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| Private, Secluded & Romantic - Hilo Vacation Rentals Hawaii Vacation Lodging |
The New York Times: The Falls at Reed's Island, one of four properties featured in The New York Times - "Secluded Retreats on the Big Island" Sunday April 17, 2005.
Around the World in 80 Homes: The Falls at Reed's Island was featured on the TV special - "Around the World in 80 Homes" produced by the Fine Living Channel.
Guest Comment: "We are all stunned by the beauty of this home. It's location atop the volcanic rocks, looking down past ferns at the river or looking upstream at the waterfalls is truly amazing. The house is elegant in it's simplicity. We all felt immediately comfortable in it. We think this is the most beautiful place we have ever stayed and are sad to be leaving today." JC Oregon 2004
The Falls at Reed's Island is a 2.25 acre estate at the pinnacle of Reed's Island. Located about 1 mile from old historic Hilo town and Hilo Bay. The land is more vertical than horizontal, a sliver with about 700' of frontage on the Wailuku River, the largest river in the State. It is protected by a fragment of State land on its side away from the river, and the land across the river is protected by a conservation easement. When on the property, it seems deep in the rain forest, although it is really in downtown Hilo.
Designed by San Francisco architects David Morton and Thomas Cordell. Completed in 2002. The narrowness of the site dictated the uniqueness of the house layout, three comfortable private bedrooms with baths, surrounded with large windows opening into the magical rain forest setting. A kitchen building, a pavilion with large windows on all sides surveying, as from a crow's nest, the two gorges and the waterfall. The three buildings are joined by a long screened lanai, with a colonnade of posts made of native Ohia tree trunks. Interior wood is untreated Port Orford cedar from Oregon which has a wonderful aroma.
Over eons of time the river eroded the gorge down on the North side of the island to a level of about 85 feet below the island, leaving the South gorge high and dry about 30 feet below the island. With cliffs flanking both sides, this dry channel is an ideal site for a garden, the bottom is a near level grass area. It undulates the length of the property, culminating beyond the tip of the old island at a cliff overlooking the active North gorge and a grand waterfall directly below. The house exterior is mostly black, with black anodized aluminum windows giving the feeling that the house emerges from the black lava rocks below.
Additional Guest Comments:
"My husband & I came to stay in your home without knowing that we were about to have one of the most extraordinary experiences of our life. This home, this location....is pure "Aloha" magic. We feel so blessed to have this opportunity. The peace, the beauty and the simplicity has filled our hearts and our souls with feelings that we will carry with us always. We look forward to seeing you both again, to share our trip with you and to get to know both of you better. These few days have made an incredible impact on our lives. Thank you does not seem enough. Mahalo" P & J L, California, Feb 2004
"Our Trip to Hilo has only been made more extraordinary by staying in such a beautiful place. The Falls at Reed's Island is even more spectacular then we imagined. We could easily stay here without even leaving the property. Every sound & sight seems to co-exist perfectly with the home. Jack & Jane are most gracious hosts & have seen to every detail. Today is our ninth wedding anniversary & this home has made it an exciting & romantic trip we'll never forget. Mahalo Nui Loa" D & E C, Kauai, Feb 2004
"The meeting with the Mayor was very good at the kitchen table; we pulled up the chairs and wooden bench, and it was perfect. He was very impressed as well, as he had not known that properties like this existed in Hilo. Make that 19 of 19 folks, including us locals that didn't know such places existed. I hired Reed of Reed and Jay Photograph to come and take a group shot of us with the waterfall in the background. He was also blown away. I gave him your contact information, as he said that he will recommend the place for weddings, etc. He was so impressed that I heard from his staff that he was raving about the home, and came back with his partner Jay (an architect), to show him what the place looked like." P C F meeting, Mar 2004
