We had a lovely time during our stay here, but there are a number of things visitors should be aware of before booking this location, as several aspects of the property are not included in the description.
- It should be noted that the guest is asked to take all trash to the transfer station after their stay, or will be charged "$60 a bag" by the caretaker.
- The water at the property is not potable. Guests are asked to purchase their own drinking water from the nearby gas station.
- Though the property does have a sauna, instructions around the sauna were not welcoming — no one in our party of 13 dared to use it, for fear of violating some rule.
- The listing also describes gym equipment. This consisted of an old stationary bike, a broken stairmaster, what I believe used to be an elliptical, and 2 10-pound dumbbells in the corner of a cluttered car port.
- During our stay, an alarm at the house went off. We were charged $100, and, when we returned home later that night, the entry code had changed. Our group was locked out of the house on the porch until we were able to contact the host. We were also accused of leaving the gate unlocked, which we most certainly had not after receiving numerous warnings that we would lose our deposit of we did so.
- The kitchen oven and stove are run off propane tanks. This only presented a problem when the gas ran out while cooking our group dinner. There was one spare propane tank on the property, but be prepared to swap tanks if it runs out on you.
That said, there are some lovely things about the property. It is wonderfully secluded, spacious, with comfortable rooms and in an absolutely beautiful location. The house is convenient, roughly equidistant between Hilo and Volcano National Park.