Meet Your Hosts

Nani in Hawaiian means "beautiful" or a "good thing." Nani Svendsen is active in the Kohala community, as a business woman and organizer of cultural celebrations. For the last nine years, she has dedicated herself to working with men who are in recovery from drug and alcohol addictions, and she also works with children and young adults who are interested in reconnecting with their culture. In fact, if you have seen Discovery Channel's episode of the taro farmer on Mike Rowe's "DIRTY JOBS," you have seen Nani in that particular show. Her father's native Hawaiian ancestors came from the ali'i (royal families) of Maui and intermarried with the koa (warriors) and the maka'ainana (workers of the land) of Kohala. Nani's Hawaiian roots claim seven generations in Niulii Village. Nani's great grandfather, Alexander Pollard Hussey, was born in 1825 in Massachusetts. The Husseys came from England in the 1600's and Nani traces her roots to the founding fathers of Nantucket Island and the "Father of Whaling," Christopher Hussey. Nani's mother is of pure Okinawan decent, her grandmother was a picture bride from Okinawa promised to an Okinawan sugar contract worker on the island of Kauai.

Besides operating the guest houses and her volunteer work, Nani is a professional florist with over 30 years experience. She owns and operates He Nani Florist (it's beautiful) specializing in tropical floral designs for significant life events.

Don Svendsen, like Alexander Hussey, came to Hawaii from a distant land, and fell in love with Hawaii and Nani. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Don moved to Niulii in 1978 and learned to appreciate the multi-cultural lifestyle of the islands. A master finish carpenter by trade, he has built the guest houses and many of the homes in Kohala owned by friends he had made through the guest houses.

Nani and Don have hosted people from all walks of life at the guest houses: from old time Kohalans returning for reunions, to visitors from foreign lands: from historians and archaeologists who study the area, to artists and musicians who are vacationers who have come to relax and play. Kohala's Guest House welcomes all with a warm, "E komo mai....Aloha" Come in...Share the breath of life.

Experience the essence of the true "Hawaiian Hospitality." Secure your reservation with Kohala's Guest House where "Aloha" is not just hello and goodbye. Here, Aloha is a gift from the heart.