Business Monday: Finding inner peace and purpose in retreat centers on Hawai‘i Island

Hawai‘i Island is home to to some of the most unique sites on earth. From Kīlauea volcano to the slopes of Mauna Kea, one of the tallest mountains in the world, the island attracts adventure and thrillseekers alike.

But the Big Island also offers peace and healing with locally-run retreat centers providing a space for individuals to disconnect from the hustle of life and recharge through spending time in nature.

Mystics, healers and those who run local retreat centers say the Big Island is a hub for personal transformation.

From the Kohala coast to the deep jungle of Pāhoa, these retreats offer an array of eco-sustainable amenities equipped with farm-to-table gardens, yoga studios and saltwater pools.

Here are three local retreats:

Hawaii Island Retreat in Kapaʻau

Tucked away in the North Kohala Coast, the 50-acre Hawai‘i Island Retreat offers guests an off-grid experience to delve into the land, featuring fruit trees, sacred stone sites, hiking trails and a hidden beach cove for whale watching.

“I really wanted people to be able to awaken to their sacred self,” Jeanne Sunderland said.

In 2001, she left her job as spa manager at the Ritz Carlton, now the Fairmont Orchid, to begin building the retreat center with her husband, Robert Watkins.

The center offers group retreats for yoga, self-awareness programs, life coaching, girlfriend getaways, romance packages, as well as personal retreats for individuals and solo travelers. Suites start at $295 for a night, with bungalows at $350 per night and yurts at $195 per night.

When they built the main house, Sunderland said: “We wanted it to feel like an absolute wonder.”

It is a manor designed to mimic a turn-of-the-century Hawaiian Palace, with tall white pillars, French doors, and an open courtyard — complete with a ylang-ylang tree (blossoming with white flowers) and a labyrinth for prayer and meditation walks.

The property is open to the public, including the Ancient Peace Stones site, where people can come and connect to the earth, and to themselves.

The sacred counsel stones are pre-Ali‘i times. And, according to legend, King Kamehameha came here to sit with the stones as he came into his purpose as a leader.

“People come to worship the stones and come into alignment with their true purpose,” Sunderland said.

Driving into the retreat is like entering a whole new world. Palm trees line the road, while the cleansing North Kohala rain is likely to mist all around you.

At nighttime, the property is pitch black, except for the stars that shine down and lead the way through the windy pathways.

Notably, the retreat prides itself on being 100% sustainable, with solar panels for electricity, farm-to-table dining, and no plastic on site, with dispensers in the bathroom for products.

Hestia Retreat Center in Kealakekua Bay

Sitting on a hill in Kealakekua Bay, Hestia Retreat Center, also known as Whalesong, opened in June and invites travelers from all over the world to experience the deep blues of the ocean and Balinese infrastructure with eco-sustainable farming and communal living.

It is the sister retreat of a center in Mount Shasta, Calif. Both were co-founded by husband and wife team Belinda Liu and Peter Cooper.

“Rest and reset, that’s what you’ll find here,” Liu said. “This is the intention of these sanctuaries — that you start to trust your own inner knowing by being with the land and accessing the divinity that is already here.”

She said it’s not always easy to listen to yourself when flooded with so much information online and with the expectations of the world.

“To get back to the core, it does take a shift and nurturing space,” Liu said. “That’s what we want to offer folks.”

From the blue walls of the meditation room to the blue and white linens and duvets, Hestia invokes deep rest and relaxation.

Guest Linda Shay, Founder of Dolphin Heart Magic, came to the 5-acre retreat with her private client, Eileen Akbaraly, who traveled from Madagascar to experience the island and connect with the dolphins.

“This is the first time I’ve led a one-on-one retreat here” Shay said. “Every other day we see dolphins in the water and we connect with them telepathically. Dolphins are here to teach us about love and community, so I listen.”

Joanie Mac Nai’a, who takes care of the space and land at the retreat, said: “I love working here. Everyone has a great attitude and, I mean, look at that view.”

Hestia clients can work with the land and sea.

“I wanted to work with the ocean ecosystem,” Liu said. “Our other location at Mt. Shasta is very earthy and grounding, but there’s a different kind of nature medicine here. This land feels alive, fertile, abundant.”

She pointed to a papaya tree in the garden. Liu also noted that to become better stewards of the land, it’s important to be discerning and responsible.

“Sometimes we don’t consider that, when something is super abundant, like this papaya tree, what do we do with all of it? Do we harvest it?”

Her vision for Hestia is to expand into eight retreat centers all over the world, including another Big Island center on Painted Church Road at Paliuli farm.

Hestia offers six suites (which sleep up to 2 people per suite) for $140 per night, but varies by season. There are five cottages, which sleep 2-4 people, at $175 per night, and varies by season.

Kūaloli Retreats in Pāhoa

At Kūaloli Retreats in the heart of Pāhoa, you can disconnect from the world, with no cellphone service and plenty of nature.

The retreat at a 3-acre fruit farm runs on water catchment and solar power and includes a main house and three “jungalows” — which are bungalows in the jungle — for guests to stay in. The space can hold up to 15 people.

Jungalows offer a full immersion into nature, with screened-in windows, where one can hear the coqui frogs at night and feel the morning breeze.

Robin Duryea, founder of Kūaloli Retreats, extended a hand while dressed in denim jeans and a pink crop top and said with a smile: “Hi, I’m Jungle Barbie.”

“When guests arrive, I teach them how to open up a coconut,” she said.

Kūaloli Retreats offers individual and group retreats, and includes nature-based healing modalities in which people can “heal, remember and reconnect with their passion and creativity.”

Duryea said the retreat has a sense of peace and tranquility, and also an aliveness.

“So how does that wildness and tranquility go together? Feeling untamed, excited and unpredictable, but also, ease,” she said. “This is a place for people who want to re-wild themselves.”

Duryea said on the east part of the island is where ocean meets jungle: “There’s more wild, raw, elements. We’re off the beaten path. There are no resorts over here. We’re 25 minutes from town.”

Giuliana Mauro, who worked at the retreat last month, said: “Being at Kūaloli really brought me into my presence. The cabins are nestled into the trees and you can also hear the waves crashing from the ocean.”