Sunset - Horizon Guest House

Have you ever wanted to cycle the Big Island at your own pace? Ever wondered what it would be like to do a cycle tour without having to worry about your luggage? With a customized cycle tour you can do all of this as well as making Horizon Guest House a destination on your itinerary.

Lifecycle Adventures offers customized bicycle tours on the Big Island of Hawaii. They take care of all the logistics, transporting your luggage to your destination while you enjoy the day’s cycle route. A support van is always close by if you need anything.

Lifecycle are operated by locals who live and cycle on the island. Bruno will take care of all your cycling needs, and help plan the best cycle itinerary to meet your ability.

Enjoy the cycle ride and relax in the knowledge that your luggage will arrive safely at your destination.

Our most recent Lifecycle Adventurers. Their itinerary included a route down the Kona Coast from Waikaloa.

Dinner with a view

After a day out on the bicycle what could be better than grilling out by the pool. If you’d rather not eat out, Horizon Guest House has everything you need to make dinner. This option is perfect if you’ve spent the day cycling to Horizon and would rather sit back with a glass of wine.

On tour

This touring group stayed two nights and cycled down to Two Steps on day two. Cycling the Big Island is all about the variation in both climate and landscapes. Whether it’s the white sand beaches north of Kona, the coffee country and sweeping vistas of South Kona, or the mint-green hill country around Waimea, a cycle tour is a great way to see the island.

Spend the day out on the bicycle and return to Horizon to soak in the views from your guest room lanai.

Make sure you leave time on your cycle tour to visit with the Horizon farm animals. Clem always has snacks on hand for Poncho and Lefty (the donkeys), and Sunny (the horse).

Cycling tours are available year round, starting or ending in either Waikoloa or Kona. Tour length is typically between 3 to 10 days. There are two types of tours – self-guided or guided.

On a self-guided tour the local guide will organize your transfers, luggage delivery, and will also be on call for any help in the event of flat tires or mechanical problems.

On a guided tour the local guide will explore a destination with you and a support vehicle will be available at all times.

Day two

The tour group preparing dinner and enjoying another amazing Kona Coast sunset.

Photo credit: David Goldbloom

Dinner by candlelight...

Enjoy the best of the Big Island at a slower pace with a custom cycle tour on the Kona Coast.

For more information about Lifecycle Adventures https://www.lifecycleadventures.com/hawaii-bike-tours/

For more information on cycling on the Big Island check out our blog post https://horizonguesthouse.com/2019/10/12/the-horizon-bicycle-diaries/

Special thanks to Bruno at Lifecycle Adventures, and to David for supplying some amazing photos.

To make a reservation at Horizon Guest House click the Book Now button below.

Author: Angus Meek

Guests at Horizon Guest House often ask me ‘what makes Hawaii so special?’ and the first answer that usually comes to mind is ‘the weather’.

The weather on the Big Island is consistent and doesn’t tend to change much throughout the year. The Big Island also has an added bonus – you can pick your weather within a tropical to subtropical range. Actually, you can technically find 10 of the 14 climate zones right here on the island.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/hawaii/hi-climate-zones/

One result of this consistent weather is the ability to grow a huge range of plants and flowers. And one of my favorites is the orchid (orchidaceae).

The variety of flower formations is astounding. There are about 28,000 currently accepted species and about 100,000 hybrids and cultivars.

Developing new hybrids and cultivars is a huge endeavor on the Big Island – you can see a large number of varieties at the annual orchid show in Hilo sponsored by the Hilo Orchid Society. This year it was held on June 28-30th. I didn’t make it to this year’s show but I have been to many in past years and thoroughly recommend it. For more details check out their website here

Fun fact! Another name for the Big Island is the ‘orchid isle’. This is because Hawaii quite quickly got a reputation for excellence in producing orchids. First grown commercially in the early 1900s, Hawaii was dubbed ‘the orchid center of the world’ when the Honolulu Orchid Society exhibited over 20,000 plants in St. Louis at the 1957 World Orchid Conference. Today, orchids are a multi-million dollar industry.

When seeing orchids out in the living room, guests frequently ask how I’m able to have them out all year. Easy – basically I feed and ignore. The weather does the rest!

The vanilla orchid (not pictured here) is probably one of the most well-known orchids. It is the second-most expensive spice after saffron. That’s because it’s so labor intensive. Two thirds of the world’s vanilla is grown in Madagascar and Indonesia.

I did have a vanilla orchid here at Horizon Guest House, and yes, it did bloom. The problem is that there’s a very specific window when it’s possible to pollenate – and I kept missing the window. And in the end, a turkey ripped the plant off the tree – and that was the end of my vanilla production.

Native Orchids

There are only three types of orchids native to Hawaii. These are Anoetochilus sandvicensis (the jewel orchid); Liparis hawaiensis (the twayblade orchid); and Platanthera holochila.

The best place to find these orchids in the wild is on a hike at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, or in the wet forests on the east side of the island.

Alternatively, for all things orchid, check out Akatsuka Orchid Gardens not far from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

But sometimes all you need is an orchid and a sunset...

Book now by clicking the button below and then filling out our reservation request form. Or call us on 808 938 7822

Custom cycle tours on the Big Island of Hawaii

Have you ever wanted to cycle the Big Island at your own pace? Ever wondered what it would be like to do a cycle tour without having to worry about your luggage? With a customized cycle tour you can do all of this as well as making Horizon Guest House a destination on your itinerary.

Dinner with a view

On tour

Day two

Dinner by candlelight...

Author: Angus Meek

Orchid Extravaganza!

Native Orchids

But sometimes all you need is an orchid and a sunset...

Author: Angus Meek