Lavaloha Review: Is This Big Island Chocolate Farm Tour Worth It?
Are you looking for a Big Island chocolate farm tour and want a firsthand Lavaloha review? Well I took it and want to let you know if it’s worth it.
I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest chocolate fan. I like dark chocolate, but if given the choice I will always choose fruity over chocolatey.
So why would I go on a chocolate tour?!
Because I’ve visited coffee farms and macadamia nut farms, but hadn’t yet taken a chocolate farm tour on the Big Island, even after living here for a year, so I had to rectify that.
I chose Lavahola because of the close proximity to Hilo plus I was feeling lazy and wanted to take a tour that drove me around the farm so I didn’t have to walk it.
So was Lavahola chocolate farm tour worth it? Spoiler: it was!
>> Check Rates and Availability for Lavahola Here! <<
In this post I will share with you:
- a tip on driving to Lavahola
- reservations and check-in
- things you’ll see and do on the chocolate farm tour
- my favorite chocolate sample
Lavaloha Review Summary
Real quick, before I get into the nitty gritty details of my Lavaloha review, let me summarize the experience and list some pros and cons.
Lavaloha chocolate farm is just outside Hilo and offers tours daily and last for 1-1.5hrs. You get to sit and relax on a golf cart bus ride while they take you around their cacao farm, show you the processing center, and of course, try chocolate samples.
Pros and Cons of the Lavaloha tour:
✅ Pro: Learn how chocolate is made from tree to bar
❌ Con: Similar to a coffee farm tour, generically speaking
✅ Pro: Try every chocolate flavor they sell
❌ Con: If you’re in it just for tasting samples, it’s a spendy way to try a few bites of chocolate
✅ Pro: One of the cheapest chocolate farm tours on the Big Island
❌ Con: Not the cheapest farm tour on the island
✅ Pro: Sit in a golf cart bus during tour
❌ Con: Not a walking tour, if that’s what you’re looking for
>> Check Rates and Availability for Lavahola Here! <<
Where is Lavahola?
The Lavahola farm is about 4 miles outside of Hilo. If you’re coming from the Hilo Farmers Market and the shopping area there, it takes 10-15min to drive there.
You’ll head up the mountain, passing many fields and farmland along the way, including O.K. Farms’ shop which I highly recommended stopping at before or after your tour.
There comes a point in the road where a sign for Lavahola points going forward on Amauulu Rd but Google has you turning left on Maukalani St. I suggest following Google because you’ll stay on a paved road the whole time rather than drive over 2 miles on dusty gravel.
It might seem counterintuitive, but trust me, it’s just easier on the car and even a hair faster.
As you reach the row of palm trees along the road, you know you are almost there. The shop is on top of the hill with plenty of gravel parking.
>> Check Rates and Availability for Lavahola Here! <<
Check-in for Lavahola
I was a little confused where the front entrance for the shop was.
Technically it’s under the carport where the golf cart buses are parked but I walked around the deck to the back entrance sliding door.
No way is really wrong.
Due to the size of the bus, only 9 people are allowed per tour so I highly suggest making reservations ahead of time to guarantee a spot.
If you try walking in, there’s a high probability the tours for the day will be full.
There are 4 tours per day and they run every 2 hours, so if you have to wait around for the next tour, you’ll be stuck with a good chunk of time to kill.
At check-in you’ll be asked to sign a waiver, basically just saying you won’t sue the farm if you get hurt.
Depending on how early you arrive, you’ll have time to browse the gift shop, seeing all the different flavored chocolates you’ll be sampling on the tour as well as find other locally made products.
I was so proud of them for supplying the best macadamia nuts on the island from Paradise Meadows!
Check out the high powered telescope on the back deck, looking down to Hilo. I could almost see people walking the deck of the Norwegian Pride of America cruise ship that was in port, except the wind that day was making the telescope too shaky.
If you have not arrived for the tour 10 minutes prior to departure, expect them to give you a call to make sure you are on your way. They try to stay punctual and be considerate of the other guests who did arrive on time.
The Lavahola Chocolate Tour
When it’s time to load up on the golf cart bus, you get to pick your row: 3 rows facing forward, 1 row facing backward.
These busses are so bougie! They provide umbrellas and towels for every row in case it rains. And there are roll-up shades in case the sun shines too bright in your eyes.
I had Jess as a tour guide and she was very friendly and knowledgeable. She talked pretty fast, cramming in a lot of information, which was great, I just wish she had left some more space for questions, although I did manage to squeeze some in.
We learned about how the 1,000 acre farm was started in 2002, experimenting with different plants to see what would grow best on the property. When they found that cacao trees did great, they went that route.
First Stop on the Chocolate Tour
After a 5-10 min ride, we stopped by one of the cacao rows and got out to get up close and personal with the trees.
We learned that there are different varieties of cacao and Lavaloha grows two of them: forastero and criollo. Both varieties were growing next to each other so we could see the difference between the two.
Jess then cut open a criollo cacao pod for us to try the raw fruit inside. I really liked the white cacao flesh around the beans. It didn’t have a super distinct taste, it was just sweet and juicy.
The crunchy cacao bean, however, was dry and earthy tasting, not chocolatey at all.
Jess let us eat as much of the fruit as we wanted. Most people didn’t want more than the one bean, but I took a few more to suck on the fruity part.
We all loaded back on the bus and drove down to the processing facility.
