During the decade that Michael Martinage and Gregory Nunn have owned and operated Kaawa Loa Plantation on Hawaii island, they’ve welcomed a few especially memorable guests. For example, there was the gentleman from Tokyo who checked in wearing a surgical mask. His immediate topic of conversation was SARS.

“For some terrifying moments I thought he was telling me he had SARS,” said Martinage, referring to the respiratory illness, which is highly contagious. “He didn’t speak fluent English, but I eventually got the message that he was wearing the mask so he wouldn’t get SARS.”

Then there was the woman from San Francisco who arrived on Christmas Eve. The inn was fully booked, and at breakfast the next morning, within listening range of other guests, she said, “Michael, if the man in the room next door didn’t use his room last night, could we get a refund for that room?”

At first Martinage was confused, slowly repeating her words in his mind. Then realization struck.

“As it turned out, they had met at midnight Mass and wound up sleeping together in her room,” he said. “She was asking about a refund because he didn’t sleep in his bed!”

Needless to say, his answer was no.

Not all of Martinage’s memories are humorous. Recently, a couple from the mainland returned with heavy hearts; their 21-year-old daughter had died.

“They came back because this is a special place for them, and they wanted to place flowers in their daughter’s memory at Puuhonua o Honaunau, the ancient place of refuge, which is a short drive away,” he said.

“It was a sad trip for them, but it was nice to know they thought of Kaawa Loa as a haven that could help them heal.”

Prior to starting their bed-and-breakfast business, Martinage and Nunn had both worked in the hospitality industry on Maui. Martinage owned a destination management company in Lahaina and had experience in special-event planning, and Nunn was director of housekeeping for a large Kaanapali resort. They dreamed of running their own boutique hotel one day, and in April 2006 they saw a 5-acre property for sale above Kailua-Kona and decided to check it out.

“It was in rough shape —the land and the five homes on it — but it had a long, steep driveway that provided a great sense of arrival, a beautiful porte-cochere, a huge living room and a 1,500-square-foot wraparound lanai with an incredible view of the South Kona coastline,” Martinage said.

“We decided to make an offer on it, and after two months of ups and downs, the planets aligned and we closed the sale in June. The next thing we knew, we had quit our jobs and had one-way tickets to Kona.”

Life partners as well as business partners, Martinage went into “farmer mode,” clearing the land and caring for the numerous plants and trees, while Nunn put his handyman and painting skills to good use. Three months later they opened Kaawa Loa Plantation, adhering to a division of duties that continues to this day: Nunn oversees repairs, reservations and housekeeping while Martinage is in charge of breakfast, arrivals and the grounds.

The Hawaiian word “loa” means “long,” and “kaawa” refers to the awa (kava) plant, whose roots were used throughout Polynesia to make a narcotic ceremonial drink. Kaawaloa is also the name of the ahupuaa (ancient land division) just north of the property.

“Hawaiians divided land districts from the mountains to the sea so villagers would have access to the riches from both areas — fresh water and plants at higher altitudes and fish and salt from the ocean,” Martinage said. “People from adjoining ahupuaa would meet in between to eat, rest, trade and ‘talk story.’ That’s what’s happening at Kaawa Loa Plantation today, only it’s people from all over the world who are eating, resting and talking story.”

Guests are welcome to roam around the gardens and orchards, where 25 different kinds of fruit trees and shrubs flourish, including mango, banana, pineapple, papaya, lychee and avocado. Breakfast features an array of this luscious bounty, along with bread, muffins, cereal, granola and yogurt.

In the afternoon there’s always a delicious snack in the kitchen, baked by Martinage, Nunn or Hannah Kirn, the genial assistant innkeeper. Think goodies such as chocolate cake, breadfruit pudding, chocolate macadamia nut cookies, double chocolate brownies and pineapple upside-down cake.

Amenities include a hot tub, a cedar steam room and two outdoor lava rock showers.

“We have a laid-back style,” Martinage said. “Our guests are here to relax, and we want to maintain a cas-ual ambience and give them their space. They’re free to explore the property, eat ripe fruit from our trees and have sunset cocktails on the lanai. We don’t have a front desk, 24-hour room service or a spa, but when guests tell us they feel at home here, to us that’s the ultimate compliment.”

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.