Vacation Rentals by Owner

Wonderful!!

Guest: Carey (Bozeman, Montana)
Date of Stay: 04/25/12 Review Submitted: 05/10/12

We have stayed at several places in the Puako area over 16 years, and this was one of the nicest. Loved the wide open feeling you get. From the floor plan and sliding glass doors to the high ceilings--the house seems much bigger. Appointed nicely in every way. Even though it is across the road from the beach, you can be there in a heartbeat. Short walk to the Orchid & Mauna Lani. Short drive to Wailea Bay & Hapuna Beach. Best part--waking up to the birds, the view of Mauna Kea and the sun coming up over the mountain. We will be back & use 2 Papayas again! Mahalo---

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Beautiful mountain view house in Puako

Guest: michelle (sf ca)
Date of Stay: 03/24/12 Review Submitted: 04/09/12

Very rarely do I rent a house where it exceeds my expectations. But this was it. Mahulia cottage was a beautiful home to stay in for a week on my favorite side of the big island. The location was perfect-only minutes away by car to the 3 most beautiful beaches on the island-Mauna Kea, Hapuna and Beach 69. It was also so nice to come back home. Right across the street from the beach where turtles lived and a wonderful mountain view with wonderful places indoor and outdoor to relax. What was particularly great was the fact that they had the beach gear we needed! Sun shade, chairs, cooler, boogie boards, snorkeling equipment, etc. that made it so much easier to just sit and relax at the beach!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway.

Wonderful, Open Place - lots of Aloha!

Guest: H (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 02/12/12 Review Submitted: 03/05/12

This home is really good for couples and small families. It was just 2 of us on this trip, and the house was perfect. The location is fantastic. Everything was like the description said, and more (in a good way). Mary and Robbie were great, too.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway

What a Perfect Puako House!

Guest: Kate (Berkeley, Ca)
Date of Stay: 01/21/12 Review Submitted: 02/01/12

We loved how this house was situated. Its views of the mountains are fascinating and ever-changing. And its proximity to the beach is fantastic. You can see the ocean from the kitchen window, you can hear the ocean all day and night, and a great little beach for cocktail or any hour is so close by. You can be sitting in your beach chair 3 minutes after leaving the house! We did a lot of fantastic snorkeling at Puako (sometimes three times in a single day). It was well appointed and a great size and lay-out for a couple. We loved our 6 nights at Maluhia Cottage!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

December in Puako

Guest: emmaluna (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 12/16/11 Review Submitted: 02/07/12

We had a great time at the 2 Papayas cottage in Puako. My husband and I were there for 5 nights with our 18-month-old. There was lots of space and the cottage was very pleasant, clean and bright. Having laundry on-site was a life-saver. The lanai is beautiful and the desert behind the cottage is very quiet and peaceful. The sunset views at the beach across the street are picture-perfect. There is lots to explore within a short drive - some of the big island's most exquisite beaches, good food, a great farmer's market, and more great beaches. And the cottage is well-stocked with supplies for your day trips, from kids' toys to kitchen supplies etc. Mary took great care of us, dropping off a replacement toaster when the first one conked out and generally answering all of our questions. If you're looking for your own private space, this is one of few options in this part of the big island - most of this area is big resort hotels. We really enjoyed our time and hope to be back someday!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway.

LOVE this place

Guest: Lynn and Lisa (Olympia, Washington)
Date of Stay: 12/07/11 Review Submitted: 12/20/11

This is our second year in a row staying here and we plan on coming again next year. We love how light and airy it is and the location is perfect for us.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Wonderful mountain view

Guest: Kevin (Olympia)
Date of Stay: 11/17/11 Review Submitted: 12/05/11

Waking up looking at the sunrise over the mountain was what made the place special. The other was the close proximity to the best snorkeling on the island. We would go back again as we like it's central location to golf and good restaurants. It is very quiet location and good for the morning walks.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

The perfect house at the perfect location

Guest: Robert (Los Angeles)
Date of Stay: 07/11/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

