A Place Like No Other: Dragonfly Ranch
Nestled in the South Kona hills, just along the treeline where the shade of great monkeypods cools the earth below, is a place so heavenly one could hardly believe it’s there. Descending the hill to Pu‘uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, or “Place of Refuge,” it’s a surprise to find a sign pointing towards the Dragonfly Ranch: Healing Arts Center.
Just off the hot, steep highway is a place that’s anything but rooted in the din and drive of modern society. Instead, this healing hideaway is a place of rest, where one might finally feel as though their feet touch the ground. Life moves slowly here, guests eat organic food straight from the earth, and the days move through a clock of good conversation, trips to the beach, and whole body wellness.
This “Eco Bed and Breakfast” is situated on what’s been called the Sacred Healing Triangle—a coastline where Samoans and Tahitians frequently sailed for respite in ancient times. The Dragonfly sits at a perfect elevation of just 700 feet, high enough to catch the breeze on the large open deck that overlooks the South Kona coastline. It’s a peaceful place where guests can completely relax.
The Dragonfly today represents a collaboration of people and interests coming together during four decades to make this place into the “expansion mansion” wellness palace it has become. The five-bedroom house is stacked along the hill, virtually wrapped around a massive monkeypod tree that shades the home. Above the house, a bountiful organic garden thrives, and just above that stands the “Illuminarium,” complete with a rainbow-colored labyrinth where meditation, music and movement therapy takes place.
It all started in the early seventies when Barbara Moore first came to the island escaping the academic world.
“I was driving by one day and I said, ‘I would like to live right here.’ When this property came up for lease in 1974, the Bishop Estate kindly granted me the privilege of stewarding this amazing spot. I heard from Lanakila Brant that I was meant to be here. I even had a vision one time of flying over these trees as if I were an owl,” Barbara says.
Barbara and her mother set out to build the home together, and in the years that followed they would enter on a journey towards wellness together, each being diagnosed with cancer and healing through alternative medicines. Barbara went on to learn Lomilomi massage, whole-body nutrition, how to use flower-essences, and other techniques aimed at natural wellness.
Throughout this journey, it became clear to Barbara that her mission for the Dragonfly would be to create a place where other people could enjoy physical and spiritual awakening.
“We’re all searching for our true reason for being here and I think being surrounded by nature, beauty, harmony, joy and laughter all helps us get in touch with that part of us we feel most comfortable with. I believe the more people experience this, they can take it home with them—that memory of who they really love being the most,” she says.
As her desire to create that environment grew, so too did the house.
“There’s a famous architect—Lucky Bennett—who designed a house I lived in up the road. Because I’m a Frank Lloyd Wright follower, I like form following function. Lucky designed my house, also, and gradually, as the need arose, my house grew,” Barbara says.
At the Dragonfly, beauty abounds. Each room is decorated in a unique collage of fixtures, like the home of a world-traveled gypsy. There’s the Writer’s Studio, a homey space down below the main level with the coolness of a peaceful cave, decorated in white and light green tones, with a huge screened window overlooking the grounds.
There’s the Lomilomi suite, an elegant space with a lovely deep bathtub and Victorian-inspired decorations in hues of maroons. Then there’s the Honeymoon Suite, with a large, four-post mirrored bed that sits at the top of the hill and includes a private outdoor bathtub. Each room has a sense of purpose and place.
Upstairs, there’s an open living room complete with musical instruments and a large abundant kitchen, which is adjacent to a big deck with a communal meal table. There, guests share meals straight from the garden, bringing the inside outdoors.
The Dragonfly has been used for healing workshops, conferences, weddings and family reunions over the years. To make it all possible, there’s a revolving team of “Dragonfly ‘ohana” that live here and tend to the garden, clean the rooms, prepare meals, and much more. For them, though, it doesn’t feel much like work.
Jennifer Chardon, a budding writer working on her first book, has lived here for two months.
“At the Dragonfly I am learning what it feels like to wake up again and again in the same day. The energy and love flows freely, back and forth and beyond between the family here, the guests, the beautiful animals and the plentiful land which feeds us. We stop to watch the sunsets. We fall asleep to the sound of the ocean. We wake at sunrise for yoga. It’s hard now to remember what rushing for the subway and trudging across the icy streets of Manhattan was like,” Jennifer says.
Many others have experienced the same feelings. Sometimes, guests who plan on staying elsewhere for part of their vacation don’t want to leave. When there’s no room for them, Barbara has been known to give up her own bed to let them stay.
“It means a great deal for them to be able to go home with this memory of not just being in Hawai‘i but being at the Dragonfly Ranch where there’s magic and love and beauty and joy and humor. Sharing with them is a tremendous joy for me. I always thought if I have this as a bed and breakfast then my entertainment is imported,” Barbara laughs.
Barbara thrives on the excitement of all the wonderful people who come to pass through the Dragonfly, from well-known musicians to leading edge speakers. They are often eco-minded professional people.
Sitting on the porch one evening talking over an organic meal from the garden, a guest from New York divulges that he’s a psychologist currently working on treating people with terminal cancer through plant-based medicines.
The wind blows a set of chimes that hum a quiet song, like an anthem of peace. A 1400 year old Tang Dynasty statue of Kuan Yin, the Chinese goddess of compassion looks on the scene, blessing the space with her sacred ancient presence.
Several ‘ohana team members join the party, adding to the stimulating conversation, helping themselves to the delicious offerings of food they helped to grow and prepare. Tonight there’s a birthday to celebrate and Barbara gives the young lady a special blend of flower essences she has created.
The Dragonfly assists people to become their most understanding, compassionate selves. Whether it’s the people or the place that’s blessed is a mystery. Barbara says that long ago she asked a respected kāhuna to bless the place, and he said, ‘It’s already blessed.’ She believes that when people come here with that understanding, they continue to perpetuate that tradition.
Geographically, the ranch is in a prime location, just minutes away from world-class snorkeling at Hōnaunau Bay’s “Two-step.” Dolphins frequent the bay and dozens of colorful fish and brilliant coral can be seen below.
After a morning swim, guests can sit in the Far Infrared sauna and then move to the outdoor shower to cool off.
“Everything we have here is the best that I can find. The best sheets. The best food. The best water. I want to provide the best life has to offer, and I want to share that with my guests,” says Barbara.
Wanting to provide the best is natural for Barbara, and when it comes to running such a large-scale operation, there are bound to be bumps in the road. People assisting her come and go, and the cost of upkeep is huge. Amazingly, none of that shows through the abundant love that resounds here.
When asked why someone would continue to put out so much energy for other people, Barbara says, “Many years ago when I first moved here, I met a German lady who showed me around her garden and she said, ‘I want to share every good thing that I’ve learned with you,’ and that’s how I feel about people who are coming through here. Learning aloha from my revered teacher, Aunty Margaret Machado only accentuated that desire.”
It is heartwarming for Barbara to hear that many people, even those who just arrived, say they feel at home at the Dragonfly. Linda Smeins, author of Sojourns of the Heart wrote, “this is my personal favorite, an instant sense of homecoming.” Another guest said, “This was a magical and nurturing place for my children and I. It’s a place where we can just be. It’s the type of place you search for but rarely find.”
It’s hard to believe this is just another place to stay right off a simple highway. At the treeline where the giant monkeypods bring a cooling solace to all below, everything is possible. ❖
Contact Dragonfly Ranch: DragonlyRanch.com
