Kirpal Meditation and Ecological Center

Guesthouse

It's paradise right here on earth.

When you want peace, quiet, beauty and wonderful fresh food…

Attended my yoga teacher training with Yandara in Oct. The staff and volunteers were amazing. The beauty of the jungle, the frogs singing in the rain. The flowers. The fruit. The nutritious food. With regular amenities like hot showers, and Wi-Fi. I absolutely loved it here, and never wanted to leave.

Pure vegan place. A calm environment and very friendly staff. Very close to hot water ponds and beach.

We absolutely loved our stay here! Wonderful yoga, food, accommodation and people. Would definitely return.

Overall: I had a positive experience here. I do think that your impression of the place will depend largely on other guests adhering to the culture and relaxation goals of the center. We expected rustic, spare, and isolated — which we got — — but we also had a large party of guests in the next cabin who were on the louder side and noisily appalled at the lack of amenities (why they would expect a typical hotel experience, I don't understand). The cabins were small, charming, and electrified. I was fine with any and all critters I encountered (geckos, coqui frogs, pigs, etc). Yes, the coqui frogs are loud at night, but I got used to them quickly after the first night's stay. I brought earplugs just in case, but ended up not using them. Amenities are fine and honestly provided more than I needed on a daily basis, as I was looking to jettison most aspects of on-grid living anyway. Most of what we saw and experienced was exactly as described on the Kirpal website. Meals, meditation, and yoga: The meals and yoga sessions are a little expensive, and they will add up over time. We attended a yoga session that was almost entirely populated by staff, who were all much younger and more advanced in yoga than we were.

I do not know if I misinformed or if it's just badly presented on their website, but it was not like I had in mind at all. Firstly, several openings in the cabin let geckos and several insects in at all times, although there is a mosquito net all around. Second, for someone who has never been to a forest/jungle like this, it's hard to imagine the HEAVY noise all night and the humidity that makes the bedding wet and unpleasant. Third, the bathroom is not directly next to the cabin and therefore I had to accompany my girlfriend 3 times a night because she was afraid to go alone in the dark with the heavy noise from forest… If that's what you have in mind, go ahead cabins are beautiful and people are very friendly otherwise, avoid …

Kirpal is everything that other reviewers have described. Is it for you? Maybe. Maybe not. When we arrived, we were greeted by Padma and Lulu (Lovely yoga-vegan ladies), who checked us in. The Yoga Hale 1 is a small sparely furnished private screened-in room with a deck. It is part of the yoga structure where a class was being held. You can use curtains for side "windows", but no one is there to peer in. The big glass door opening to the view of the ocean and forest doesn't need a curtain. No one but wild birds, frogs, and maybe a wild piggie or two are out there. Some creatures do manage to get into the room, including geckos, and I did see fleeting glimpses of some other unidentified creeping things that inhabit the rain forest just outside the door. They were not an issue, but you have to be prepared to not get freaked out about them. The bathrooms are open to the forest on one side. You can sit there and contemplate nature, or shower (brrriefly) in the unheated 85°F water. (I may be wrong about that, but it did not get hot for us. ) And there was a posting exhorting the bather to conserve, lest he feel guilty about using too much. A shared kitchen was available, and meals were available at extra cost. One of the residents was preparing a delicious smelling curry when I checked it out. If you bring food, you have to label your stuff, and not eat what's not yours.

KMEC is an amazing escape surrounded by beautiful sights and kind, genuine people. If you want to feel rejuvenated by energizing yoga and healthy, delicious vegan meals every day, this is the place for you. It is truly a place filled with so much positivity and peace. If you're looking for a quiet, introspective get away, along with some new friends, there's nowhere better than here.

Kirpal is everything that other reviewers have described. Is it for you? Maybe. Maybe not. When we arrived, we were greeted by Padma and Lulu (Lovely yoga-vegan ladies), who checked us in. The Yoga Hale 1 is a small sparely furnished private screened-in room with a deck. It is part of the yoga structure where a class was being held. You can use curtains for side "windows", but no one is there to peer in. The big glass door opening to the view of the ocean and forest doesn't need a curtain. No one but wild birds, frogs, and maybe a wild piggie or two are out there. Some creatures do manage to get into the room, including geckos, and I did see fleeting glimpses of some other unidentified creeping things that inhabit the rain forest just outside the door. They were not an issue, but you have to be prepared to not get freaked out about them. The bathrooms are open to the forest on one side. You can sit there and contemplate nature, or shower (brrriefly) in the unheated 85°F water. (I may be wrong about that, but it did not get hot for us. ) And there was a posting exhorting the bather to conserve, lest he feel guilty about using too much. A shared kitchen was available, and meals were available at extra cost. One of the residents was preparing a delicious smelling curry when I checked it out. If you bring food, you have to label your stuff, and not eat what's not yours.

