Great place to stay, super hosts

Guest: W and E (Boulder, Colorado)
Date of Stay: 01/17/12 Review Submitted: 01/27/12

The bungalow with its comfortable furnishings and home-like amenities were perfect for our weeklong stay. Its location made a great starting point for our daily explorations of the island. Brittany was most helpful in making sure our stay exceeded our expectations. We will stay there again the next time we return to the Big Island, which we hope is soon because a week is not long enough to see and do everything.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, pet owners, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+.

Just what we were looking for!

Guest: Tele-Mark (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 01/24/11 Review Submitted: 02/05/11

This place was off the beaten path and a great spot for a couple wants to avoid the crowds in the evening. We spent most of our time out exploring and this was just what we needed to come back to at the end of our day. Brittany and Ossian were extremely kind and helpful, we miss you all already. Ossians surf lessons were the peak of our trip, he was very patient and gave us great tips to improve our surfing. If you want to learn to surf in Hawaii, FBI is the spot. It is comfortably cooler here in the evenings and mornings. Thank you both, We miss you and hope to be back in the future. Mahalo !

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

Not a Bungalow

Guest: Disappointed (Edwards, Colorado, USA)
Date of Stay: 01/10/11 Review Submitted: 01/26/11

Listing is misrepresented in our opinion. Although it appears to be a separate building on the owner's property it is a 1st floor apartment, with the owners living quarters above it on the second floor and a preschool separated by a breeze way adjacent to the apartment. We reserved for 14 nights but left after 2 nights. When I booked the reservation the listing advised a full kitchen, 5 minutes from town, and did not mention the preschool. It appears she has changed some items in the listing due to our complaints. This property is 5 miles from town and the ocean on a very congested 2 lane road which takes 15 to 20 minutes depending traffic. There is not a full kitchen (no oven and stove, only hot plate & toaster oven) and there are no views at all from the apartment let alone the entire property. There were no futons in the unit, only a wooden bench and chair for seating in the living room and two barstools in the kitchen. Very disapointed.

Owner response:After two nights the gentleman came to me and said they were going to find another place to stay. I was very surprised and asked if everything was okay. "Oh yes, we just want to find a place closer to the beach, the apartment is great" he said. I felt something was amiss and pressed him, asking "are you sure, is there anything else?" He said, "Well we were expecting a bigger kitchen, we like to make tacos and need an oven". I apologized and said "I see". He went on to tell me that the listing stated a "full kitchen". I told him that I would look into it and wished him good luck. We have never had anyone complain about the kitchen before. We would like our listing to represent our unit as best as possible and would never want to mislead anyone into staying with us. This is our home, we are raising our children here and want to have positive, happy people around us. After reviewing our listing I saw that "full kitchen" was checked and that there was no option for "kitchenette" or kitchen without oven. The reality is that there is a full size refrigerator, cabinets, plenty of countertop, microwave, toaster, toaster oven, hotplate, utensils, coffee maker, coffee grinder, plates, glasses, etc. I have since updated the kitchen description. I have also stated that the home school is next door, operating 3 days per week from 8am-2pm. I think it may be helpful to list the unit as an "ohana" instead of a "bungalow" making it clear that the unit is a ground level apartment and that we live above the unit. The roads are not congested and it takes 7-10 minutes to get to town, which is stated in the description. Our property has views of the ocean through the trees and the garden; the unit does not. The futons are available to families; we had removed them for this couples stay to make more room in the closet. If they had wanted futons we would have gladly brought them back into the unit. We are a kind, generous, hardworking family that puts effort into all that we do. We have created a comfortable, clean, functional rental unit that has made many visitors very happy. This is the first time we have ever received any negative comments and will take this experience as something to learn from. We will be very clear in our representation of ourselves and the unit. We are grateful for this opportunity to make our lives even better!

Recommended for:

Good for Ironman

Guest: Gerhard (Stuttgart, Deutschland)
Date of Stay: 10/02/10 Review Submitted: 10/20/10

We come from Germany and we had the most wonderful holidays in Holualoa. I have taken part with the Ironman and was very happy about the quiet and nice accommodation. The Farmers were the best hosts of the world with very nice children. One day with pleasure we come again. Thanks for a wonderful week!

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

AMAZING place - highly recommended!

Guest: TJ (Montreal, Canada)
Date of Stay: 07/14/10 Review Submitted: 08/01/10

My boyfriend and I came to Hawaii hoping to find comfortable and affordable accommodations. Brittany and Ossian made us feel right at home. Their place was large, clean and perfect for our stay! The kitchen was perfect for cooking a few meals at home and the living room was stacked with surfing DVDs! They also provided a few beach towels and lent us snorkels! The location was also PERFECT - so close to town and the beach, and right beside a coffee farm (with free tours). I would highly recommend this place for a couple or a family. There is a huge yard for kids to play! We also took surf lessons with Ossian (through FBI Surf School) which was FANTASTIC! Do this if you have time! When we go back to Hawaii, we will 100% be staying with Ossian and Brittany again!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, pet owners, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Great place with fantastic hosts

Guest: Ricochet (Montreal, Canada)
Date of Stay: 07/12/10 Review Submitted: 07/28/10

Cosy, well-kept bungalow close to town and surf spots. Ossian and Brittany are helpful and generous hosts. A perfect place if you're looking for something a little out of town with a great vibe.

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

Nice quiet relaxing place with amazing hosts

Guest: R Lee (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 03/13/10 Review Submitted: 06/15/10

We stayed for a week last spring and would stay there again! We were a party of 4 adults which was a bit tight but we are very good friends so it was fine. I'd suggest it for couples or maybe parents with a child. Kitchenette was fairly well stocked with utensils so we were able to cook a meal or two every day there. Mango trees in the yard produced some sweet fruit! The Farmers were super friendly and helpful and I'd suggest anyone stay there.

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