Perfect

Guest: steve` (baltimore, maryland)
Date of Stay: 06/08/08 Review Submitted: 01/02/10

The location is second to none. The "relax" factor is high. The house is even better than the pictures, trust me. If you are looking to get away and feel removed from the world, while hearing and watching the ocean waves crashing 30 yards away all day long, then this house is perfect for you. I can't wait to return.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

Fantastic Holiday House

Guest: Kathy (San ramon, ca)
Date of Stay: 12/26/11 Review Submitted: 01/07/12

We stayed for three nights at Hale Mar and it was amazing. We actually didn't do much sight seeing around Hilo because we didn't want to leave the beautiful house! We ended up relaxing, enjoying the hot tub, the amazing ocean view and spending time with family at the house. It was the perfect getaway house to unwind after the holidays. We would definitely stay there again as the view is out of this world!!!

Recommended for:

Fabulous Oceanfront

Guest: crystal c.
Date of Stay: 07/25/11 Review Submitted: 08/01/11

We stayed at Hale Mar for 5 days in July 2011, it was beautiful. The house was spacious and clean with most all amenities stocked. The owners Marty & Laura had thought of everything including information on area to schedule, directions, arrival , keys mailed to you, departure instructions. I communicated with them several times and they were great, nice people. The view is fabulous both downstairs and upstairs from the house. The pool and hot tub were a great feature with plenty of outside seating areas. We plan to visit again. Privacy was another feature we loved. Hale Mar is close to all the major sights- Hawaiian Volcano National Park, black snad beaches, green sea turtles, green sand beach, active lava flows, waterfalls, etc.. I plan to stay here for my next vacation. It was so relaxing..

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

Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guest: crystal c.
Date of Stay: 07/25/11 Review Submitted: 08/01/11

We stayed at Hale Mar for 5 days in July 2011, it was wonderful. The house had plenty of space with an open feel to the ocean with all the windows. The house was stocked with most amenities and the owners were fabulous with details as to our schedule, arrival, details, keys, departure,etc.. the house is laid out spaciously with many seating areas outside as well to enjoy the view..We loved our time there and would recommend a stay there. Did I mention the privacy- great. The ocean view was so beautiful, I would get up early every morning just to watch the sunrise over the ocean. The pool & hot tub were great and made a fantastic view at dusk with lights on against the ocean. The Big Island is my favorite of the Islands. At Hale Mar you are close to all the sights. Hawaiian Volcano National Park; I suggest a drive Crater Rim Rd to the ocean, short hike to Thurstons lava tubes, Kilauea Caldera and craters, to many to name in the park- there's the rainforest too. Black sand beach with green sesa turtles coming ashore to sun in the morning- beautiful. Green sand beach- quite a hike but worth it, take your swimwear- it's about 3 miles- I suggest taking the locals up on the ride there in their 4 wheel drives- they are very nice and will do so for a small donation. We took helicopter ride over volcano & rainforest 45 minute ride and were able to see active red flowing lava and hundreds of waterfalls..Look forward to returning on vacation again to Hale Mar.

Owner response:Thank you for taking the time to post your comments. We aim to please, and it's rewarding to hear we have!

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

Ocean Side Luxury

Guest: K and C (Northern California)
Date of Stay: 05/31/11 Review Submitted: 06/11/11

Hale Mar is a spacious and well appointed home which is RIGHT on the ocean. The grounds are just as lovely as the house so it may be difficult to leave. When you do decide to leave you are close by to a wide variety of activities and sites which make the Hawaiian vacation experience even better. I can't wait to organize a trip back with my girls just to see the look on their faces when they walk through those front doors!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with teenagers.

Guest: Tricia, CA, USA (-)
Date of Stay: 02/25/11 Review Submitted: 03/20/11

This is a gem of a house. If you want a vacation where you get away from it all but still be fairly close to the major sights, then this is the place for you. While there, we went zip lining, took an open doors helicopter tour of the volcano, drove up to the observatory, and visited numerous places suggested in the book the owners have made. The small town close by has four or five great restaurants to choose from. There is nothing quite like falling asleep to the sounds of the waves or coming “home” and having a swim and jacuzzi. I’ve even video taped the waves so that I can imagine myself back there on those stressful real life days! The owners have really thought of everything to make your stay hassle free and were a pleasure to communicate and deal with. I'm saving to get back there as soon as I can!

