Kahi Ko'Ola Uhane - the Place of Renewed Spirit

• Home Away From Home

  Home Away From Home

  • Guest Kitty and Tom
  • Date of stay 03/01/13
  • Review Submitted 05/07/13
  We have been coming to the Big Island for years and, for the last three years, we have stayed at this house. Each of our visits has been for two months or more. There are so many delightful facets to the house. It has the best outdoor shower anywhere (we have a very hard time getting our grandchildren out of it). If you read the reviews, you will see that everyone loves the shower! It is a home that includes just about everything you need living away from your own home. Each year there has been a little something special added to this rental. This year, it was delivery of the daily newspaper. What a treat to read the local news over coffee in the morning. Last year, it was internet connection and new porch furniture! The house is within walking distance to some of the best snorkeling on the Big Island .This year, a monk seal swam in just inches from my husband and hauled out on the lava for a nap! It is, also, within reasonable driving distance to Hilo and Volcano National Park. The owners, David and Nancy, are always available and concerned about the comfort and well being of their guests. We highly recommend this vacation rental.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Kapoho getaway

  Kapoho getaway

  • Guest Richard H.
  • Date of stay 01/02/13
  • Review Submitted 05/04/13
  My wife and I spent 5 lovely weeks at David's vacation home in the Kapoho area of Hawaii in January. We spent a total of 13 weeks on the big Island and our first five weeks in Kapoho were definitely our favourite time. David is a kind and attentive host. It was very charming to find several flower arrangements throughout the house when we arrived. It is a very clean house and it is well equipped and very comfortable. Being able to open two sets of doors onto the lanai creates a wonderful tropical breeze through the rest of the house. Having said that, it is an older house and as such it does have a few maintenance issues. All of which were looked after by David in a timely manner. I wonder if it may be time for a bit of upgrading here and there. If you like to snorkel, you could not ask for a better location. It is no more than a 10 minute walk to the amazing Wai Opae tidal pools. These pools are teeming with aquatic life and the locals do a good job of keeping visitors from destroying the coral. It is never super crowded and on sunny days, the clarity of the water is amazing. There is one group of noisy neighbours about one block away. They aren't terribly obtrusive but you will notice them unless they have moved. The coqui frogs are quite incredible. Sadly, they have invaded pretty much the entire windward side of Hawaii. David's home is very cosy and a great value. You could not ask for anyone kinder or caring.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Excellent place to stay

  Excellent place to stay

  • Guest worldtour
  • Date of stay 08/18/12
  • Review Submitted 03/16/13
  My family stays there in late August 2012, we loved the welcome flower arrangement in each room. There are exotic garden around the house. You can truly relax with the sound of the ocean wave and it is surrounded by tropical vegetation all around. The house has hardware floor, a lot of windows, and it is very clean. In short, we enjoyed the owner's hospitality and our stay in his house.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• This is a fantastic place to stay!

  This is a fantastic place to stay!

  • Guest Pat
  • Date of stay 11/20/12
  • Review Submitted 03/02/13
  We have rented many vrbo properties and this the only place to stay if you are going to Hilo! We stayed is this home ten days. The rain forest was enchanting, the ocean close by, shopping was convenient and close, the owner was so helpful. We wished we had stayed a full three weeks, the whole time we were on the Big Island rather than the other choices we made for driving convenience on the other side of the island. This home is spacious, clean and unique. The little touches show the care the owner has put into this home. You will love your stay here.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Wayne from Saskatchewan , Canada

  Wayne from Saskatchewan , Canada

  • Guest Prairie boy
  • Date of stay 02/06/13
  • Review Submitted 02/14/13
  After a week on the Kona side we (2 couples) were looking for a tropical setting to relax in. We certainly got everything we could imagine in this house! It was exactly as described and shown in the pictures which is always a relief. It was the best stocked rental we have ever had which made moving in very easy. The tide pools made for an exciting snorkel experience(snorkels in the closet were a treat) even the 1st time non-swimmers were impressed. As with the rest of the Big Island you do need a car to see all the sights in the surrounding area as solitude does have its price. Having the owner phoning to see how things were going and coming to replace the microwave (even though we didn't need it) was a real pleasant surprise as well. Come prepared to spend some quiet time enjoying the tropical setting (the frogs were a surprise the first night but you do get used to them), enjoy the outdoor shower and the wonderful kitchen. We would highly recommend this property for anyone wanting a reasonably priced "home" in a unique, very Hawaiian setting. Aloha!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, age 55+, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

