The whale house is in a great location. We were interested in finding a place with nearby swimming and snorkeling while still having a nice, private, ocean-front location to return to after a long day out. We are not the resort-going type, so the whale house was a perfect refuge for us. The whale house was perfectly situated for visiting Kapoho tidepools, which were excellent for snorkeling (saw many different colorful fish), as well as Hilo, which had some beautiful beaches for swimming and beautiful ocean parks where we saw some sea turtles on the beach. We also made the trip to Volcanoes National Park from here, which is a little over an hour away and well worth the trip (though the lava is not currently visible, the Kilauea hike was like nothing we have done before, and the walk through the lava tube was very cool).

As for the house itself, it came equipped with all we needed to make ourselves at home. We loved having breakfast on the lanai in the morning, looking at the beautiful ocean view, listening to the waves and enjoying the weather while we had our coffee. The only issue that we experienced at the whale house was the mosquitoes (there were only a few here and there, but they love me and always manage to find me); luckily they were only there in the afternoon/evening so we were safe during breakfast, and Andre provided us with some repellant that seemed to fend them off pretty well.

Andre met us at the house upon our arrival and gave us a lot of helpful information about what to do during our stay. He was always available when we needed him and provided everything we needed to have a wonderful stay.

We will definitely be recommending this place when we get back to the mainland. If you're looking for privacy and relaxation in a home away from home, with an ocean view and close enough to hear the surf, this is the place you. For the price, it would be difficult to find anything better in the area!