The cottage was exactly what we were looking for. A clean, bright, affordable home in a quiet area near excellent snorkeling and diving locales. We found the property description and photos to be very accurate, and there were no "evil" suprises. To the contrary. The house, especially the lower floor unit, is actually a bit nicer and bigger than the pictures may suggest. Everything, including the kitchen and bathrooms, was clean and well-maintained. The snorkeling right across the beach is excellent and safe for kids. Though the water isn't as clear here as on the outside of the reef, there are many types of local reef fish and we usually saw sea turtles and even some moray eels in just 3-5 feet of water. Wailea Beach (aka Beach 69) about 5 minutes North also has great snorkeling with better visibility and no rocks to negotiate when entering and exiting. But we didn't see any sea turtles there. The dropoff on the outside of the reef across the street from the cottage is about a 10-minute swim, but well worth it. Because the inside reef is shallow here and hence sees few scuba divers, and dive boats seem to go elsewhere, the outside reef is rather untouched and full of fish and sea turtles. Visibility was usually about 80 feet. Snorkeling along the edge of the "big blue" is a real experience for the more adventurous. Every morning we watched the sun rise in the East above Mauna Kea volcano from the lanai of the cottage, and every night we watched it set in the West on the beach across the street. At dusk, the local population of sea turtles returns, one by one, into big tide pool, which is great to watch as the red sun drops behind the horizon. All in all, the cottage and surroundings were everything we had hoped for. The property manager, Mary Fox, was a real pleasure to deal with, and very responsive to whatever requests or questions we had. If we went back to Hawaii, we'd definitely stay there again.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway.

Quiet & Peaceful Cottage

Guest: Holly&Jesse (Wisconsin)
Date of Stay: 07/03/11 Review Submitted: 08/17/11

My husband and I enjoyed our stay at the cottage. It was very well equipped with everything from boogie boards, snorkel equipment, beach chairs and coolers. Located on a very quiet street and no more than 200 feet from the public beach access. We were met at the cottage by Holly and she answered any questions we had, a nice personal touch that we have never had at any other VRBO property! She gave us a few suggestions of places to eat, beaches, etc. It was a wonderful place to stay, so much more value for your money than a hotel! We would definitely come back!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Wonderful Stay in a Beautiful Home

Guest: Lynne, Carlo and Karen, Rick (Portland, OR and Pacifica, CA)
Date of Stay: 04/17/11 Review Submitted: 05/07/11

We had a wonderful five day stay in Puako in mid-April 2011! The house was just perfect, beautiful, easy access to beaches, spacious, and most importantly, comfortable. We rented the upstairs and downstairs for the five of us, me, my husband, and our 6 year old daughter slept upstairs; my sister and her partner slept downstairs. The house is set back from the street and is across the street from a beautiful rocky beach. The back of the house opens up to a beautiful open field, we called it the "African savannah", from upstairs, there is an amazing view of Mauna Kea. Every morning, cup of coffee in hand, each of us would meander across the street to the beach with it's rocky tide pools and hang out with the sea turtles, watch the little box fish, check out the spotted morey eel. One morning my sister Karen took a stroll at the beach, just as the sun was rising, and was lucky enough to see a monk seal with a sea turtle. Mary Fox has a great local resource book in the house of local beaches, markets, restaurants, etc. We found that her recommendations in the book were spot on. The "mile 69" beach is the closest sandy beach to the house, just a few miles away, was lovely and very safe for our 6 year old daughter to swim in. Our last evening in Puako we went to the Fairmont Orchid Hotel, another recommendation in Mary's book, and had a round of mai tais, yum! Highly recommend having a mai tai at the Fairmont Orchid. It was Karen and Rick's first time to the big island, they had such a great time they were talking about when they could return and spend more time. Our daughter kept asking us, why don't we just live here? Good question. We will return!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway.

