Review for people considering a longer stay.
We just wrapped up 10 days here and are a family of four with two small children. This property was perfect for us and exactly what we wanted.
The honest truth is this property may not be perfect for everyone depending on expectations. What this property offers is function and reliability with beautiful views, great location and understated charm. It would likely miss expectations of a romantic get away or any illusions of luxury. Think John Candy's "Summer Rental".
Pros:
Location - The area is almost exclusively locals. While in the area we did not meet any other tourist but did meet several neighbors who were all welcoming and kind. This is a sun up to sun down neighborhood and is extraordinarily quiet especially once the sun sets. The neighborhood is remote enough to feel completely disconnected yet gives you access to Kona or to Volcano's Nat'l Park easily. Just down the street is Pebble Beach which is exactly as the name suggests. No sand, just a beautiful cove of smooth lava stones complete with snorkeling reefs, shoreline caves and so much to explore. Recommend a life jacket for small kids. Seemed to be very popular to scuba divers. The next beach 10 min to the North is a full black sand beach with many more locals to meet and calmer wave action.
Amenities - Fully furnished with all the basics to cook at home and store leftovers. The cookware was all new on our trip as well as a new gas grill on the porch. Great internet. Ran a couple Wi-Fi devices at the same time without issue. The Realty office provides a terrifically detailed book of information that was very helpful for us late planers. Plenty of left over snorkel gear, boogie boards, etc. from previous guests with some stuff in better shape than others as expected. Good shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, lots of towels and blankets. Fruit on the trees in the neighborhood.
Appearance - The house is obviously well lived in and built for housing tourist. However, the place was extremely clean. Our 10 month old kept clean knees crawling around the house the entire visit. House lacks some personal charm in décor but more than makes up for it with function and total package. Amazing flowers in bloom everywhere. Gorgeous sunset view every day... but do need to know the area is generally overcast most of the time.
Cons:
Island - The Island keeps weird hours. A lot of tourist things to do aren't open on weekends, most gas stations close around 6pm. Things are expensive but depending on the store prices are ridiculous. There are grocery stores apparently preying on tourist. Avoid buying from Ocean View Market and anything near Volcano's Nat'l Park. In general things were less expensive on the Hilo side of the Island but beware of anything on the beaten path.
Location - The hills in the neighborhood and driveway are steep and can be intimidating. If you are a family you will not be walking to the beach. The remoteness of the house and limited business hours requires you to consider what you need when in town. Plan ahead.
House - Not much but... The Master Bed is not good at all. Sinks in the middle badly.
No Air Conditioning. Not a problem as the air temp rarely got much higher than 80 and doesn't stay there long due to the cloud cover and breeze but something to be aware of.
There is an invasive species of frog in the area called the Coqui Frog. They start croaking around sunset but mercifully end their concerts around 10pm every night. Not a problem for us but if consider ear plugs if a light sleeper.
**The screens are a liability. The screen door to the porch fell off upon first use and most screens are barely hanging on or are missing completely. This is an absolute fall risk for children and needs to be addressed immediately for safety reasons. I hope First Island realizes the risk here.
Absolutely loved the house and would stay again for sure.