Having read many reviews of this place, we realize that there are varying opinions re: the host and the property. We are B&B enthusiasts and were looking forward to Hawaiian breakfasts and a relaxing and comfortable environment. However, given the number of negative reviews previously posted, we should not have been surprised with the low overall quality of this B&B.

The hosts: Claudia was very nice to us and provided us with directions, picnic utensils and other small items that we requested. At no point did she make us feel like we were putting her out. She even offered to pick us up if we got caught in the rain while bike riding.
Scott was non-existant and did not seem interested in us as guests.

The rooms: Although we feel bad saying this b/c Claudia was so nice to us, we need to confirm the multiple complaints re: the cleanliness, or lack there of. Dirt and dust covered/hung off of the lamps, wall decorations, floors/carpets and fake flower arrangements. We took pictures b/c this was so hard to believe. This included the bedroom and the common area. At no point during our stay was the place cleaned and we were unable to truly "relax" anywhere on the property. The blinds in the room were broken and at no point was this mentioned or repaired. Claudia has previously replied to similar criticisms saying that this is not a "boutique" facility. At $170/night, this defensiveness seems unbelievable to us. This B&B is at the mean or above most B&Bs in Hilo.

The garden: The landscape is lush; however, this means there is no real usable outdoor space for guests.

The frogs: They were loud, but we got used to this quickly and we did not have difficulty sleeping. One of us is a very light sleeper! This is not unique to this B&B; the frogs are everywhere on this side of the island!

The food: The granola was excellent and available daily. There were always warm bread products, but we were strongly suspicious that they came from Safeway b/c they were of poor quality and not very tasty. Overall, the breakfasts were disappointing. The basics were provided, but there was minimal effort and hot food was extremely lacking. Diversity was severly lacking as well, even though various fruits and baked goods were available at the farmers market (for very reaonable prices), which we often went to immediately following the unsatisfactory breakfasts.

In closing, we would never consider returning to this B&B even though we cannot wait to return to the big island. We had a wonderful time exploring this island and wish our accomodations matched the rest of this amazing place!

We made a mistake with the dates in our reservation and ended up on Claudia, the owners, door step a month early. It could have been a disaster but Claudia was so forgiving, told us to relax and prepared a room for us. A hotel would probably have told us to take a hike and charged for the mistake. Instead we had our room for two nights in this interesting home surrounding by a tropical garden with a pond, birds, frogs and other types of island bird and wildlife. It's about a block to Richardson's Beach where you can swim and snorkel in protected areas and an easy drive back to the center of Hilo for restaurants, the Pacific Tsumami Museum (a must see), Rainbow Falls and other attractions. Claudia serves a full cooked breakfast complete with local island fruits, lovely breads and makes some outstanding peanut butter muffins. Thanks so much Claudia for your spirit of Aloha, making us feel welcome and taking such good care of these crazy travelers in our time of need. You are the best!

My husband and I spent 2 nights at this B&B during our trip to The Big Island in October 2010. Overall we were disappointed with our stay here. The good: the room was fairly comfortable, the surrounding property was nice, and the location was convenient for our purposes (we were really only there to check out the Volcanoes National Park which is why we chose to stay in Hilo). Claudia was helpful in providing suggestions on things to do and where to eat in the area. The bad: the room looked clean on the surface, but upon closer inspection they were not as clean as they could have been (occasional dust & hair found in room). Upon our arrival, we were asked what time we were planning to wake up the next morning, and when we said maybe around 7am, Claudia said she "may or may not" wake up to get our breakfast ready, but that she would leave stuff out for us the night before. She gave us instructions on how to switch on the coffee maker ourselves. I don't know about other people, but part of the reason why I like staying at B&Bs is getting that nice home-cooked hot breakfast in the morning. She did leave us the cooler with sandwich wraps to take with us for the day, however after the first few bites, my husband found a hair in his wrap. And the next morning when we had to leave for our flight and decided to skip breakfast (esp. due to our unpleasant breakfast experience the day before), Claudia seemed upset that she had gone through the trouble to buy bread for us and we weren't staying to eat it. To add insult to injury, when I got home, I realized she had double charged us for the stay. To her credit, she was very quick to apologize and reverse the charge after I emailed her to point out the error. One last warning - if you are a light sleeper this may not be the place for you. At night the "nature noises" from outside were VERY loud and it was difficult to sleep, especially since we were battling jet leg.

We were looking for a place close to the volcanoes and ocean. This was the perfect pick. Although we had no trouble sleeping earplugs were supplied in the event the sounds of the rainforest "nightlife" was too much. As there were 3 of us we were thrilled to find a B&B where we could all stay in the same room. Great value, great location, & great food. A special treat was finding a small refrigerator in our room.