My husband and I just got back from our first visit to Hawaii, which also happened to be our first experience with Airbnb. We spent the first three nights at an Airbnb in Waimea (Kamuela), and the remaining three at Mark and Lucretia’s Puolani Iki. We really liked it here! This is one whole small-but-not-so-small house in its own plot of land, surrounded by lush tropical forest. There is a neighbor right next door, just close enough so that you won’t feel too lonely, but other than that the area is extremely peaceful and quiet and you can pretend you are all alone. The location is wonderful to make multiple visits to the Volcanoes National Park (the entrance fee you pay once is good for 7 days), and it is close enough to Hilo that you can easily take a spin there for the Farmers’ Market and other cool activities. Volcano and its stores, restaurants and winery are just a couple of miles away. When we arrived at Puolani Iki there was a bottle of wine and mini-cupcakes waiting for us. Mark and Lucretia were aware that it was my birthday and had left us a candle and a card too, which was so nice! The house was clean and looked great, and the only issue we had was that apparently it had been recently painted and there was some lingering smell of paint in the air. But we kept the windows open and we noticed that the smell subsided as the days went by. We loved the décor of the house. The bedroom is gorgeous, with a very comfortable King bed and huge windows overlooking the forest. The kitchen/living/dining-room is roomy enough for two, the sofa is super comfy, and there are windows everywhere, which we specially liked. Unlike many rentals which are sometimes stocked with a mishmash of different pots, pans and plates, everything in this kitchen was new and cutely matched. There was a microwave, a large coffee-maker, a toaster and a good array of utensils. There was syrup and peanut butter in the full-size fridge, and oatmeal, pasta, and pancake mix on the shelves. The coffee Mark and Lucretia left for us was absolutely delicious, and there were tea bags and Swiss Miss pouches as well. We also saw a TV, a washer and dryer, a dehumidifier, a space heater, an iron and an ironing board, but we didn’t have a chance to use them. Mark and Lucretia had prepared a very good binder with excellent information about the house and the area. We followed their recommendation for a good place to eat and were absolutely delighted. We just wish we had had more time to try their other recommended places and activities as well. Communication with them was always prompt and easy, and we believe that they would have responded quickly had we contacted them regarding any issues. This house made us feel like we were alone in the middle of the forest surrounded only...