Kai's place is as beautiful and peaceful as all the reviews say, and the location is ideal assuming you have a vehicle and don't want to be in the midst of stores and restaurants. His directions for finding it were extremely helpful, and having our own parking spot and access to snorkeling gear made it easy to come and go each day and scout out different snorkeling spots. We never needed the air con because the breeze that comes through the studio and the ceiling fans kept things at a nice temp. It's a large space, so don't let the 'studio' part concern you. I'd give it 5 stars except that I found the mattress very soft, so if like me you're used to a very firm one, this could be an issue. Still, I slept pretty well there and all the other amenities made this a spot we'd definitely come back to. Don't miss two-step beach a very short drive away from Kai's place for amazing snorkeling; the hike up from the Captain Cook monument is exhausting, but the snorkeling in the bay around the monument is worth it. Unlike many others, we hiked down at midday and stayed at the bottom awhile, so it was much cooler and the sun was quite low by the time we had to hike back up. Great casual spots for eating include Rebel Kitchen and the Coffee Shack. Don't let the volcano situation worry you -- there's so much to do on the Big Island that even without being able to visit the park, we never were bored during our 7 days on the island and never affected by vog.