This is the most extraordinary place we have ever stayed at.
You’d think you might have to “rough it up” a little to spend the night in a tree house, but this was not the case…
Skye, the artist behind this tree-house near Volcanoes National Park, in Hawaii, is the closest to a building genius I have ever come across. He managed to build this tree-house (which has a bigger sister in the neighborhood) without using invasive methods. This means that no trees had to be cut down in order to create this magical home (in fact, they keep on growing as you read this). The respect for nature and the immediate surroundings is obvious not only to the eye, but as Skye walks us in an explains that everything was done keeping sustainability in mind. All materials used for the construction are recycled. Power is 100% solar and water used in the shower and taps is collected rainwater which gets filter and treated. For drinking and cooking purposes, there is a big container with drinking water provided.
Not only the tree-house looks like something out of a story book, it also offers a lot of comforts of the modern world. Looking around I state “You could actually live here“, to what Skye replies “Of course, this was my home for several years!“. That explains a completely equipped kitchen (with fridge, plenty of pots and pans to cook with, stove, coffee machine and even a coffee grinder). As well as the entertainment collection that includes CDs, DVDs (some about the nearby Volcanoes National Park), TV (to watch the DVDs), board games and even a small library.
The living room has a comfy couch that invites you to stick around in the evenings. If it’s cold, there are fluffy blankets and a fire-place to warm up the spirits. Talk about a romantic atmosphere!
Upstairs, there’s plenty of room for a master bedroom and a secondary bed with enough space for a couple of kids or adults. There are nice comforters, robes and lots of storage space all around. The use of space is the house is truly incredible!
Imagine the feeling of waking up in the middle of the night because the moon is shining too bright right above you. You close the shutters above to sleep well and, finally, wake up in the morning with a glorious blue sky and lush greenery all around you.
You must walk downstairs to use the bathroom… and what a bathroom that is! You are not very likely to do your deeds with a better view anywhere else in the world.
The shower gets plenty of pressure and hot water. While good-quality towels and eco-friendly shower gel are provided.
Over all, this feels like the happiest house on earth. Glass is used extensively for the walls and ceiling, allowing a lot of natural light to come in. Between the rays of sun and the plants hanging inside the house itself, the frontier between indoors and outdoors is really thin.
Outside, there’s a canopy for you to mingle with nature, and a sitting area for you to have your morning coffee and make friends with the birds.
The tree-house can’t be seen from the road or the “outside world”. Once you are on the inside, it’s time to get lost in a magical world… Is almost like a well-kept secret that we want to share with you. Skye’s tree-house not only respects the surroundings, it blends with them in a way I had never seen a house do before.
You can feel that there’s so much love and care that have gone into building and maintaining this house. Skye built it all by himself during a period of 6 years. Now, it is a privilege for any of us that he has opened up the doors to this world of wonder!
Personally, I have been dreaming of coming back ever since…
More info:
volcanotreehouse.net
Near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island
This looks beautiful! I’d love to stay here with Avi, I’m sure he’d love it too. I am however scared to stay near any place where there are a lot of tree due to creatures like snakes and scorpions, you never know when they’ll creep in. What’s your say about that? Would this place be prone to snakes?
Hi Chandni,
This place is incredible! And nope, we didn’t come across any crawlies or anything unpleasant. On the contrary, we were surprised by the great level of comfort offered. I am sure you’d love it! :)
That was going to be my exact question! haha! Wow this is so cool!! I’m going to check out the website now
There are no snakes in Hawai’i!
There are no snakes in Hawaii! There is a small scorpion as well as centipedes but these really like the lower warmer elevations by the water, at least here on the Big Island. I’ve never heard of either of them in Skye’s treehouses that are 20 feet or so off the ground!
Here are 2 videos I made with Skye a couple years back of each treehouse:
Treehouse #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi6H5VUx_Is
Treehouse #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loN_TAc7W2U
Both are one of a kind masterpieces to visit.
Aloha Chandni,
There are no snakes or scorpions in the TreeHouse or even on the Island. We have some flies , moths and a few spiders which I don’t let stay inside. This area was flowing red lava just 350 years ago and it takes along time for bugs to walk the 25 miles up from Hilo. Plus it’s very tightly closed up. e-mail me if you like, at skye@volcanotreehouse.net.
Mahalo, Skye
This place is amazing and I’m not going to lie, I’d happily stay there for some days or weeks perhaps ;)
I could live there for a longer while too. I would get a mobile internet connection (the only thing “missing” is WIFI, really) and this would become an ideal spot to live and work from!
Wow, what a beautiful place! I especially love the play of light and shadow inside!
The amount of natural light that this tree-house gets is unbelievable. Such a happy place! :)
I loved your guys article about staying in an Eco-friendly treehouse near a Hawaiian volcano. That’s a real adventure right there! Keep up the good work!
Thanks John!
This tree-house was so nice, that we didn’t almost feel like going anywhere else around it in search of adventure!
Wow, I want to try it too! Just like Zara, I think I wont leave the house anymore when I stay there. I’ll just savor every corner of it. Really cool!
This is the type of place one falls in love with hard and never wants to leave!
Yes, this is Skye’s place :) We just stayed there back in November. We stayed in his other treehouse though, but he showed us this one as well. Such an amazing place! And Skye is the man!
I have to agree: Skye is awesome!!
OMG!!!
Can we move tomorrow and stay forever??
Love it, such a unique place with a magical atmosphere.
Few years ago I would never think about sleeping in a place like this, I was such a city and urban girl. But, Thank God, I learned how to enjoy and appreciate nature and houses like this is a dream for me now…
Thanks for sharing the experience!
Nat
Hi Nat,
This place truly is as magical as it shows in the photos… in fact, a little more. Even more so at night when the moonshine is bright and everything feels like out of a fairly tale. You should try it out sometime! :)
That sounds amazing ! I would love to stay there, it sounds like a unique experience !!!
This is SO cool! I want to stay here!! Awesome photos!!
I am interested in visiting Hawaii, and this seems right up my ally, please let me know the price point of staying at your beautiful home? Thank ever so much
Hi Landis,
The smaller tree-house we stayed at costs $195 per night, for 2 people.
You can check all the info on their website: http://volcanotreehouse.net/
I just want to say that it is so cool to see so many great posts and PHOTOS of the treehouse! Skye is amazing! I have known him since I was 9 and being around the treehouses is a definite highlight of growing up. I still go visit often and show people his amazing artwork! I am very grateful of all your photos and reviews to show people it is real and that its as cool as I make it out to be : )
I think what you guys are doing and did is admirable. What a great way to Live!
Hi Jenny,
Skye is indeed amazing! And as much as we wanted to show the world how incredible his treehouse is.. we honestly think the pics don’t do justice to the magical vibe of the place. So, we can only recommend people to go and visit and see for themselves, if they can. Lucky you growing up around there!! ;)