  Owner response: Mahalo for writing about your happy stay with us. I just wanted to add that my new (less than 1 yr) microwave, though cute and stylish, lost its ability to display time and function settings during Wayne's stay and I replaced it right away. Back to standard boring (but working properly) microwave action in the kitchen! David

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Our family loved staying in this wonderful house!!

  Our family loved staying in this wonderful house!!

  • Guest Yuki
  • Date of stay 09/30/12
  • Review Submitted 10/24/12
  We live on Kaua'i, but wanted to spend a week exploring the Big Island while the kids had a fall break. This was a wonderful launching point for exploring the Puna area! The house was very comfortable - great kitchen for cooking, full stocked and also full of staples that we were free to use, the lanai was an amazing hang out spot and the outdoor shower is one of the best I have ever used. I loved all the fresh cut flowers the owners left for us to enjoy, and I also loved the serenade of the coqui frogs at night. So peaceful! Our kids made friends with local neighborhood kids and that was an added treat! Also the calm tide pools that are SO full of incredible life were a perfect place to get kids comfortable with snorkeling. We saw so many beautiful corals, tropical fish and even an octopus and a sea turtle in the pools! This is one of my favorite snorkel places ever! It was also a short drive to Hilo, Volcanoes National Park and the Kalapana lava fields, where we walked on fresh lava, made a sand castle in gorgeous black sand and watched lava flowing in the dark. I would definitely recommend Kapoho, and this house to anyone who is considering a trip to the Big Island. You will not be disappointed!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Winner: Favorite Spot in Paradise!

  Winner: Favorite Spot in Paradise!

  • Guest ellen kaz
  • Date of stay 04/07/12
  • Review Submitted 07/16/12
  I loved staying here so much, I can honestly say it was my Favorite Spot in Paradise! From the moment of arrival, when I noticed the beautiful, carefully arranged fresh flowers in absolutely every single room (even the bathrooms!), I felt cared for and comfortable in this lovely, tasteful ohana just a short stroll from the famous tidepools in my favorite area of Big Island: Kapoho, the sunny spot south of Hilo, away from it all in absolute Paradise. The amenities are all there, no worries, and the warm-hearted proprietor saw to it that all our needs were certain to be taken care of, and then some -- He went out of his way just to be so very nice, we feel almost like family by now, or old friends; we are still in touch and I will most certainly go back!!! It is just such a very lovely home in such a lovely spot, close to anything you could want --snorkeling, swimming, state parks, amazing drives and sights, town for restaurants and shops etc., yet private enough for a romantic or quiet, relaxing stay. Washer/dryer and indoor AND outdoor showers, and a nice big lanai (porch) are so nice, too!! Honestly I can't say enough about this place and the folks who offer it. Unless you are looking for a big hotel-type experience in a busy, touristy-type place, which this is NOT, and if you are looking for genuinely nice people who offer a sweet, lovely home just a stroll from turtles and tidepools on the Hilo side at a great price, well, You have FOUND your Paradise!!!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• An Unforgettable Visit

