A pleasant and comfortable camping experience on the Big Island…read more
As a solo woman, I spent 9 nights in the Jungle Canopy at Gingerhill Farm Retreat in April 2026. I had an excellent stay, although I am used to camping, and feel that having a camping mindset is required for staying here. Yes, the chorus of frogs are very loud as soon as it's dark, and you can hear roosters in the distance in the morning along with bird songs. However, I enjoyed the noises and am an early riser. The Jungle Canopy is located close to the private residence, and I experienced little human noise. There was one nighttime rain and no leaks.
The screened-in bedroom is functional, and the bed has a good (firm) mattress. The sink and toilet, screened off and behind the bed, are nice to have in this enlarged tent. The shower is a few feet outside the tented bedroom/kitchen, and is open to the sky (cool to look up at the tree canopy). The shower is very nice, and the water gets hot. There is no door, but the only way you can be seen is from the Jungle Canopy tent itself (you can hang a sarong if you needed more privacy). They provide face clothes and towels, two worn beach towels, as well as family-size liquid hand soap, shampoo and conditioner (decent quality).
The kitchen, in front of the screened bedroom, also under a canopy, has everything you need: pots and pans (including a few that are stainless steel), a good size fridge with a small enclosed freezer (with 2 freezer packs), a sink with dish soap, etc. They provide a Berkey-like water filter carboy, a stainless-steel kettle to boil water, as well as coffee beans, a grinder, and French-press. There is a small table with two chairs where you can look at beautiful tropical plants. The only bummer is that the hot plate to cook food and boil the kettle can be slow to heat, especially if there is a slight breeze. Once the propane tank emptied while I was cooking breakfast and I had to text to ask for a replacement, however, someone came over right away and I was able to resume cooking.
Like camping, you are responsible for taking out your own trash to communal cans located a fairly short distance away. You can't put any toilet paper down the toilet, so all paper used for #1 and #2 needs to go into a plastic-bag-lined trash can and you remove and dump. They removed the compost. Recommendations to Gingerhill: provide more plastic bags for trash, more toilet paper (I had to ask), and offer a larger compost bucket as it filled too quickly. Also, one day I came back in the afternoon and found the gate code didn't work. I texted and called and fairly soon someone told me that they changed the code, but didn't notify me. Next time they change the code they should text all visitors staying at the farm the new code. So, in all, I would give a 9/10 ranking, especially given the cost compared to other accommodations, and the tropical farm experience.
FYI, there is snorkeling gear that you can use that is located next to the Sunset Cottage.
