During our trip to the island, we stayed in 3 rental homes (one in Kona, this home in Hilo and a resort condo just north of the airport).
What we loved about this home: 1) Being in Hilo. The town of Hilo has so much to offer. We loved the Hilo Friday night market (within walking distance), the Hilo farmers market (a must do experience), Carlsmith Beach Park, and Volcano National Park.
Getting to the volcano was easy from Hilo. A 45 min drive and we recommend going very early in the morning to see the lava before the huge crowds. We left the house by 4 am. There is a great map in the visitor book that has hand written notes on it that were very helpful in knowing where to go so early in the morning (thankful for Beth's recommendation on this).
We went to mass on Saturday evening at a tiny church (Malia Puka O Kalani Catholic Church) and it was a beautiful experience. We chose that church because it had Hawaiian music Sat. The people there were so incredibly welcoming to our family and gave us a small tour of the church and filled us in on the history of that church and its ties to Fr Damien (who we didn't know about but it is fascinating history).
Other places close by that we loved: Akaka Falls, Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and garden (a must see).
Restaurants we enjoyed: Mohala Bayfront Fish and Chips, The Seaside Restaurant and Aqua Farm, Cafe Pesto.
2) The bathrooms/kitchen in this home are very nicely updated.
3) The porch: I often sat outside with my coffee in the mornings.
Here are the things that I would point out that weren't clear in the listing. 1) The house is not air conditioned. Not at all a problem for us. The windows are open (even during rain) and the house was cool enough for us to be comfortable. The evening breeze was great and I enjoyed the sounds of the frogs at night and birds in the morning.
2) I somehow had the idea that the house was more remote than it was (maybe because one review stated that they walked to town daily and went through rainforests and by water falls). This house is in town and I would not describe the walk in that way.
3) The yard is very small and there are houses very close to this house on 3 sides.
4) The living room furniture no longer looks bright as in the picture. Same furniture and it is nice but it has been recovered in dark material so it didn't look as expected.
Overall: We loved this charming home as a base for experiencing Hilo and the surrounding attractions.
