Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great location, so close to Champagne Pond!

Guest: Lisa S.
Date of Stay: 04/12/12 Review Submitted: 05/06/12

This house was a great house to stay at for swimming in the Champagne Pond. It definitely has an ocean view, but it is not next to the ocean. The house has a great deck with a nice patio table--there is no table inside, but you don't really want to be inside with such great views. The house is quite big, so we only used the second floor for our family of 4. The stairs are a little dangerous for children as they are made out of ceramice tile. Kapoho is a very different type of community. There are only houses--no stores, no restaurants, etc. It is very isolated and quiet. It was so peaceful to hear the coqui and the waves crashing on the beach each night. It is at least 15 minutes from town (Pahoa), so it's best to cook at the house. The road through the monkeypod trees is truly beautiful in the daytime, but at night, it is difficult to find your way back as it is very dark and the signage is not so great. We really enjoyed eating at Kaleo's Bar & Grill in Pahoa--it was by far the best meal of our trip with live music and a small hula show. Our kids loved it! We walked to the Champagne Pond each day to go swimming. The water is so warm and clear! It is a great place for kids to swim and practice snorkeling. Our boys (1 and 4) really enjoyed it. The Waipi'oae Tidepools are a 10 minute drive from the house and offered amazing snorkeling in protected coral reefs. It was wonderful! Although the house was nice (well maintained and clean), it didn't have any of the homey touches that we've found in other vacation homes we have rented. It didn't have the warmth or comforts of home that we are usually looking for when on vacation. The decor of the house also did not seem like it fit with Hawaii. The house was a little short on basic supplies (plates, cups, etc.), so we had to keep up on the dishes. It was also a little short on paper goods. It seems that the supplies are standard practice with the property manager, so it may be best to plan ahead, especially if you have a larger party staying at the house.

Owner response:Aloha Guests! Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip overall! Thank you for sharing your adventures and giving our future guests some good recommendations. We appreciate the constructive feed back and I will forward this information to the Owner so we can improve on this. Best Regards! Sophia

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Guest: Tina
Date of Stay: 02/16/12 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

The stay couldn't have been more perfect. Our kids had a blast and so did the gma's can't wait to come visit again. Thank you for everything

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Guest: Elayne
Date of Stay: 02/10/12 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

Thank you for the Wi-Fi.. We did not work, we googled a lot, LOL! - Sharp knives, we cooked -fresh smelling linens, towels - goggles & snorkels in garage We enjoyed looking at the lizards from lanai, basking in the sun & the coconut tree. We had a blast at the Champagne Pond using the goggles. Saw: White coral, black crabs, many fish many sizes, saw a turtle, OMG a freakin eel! (Low tide was best for me being only 5'3) We went to Kona Side, Volcano Park - no lava flow,Luau@ Marriott Kamehameha

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Guest: Matsuda Ohana
Date of Stay: 01/13/12 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

This house was awesome! It was big enough for the whole family, we occupied the three floors.

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Guest: the Cantrell Family
Date of Stay: 01/04/12 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

Thanks so much for the wonderful stay and for keeping the rain away! Your home is awesome and the views are amazing! Your service is amazing even with no power... Can't wait to return.. maybe forever!

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Ocean View Home Review - Continued

Guest: John &Tracey
Date of Stay: 12/17/11 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

Muhammad & Sophia Thank you for all your help. Restaurant was awesome ate there twice, thanks for replacing the grill so fast. I had a great time & enjoyed your house. Thank you!

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Guest: John & Tracey
Date of Stay: 12/17/11 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

We had a wonderful time in your paradise. Hate to go home. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Thanks!

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Guest: Ralph & Roxanne
Date of Stay: 10/03/11 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

Thank you for a most enjoyable stay in your beautiful home. We will always remember this visit.

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Guest: Tom & Cindy
Date of Stay: 09/14/11 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

We came to see our son at the UH, and meet his mentor. This is our 3rd time here so we wanted to be by the ocean and the tidepools. The house is awesome! We love the upstairs MB & view from the Lanai. I could live up there! It's greatly appreciated that you are always there when we call, especially Sophia. Thank you. We also have friends/family here who our son now lives with and if he stays, we will figure out some way to com back permanently. Blue Hawaii helicopters was awesome.ETC :)

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Guest Rev

Guest: Art, Kathy, Andrew,....
Date of Stay: 08/31/11 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

Love the serenity and Ponds. Saw the turtles, eels(?), & lots of small fish. The pounding ocean reminded me of "Blue Lagoon" we all had a great time. Except for the few human drama sessions. Hawaii is our future home, if we could afford it. Thank you for your free wi-fi and the features of both the homes we used. Aloha, The Gang :)

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Guest: Edelman Family
Date of Stay: 07/24/11 Review Submitted: 08/02/11

We had a great time. God's Country. What a great view. Audrey was a wonderful host, making sure everything was comfortable. It was nice revisit and great to see where Doug's Mom came from. Thanks again.

