Waterfront in heart of Hilo, 1 block to hotels. Built on pond w/ fish & turtles.

The house overall was great. Great location, we loved the canoes and life jackets. The rooms in the basement were a bit scary at first. There is not bathroom in the basement so you have to walk outside to the outdoor bathroom if you have to go at night. As expected in Hawaii, there are mosquitos and geckos, but nothing excessive. We enjoyed our stay and had no issues.

Place was beautiful and great location, host very responsive and flexible, cleat and quick communication

This property is not as described. The photos are old and the house is no longer in good condition. It is right across the street from a very loud warehouse as well. We liked the location and did not have the option to leave, so we stayed. Certain parts of the house are clean-ish, so we could manage, but a lot of the house is in serious need of repair. The fridge, microwave, and oven were dirty. The oven did not work. Every windowsill had dirt and bug poop on it. The downstairs was not as pictured at all, with windows that were not secure, looking out on rotted fences. The flooring in these areas is not as pictured in the photos, and there are no blinds, just shabby curtains that feel pretty unsafe, given that these rooms are at walking-level to the ground outside. The house was full of construction materials and cleaning supplies, with parts of it that had blue tape on it from painting recently, and every closet in the home contained so much bedding that nobody could unpack. There were 3 rings of 10 keys each, none labeled or in any sensible way laid out. The area downstairs with water toys was a mess, and it contained only half of the gear pictured in the listing. Something has gone very wrong with this place. Again, we felt safe in the spaces that were clean, so we stayed because it was the better choice than relocate, but nobody should have to pay money for a place like this. In addition, the tide came up and flooded a majority of the downstairs during our stay.

It was exactly what we needed for the work trip. The staff enjoyed the area as well.

Location was great, kids loved fish pond house, great access to cove, so fun snorkeling from backyard to see a sea turtle, kayaking also from backyard delightful. Appreciated having the kayaks and life vests available. Had other family staying in nearby hotel, but joined for family meals on top outdoor deck. So perfect. Lovely time, would stay here again on next visit!

Nice place to stay

Perfect place for family get away .. close to everything and your own private entry into Icepond

We had an outstanding view of the Hilo Coast and peaceful surroundings. The home was conveniently situated for our trip and I was able to incorporate some successful work related activities. The capture of Episode 25 of the Kīlauea eruption was a life experience.Our host and his team quickly responded to when needed and communication was handled appropriately as well as timely. Grocery stores, dining and places of interest were nearby or if anything centrally located.Thank you again for the hospitality!Joy

Enjoyed this quirky historic home. Quaint and casual. Used the upper and lower level bedrooms. Great views from the back deck. The pond was great - put the two-person kayak right in the water from the backyard. Close to good beaches (5 min drives), very close walking to several restaurants and food trucks, and 5 min walk to nearby dive shop - we rented snorkeling gear for the week. We loved the sea turtles, lizards, many birds, koi fish at the house, and even saw nene from the house. Less than 10 min drive to the Hilo Farmers market. Noise wasn't bothersome. Quiet mornings waking up to hearing birds. A little feedback: Some written instructions inside the house would be helpful (some VRBO's have a notebook) and all the keys got confusing. All in all, we loved our 5 days at this house!

The location for our son's college graduation was perfect! The view on the back deck is great!The house itself needs TLC - dining chairs wobbly, kitchen chair broken, needs a deep cleaning (walls, tub, appliances, window ledges, all dirty). Ran into at LEAST 10 Geicos in the kitchen & living room - maybe normal for Hawaii - but not something I've experienced in other tropical areas.It's a very noisy location, as expected. Close to everything & owner/property mgr very responsive.

I grew up here on the Big Island and swim often in the ice pond. I have always wanted to stay in this beautiful home and am so incredibly happy I finally got the chance. This home is a beautiful old style home. There is major renovation needs but overall it was perfect!! My ohana and I will cherish the memories we made FOREVER!! We also appreciated the kyaks that were there!! We brought our own paddle boards and kyak but the ones you have are so much fun!!! I hope to stay here again in the near future!!!!

