Laukapu Forest Cottage (LFC) is a spacious studio, vacation-rental cottage, a handcrafted "Work of Heart". The very private entry porch is approached from the covered “Walkway of 1,000 Peaces". LFC was designed and built for one or two adult guests and not for any additional adults or children. Please scroll down to read about how Airbnb hosts are required to have State tax licenses and to collect the State taxes from guests, during their stays. LFC is very private, with the entry porch at the back of the structure, with a covered walkway leading up to that. The entry porch is just one step above the forest floor, behind the cottage, so, guests can step out under the forest canopy to watch birds or just look at the upland rain forest that surrounds the cottage. LFC has a well-equipped kitchen, a private bathroom, and a stackable washer and dryer. Guests can enjoy the 200-mbs Wi-Fi and, if they have streaming accounts, can use the smart TV. Guests make themselves "at home" and have access to the entire space, which has one main room, with a cal-king bed with a memory-foam topper and a mattress warming pad and waterproof cover, and all linens and blanket and a cotton-fabric-covered faux-down comforter, the armchairs and low table, the entertainment center, the banquette (for dining), the desk alcove, beside the bed, an armoire and a closet, one each on either side of the bed, and the adjacent, private bathroom, which has a tiled shower, a medicine cabinet, stocked with first-aid items, shampoo and conditioner, electric hair blow-dryer, and, below the sink, a cabinet with extra paper supplies and a trash can with liner, and, hung on the wall, a shelving unit with towel hanging bars. There are fresh bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths, hanging, and extra towels, folded on the top shelf. The covered "back-front" porch has a table and two benches and a large armchair, offers indoor-outdoor space, for relaxing or eating meals. The utility porch, where we store cleaning supplies and tools, is off the entry porch, where the stackable washer and dryer are located, which guests are welcome to use, along with fragrance-free laundry soap. LFC is hosted by Kathryn and Kenneth, who live in the adjacent house, though Kenneth is usually working on a torii building or furniture building project. He built LFC, including all the built-in furnishing and the benches, table, and armchair on the back-front porch. Kathryn will greet you, after you have checked in, unless it's after dark, in which case, she will give you a phone tour of the cottage and arrange to meet you the next morning. She is available, if you have questions or requests, during your stay. Let her know if you are running low on supplies (the kitchen is furnished with less perishable breakfast foods, like hot and cold cereals, granolas, as well as regular and decaffeinated coffees, green, black, and herbal teas, instant-hot-chocolate packets, as well as salt and pepper in grinders, sugar, stevia, extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar) or if your trash or recycle or compost containers get full (she'll remove those bags for you). She does not disturb guests' privacy, during their stays, but wants to make sure they feel welcomed and are comfortable and aware of all the amenities they will have in the cottage. LFC is in a quiet corner of the village, and the residents enjoy the peace and quiet; so do our guests! We are in the upland rain forest, and most houses were carefully sited so as to avoid taking out more trees than necessary. The cottage is about an eight-minute drive from the entrance to the Park. There is a parking space for our guests' rental car, then, the covered walkway up to the back-front porch. A rental (or "hire") car is a necessity on this island. Both International airports, the one in Hilo (ITO) and the one in North Kona District (KOA), have rental-car companies, either across the road from the ITO terminal or a shuttle-bus ride from the KOA terminal to the rental-car complex. The municipal bus service on Hawai'i Island (called "Hele On" buses) is adequate for people who live on this island, but it would not be possible to use the Hele On buses for sightseeing or exploring all the places which visitors will want to see. The State of Hawai‘i has two taxes which affect visitors to all of the islands (Transient Accommodations and General Excise). The County of Hawai‘i has its own tax affecting visitors to only Hawai‘i Island (also Transient Accommodations). These taxes are collected by the host/resident owner during your stay. Upon your initial inquiry, via Airbnb messaging, you will be advised of the total tax due, over and above the amount collected by Airbnb. Residents of Volcano Village actively participate in keeping exterior lighting low, so, the only street lights in the village are at the highway, where Wright Road and Haunani Road begin and go up through the village. Consequently, the roads are dark at night. Feral pigs also enjoy digging for earthworms in the dark, so, our guests use the headlamps we provide for use during their stays, as well as the exterior lighting at the cottage, to avoid interactions with those animals. During Winter months, this cottage, at about 3720-foot/1134-meter elevation, gets cool, sometimes below 45ºF/7.2ºC, so, guests can enjoy the infrared heater (the ceiling fan pushes the warm air back down and circulates it) and the mattress warming pad on the cal-king bed. In winter months, visitors to our island need to bring warm jackets, as well as bathing suits.