Oceanfront Vacation House will 'Take Your Breath Away'

To lay in bed each morning with a cup of coffee and watch The Master Artist at work! Incredibly beautiful and so different each day! I’m never ready to leave this property!

My wife and I spent 9 days here in January 2018 and, other than a stretch of rainy weather, had a great time at this rental home. This was our 3rd trip to the Kapoho Tide Pools area and our first time renting this home. The views from the deck were simply amazing, with a 180 degree view of the ocean and tide pools. The two bedrooms had plenty of room and the master bed was comfortable, with fans in each room for when it got warm. Wireless internet connection speed was good and kitchen was nice and roomy with plenty of utensils and cookware. They also provided a plastic ice chest which we used nearly every day. The neighborhood is very quiet at night, other than the frogs that croaked us to sleep every night.

The best thing about this house, however, is that some of the best snorkeling in Hawaii is only about 200 yards down the street from the house at the Kapoho Tide Pools. Kapoho Tide Pools was formed by lava flows which then formed into pools that are now a protected marine sanctuary. There are lots of tropical fish, a few eels, lots of coral and we even saw a few sea turtles on our last day snorkeling. We brought our own snorkeling gear but the owners did provide some extra masks and snorkels for guests to use. I recommend snorkeling at higher tides when the tide is coming in to make it easier to move from one pool to another and see more fish (consult tide tables for Hilo on the internet). I also recommend using reef shoes, instead of fins, if you are a little afraid of the water since you can then stand up in many of the pools and also easily walk across the lava rocks to the next pool you want to explore if needed.

We've already booked a week at this home for next year!

It's a bit of a hike off the beaten path but if you're looking for a nice, quiet, nature filled Hawaii retreat this is for you! It's in the rainy side of the island so weather can be hit or miss. The snorkeling is wonderful and the hot pool a couple miles away was great! Pahoa has some great food/restaurants and is your nearest town. The only caution I have is that there is a frog species here (other islands have their roosters, here it's frogs) that can chirp incessantly all night long. They may not always be there but I would recommend some earplugs if you are a light sleeper.

The booking and check in went very smoothly and the hosts leave all kinds of great info and guidance. I recommend this home highly for 2-3 people- the second bedroom has a double bed I think, not a full queen. Overall though it's a gorgeous place to get away from everything and enjoy the magnificent power of the island!

We loved our stay here on the Kapoho Tidepools. House as described, and perfect for our family of 4 (my husband and I, our two sons ages 7 and 9). We loved the view from the deck, and even saw a few whales in the mornings (binoculars provided)! We tried snorkeling out front, but was pretty rough to access. So, as suggested by Carol, we walked down the road (not even 5 minutes) and found amazing snorkeling in Coral Gardens. We loved it (brought our own water shoes, they were a MUST and our full-face snorkel masks (look silly, but amazing, especially for kids). We also drove down to Kalapana to access the active lava flow, about 30 minutes from house. Biked 4 miles, hiked 2 miles and saw the most amazing active lava. This is part of the Volcano National Park, but not the Visitor's Center, that is further from the house. We arrived at bike rental 2 hours before sunset and reached lava with about 10 minutes of daylight, so got some great pics, then awesome lava glow at night. Walk back was 2 miles over lava fields, but all of us did fine, and bikes definitely helped for the long way back down the gravel road (4 miles)! We rented from KCT bike rentals and they were very helpful. These details obviously will change as the active lava flows change locations. We also went to Uncle Robert's on Wednesday night for the market, it was fun and live music was great. Along the same road was the access to hike down to the black sand beach, which was really awesome. This was about 20 minutes from the house. Totally worth the short hike down the cliff (wear good shoes, flip flops were not a great idea). It was clothing-optional, so thankfully our kids accepted that pretty well, but be prepared to explain if your children ask! Loved the house, and used a few kitchen items. All were in great shape. Instructions were great, and the binder of information that Carol left out was helpful. Also reading the comments in the guest book was helpful for us! Some supplies were in the bathroom cabinet (sunblock and first aid), but that is dependent on what others may have left behind. We laughed at the 6 bottles of hydrogen peroxide when we arrived. Then, my son and I both wiped out on the lava rocks, and understand why so many people had to buy that! The rocks are slippery when going in to snorkel, water shoes with good grip are imperative. We loved our stay, and hope to come back again someday! Carol was wonderful!

Unique and charming. Plenty of things to do nearby. Really enjoyed our stay.