TLDR:
There is a theme that I think you'll find in the reviews about David & Anne's place; it's so much better than the pictures can show. Our experience was no different. From start to finish, this was one of the most amazing stays we have every enjoyed and far better than we imagined.
Full story:
For context, we had made a booking at a different place on the Big Island early last year for a trip in August 2020. Then COVID turned the world upside down and we rescheduled for April 2021. The place we had chosen looked perfect and we couldn't wait to stay there. Two months before we were due to leave, we had a message from that host saying that they had sold the house and the stay was no longer available (they were professional and timely in every way resolving this!). My wife and I were firmly convinced that we wouldn't be able to find a place that would match our original choice.
Even looking at the listing for this stay, we still felt like we were not going to have the experience we dreamed about. All that began to change from the first contact with Anne & David. We had some questions and special requests and they were so helpful and accommodating! Then we got to the hideaway...
From the very first moment we saw the place, we were in love! The pictures honestly don't do it justice at all. It's lovely, private, quiet, and surrounded by beauty in a way that is hard to capture digitally. It's definitely remote, but there are amenities close enough that you don't mind, and was perfect for our desire to avoid the "touristy" stuff and just be together. Anne & David were so respectful about our desire for privacy that it actually worked against us! After the check-in where they asked if it was okay to sit a chat for a bit (which we agreed to eagerly), we found ourselves looking for reasons to chat with them again! Thoughtful touches are interspersed throughout. The place is clean, spacious, and well appointed. I don't know how to explain what it felt like after just being there for a short while, but the best I can say is that we felt "home".
Honestly, I have so many amazing stories I could tell about our short, 10-stay there, but I'll just sum it up by saying this place deserves all the 5-star reviews it has and will get. The actual cottage is lovely, and Anne & David are caring, considerate, and helpful hosts. Now I just need to convince my wife that, "No, we can't go back and live in a shack on Anne & David's property for the rest of our lives."