I want to start with the pros.
1. This house has a well-equipped kitchen to cook and bake whatever you wish. I was able to bake some pastries and lasagna and prepare homemade meals for my husband and me.
2. Kate has a modest but helpful library with very interesting books. I am grateful for the guidebook about the “Big Island Revealed.” It helped us to plan our activities around the island while keeping in mind valuable advice to avoid losing our things to thieves in some areas.
3. We appreciate that Kate was very communicative regarding the check-in process. She answered our few questions quickly, and she tipped us about the night market in Hilo.
4. An unexpected plus for us was that there were enough shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and toilet paper for our whole stay. The listing on Airbnb mentioned there were no amenities. Hence finding these little details was highly appreciated.
5. The balcony was lovely, and my husband enjoyed the time there listening to the rain and frogs in the evening. Overall, the area is quiet during the day; hence we could enjoy silence to read books and relax.
6. The internet is highly reliable, and we had no problem with it.
About the cons
1. I want to mention that the house gets too hot during the day. At least, too much for our taste. Although there are ceiling fans in bedrooms and the living room, the heat can be annoying. I discovered that the only way to feel the house a little fresher was to open every window, the front, and back door, and have all ceiling fans working. It was the only way to produce a constant flow of air that kept down the heat to something bearable.
2. For those used to sleeping in complete silence and darkness, the first nights can be tough because this area is full of an invasive frog called ‘coqui’ that produces an incredible sound that makes it difficult to fall asleep. Besides, the neighbors used to turn on a light after 11 pm, which made our room so bright that it caused us to wake up often.
3. Another thing was that there were many geckos outside the house on the balcony that entered the house constantly. I'm not too fond of geckos because I have had bad experiences with them. I know some people consider them helpful in controlling pests such as cockroaches and others, but still, I don’t like them. The way some people react when they see a mouse or cockroach is the same way I react when I see a gecko.