Falling for The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls

We are so excited that our travel writer Kathy Chin Leong headed to Hawaii recently. We hope that you enjoy her post.

The Zillow ad simply read: “Waterfall property on Hilo for sale.” That item hooked the attention of Christophe Busiglia, and the tech entrepreneur couldn’t shake it off. The year was 2015, and ready to say goodbye to Silicon Valley, he was prepared to purchase land and move anywhere in the world to channel his creative and entrepreneurial energy.

He found it. Today, the 30-plus-year-old millennial is the owner and manager of the Inn at Kulapiania Falls, a 43-acre,100-percent off the grid, lodge in Hilo, Hawaii, the wettest city in the United States.

To be frank, operating a bed and breakfast was not on Christophe’s bucket-list. Yet, after seeing what original owner Lenny Sutton built with his own hands more than 20 years earlier, he caught the sustainability vision. And being an innkeeper? Well, he could learn, right? Prior to purchasing, Christophe booked and paid for a room for over a month’s stay. He wanted to prove to Lenny he was a serious buyer and understand the kind of upkeep required for tending 43 acres, 16 guestrooms and cottages, and one waterfall.

In his previous life, Lenny worked as a charter boat captain in the Caribbean. Along the course of his career path, he taught…