We stayed at some strange ( Kenny Loggin's old Y2K ranch in Kohala ) and some cool places in Hawaii on our trip. This house, Hilo Hale Kai was one of our favorites. It's location is perfect for snorkeling at Richardson Ocean Park ( just a short walk from the house ). Here the ocean is calm and the fresh water intrudes from underneath, creating shimmering and cool effects in the water. The house is on a backstreet so car noise is almost non-existent and instead you can hear the coqui frogs at night and the birds in the morning. The covered porch also affords great views of the stars at night due to low-background light levels. The house was clean, and looked to be freshly renovated. There is no AC but it does have many large ceiling fans and even though we were there during a hot week in September it was more than enough. This is a perfect home base for exploring Hilo without being in the hustle of the downtown area. It's a short drive in to go to the farmers market ( a must ), or go south to see the recent lava flows, or north to the botanical gardens.