Hideaway by volcano

Guest: Helen L.
Date of Stay: 07/26/11 Review Submitted: 08/11/11

The home is right across from the volcano national park, a perfect location to visit the park and stay. The house is beautiful with artworks, nice bedrooms, and clean bathrooms. A fabulous garden and trail into the forest. We had a great time. The only thing that can be done better is the bed sheet and blanket, we wish they were a bit cleaner and fresher. Other than that, everything was perfect for a family vacation by the volcano.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Stewart and Anne (-)
Date of Stay: 03/04/11 Review Submitted: 05/11/11

Mahalo much for this wonderful house... it is trully a hidden gem! We throughly enjoyed ourselves... it was like being home with our Ohana. We will definitely recommend this place to friends and will be back to visit in the near future!

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Guest: Russ and Sue (-)
Date of Stay: 01/24/11 Review Submitted: 05/11/11

Thanks so much for this quaint retreat with great decor. It reminds me of my Grandmother's home- with the huge livingroom and kitchen.

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Guest: Marie- Claire and Paul (-)
Date of Stay: 01/20/11 Review Submitted: 05/11/11

Beautiful home and gardens. Loved how this home was decorated. A great private, seculded retreat!

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nice experience

Guest: xm (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Date of Stay: 04/27/11 Review Submitted: 05/03/11

large space,nicely decorated rooms,friendly landlord.

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Great location - huge house!

Guest: Terceratops (Calgary, AB, Canada)
Date of Stay: 01/07/11 Review Submitted: 01/20/11

I was very impressed with the size of the home, and that it had most of the comforts of home. Being close to the volcano saved huge amounts of travel time and allowed us to take in the volcano at night. I liked the layout of the home and that you could easily sleep 6 or 8 people if required (we were only four). The unfortunate part for us was that there were a few power outages, and we had to use electrical space heaters to keep warm at night (not fond of keeping these running while sleeping). This area is colder, especially at night, so if you stay here bring lots of warm clothes!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, families with young children, families with teenagers.

New Upgrades were made to this home in August 2010

Guest: Volcano Lady (Volcano, HI)
Date of Stay: 12/01/10 Review Submitted: 12/06/10

A new toilet and sink were put in the main bathroom, a new and better gas BBQ was purchased, new heaters were purchased and cozy comforters for all of the beds were purchased as well. This lovely home is now better than ever.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Not what we expected

Guest: john (denver, CO)
Date of Stay: 06/20/10 Review Submitted: 07/06/10

This home was not quite what we were expecting in a VRBO. Perhaps this is common for the area (Volcano) or even not unusual for the island - I heard some horror stories from folks on the island, and this one isn't nearly as bad as some stories I've heard, but again I wasn't expecting what we found when we arrived. The rental we used outside of Hilo was just gorgeous, new, and in great operating condition. For this home - the surroundings and the home itself are no doubt beautiful, but any home in Volcano Village will probably be able to boast beautiful surroundings, and pictures of this home are accurate (and beautiful), BUT. The home is in pretty sorry shape. The main bathroom toilet will not shut off most of the time so you have to play with the handle and take the top of the reservoir off to get at the drainage plug, the grill is the most disgusting appliance I've ever seen (it looks like it's 15 years old and hasn't been cleaned in that long either) and the burner assembly below the grill is so clogged that only 2 flames came up into the grill, and the temperature was consistently low. The 3 of the 4 burners on the gas range in the kitchen would not light by themselves (you had to use a match), and one of the ignitor electrodes was tied to the wrong burner so while you ran 1 burner the other continually tried to light. The washer was tied to cold water only and could have been connected to hot water only, but only by unscrewing the single hose from the cold tap and attaching it to the hot tap. Finally, something not talked about in the ad - this home is (and apparently a lot of other homes in Volcano Village are) on a casement system, so you are advised upon arrival that the running water should not be drunk, and you have to use bottled water (the maintenance folks left 3 gallons for us to use, but the directions upon entry to the home only indicates that 1 gallon was provided - troubling if you are arriving after dark and still want to prepare dinner!). Heating is by a series of space heaters (so no central heat), one of which is a fire hazard because the on/off/thermostat had broken so the maintenance guy just hard wired it for "full on", and you turn it off by unplugging it! Last - once you find out where this home is by emailing the agent and mapquest it - you will see that this home is relatively close to the main road, so you do hear traffic pretty much all day and night when the windows are open. Ultimately this was a disappointment.

Owner response:On no central heat: This is a well maintained historic house built in the 1920’s when central heating was nonexistent in this part of Hawaii. There is a gas wall heater which works fine and there are electric space heaters if necessary (rarely used). The heat is turned off in the summer. For a June 20 rental the heat was not on so I question why this was an issue. Every guest receives a welcome letter explaining that while we use the house water for cooking, we believe bottled water is a better choice for drinking, and we always have at least 2 gallons for guests for the first night. Bottled refills in the Village are 30 cents per gallon. In the Welcome letter there is the phone number for the caretakers who live down the road and respond quickly to any requests like fixing a balky toilet handle or stove lighter when asked. The BarBQ will be replaced. Cold water wash: We use cold water for washing by choice. We are “green” along with most Hawaii residents and try to be environmentally friendly i.e. reduce energy. The road: the road is a half mile away on the other side of a very thick rain forest. I can honestly say that road noise has never been an issue.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers.

Guest: Jo and Park Blubaugh (-)
Date of Stay: 03/30/09 Review Submitted: 03/30/09

We felt as though we were in a South Seas movie setting in your spectacular grounds and picturesque home. Barb's hand shows in the decor and artistry. Such a facinating island So far have driven through Volcano Ntl.Park, routes 130,137,11 many narrow winding roads even down to South Point. Walked on the black sand and took photos of greensea turtles at Punaluu Beach Park. A total wonderous experience!

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Guest: Mortenson (-)
Date of Stay: 09/24/08 Review Submitted: 09/24/08

This house provided us a wonderful location to hold our Family Reunion. The seven of us loved being able to return each night to this warm and comfortable home. Each moring we sat on the deck and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. We even took a family picture in the front yard. Thanks Eric for your hospitality- the fresh bananas were great and the extra blankets warm and cozy. We hope to return again! Mahalo

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