We enjoyed staying 5 days at Susan's home. The location is fantastic!
Once we identified the unit and parking spot, we immediately hit the beach. A walk across the street brought us to a public beach with great waves. The size and intensity varied daily, ranging from crazy big waves where locals put on a boogie boarding show, to tame, you could see turtles and body surf into shore. Depending on the day and surf, you needed to be conscious of rocks. The left side of the beach was sandy and was the best and safest place to enjoy the water. We enjoyed morning swims, sunbathing, watching boogie boarding, and sunsets.
Susan has all the gear, snorkels, fins, chairs, umbrellas, coolers, etc... you need to explore and play. When we weren't enjoying Magic Sands Beach, we visited other beaches and explored the island. Best big sandy beach we swam at was Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area. Have to pay for access, but beach and waves are great! We used our 4-wheel drive to see Ka'elehuluhulu. Great place to get away from others and enjoyed a peaceful beach with resting turtles. We snorkeled in the beginners snorkeling beach, and that was ok. It's close and convenient to Susan's home. The best place for snorkeling was Captain Cook's Monument. We rented a kayak and paddled across Kealakekua Bay to the monument. Lots of boats head there so you'll have company.
We visited volcano national park and were able to see lava spouting and glowing. Very cool! Best time to go is sunrise or sunset. You can see many more glowing areas and the sunset over an active volcano is amazing. The park rangers are there most of the day/night. Suggest parking and walking about 1 mile along the rim road. It's an easy walk and all but the last 300 yards are on a road. Bring a flashlight for nighttime visits.
We enjoyed dining at Island Lava Java and shopping at the local farmer's market. There was live music at Lava Java and after dinner, other restaurants in the courtyard had live bands. Great location and vibe. We heard the restaurant across the street from the house was good, but during our stay was under renovation. When we did not go out to eat, we found the kitchen was stocked with everything we needed to cook and feel at home.
Can't wait to return and visit other areas of the island! We'd definitely stay here again.