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Loved it!

Guest: Cat Cardinalli (Paradise, Ca)
Date of Stay: 07/10/11 Review Submitted: 07/24/11

This home is every bit as immaculate and spacious as it appears in the photos! My husband and I stayed here for 2 weeks in July 2011 with our 3 children (all in their 20's). Each one had his own bedroom. The downstairs separate "apartment" was perfect for our 2 sons with it's own LR, BR,TV, mini -fridge, and shaded patio. Note: the downstairs apt. is not accessible from within the main house. You must take the outside stairs to get to it. The kitchen has most everything one needs for food prep and has an assortment of condiments and varying items left by previous guests. BBQ on kitchen deck is a nice cooking option.You should do your main shopping in Hilo but don't buy every last thing until you evaluate what you will need for the home. Don't miss the Sunday farmers" market in Hilo. There is an assortment of 5 or 6 snorkel,mask, fin sets in the garage in various states of disrepair (you can assemble at least 2 full sets out of all the parts) as well as noodles and a boogie board for swimming. There is an ironing board & iron but no hair dryer. You won't ever need to do your hair because between swimming in the ocean, and the humidity, no hair-do will last anyway! There are 3 portable phones in the house, (equipped with intercom for communicating with your family 2 stories below) and all of the big island is considered local calling with no LD fees. Our Verizon phones were useless in this house so I actually had to pull out my ancient MCI calling card for out -of -state phone calls! AT&T had good phone reception however. The Wi-fi reception is variable & somewhat inconsistant. I could not get my I-pad II 3 G (which I purchased just for this trip) to connect to internet at all for 2 weeks. You may have no access problems depending on your equipment. Regular PCs seem to hook up ok. Champagne pond is very close. Go there more than once if you don't see much sea life the first time. I snorkeled 2 feet from a huge green sea turtle as he idled near the rocks in the rear-most part of the Champagne pond. Don't miss the publec "warm pond" just a short way down the Red Road just past the elementary school. You will not be disappointed in this wonderful home and location! P.S. Do NOT miss eating out at Cafe Pesto in Hilo. Make sure you have a reservation if a big group because it is always crowded!

Owner response:Aloha Guest! Thank you for your wonderful & useful comments! We are glad you enjoyed your stay and we are working on the internet connection for this home. Please think of us again for your next trip. Mahalo, Sophia, Muhammad & Lynette Yunis

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

Guest: Genco Family
Date of Stay: 06/15/11 Review Submitted: 08/02/11

Ning's Thai Restaurant in Pahoa Tide Pools near vacationland - more fish than Champagne pond but rough swimming Lava tree Park No Traffic or crowds :)

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Guest: Voegels Family
Date of Stay: 03/27/11 Review Submitted: 04/20/11

Our 1st visit to Kona what a great relaxing time. We love the area and plan to return so we can see the lava. The fish and coral were amazing. House was great, had everything we needed. We will be back. Many Thanks. Mahalo!

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Guest: Beckley Family
Date of Stay: 03/14/11 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

As usual, we had a great stay in another one of your houses. We were impressed with the constructive details and the amenities. Thanks for an enjoyable visit!

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Guest: David & Susan
Date of Stay: 03/03/11 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

Aloha Muhammad, Nettie & Sophia, What a beautiful home & thanks for having us.

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Guest: McLay Family
Date of Stay: 02/24/11 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

We had a great time. Things were better than perfect.

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Guest: Oates Group
Date of Stay: 02/09/11 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

Nice Champagne Ponds! We had an amazing time here.... Turtles are the most beautiful animal I've ever seen swimming with them. Muhammad & Sophia are great hosts considering the situations they deal with!

