I grew to be fond of Miho’s place. When we first arrived from a cabin three times the size and with all the amenities (washer, dryer, A/C, etc.) in Hilo, I was taken aback by how small the studio is. While it has most of the essential stuff (kitchen, shower, bed, and a lovely lanai), the lack of A/C meant we had to crack the window open and there are A LOT of frogs in the backyard (also dogs and roosters). They sounded cute at first, but when you’re trying to sleep for early activities, it’s almost impossible on the first night. In addition, there are many mosquitos (Miho supplies an electronic fly swap thing for us to use). And the bed was on the hard side.
I communicated with Miho about our concerns after a sleepless night, and she supplied an extra layer of mattress the next day. We also got used to the sound of natural symphony (they usually die down past 1-2 AM), and I love sitting in the lanai in the evening to read. The temperature in the lanai is also cooler than in the studio. A downside of the studio setup is that cooking or boiling water heats it up quite a bit, meaning you have to open up to ventilate (which lets in coqui chirps or mosquitos). The shower and bathroom look newly renovated and are very nice (great water pressure), which is important if you’re coming back from the beach and needing more showers than usual.
Miho is an accommodating host and I can tell that she has great taste from the studio design to amenity choices.
All in all, we had a good time in Kona, and we are grateful for Miho’s place and her hospitality.