We love this place. It was so accessible to the bay and very cozy bedrooms very clean huge kitchen.

House was very nice and clean, it’s an older house so some of the floorboards were sinking. Bathrooms have nice showers, beds are super comfortable. Plenty towels. In the kitchen, plenty pans, pots, coffee pot, slow cooker, and a cabinet with seasonings, oil, etc. Was a little disappointed that there was no stand up paddle boards as pictured. In the evening, the business across the main road runs generators so can be a bit noisy if you leave the windows open. Two suggestions to improve: Less house keys, some of the doors had 2 different keys for the knob and the deadbolt. The other would be instructions for the televisions, each of them had 3 remotes and we had a lot of trouble trying to figure out how to use them. FYI the wash machine is coin operated, so bring quarters.

My family loved the bay access! Saw turtles in the bay. The home does have a lot of road noise as it's on a main road and a shipping factory in front of it, but still very enjoyable! Great check in and out

The house worked out perfect for our group- we came for work, working with the local schools.

Richard was excellent to work with. We had a team of 2 guys come from the mainland to work. They loved the house and the view/experience on the bay. Check In/Out was easy and well communicated. Thank you, Richard. We will make sure to find your property for our future projects. Thank you so much!

Good area

Unique location on the water of Reed's Bay and surrounded by a koi pond. Very convenient location to downtown Hilo, Queen Liliuokalani Gardens, keiki beaches and restaurants. However it is also across from the industrial district of Hilo and the Hilo Airport. The noise was an initial concern but the water access and central location more than made up for any disturbances. Our family enjoyed catching frogs, fish and shrimp, kayaking in the bay and heading to our nearby keiki beaches for more water play.

This VRBO is very unique! The description and other reviews basically tell you all you need to know. If you are looking for luxury, this is not your place. If you are looking for rustic, quirky and unique, you've found it! The location was great with it being close to everything in Hilo and the water access is wonderful. Remie, the co-host, was very responsive and good to work with. We enjoyed watching the koi and the little turtle in the pond under the house, and the visits from geckos inside the house. The road noise and airplanes can be drowned out with the AC and floor fans in the house. The only thing that was not mentioned in the description is that the washing machine is coin-op. So bring your quarters! We enjoyed our stay here.

Interesting house. It did have a central location to Hilo and the kayaks were great. But we booked the home mostly for the kayaks and there were less than we expected. The owner said a previous guest had broken some of the equipment and they had not replaced yet. The beds weren't the most comfortable. There was a washer on site, but it required quarters to use. I don't know who travels with change anymore. And there were signs everywhere that said we are watching you, no extra guests allowed. They may have problems previously, but it just felt off. There also were about 8 towels total on the property in a cabinet that said we are monitoring how many towels are here. Okay place, but I'm not sure I would stay here next time.

If you like to wake up and paddle, this place is ideal. My teens loved the access to kayaks and made the most of paddling every morning before we set out to find more adventure. Thank you for sharing your home with us.

This is our second time renting this house. It’s such a great location, and lots of room for the family. The water access is what keeps bringing us back. You can’t beat it on a beautiful Hilo day. Both times we had extensive issues with red ants. They are all over the outside. On the trees, on the tables, the water toys- it is really an issue. Everyone got bit while outside. I was hopeful that the first time it was just a lapse in treatment, but they were there this time as well. The owner was notified and open to immediately treating the area. But was unable to because of the rain. I did remove all of the air fresheners on arrival as the house had a strong smell- there was over 20 scattered in the house. Other than those 2 things, the house is great. Older style. But lots of room. All of the amenities worked great. Parking is hard with only 3 small cars able to fit in the driveway. The park next door closes around 7, so after that our family had no where to park. The restaurant next door didn’t allow us to park there.