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Guest: Bill & Mandy
Date of Stay: 12/18/10 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

Thanks for a great stay we enjoyed the Champagne Pond and saw 5 sea turtles! Polly Lovely view from the top floor! Also enjoyed a Christmas BBQ on the patio - not looking forward to traveling home to -14 degrees Celsius. Thanks! Sophie & Gemma

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Guest: Gaiser Family
Date of Stay: 11/19/10 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

So much fun.... So much swimming... we had a wonderful time. We saw 2 octopuses at the tidal pools! We've stayed in different houses in this community and this one was our whole family's favorite - very nice. The children especially enjoyed their pet-away-from-home, Prince, the lizard hunter. We would love to come again next year, and are hoping that the only negative - the dogs that bark every morning from 3am-6am will be a thing of the past. Sleeping a little extra on vacation should be a legal right :). The Yunis' are the best landlords ever! We really appreciated all they did to make our stay great. Now back to the Arctic... The Gaiser Flock

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Guest: Paul & Elizabeth
Date of Stay: 11/18/10 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

Great house & great location! Day 1: Champagne Pond, Tide pools, Akalanui and orange lava glow. Awesome! Oops, maybe that was vacationland and Ahalanui. Also, I love the Hawaii blue & lava black color scheme in the living room. Day 2: University Pond - thank you so much for directions! We walked & saw the beautiful corals & fish, not for beginning snorkelers. Crater Rim & Chain of Craters Drive was nice. Fresh lava is gorgeous. Day 3: University & Champagne Pond - AGAIN!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful house. C U Soon! Aloha!

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Guest: Robert & Ed
Date of Stay: 11/06/10 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

After visiting the islands several times, we truly enjoyed the tranquil beauty of the area! We snorkeled in the Champagne Pond 2-3 times a day, went to the lava flow, hiked, got some great sun and had a wonderful 2 weeks! Thank you Muhammad and Sophia for the avocados/coconuts, very nice of you! :) May all who enjoy this beautiful part of the Big Island take in all we did! Mahalo

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Guest: Chow
Date of Stay: 10/14/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

A very lovely place-a very enjoyable stay. Place was very well equiped but would have liked better flatware. Mahalo!

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Guest: Martin Family
Date of Stay: 10/14/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

Very nice quiet & peaceful.

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Guest: Lamb Family
Date of Stay: 10/14/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

Lovely secluded spot! Enjoyed listening to the frogs each night and sunrises from the top floor lanai. Swimming in the hot pools was delightful. Thank you for making our vacaiton in Kapoho a restful and enjoyable experience.

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Guest: Thompson's Family
Date of Stay: 08/21/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

Things to see in the water: Sea Sponges Starfish (Under Rocks) Eels (under rock piles) Rockfish (disguised!) Crabs (on Rocks) Shrimp (on Rocks) Turtles (we only saw one, but they're out there! & lots of Fishies! :-) )

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Guest: Uemura Family
Date of Stay: 07/15/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

I totally agree with the Hsia's.

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Guest: The Hsia Family
Date of Stay: 06/30/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

Thank you we had a wonderful stay. The accomodations were excellent and the area is spectacular. We loved swimming and snorkeling in the Champagne Pond!

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Guest: The Lyles Family
Date of Stay: 06/21/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

We had a great time! Very relaxing and very nice accomodations. Can't wait to come again!

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Guest: 6 Grandma's From Calif
Date of Stay: 06/12/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

Thank you for the beautiful Home - We enjoyed the birds the frogs & your beautiful flowers. We also enjoyed the snorkeling. Love the area, felt very secure, beautiful scenery, met very friendly residents.

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Guest: Alvarez
Date of Stay: 05/20/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

Relaxing & Beautiful!!! So glad we stayed on this side of the island. Plus, Muhammad is very Accomodating. Sonoma, CA

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Guest: Marchus Family
Date of Stay: 03/27/10 Review Submitted: 03/26/10

It was very nice to stay on the "slow" side of the island. The tidepools are within a minutes walk and was perfect for young kids. Be sure to buy reef shoes! The house was great and the owner was very accomodating and took care of the one issue we had immediately. We ate at Mings Thai and the Italian place next door to Mings (I think it is called Pablos?). Thai was great but the Italian was the best I have had in years.

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Guest: Gussio's/Gravel's Families
Date of Stay: 03/01/10 Review Submitted: 02/28/10

We are going to miss the sounds of the frogs singing!

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Guest: Amad & Humma
Date of Stay: 12/01/09 Review Submitted: 11/30/09

Thankx for the lovely house with an amazing view. Everything was great. Management was amazing as well. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

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Guest: Chase and Friends
Date of Stay: 11/29/09 Review Submitted: 11/28/09

Thank you so much for the wonderful place! Everything was excellent. Geothermal springs were amazing! Nothing like it!

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