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As a very stressed out host, I want to go on a vacation! Tell me about your area, and why it kicks butt. Please post a pic of your area.
I’ll start: 22 million acres of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. World renown hiking, biking, skiing, wildlife viewing, fishing, mountaineering, and hunting. Awesome small town feel, with a world class research University, stable and flourishing economy, and best of all for families and visitors, SAFETY and low low crime rates.
Fantastic! I’ll go next! Let me go to my computer where all the pics are!
And please everyone, this thread is for pictures and description of your area only. Don’t post your Airbnb here. There is another thread for that.
As you all know by my name, I’m in Kona, Hawaii. The Big Island. It’s the youngest island in the chain at 800,000 years and still growing. It’s currently over the “hotspot” which remains stationary as it builds islands which then grow and eventually drift off in a northwesterly direction and eventually sink. Hawaii is technically part of the same chain as Kure atoll, Midway and the French Frigate shoals, all of which were once over our hotspot. We currently have two active eruption sites at the phenomenal Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. One is at the lava lake of the summit caldera, known as Halemaumau. You can stay in a room at the crater’s esge or go have a drink in the restaurant and watch the glow. The other eruption site is from the Puuoo vent (Puu oo means “home of the o’o bird”)… You can hike to these flows, which are currently outside the park but have in the recent past, have flowed inside the park. We are home to five volcanoes, three of which are considered active. The Big Island is so large all the other islands of Hawaii can fit in its boundaries with room to spare.
Our two largest volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are about the same height–14,000K and you can drive to the top of both (but a guided tour is recommended to Mauna Kea.) Due to the excellent atmospheric conditions, 13 world class observatories are perched here and are administered by universities and space agencies from around the globe.
We have 11 of the world’s 13 climactic zones. You can surf in the morning and ski in the afternoon if you are intrepid enough.
There are not enough adjectives to describe the Big Island. It’s truly the land of superlatives, of fire and ice, of adventure and beauty.
There. I will stop now. 
Always wanted to go to Hawaii! We looked at starting an AirBnB in Puna, but I wasn’t convinced that was the area for us! I am definitely going to PM you when it comes time for a vacation.
Depends! Puna… is well. Puna. It’s in the jungles of East Hawaii for the most part. But if you are looking in Kapoho Vacationlands, I highly highly recommend. Full of vintage homes from the 60s, it’s charming, oceanfront, laid back and oh, so very Old Hawaii.
Also… Regulations may coming! Severe ones. Don’t buy until it’s settled. It’s county bill 108 in case you are interested. Also the state is radically clamping down on us. Very scary… Won’t impact me as I am an onsite host, but anyone offsite may get completely slammed.
I know all about regulations… It now costs, on average, about $650 here in town to start a STR. They are banned outright for people not living in the houses, or connected building (for multi-families). Most of my RE clients come to me to figure out how to fix that. I can’t in many situations, and it is now a misdemeanor. Yikes…
I was very interested in Puna, but I put an offer on a lot and all of a sudden there was a ‘bidding war’ on the lot that had been on the market for 2 years. I know how this goes, and mentioned I was a licensed agent, and all of a sudden never heard back from my sales agent on the Big Island. He seemed like a top seller there, so you’ve probably heard of him.
Anyway, we looked north of Hilo, and are working our way to buying one of those lots. Amazing. One of the lots had like 3 waterfalls on it, and bordered public land backing all the way up to the top of the volcano. It’s my dream (like everyone else) to retire there, or at least split my time between here and there.
Puna took a tank in 2014 when the lava flows were headed there. It was super cheap. But then the lava flows stopped and it’s heading back up again.
You might not think so, but one of the best places in the world is … Fort Lauderdale. Do not be fooled by its party-atmosphere-spring-break image.
Our rentals (we have two and I look after another for a neighbour) are located in a quiet backwater (a cul-de-sac) and on the water. It’s a Mid Century Modern building, unpretentious and very cool. It’s just over a mile to the beach and walking distance to the best restaurants, shops and galleries in the area.
Something that many people don’t realise is that Fort Lauderdale has a load of fabulous history, a wonderful performing arts centre, some brilliant museums and events such as the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
Brilliant place!
The view:
Love these! Keep em coming!
Man, these photos are making my mouth water. It’s currently cold and gray out here, and I’m not skiing. I need to take more winter breaks…
I watched the Youtube video on the flow in Puna! That was just wild… I like that sort of thing though. I live on the edge of a supervolcano, and love raw nature. Kona seemed like the best place in terms of climate to live in.
Oh yeah! We drove down there when inundation was imminent to say goodbye to Pahoa. Everything but “Jungle Love” the local head shop, closed. Everyone was panicking and leaving! Emergency roads were being dug. Then it abruptly stopped just after intruding into town and taking a couple of vacant buildings. But it was not to last as another lava flow started down from the same vent. Both flows were exactly 13 miles long and both abruptly stopped at the same spot. So it was theorized that the volcano only had 13 miles of supply for Pahoa. So bizarre!
East Hawaii is windward and has more weather. Kona means lee or calm. It’s drier in general on our side but both sides have their charms. Kona is more expensive understandably.
We are in St Lucia. It’s gorgeous - a lot like Hawaii. Lots of land activities and sea activities - snorkel, dive, wind/kite surf, mountain climbing, hiking, mountain biking, ziplining, a drive-in volcano, ATV rides through the rainforest, to start the list. But our favorite part - the people! We’ve never met more kind and genuinely friendly people than in St Lucia.
The Pitons are impressive and there’s something magical about the sun setting over the Caribbean:
And one of our guests made a great video of their vacation, showing off a lot of the nearby activities: Vacation video of St Lucia
That’s a beautiful place I never considered visiting! Thanks for posting that.
Damn, might as well just shut the town down from what I’ve heard about Pahoa!
That drone footage is awesome. The video my Costa Rica rental from last summer had posted really sold me on that particular property. It was done by a professional but still, any video is a great addition for a luxury listing.
Well Dan Rather stood on the wooden boardwalk of Pahoa in the 80s, proclaimIng on 60 minutes that Pahoa was the pot growing capital of the world. 
Not sure if that is still true or not. 
Oh, well . . . this would be my scenic photo.
Here’s the park down the street, that’s about the best I can do vis-a-vis nature.
Monuments and such, a bunch of course but you’ve seen them all in stock photos:
But the cherry blossoms are out right now!
LOL. Just come on the weekend and there’s no chance of seeing the first picture.
However, I think some folks forgot the seond part…let’s hear about your area and why you love it.
