Words cannot describe how much Merlinda's hospitality, kindness, and generosity meant to us during our stay at her rental. We stayed here for 3 nights during the middle of a 10 night Big Island trip.
It is in a beautiful neighborhood known as Orchidlands Estates which was so fun to explore (even during a downpour!) There are beautiful wild orchids on the side of the road with many other flowers. The location is also convenient to the Hilo area as well as Papoa and further south to Kalapana, Kapoho tidepools, etc.
Merlinda has thought of everything - she provided bread, butter, water, spices, cookware, etc., homemade jams (that she makes from the fruit in her garden/farm), local organic honey, fruit, and so much more. Each day she presented a new treat for us from her garden. We loved touring the property, so many fruits and vegetables that we had not heard of before. The Tahitian Limes and Papayas from her trees were out of this world delicious!
It is hard to believe that Merlinda has not been hosting guests her whole life, she is such a natural and exemplifies Aloha in every way. If you want to get a feeling of local life this is a perfect place to relax and get away from the bigger cities. Highly recommend!