Business Monday: Coffee farm referred to as ‘Garden of Eden’ turned into retreat center in South Kona

On a 10-acre property in South Kona where coffee trees grow, husband and wife Peter Cooper and Belinda Liu have turned a building used as an Airbnb and the property into their second retreat center on the Big Island.

Paliuli Farm Sanctuary opened last December on property that has been referred to as the “Garden of Eden” and home of Princess Laʻieikawai, who was known as the Beauty of Paliuli.

“The space is very grounding,” Liu said. “The alchemy of soil, the different fruits and land medicines, the coffee trees and hiking trails. People can feel the connection to the earth, to be with the trees and feel grounded, and take a break from the fast pace of life.”

Paliuli Farm is part of Hestia Magic retreat centers, which began in 2014 with a location at Mount Shasta, California, and last year added a second location at Kealakekua Bay.

Prior to starting Hestia Magic, Liu and Cooper were educators, both domestically and internationally. They spent their early career supporting education
initiatives, particularly with disadvantaged communities, then transitioned into land
stewardship.

“I think bringing people to the land can be just as powerful as the schools,” Liu said.

The name Hestia comes from the Greek Goddess of the hearth, home, community and family. The couple’s long-term plan is to have eight locations around the world, where they can tend to sacred lands, build community and live in rhythm with nature.

Their new retreat center in South Kona is tucked off Painted Church Road, with mango and other fruit trees lining the driveway to the main house, where guests can experience peace and stillness, with the exception of birds chirping and coqui frogs croaking at night. 

“We wanted it to be a place of deep healing,” Liu said. 

“Before it was Paliuli, the farm was a very special land,” she added.

She remembers speaking with a farmer who told her: “There’s something magical about that particular strip of land. You can plant something in the ground and it just grows.”

The couple wanted to preserve that tradition. They seek visitors who respect and honor the land, do their own inner work and healing, and treat others with respect.

“We’re working on building a relationship with the land,” said Pōlani Ho’omai’elelehua Monderen, the onsite land steward at Paliuli. “We’d love for people to come and stay who are wanting to connect deeper to themselves and the earth around them.”

For Monderen, who grew up on the Big Island spearfishing and hunting pigs, it’s about connecting to the earth through the senses.

“I learned how to become close to the breath, the quiet and stillness,” she said.

When Monderen was asked to steward the land at Paliuli, she jumped at the opportunity.

Paliuli Farm has a main house with 3 bedrooms, 1-1/2 bathrooms and an outdoor shower; a 1-bedroom suite with an en-suite kitchen and bathroom; and three suites with queen beds and a large community patio for outdoor gatherings and dining. The space can hold up to 35 people for community events and sleeps up to 13 people.

Each summer and winter, the sanctuary hosts one week solstice retreats. Liu and xx bring in  holistic health experts to guide the retreat and celebrate the changing seasons. 

Audrey Jacob, a book author who flew in from California for the winter solstice retreat, recalled the deep healing she experienced on the lanai of the retreat center, overlooking the ocean. 

“We would sit in circles everyday and hold space for each other,” she said. “People told deep grief stories, recalled traumas and we all just listened in community.” 

Jacob had a dream about Paliuli Farm, and found herself at the retreat center not long after. 

“There is definitely something magical about the land there,” she said. “And when I came back to California, I found myself connecting with people who were from that part of the island. Call it serendipity, but there is definitely a strong sense of community there.”

Paliuli Farm is home to an array of tropical and medicinal plants, including cocoa, several noni trees, avocados, citrus, passionfruit, mangos, bananas and papayas.

“That’s why we fell in love with the coffee farm,” Liu noted. “The feeling of peace and fertility that is present.”

Down the street and along Painted Church Road, visitors can find an array of local fruit and bread basket stands, as well as working coffee farms and coffee tasting tours.

The grounding, fertile soil at Paliuli Farm contrasts with the expansive, ocean views at sister site Kealakekua Bay, which is often buzzing with visitors from all over the world, many hoping to see dolphins.

While Kealakekua Bay in Captain Cook shines bright, something remains mysterious and untouched at Paliuli Farm.

“What’s there is intangible,” said Jen Lighty, the former caretaker of the coffee farm. “For me it was like a refuge that wasn’t participating in modern life. It was so… quiet… And when you live in a place like that, I saw so many people come through (with some renting rooms). People had really profound healing transformations.”

Lighty said: “It’s pretty simple. If you listen, the land speaks. You get answers.” 

Rooms range from $150 to $175 nightly. Full property rental is $1,500 per night, sleeping up to 13 people. For more information, go to HestiaMagic.com.