Amazing location, charming and tasteful home, and amazing hosts!
Hale Kai offers the best of a stay in Hawaii - access to an amazing beach park in literally less than a minute, a spacious home with Hawaiian character and history, and the sincere hospitality of the islands in Jamie and Jocelyn. My family of 4 stayed for a month so my children (12 and 16) could offset their many hours of daily screen time in digital learning, with afternoons of snorkeling, body surfing and swimming. Being across from Richardsons Beach was an amazing experience - they could walk across the street during a 30 minute break, jump in and swim or snorkel for 20 minutes, and be back in school on time.
The house has no a/c but there are ample ceiling fans that work amazingly well to knock down the heat. And when one stopped working, Jamie was at the house promptly to happily replace it - no questions asked. The house does get warm in the day, but that's life in Hawaii! The BBQ is virtually brand new and when we inquired about grilling tools, again, Jamie showed up with the requested utensils and box of chocolates as well. Really, the hospitality was wonderful.
The house itself is tastefully redecorated and flows well. A big dining room in addition to a kitchen nook and two comfortable living room areas . The kitchen is clean and bright. Pots and pans and dishware are limited but mostly enough. There is no dishwasher, but that was not a problem for us, as the hand washing set up worked really well.
There are 3 separate bedrooms - this was hard to tell in the description - and the beds were all comfortable and clean, as were the two bathrooms.
Again, you cannot beat the location if you are interested in exploring Hilo and the beautiful beach parks of the area. Though it is across from a very popular and active beach park there was no noise that ever bothered us (we just were ensured the best parking spot - our driveway), and it was a gift to have a glimpse into local beach culture as we watched all the regular surfers and swimmers who come and go, especially early in the morning.
We will be back!