Don’t hesitate to rent! It was the perfect home base for our trip on the east side of the island. It was about 30 minutes to Hilo, 45 to Volcanoes National Park, and about 30 down to the Puna area of the southern coast.
It was very clean and stocked well with things you might need. Would definitely stay there again! A great bargain!
A few tips to enhance your stay: plan on rain. We stayed in February and it rained at least a little every day. Most days for most of the day off and on. Bring a poncho- it soaked through the raincoats. And don’t count on Walmart having umbrellas. The worker told us they sell out as soon as they come in.
There is a beautiful cliff area called Paradise Cliffs basically in the neighborhood across the street that will take you like 10-15 minutes to get to.
Carlsmith Beach is where we saw the most sea turtles and had a good area for the kids to play.