How to add to the superlatives in the other reviews? I’ll do a comparison …we had just spent 3 days in the famous (as well as gorgeous, posh, and expensive) Mauna Kea Beach Hotel along the Kohala Coast - on the sunny side of the island. Kristie’s “Art House” topped the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in terms of elegance, comfort and in every other aspect but one - no room service. ;=)
The house and gardens are exquisite, the kitchen is amazingly well equipped, the beds are comfortable, and it is all very clean. The pictures on the web are accurate, but the reality is even nicer. We lived in Hilo in the seventies, and could only dream of living in such splendor.
Kristie is a very talented artist, and the place is decorated with her works, leading one to feel as though they have suddenly inherited both wealth and taste!
As is common for the region, there is no A/C, but the trade winds and the cooling down-slope winds from Mauna Kea kept it quite pleasant, if not humid. We chose to close up the bedroom and run the dehumidifier at night. Another issue, common to the region is the loud Coqui frogs chirping at night. They provided a second reason to use the dehumidifier at night – we closed the windows and had a nice white noise source.
We are looking for another excuse to return to Hilo soon. The gracious living at Kristie’s is the primary excuse ... but another justification would be helpful!