I've been meaning to write this review for some time. We stayed at Dan's in March for three nights. Overall we had a great time, Dan is an interesting and knowledable host and his house is a great design, set into the side of the hill it has one of the most serene and stunning settings I have seen. My wife and I would happily go back, and recommend it, with a caveat. If its your first visit dont book for more than a few days, I can see how Dan could be someone you either like or loathe, The b&b rooms are on one side of the property with Dan's rooms on the other side, with a large shared central area overlooking the sea. So it can seem like he's around the property quite a lot and it can feel like your staying at his home, So staying for an extended period could be a risk, if you discover after two days that he really grates on you, or worse still you really grate on him.

We thought Dan was great, a little encentric, but someone who was gracious, intresting company with excellent local knowledge. Yes the beach is probably farther than you'd think from the website, but its worth it. If you are willing to take a chance for a few days then this could be one of the more memorable b&b's you stay in.

Well.

We didn't read these reviews prior to staying with Dan. I guess I'm glad I didn't or we might not have stayed. Our expectations were based on his web page and I was not surprised in any way by the accomodations, except that they were in even better condition than one sometimes finds in B&Bs.

Since the other reviewers seem to want to focus on Dan, I may as well get to him first. My wife and I found Dan friendly and gracious. OK - admittedly he's a bit talk-y, but hey! If you want a purely businesslike setting with complete anonymity stay at a Holiday Inn Express! Over the past five years we've stayed at probably 30 B&Bs and I'd say Dan's is in the top 3.

As to the payment policies - I had no concerns. They were less stringent than at other B&B's we stayed at on the Islands. He was completely clear on his policies to us. So if you don't like the policy, don't make the reservation. If you do accept the policy - why whine later?

And as to issues some folks have regarding Dan's policy of "no kitchen priveliges - I'm not sure where you folks are staying, but I have NEVER been at a B&B where the guests were permitted in the kitchen. Having the minifridge in the room at Dan's is a step above most B&Bs.

Oh - and as to Dan's social skills and service - I got up early one morning for my strectching and a bit of yoga on the back porch and as I ended my meditation I found Dan had quietly set a glass of apple juice next to me. Seems like a good host to me!

OK to the facility - we found the architecture original and comfortable. Being next to the native Hawaiian family cemetary sure added a local flavor. Having our room at the opposite end of the B&B from our host was private enough for us.

Breakfast? We stayed at 3 B&B's during our Island tour. The other two were on Maui. All we got for breakfast at those was either a small tray of fruit or a croissant and a "Sunny D". Dan cooked us some remarkable scrambled eggs topped with shrimp!

M & G from Texas

we stayed at diver dan's for our honeymoon. huge mistake! at least i learned to never book 10 days at one place without seeing it first (or meeting the owner in this case).

1) of the least significance, this b&b is around 20 minutes away from restaurants, and beaches were also driving distances.
2) dan was always around, always ranting. he did not allow us much privacy, despite his claim that he'll "fade into the background and we won't even notice him", nothing could have been farther from the truth! we tried to sit and read by the beautiful pool, only to have him join us while he argued with a lawyer on the phone. he then proceeded to tell us the whole, intense story about his furry (remember, honeymoon.....), followed by political commentary on my husband's book.
3) dan was an absolute hothead and enlivened our breakfasts with derogatory and racially charged comments about the tourists that have stayed there. completely inappropriate and unappreciated by us!
4) his website said that he had a buffet of breakfast items to choose from, and a window of time they were offered. we found that he was very specific about the time, was quite put off by my vegetarian diet, and served us FROZEN costco fruit! i mentioned that i had gotten some fruit from a local stand and yep, that was stupid too! far be it for me to hunt down some fresh fruit on a tropical island.
5)and final, on sunday, i chose to avoid breakfast for some solo spiritual enlightenment in my room. diver dan got so upset at my absence that he YELLED at my husband and threw my eggs over the hill! that evening we told him that we would move on due to his unacceptable behavior. he said that WE were unprofessional and that there are NO refunds no matter what the circumstances. we walked away from $500 of our hard earned money (that was the remainder of days that we abandoned), and were happy to do it. for years to come, we will remember that diver dan ruined our honeymoon. and maybe his plan all along was to get us to leave and keep our money. that'll pay for a few more trips to costco.

Our 8 day stay with Diver Dan was PERFECT. My husband and I were delighted to stay in his beautiful home and he was an incredibly gracious host. He immediately made us feel so welcome, relaxed and comfortable that we felt like we were long time friends invited to visit him in his home. The B&B is immaculate and his breakfasts are AWESOME! We travel a lot so we were happy to find the rooms to be spacious, clean, private and with a mini 'fridge, microwave and sink area; the king bed was very comfy.

There were gorgeous orchids blooming (including our bathroom!), lovely furniture, beautiful paintings and art through out the house. The landscaping around the house and ocean view beyond the pool is simply magic. Ahhhh...it is a quiet little paradise he has lovingly created. Dan provides guests with snorkeling gear, beach chairs, beach mats and drinks cooler- everything is conveniently available out side the rooms. He even supplied us with hand-drawn maps to some magnificent little places. Dan was/is fantastic! His love of the HI Islands and tremendous local knowledge guided us to the best beaches, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and lava viewing, coffee, mac nuts, restaurants, driving roads, grocery stores and everything we could possibly want.

We have stayed in B&Bs in the US plus many other countries and this was THE BEST B&B of all by a long shot. It was definitely the best value for money and the perfect holiday for us. We will absolutely recommend for close friends and family (who we are certain will be respectful guests) to stay at Diver Dan's. It was truly a privilege to stay in his home and we feel very fortunate to have found a new friend. We can't wait to return and would not dream of staying anywhere else on the Big Island

Sincerely,
Toi Pedrick and Robb Hardie
Madison, WI