Recommended for:

Dream House

Guest: Tricia (Costa Mesa, CA, USA)
Date of Stay: 02/21/11 Review Submitted: 03/19/11

This is a gem of a house. It you want a vacation where you get away from it all but still be fairly close to the major sights, then this is the place for you. While there, we went zip lining, took an open doors helicopter tour of the volcano, drove up to the observatory, and visited numerous places suggested in the book the owners have made. The small town close by has four or five great restaurants to choose from. There is nothing quite like falling asleep to the sounds of the waves or coming “home” and having a swim and jacuzzi. I’ve even video taped the waves so that I can imagine myself back there on those stressful real life days! The owners have really thought of everything to make your stay hassle free and were a pleasure to communicate and deal with. I'm saving to get back there as soon as I can!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Hale Mar experience marred by grounds keeper

Guest: chefbruce (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 08/18/09 Review Submitted: 01/07/10

I rented Hale Mar for 2 nights in August 2009. A Tuesday and Wednesday.The property was clean and well maintained. The TV remote downstairs did not operate properly.The advertised description of the property was accurate. Tuesday my wife and I arrived in the afternoon and settled in for a nice dinner and slept with the crashing waves. Wednesday we shopped the Hilo farmers market and planned to have a lazy afternoon by the pool and dinner. At around 3pm I heard my wife scream.(i was inside preparing a snack) I encountered a shirtless man saying he was going to cut the back and front lawn. I decided to let him do his work and we had to go inside for over an hour to escape the noise. I contacted the owner, Marty and explained that I was disappointed about not being notified that there was a groundskeeper cutting the lawn on Wednesday. I rented Hale Mar for seclusion and Wednesday was my only full day to do so. The unexpected groundskeeper forced us to abandon our afternoon plans. Marty's handling of the situation was very disappointing. He said that the groundskeeper comes every Wednesday and I have been given no refund for my time lost. Marty was also unprofessional on the phone. I had put this terrible experience behind me but only wrote this review after I got an automated email. (probably sent to all 2009 renters)

Recommended for:

Hale Mar -your own personal resort

Guest: Vaishali (Ohio)
Date of Stay: 12/24/09 Review Submitted: 01/01/10

We stayed here for 5 nights and absolutely enjoyed having our own hot tub, pool and amazing ocean views ! Our children ages 9 and 4 enjoyed the house and the nearby tide pools, some of which are naturally heated. The restaurants in Hilo and Pahoa are awesome with great food at really good prices.We really enjoyed driving upto the Volcanoes National park which is fairly closeby. The house was overall clean and comfortable. The master bedroom is upstairs and separate from the other bedrooms-just something to keep in mind if travelling with small children.The house itself is also a little far from the highway so plan your day and shopping for groceries accordingly.

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

A SLICE OF HEAVEN ON EARTH!

Guest: Mike & Nancy (Lawrenceburg, KY United States)
Date of Stay: 03/03/08 Review Submitted: 01/01/10

Our trip to Hawaii was in 2008 was a first for both of us, and it was better than anyone could have imagined. The home had everything, all we had to bring were our clothes, & it's was very clean along with the yard. Where else can you go & wake up to Humpback Whales playing out your back door, Sea Turtles every single day coming in to eat off the rocks, an active Volcano just a few miles up the road, & if that isn't enough excitment, you can travel to the highest point in the world at 14,000 feet above sea level and see snow, & the most beautiful sunsets. On your way back down as you peal your layers of clothing off, you can go swimming at the beach, take in a delicious meal at any local restaurant. Every night we would go out and look up in amazement at just how many stars there really are in the sky, then let the vibrations of the waves rock us to sleep as they crashed against the shore line. Our only problem with our trip, was that it was not long enough. Hawaii is a very laid back state and well wroth the effort to visit, especially staying at Hal Mar. I loved it so much I took the time to make a large flora arrangement for the house to say thanks. You want regret your visit, you will be making plans for a return visit before you even leave. Have fun and relax!

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