It's a great place. Cabins are basic. It is clean and very peaceful. Just know what you are booking. This is not a luxury resort but a place that brings you closer to nature. Yes, the frogs are loud and that makes it even better. It is like sleeping in the jungle. Food is good. People are friendly.

Very friendly staff, our cabin was Noni and was comfortable and relatively clean but I was not a fan of the open to nature toilet and shower. (Being able to close curtains all the way around would have made me more comfortable). We were traveling with our black lab we needed a place that accepted pets so that was the main reason we stayed and it's not a long drive to Volcanoes National Park, which we were visiting.
Be aware that the pig goes around dropping poo everywhere and it isn't easily seen at night (use your flashlight and shine it on the ground to avoid a nasty surprise! )
We recommend using earplugs to sleep, it really helped (especially when the cow started bawling in the middle of the night! )
It is a unique camping experience And in a pretty location.

Recently spent one night at the peaceful center in a beautiful, tropical setting. The accommodations while simple, are clean & airy. It exceeded our expectations! The staff is very friendly & accommodating & many of them are using their time as a work stay. The vegan breakfast was lovely & yummy with many interesting tropical fruits. If you want a beautiful, peaceful, organic friendly place close to the hot pools & tide pool (and Pahoa town) this is a good choice. We loved our stay there.

We purchased a boat tour of the lava flow near Pahoa and this location was perfect for our sunrise tour as it is only a few minutes away. When I booked this cabin, I was not aware that there was no bathroom within our cabin. Hotels (dot) com suggested it when another facility did not accept pets. We were traveling with our shih-tzu. After reading the reviews, I was more aware of what to expect, and a little apprehensive. It was a non-refundable reservation for one night. I knew my husband would not be excited once we got here. I have camped in the past, and my daughter said it sounded like glamping, and it was! It is a delightful, informal place to stay. As others have noted, it is quite noisy at night with coqui frogs, birds, geckos and other nocturnal critters. I did see a couple of geckos inside the cabin, but hey, this is Hawaii. We have seen geckos in our condo in Honolulu several times. That's not unusual in the tropics. Earplugs were provided to muffle the nocturnal noise, but I chose not to use them because I didn't want to miss our early morning alarm as we had to be at the launch site at 4:30am. Our cabin was kind of like a yurt. It was very clean. The bed and pillows were comfortable. The sheets were clean and a bright, cute print. A food container was provided to safely store any food. The bathroom is a community bathroom. It was close to our cabin and a flashlight was provided for nighttime "commutes". There were also solar lights outside our cabin.

We are here for two weeks and have totally loved the off-the grid, laid back, quiet, peaceful atmosphere! If you want to see basic Hawaii, people and countryside, this is it. The staff feels like family. The closest town, Pahoa, is easy to get to know and very quaint. Over all… just what we came to Hawaii for! Highly recommended!

Great place few steps from beach. Kids live it, you have animals all around you all the time and beautiful sounds of nature! Yoga with fresh air and view to jungle is additional big plus. Very friendly staff preparing cool bfast and dinners vegetarian style!

Lovely natural environment with wildlife, friendly management and very basic clean cabins. Look at the website, property is as depicted. Loved our stay thank you!

Think KOA camp with the whole zen yoga theme. Booked 3 nights and stayed an hour, even with no refund. We are very tolerant of substandard accommodations and this is the first time we have ever left anywhere we have had booked in advance. Buildings are not secluded and private. Bathrooms are shared. Our "cabin" was 10 feet from the shared kitchen and shared bathrooms. No alcohol allowed on the property. The final straw was the frogs. It's like 500 smoke alarms and alarm clocks going off at the same time all around you. With no windows or real doors or walls there is no way to block the sounds. Make sure you research coqui frogs before you come to this area.

It's a decent place if you're into meditation and being a naturalist. I just wanted to experience it but overall it's alright.