Eco Hale seemed welcoming from the moment we arrived, and Kaeo's personal welcome, which included a tour of the rainforest garden they've helped create around their property, furthered the impression. We ended up dividing our time roughly between sleeping, meal-making/eating, and reading there at the cottage and seeing Hilo (buying the food we needed from the Farmers Market) and the Volcanoes Park, where we did as many hikes as we could. Rainforest is an apt appellation: We saw a lot of rain during our week!

Karl and Kaeo are attentive but never intrusive hosts, a balance much appreciated. The coqui frogs sang us to sleep, or that's the way we took it. Kaeo would make the perfect guide to all things Hawaiian. Karl's artisanry is evident in the cottage's details; notice particularly the bathroom's fine tile work.

All around we felt welcomed at Eco Hale.