  An Unforgettable Visit

  • Guest Sharon
  • Date of stay 07/07/12
  • Review Submitted 07/13/12
  We'd never been to the Big Island, and were excited to see a different side of Hawaii. It's a world unto itself and truly a tropical paradise, as lush and mysterious as you can imagine. It's a short but breathtaking drive through the rain forest from Hilo to the house which is set on a tree lined lot; there are neighbors but you can't see them through the foilage. After climbing the stairs we were greeted by several large coconut palms facing a full deck with an inviting couch and chairs, and I had to resist just plopping down right there for the rest of the day. We entered through the french doors to a light and airy open floor plan featuring a fully equipped kitchen, fans up above on the vaulted ceiling and crisp white walls. The owner has decorated with all kinds of interesting crafts and art which really made us feel like we were in a home and not just a cookie cutter beach rental. We explored Pahoa, and had a delicious lunch at Kaleo's, and also checked out the farmers market. With dozens of booths with food and crafts it really gave us a flavor of the community. After an hour's drive that took us from sea level to 4000 ft. we spent a day at Volcano National Park which included staying until sunset to see the glow from the lava lake in the sleeping Kilauea. Another recommended visit was to Kapalana, a village covered by the lava flow, where we watched the surf as it creates a new black sand beach (hopefully before our next visit!). When you go swimming in the nearby tide pools it's like having your own giant salt water pool. Though the house is comfortable and has all the amenities we still had a feeling of being close to nature and living in the tropics; the outdoor shower certainly enhanced that as well as the nightly serenade from the singing frogs, something you sure don't hear at the resorts. This is an area rich in the history and geology of Hawaii and it was great to stay with so much nearby and available to experience, while still retaining a peaceful isolation from civilization.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Amazing Experience - Relaxed and Rejuvenated!

  Amazing Experience - Relaxed and Rejuvenated!

  • Guest NR Traveler
  • Date of stay 02/10/12
  • Review Submitted 03/26/12
  Lovely little neighborhood and a location practically IN the Wai'peo Tidepools... what more can you ask for? Snorkeling in the Tidepools (David gave great directions on which pool to swim in) was like being in an aquarium. We all agreed, it was the best snorkeling on the whole island! Even better than Captain Cook Monument (Kealakekua Bay). Accommodations were great, we did enjoy the outdoor shower, though be warned, it's as private as it can be on the front porch, so we tended to shower in our swimsuits or use the hallway shower for a good scrub down. Unfortunately we didn't really get to use the house all that much for cooking, but we did our fair share of hanging out in the evenings. Felt like home, was very comfortable and had everything you could possibly need. Beds were comfortable also. It's definitely a drive to get out to this little community, but well worth it, and still very central to several attractions! Great value! We ventured into Pahoa for dinner on the first night and ate a Paolo's, which was amazing and delicious, fantastic ambience! We brought our own bottle of wine for BYOB. That town in very interesting, seemed to be bustling, yet very subdued and laid back. We really wanted to try the Thai place, but we ran out of days! We went to Hilo Bay Cafe one night, it was spectacular (despite the strip mall atmosphere outside)! And also ate at Kiawe Kitchen just outside Volcanoes National Park after staying late to watch the "glow", awesome gourmet pizza and good local beer and wine selection.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Our Month In Paradise

  Our Month In Paradise

  • Guest topnlady
  • Date of stay 01/14/12
  • Review Submitted 02/12/12
  We came for a month to relax. We brought friends for the first ten days that had never visited the Big Island before and this was a great place to begin and end our days snorkeling and exploring the island with them. The kitchen was the best stocked of any of the rentals we have used before. The outdoor shower is wonderful, even in the rain. We loved the fact that we could come from snorkeling and rinse off in the outdoor shower and get the equipment ready for the next day. Thanks to David for getting WI-FI installed before we arrived so we had access to family and friends even though our Verizon Cell phones didn't work. The home had everything we needed to make our month stay relaxing and enjoyable. Once our friends left, we rarely left the house or the area since it was so nice to be away from the crowds and have the tide pools so close for the great snorkeling. We went snorkeling just about every day during our stay and enjoyed every minute of it. This is our second stay in the area and we will definately come back in the future.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, families with young children.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

2 People .. 95/night (3 night minimum.) 
Tier 2= $85/night 4-15 nights. Tier 3 = $75/night 16-27 nights
..Tier 4 =  $65/night 28 nights or more. (All rates are for 2 persons)
.. $15/night each addl person.  Infants (under 1 year) free.
All rates subject to Hawaii excise and occupancy taxes 13.416%.
Cleaning fee $90-$100, depending on length of stay.
$200 security deposit will be required if not paying by credit card
Kamainana discount available with Hawaii driver's license

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.