During our Big Island visit, we stayed with Bonnie and David for three nights. It was our first ever Airbnb experience and we did not quite know what to expect ... but what we found is hard to top. We loved this place (upper level of a house, owners live below), and you will too. The home is decorated with a lot of taste - no cheap Motel 6 "artwork" here - from bathroom tiles to prints on the wall. The kitchen is clean and very well equipped, we missed hardly anything when cooking. On top of that, we found a bowl of fresh fruit upon arrival and really appreciated the fact that the place was stocked with things like coffee, tea, rice, spices, etc. Another plus: a lot of towels were provided, including big ones to take to the beach. For those not having clear Big Island plans yet, there is lots and lots of information about parks and restaurants provided but you can also approach the hosts for recommendations. The garden view from the spacious lanai is lovely, and we spent every evening sitting outside, listening to the frogs and the rain. Yes, frogs, there are a LOT of non-native Coqui frogs in this area and I was glad I had earplugs the first night :-) The owners also have two cute dogs but you hardly ever hear them. They will be happy to play though if you are game. Lastly, be advised that the Googlemaps address (N. Lauko Rd) given by Airbnb in your confirmation email is incorrect! I know David is looking into having Airbnb fix this. In the meantime, make sure to take his driving directions. The first time, you feel you are driving into the middle of nowhere ... but actually, it's quite easy to get there once you know the way. From the house, it takes some 15-20 minutes to the Jaggar museum in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and I think it was about 45 minutes to get to Richardson Ocean Park where we did some snorkeling. We also visited the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden from this location. Once I had a chance to work on some photos from the trip, I will post them here: www.katzprints.com and here: https://www.facebook.com/katzprintsphotography. Feel free to check.
Mahalo/Danke/Thanks, Bonnie and Dave, for sharing your lovely home with us. We will be happy to recommend you amongst our friends.
Katja & Paul (San Jose, California)