Perfect location

Guest: Gastons (Oregon)
Date of Stay: 01/07/11 Review Submitted: 01/20/11

We loved staying in Puako. Just a quiet country road lined by cottages with the ocean on one side and a savannah on the other. This studio is above a bedroom that van also ne rented. with wall to wall french doors on two walls, there is great light & an amazing view of the mountains across the savannah - no houses behind. we carried chairs, wine, & nibbles across the road to the beach -lava- every evening to enjoy the turtles, whales, & sunsets. Our swimming snorkeling beach was a 5 minute drive & has plenty of shade Caveats? Some bugs - it is Hawaii. & you don't have an ocean view, which is why it is such a reasonable price.

Recommended for:Age 55+, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Maluhia Cottage

Guest: Haole (calgary, alberta, canada)
Date of Stay: 12/22/10 Review Submitted: 01/13/11

We stayed in the Maluhia Cottage (upstairs) for 5 days in December 2010. I would rate it as average only. The cottage is located in on Puako Beach Drive, two houses in from the street on the mountain side. Puako is a quiet residential neighbourhood (the street dead ends before the Fairmont Orchid Hotel), with great access to snorkelling on the reef. The lanai and main windows face Mauna Kea, with an uninterrupted view. There is a beautiful sunrise in the early morning. The birds (cardinals, quails, etc.) start singing at 6:00 a.m., so don't expect to sleep in! (But we did love the singing...) There is a wall of palm trees between the house and the next door house on the street, so there is privacy, but the trees do block the ocean breeze. Some things to be aware of: - the house gets very hot in the afternoon (probably because the ocean breeze is blocked), but it does cool down later at night. There is a screened patio on the ground floor that you can use during the day instead. - the kitchen is not great: old stove, small fridge and freezer, and very little counter space. - the lanai screens were ripped when we were there. - the wicker chairs on the lanai were falling apart. - the local phone and internet didn't work while we were there. - the outdoor shower on the ground level doesn't drain properly, so you end up with a puddle of soapy water on the walkway. Good for rinsing wetsuits and snorkelling gear, but not for showering. We loved the neighbourhood, but if we were to go back, I would look for someplace a bit nicer and that gets the ocean breeze.

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Fabulous Vacation Home

Guest: Lynn and Lisa (Olympia, Washington)
Date of Stay: 12/12/10 Review Submitted: 12/20/10

We are almost hesitant to write this review because we are afraid that this place will get too popular and that it'll be booked when we're able to return. It was WONDERFUL. Watching the morning sunrise over the volcano while listening to thousands of birds; hanging out with the turtles as they sunned themselves on the reef and the sand beaches across the street; meeting friendly neighborhood folks; the manager Mary Fox who was just the right combo of warm and friendly, filled with helpful info and also giving us all the space we needed; enjoying great food and music a few minutes away at the Blue Dragon, etc. Bed is comfortable, everything is clean and works and the home feels light and airy. We loved the location: Near fancy resorts and far from too much noise and activity. We'll come back annually if we can afford it.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Guest: Joanne G. (-)
Date of Stay: 03/21/10 Review Submitted: 03/21/10

We really enjoyed staying in this house. Very spacious and comfortable, lovely views of the mountain, good kitchen supplies, clean, and very quiet. Puako is an oasis of nice homes along the "beach" coast which is dominated by the big resorts. Highly recommended! Mary Fox even greeted us with fresh fruit and newspaper on our arrival.

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Guest: Ellen32 (California)
Date of Stay: 03/19/10 Review Submitted: 03/19/10

We stayed at the Maluhia Cottage for 6 nights. It was absolutely wonderful-- a 30-second walk to the beach where we sat almost every night to watch the sunset. Great snorkeling with sea turtles! Easy access to classic beaches like Hapuna. Puako is a great town; I will stay there again the next time. And Maluhia is a wonderful place to do it... well-equipped, clean, beautiful layout. Highly recommended!

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Guest: Celia Marquis & Paul McShane (Port Townsend, WA)
Date of Stay: 02/25/10 Review Submitted: 02/25/10

Two plus weeks on the upper level of this oasis was good for body and soul. The sun rises behind the volcano in the distance and streams through the east window wall. Being up in the air catches the cooling trade winds. The beach is just a couple hundred feet away. Puako is a lovely alternative to the resorts. Yet the Fairmont Orchid is a short walk along the beach. Highly recommended.

