Kate and Will's place is a haven within the haven of Hawaii's Big Island. It's a perfect space for 2 people, with everything you need to make a great trip out of a visit. My top pros:
- Beautiful views of the ocean and the feeling of nature all around you
- Close to many coffee farms, so farm visits and tours are super easy and close
- Small touches to make the trip easy (beach towels, cooler, ice packs, snorkel gear, boogie boards, island/beach/restaurant guide etc.)
It was a perfect place to use as a home base for island exploration (we were able to make it out to Hilo and back on a day trip, hitting up Mauna Kea for sunset on the way back). The property is situated slightly out of Kailua town, which you can view as a pro or a con. Pro is that it truly is calming to be on the property, away from the bustle of town. The con is that getting to town to pick anything up, run errands, or meet up with tours requires a little bit of advance planning (and at times, running into traffic into town during busy times). All in all, this was mostly a non-factor on our trip but something to think about as you're planning.
This was not a problem for us, but birds/frogs/crickets make noise at night and to keep the place cool, we left the windows open. You can close them, but there is no denying there is plenty of life right outside!
Kate and Will are amazing hosts. I hesitate to mention it because they may not do it for every guest, but we arrived to banana bread fresh out of the oven! They were around during our trip and available to answer our every need. They also have their own pottery studio on the property, complete with kiln! Overall, this was an amazing experience and gorgeous spot. Highly recommend and would definitely come back!!