upland forest as Kahi Malu, in a quiet corner of Volcano Village. They share a driveway but each has its own parking space, and, while situated near one another, they are quite private from each other.

In the spacious main room, the built-in cal-king bed is flanked by built-in side tables. An adjacent double-sized futon couch accommodates additional guests, as does the futon armchair across the room, which makes into a bed for a young child. The built-in entertainment center has a 19” CRT TV, on cable, a DVD player, a VCR, a mini-stereo, and a collection of movies and music in various formats, as well as flashlights, gloves (for lava trekking), and drawing supplies, small toys, and games. Beside the large and comfortable futon armchair is a rolling cabinet/side table with a private phone. There’s a closet for guests’ luggage and clothes and a baseboard heater for those cool Volcano nights. The cottage has a wireless access point, but guests whose laptops aren’t WIFI ready may use a wired connection for internet access.

The kitchen, compact and fully furnished, has cushioned stools for counter seating, a deep oak counter, a 20” electric range, under-counter refrigerator, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, coffee grinder, french press, blender, rice cooker, and a respectable batterie de cuisine.

The private full bathroom has a shower with painted sheet-metal lined walls which reveal the cottage’s humble origins as a carport (really!) and a high hopper window that lets out steam and brings in light. Beside the toilet, a hand-built vanity with an oak counter around the lav sink houses basic medicine cabinet supplies, plus extra linens.

Photographs and ceramic pieces by local artists share the space with exotic island flowers .

The large covered side deck has an eight-foot bench for lounging, a hand-built table with folding chairs for indoor-outdoor dining, plus a large hand-built armchair. This deck is very private, nestled up to a forest knoll.