Caryl was incredibly thoughtful and a great host. Before our arrival, she gave clear, detailed instructions on how to arrive. She was very flexible, and even allowed us to arrive at the apartment early on check-in day - straight from the airport. She emailed us 7 (!!) informative emails "Great Places to See:" with different categories like "In and Around Hilo", "en Route to Volcanoes", etc. It was a nice resource. Her apartment is simply lovely. The wrap around porch was huge and offered a lovely view of the ocean from high-up. We loved the colorful geckos that ran around outside and ate bugs. The kitchen is spacious, and the whole place has nice high ceilings. It is bright and comfortable. We also enjoyed that she had a big desk for working. There are also many paintings and books in the apartment. I have to admit, I curled up on the couch for over and hour and read a beautiful copy she had of the book called "The Story of Miso". Caryl is also very reasonable, and when we informed her that the food disposal broke on our final day and also left her with a ripped shower curtain, she was very nice about it.