Lavaloha Cacao Processing Facility
Here we saw three people rhythmically working in an assembly line:
- First person was splitting the cacao pods open
- Second person was scooping out the beans
- Third person made sure the pod was completely empty and disposed of the shells
We then proceeded to the expansive drying “room”, which is basically a greenhouse oven, where long drying tables were laden with countless beans undergoing the drying process.
I think Jess said that the temperature can reach up to 150°F in there, which I believe as it was way too hot for me; I had to stand by the door for air.
Here she explained the drying process and how each cacao bean has to be hand sorted, making sure no cracked beans get into the roaster.
HAND SORTED!! Can you imagine?!
It is at this stage that the beans start to give off that familiar chocolatey smell. We were allowed to pick some beans from the table to crush in our fingers and smell the chocolate aroma.
Lavaloha Chocolate Sampling
Next, we were escorted to the tasting room, which is a converted garage with couches and chairs set up like a living room.
As guests are not allowed in the actual kitchen facility, Jess played a video of the roasting, melting, and candy production. The video was muted and Jess gave a live narration.
Finally, the samples came out!
Jess passed them around on a tray.
The first sample was the 70% dark chocolate in liquid form; we had to eat it with a popsicle stick. This was actually my favorite sample out of everything. It was just smooth, pure chocolate.
Next we got to try the hardened dark chocolate plain and with sea salt.
I would’ve liked to have had more salt in the bar, but I wonder if mine just didn’t have much in that bite. Later in the gift shop I could see how patchy the salt was distributed in the chocolate, so that could be why.
If you like Christmas chocolate oranges, then you’ll undoubtedly like the orange dark chocolate. This flavor combo never did anything for me, but I could tell it was a good quality.
We then moved on to milk chocolate samples, plain and sea salt.
Usually they also serve a white chocolate sample, but this time they were out as they were in-between productions due to a machinery changeover.
One Last Stop on the Lavaloha Tour
Once we all had a taste of every type of chocolate Lavaloha makes, we piled back on to the golf cart bus and headed back to the gift shop for one last sample.
We sat on the back deck and tried their coffee bar, a cup of coffee in bar form using 100% Hilo coffee.
I like sipping and savoring my coffee, but if you need to have your caffeine on the run, this is a great way to take it!
And that was the end of the tour!
We could now shop and buy our favorite chocolates to take home. They even sell insulated bags to help keep the chocolates from melting in your car.
Pro Tip: the coolest place I found to keep the chocolate was in the trunk of my sedan car. You might also consider keeping it at your feet with the AC on, then transferring it to the trunk when you make stops.
Watch my Instagram reel of my Lavaloha tour! ➡️
Lavaloha Review: Was the Chocolate Farm Tour Worth It?
Yes! I believe the Lavaloha tour is worth doing, especially if you are a chocolate lover!
I think it’s important to learn how foods are made, not only so you know how it is sourced but also so you have a stronger appreciation of where it comes from. You won’t be as irritated at that pricey bar of chocolate when you realize all the tedious work involved into making it!
Another point to note is that the Lavaloha tours are one of the cheapest chocolate tours on the island. A lot of the other ones run $70 and up, and you have to walk on those lol!
>> Check Rates & Availability for Lavaloha Chocolate Tour Here! <<
Other Lavaloha Reviews
Now that you know what my review of Lavaloha is, let me share what others have said about the tour:
“So happy that we booked this tour!! It was a beautiful day and our tour guide Phil made the tour even better with all of his knowledge. You can tell he loves his job! Would definetely recommend this tour for anyone visiting the area. Thanks!!” – Tamara
“We had a wonderful time on the farm. Loved to see the chocolate making process and loved the samples even more. Everyone was wonderful. The only down side was that we spent a bit too much in the shop.” – Karen
“Our tour guide Leigh was very informative and guided us through the farm with expertise and ease. We enjoyed learning all about chocolate & cacao and enjoyed the gorgeous farm and views! We loved the chocolate too! Thank you!!” – Lori
You Might Also Like These Other Big Island Farm Tours:
• Kona Coffee Farms
• Ka’u Coffee Farms
• Macadamia Nut Farms
• Vanilla Farm
🌺 Big Island Travel Planning Guide 🌺
🚨 Should I buy Hawaii travel insurance?
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🚗 Is it safe to rent a car on the Big Island?
YES — It’s totally safe to drive on the Big Island. And unless you plan to chill by the resort pool the entire time, renting a car is pretty much a necessity on the Big Island! Jeep rentals are popular. I recommend Discount Hawaii Car Rental, as they have some of the best prices around.
📞 Will my phone work on the Big Island?
PROBABLY — Most, if not all, cell providers work on the Big Island. However, be prepared for some dead spots in the more remote parts of the island. For example, I always lose service driving through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
🛏️ What’s the best way to book my Big Island accommodations?
For Big Island hotels, Booking.com is amazing because you can often reserve your room with no money down. If you are looking for an Airbnb condo with a kitchen and more space, don’t forget to check VRBO for potentially better prices and options.
✈️ What’s the best site to buy Big Island flights?
I recommend looking at Skyscanner for finding cheap flights. Pro Tip: check if flying into Hilo is cheaper than flying into Kona.
🛂 Do I need a passport to visit Hawaii?
NO — If you are a US citizen, you do not need a passport as Hawaii is part of the United States. If you are from out of the country, the same passport and visa requirements are the same as entering anywhere in the United States from your country.
🧳What should I pack to the Big Island?
Pack for tropical weather but also prepare for colder than expected nights and early mornings, so a light sweatshirt is recommended. Check out this list of 5 Things Not to Forget to Pack.
