We stayed at this lovely house for 1 week at the end of January. We were a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 teenagers) and the house gave us plenty of room to feel comfortable. We have stayed in many apartments and houses as we've travelled in the past year and in terms of amenities and supplies available, this house was far better than all of the others. There are spices, cling wrap/film, Tupperware containers, plenty of beach towels, etc, so it was actually practical to cook meals and feel like we had everything we needed at hand.
The house is located in a neighborhood that is not touristy at all, which was attractive to us. If you want nearby resort amenities then I'd suggest that you might want to stay elsewhere. Each morning I went on long walks, meandering through the neighborhood to reach the cliffs at the end of the road, and I felt very safe doing so. On one evening walk to the cliffs my husband was lucky enough to see Humpback whales just off shore, and a local resident that he met there said that they are not an uncommon sight.
The house has a great deck and yard, and we had very few problems with bugs. The outdoor grill is great also.
Hot water was a little scarce on overcast days but other than that we have no improvement opportunities for the owners.
Some local attractions that we'd recommend to others:
- Uncle Roberts for food & music on Wednesday evenings. We drove about 30 mins from the house, good to get there early (around 5) to get a spot at one of the long tables, that worked for us.
- Kapoho tide pools. We parked in the assigned area and paid a $5 donation (the residents have to put up with the tourists tromping through their neighborhood to reach the tide pools, so a small donation seems very reasonable). Try to go close to high tide so that there's less climbing over the tricky volcanic rocks to reach the pools. Great snorkeling, and we used the good-quality snorkel gear that was provided by the host.
- Hilo markets were worth a look. We spent some time reading in the lovely open-air courtyard of the Hilo library, so I'd recommend that if you're looking for no-cost activity.
You'll definitely need to rent a car if you're staying here, it takes some driving to get anywhere unless you just want to walk through the neighborhood to the nearby cliffs.
I would definitely recommend this house to others. The hosts are very generous with supplies and local information, and the housekeeper was very friendly and helpful. We really appreciated the goodies she had for us when we arrived.
Aloha!