A little update: I visited the nursery just last week after dragging my family to Waimanalo on vacation.
They are extremely nice. Roy, one of the owners and the one in charge of growing was kind enough to give me a tour of his growing area. Waimanalo is seemingly the perfect place to grow what he's growing as they're left outside on tables in appropriately sized trays and shade cloth above them.
Now, for those of you who are looking for in-bloom beauties, H&R is not your place. The prices are extremely reasonable if you took a look, and what's listed is generally what looks to be 1-2 years from blooming unless otherwise noted. I was privy to see some of his newer ones he's been growing, but ya'll will just have to see when they're listed!
The ones that were in bloom, though, were magnificent!
All in all, H&R is great for their great variety of seed propagated species and hybrids. From what I've seen, you cannot go wrong with any of his plants if you're willing to wait.
My food-service job bias is butting in a bit but
yelp cannot be trusted. Yes,
the woman in the reviews is a bit brusque, but let's be honest, we're not there to be babysat and treated to a cup of tea with biscuits and sandwiches*. We're there for the goods, and the goods are... well.... good, great even.
If you're ever in Oahu, give them a chance and walk on by. Start early if you're in Honolulu and take an early hike up Koko Crater before the heat really gets going and then head into Waimanalo for nurseries galore (and perhaps a reward for physical exertion). The best views and the best orchids. What's not to like?
Oh and Roy said to be on the lookout for their booth at POE next year!
*To be fair, Roy offered the family some cold drinks while we were browsing.