This is the most idiosyncratic and eccentric house we’ve ever stayed at and it defies simple review. They aren’t kidding when they say it’s on the waterfront — if you are into kayaking then just carry one of the two (not three) kayaks maybe 15 feet and you’re literally in the Pacific Ocean (well, a "lagoon" connected to Reed's Bay). It’s also near the heart of Hilo, within walking distance of quite a few restaurants and parks. You can have up to 10 people there and if you wonder if the house has such-and-such feature then probably yes, it does. If these features appeal to you then there are simply no other choices for any price. It’s astounding that a house like this exists at all. But don’t discount the “noise” complaints. Being so close to the only pier on the island and across the busiest street in Hawaii from a 24x7 fish packing plant -- it’s a cacophonous din in the master bedroom! Add that to an incredibly uncomfortable bed and it’s a thoroughly unpleasant sleeping experience. It’s not so loud in the “middle” bedroom. The house is so complex that this review could be a many page essay with several pages devoted to everything that’s wrong with it. Suffice to say that it’s simply not a classically “nice” place to stay. But its advantages are so incredibly striking, unique, and amazing (kayaking! centrally located!) that they overwhelmed all of the many infuriating parts of the package to such a degree that we’d almost surely stay there again, if we’re ever in Hilo!

Born and raised here on the island and this home was perfect for our visit. The pond entrance and gate to the park directly behind the home helped to keep my kids and infant happy while my wife worked. Only good things to say about this vacation rental. Next visit we’ll definitely be staying here.

Love it this is our 3rd time getting this wonderful home and we absolutely love it. Mahalo nui

We reserved the location for 4 nights, and ended up leaving the last 3 and staying in a hotel. It was not nearly what we had expected and hoped for.

This traditional Hawaiian style home was perfect for our group of 10. There was plenty of room. And we were very comfortable. The house is peaceful, and the pond is so fun! My kids made friends with the Koi, and were sad to leave. Was there a smell when we checked in, as stated by previous guests? Yes. It was a typical smell for a home near water and disappeared quickly after we checked in. Was there road noise, as stated? Yes. Again, it is by an industrial business. It was quiet at night, and we were not bothered by the noise. We would absolutely stay here again. We loved it! The property is amazing, house large and comfortable, aned the beds? So comfy!!

Convenient Location allowed some to walk to town and easy driving to attractions. The house has a lived in charm and big kitchen that we liked. It was a bit noisy (trucks & forklifts), but we got used to it after a while. Note that the access to the downstairs includes a step stone path that not all could navigate in the dark. The stand up paddle board is pretty beat up, but I was able to kayak several times and enjoyed that. We had a unique experience!

This is limited to 1500 words, so I’m saying what we encountered. Read other reviews for pros. Upon our arrival, we cleaned the kitchen sink, dish drainer, counters, dishes and small appliances we used. Bathroom sink counters needed to be cleaned. There is an eye wash station in the kitchen that looked to be used as a mop bucket. Various cleaning things were left in there- right next to the commercial sink. There was hair (quite a lot) in both our showers. An opened bar of soap and loofahs in the one shower. Both beds had holes in the sheets and there were barely enough towels. (We did find more in the dryer departure day after we found the key to open the downstairs- I’ve never had to go find my clean towels, so we didn’t think they’d be in the dryer) Sheets in my room and my friends room had holes in them. Carpet in bedroom with stains. Bathroom rugs were grungy or non existent. We made the best of our 4 nights there knowing we wouldn’t be home much. We did not contact the owner because we didn’t want people in there while we were gone. I have since sent him photos of the conditions we found. You will have noise from the airport, the trucks across the street, and general traffic. My friend heard it more because the window in her shower only had a screen and had no way to close it. This also made her room cold in the morning and at night. I’m not a fussy person, but if I’m paying a cleaning fee, I expect a clean place.

Very nice country home. Comfortable and walking distance to great activities. Easy to check in!