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Guest: Gary and Joan Jonland (Port Townsend, Washington)
Date of Stay: 11/04/09 Review Submitted: 11/04/09

The cottage exceeded our expectations by far. We loved our time there and wished we could have stayed much longer. A very special spot with wonderful beaches close by.

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Guest: Keo Lopes (-)
Date of Stay: 07/08/09 Review Submitted: 07/07/09

The Maluhia Cottage was great. The house was perfect for grilling and chilling. We used the house for our scuba vacation, we did some great dives up and down Puako Road. A few days we got in our gear and walked across the street and did a 170 ft dive, unbelievable. I loved the time there in the nice town of Puako.

Owner response:Mahalo, Keo, Puako is a great dive location, glad you enjoyed it, Mary

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Guest: The Jacksons2 (Midland, TX)
Date of Stay: 03/30/09 Review Submitted: 03/30/09

I lived in Puako for a few years and knew that this location was perfect for my husband's first trip to Hawaii. The cottage was perfect for us. It was even more beautiful than we had anticipated. The house was spacious and well appointed with everything we needed and then some. They really did think of everything. The beach access across the street had the best tide pools and sea turtle viewing in Puako. Every morning we would take our coffee and walk over to check out the sea life in the pools and the turtles. The views of Mauna Kea were breathtaking. There's nothing like watching a full moon rise over Mauna Kea. It's amazing. My husband is now as smitten with Puako as I have been all of these years. We will be back.

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Guest: Barry and Gloria Black (High River, Alberta)
Date of Stay: 03/18/09 Review Submitted: 03/18/09

We have just returned from the Big Island and staying at Tranquility Cottage, for a wonderful 10 day visit. The stunning views, comfortable bed and wonderful amenities make this vacation property a restful and complete package. Everything worked wonderfully, even the knives are sharp. The ocean is just across the street and we loved the ease of access to everything. Thanks to all who made our stay in Puako so wonderful

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Guest: Donald E. Kaye (Santa Clara, California)
Date of Stay: 02/27/09 Review Submitted: 02/27/09

We just got back from the Island and had never been to Puako on our previous trips. What a great street and special home! We had a great walk down the beach to the Fairmont Orchid Hotel for lunch one day. At other times we sat in the living room reading and looking out at the clear view of the Mountains. The only sounds we heard were the sounds of Hawaiian birds chirping. The house is perfectly located, and we loved our stay!

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Guest: Indra & Charlile Black (Homer, AK)
Date of Stay: 02/07/09 Review Submitted: 02/06/09

We loved the sunrise over Mauna Kea, waking up with the sun every morning is how it should always be. Great location, quiet and close to the beach access. We enjoyed our stay and enjoyed the house too.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 12/08/08 Review Submitted: 12/08/08

We thoroughly enjoyed our time here, walking across the street to the beach, watching sunset and preparing our meals in the full kithcen. Very quiet area.

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Guest: Shelley11 (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 02/05/08 Review Submitted: 02/05/08

I have been lucky enough to have stayed at many places in Puako, and Maluhia Cottage holds a special place in my heart. It's name is very fitting, for I have found much serenity here. It's great to be steps away from the beach, and to also have the privacy and majestic view of Mauna Kea.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/25/08 Review Submitted: 01/24/08

This place was wonderful! My boyfriend and I would love to live there. We are now trying to find a way to buy the home :) We recommend this home to anyone~ trust us, you will love it!

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Guest: Marilyn Casey (Trinidad, CO)
Date of Stay: 01/24/08 Review Submitted: 01/24/08

Our stay at this property was wonderful. Quiet, peaceful, gorgeous mountain view with all the changing moods from sunrise to rainbows and steps away to awesome ocean experiences and sunsets. The property is perfectly furnished - oh-so-comfortable. We love Puako and sooo enjoyed this home! Thanks for sharing it with us vacationers! Marilyn & Allan

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