Issa (the owner) and Jess (the employee/caretaker/cleaner etc.) were both really friendly, helpful and communicative during the trip. They answered questions we asked and gave us the help we needed. Jess brought us extra chairs when we needed them (we have a family of four and needed more seating.) Issa scheduled a handyman to come fix the leaky roof (it rained hard for several days in a row.)
The on-site laundry was really beneficial to us! We didn't realize there was free laundry in the building until we got there and it was a great surprise!
There is a fire station across the street but they only use sirens when they need to. We only heard sirens once or twice after 8:00pm. Across the other street is a park with a great playground. There is also a pavilion at the park, which can be used for dining outdoors. It's a busy area, but that's to be expected in the downtown Hilo area. Bonus-it's only a couple blocks from the Farmer's Market!
Over all, we'd probably come back and stay again if we were headed to the Hilo area any time in the near future.