We absolutely are in love with this home. The house is situated on top of hardened black lava. It is an incredibly special property. The large lanais overlooks the ocean, and the gardens are beautiful. We cooked several meals, and found the kitchen well equipped. All of us slept well, the bedrooms all have king beds. It's the perfect location to explore the Hilo area. Put on the Hawaiian rollercoaster song while on the road to the house; it is a paved road with smooth ups and downs, and soon our family would be oohing and ahhing all the way to the Whale House at the end of our excursions.
We loved Whale House! The ocean views and sound of waves every day was spectacular and the proximity to so many of the sites that Hilo has to offer was wonderful. The only negative part of our stay was acclimating to the climate with limited air conditioning, which is a challenge for midwesterners who are used to a/c everywhere. So keep that in mind with this property (and many restaurants/shops throughout the area), and plan to be outside during the day enjoying the beautiful views and go swimming at the black sand beaches!
If you’re thinking about it, do it!! Perfect location for day trips, everything is about 30 minutes away. Once here though you do not want to leave. Morning sunrises on the property with coffee were stunning. We looked forward to that everyday. Owner was quick to respond to needs/questions! Only complaint is house gets very warm, even with A/C split running but would still stay again. It was that wonderful! We just spent most of our time on the gorgeous front lanai! Mahalo!
Beautiful garden area and view. Spacious house
Beautiful property! Wishing we could have stayed longer. We enjoyed Hilo, the Volcanoes and the Black Sand Beach. The kids learned to snorkel using the equipment available at the house and had a blast!
Nicely themed home with outstanding outdoor landscaping. Well stocked kitchen and ample space for the 7 of us.
Met all of our needs. Wonderful porch with wonderful views. Had a decent stocked kitchen for meals, the scuba gear and beach towels on hand were helpful. Bikes could use some love. Wonderful hikes nearby property.
This place was very thought out and had everything you could need for an epic Hawaiian vacation. Quiet and beautiful setting. Peeper frogs all night to help you sleep. Gardens were cool and the ocean front was great for photos. Close enough to everything but felt like we got away! Great space for a family or small group.
This is the fourth year that my friends and I have vacationed at The Whale House, and we've enjoyed every visit.
Our group loved the Whale House! There were 5 adults in our group and we had plenty of room. The lanai is spacious with plenty of seating (loved the rocking chairs) and the view is truly spectacular. We stayed 4 nights at the WH and 10 nights on the island. Our best photos during our trip were taken from the WH lanai, the private lot across the street (for Whale House guests only), and on hikes just down the dead end road on the trails. The garden in back is lovely--but we spent most of our time out front to take in the amazing ocean views! The various pieces of local art throughout the home added a nice extra touch. We've stayed in a number of vacation rentals and none were as well appointed & stocked as this one--toiletries, TP, kitchen utensils, towels, detergent for the washer, games, books, beach towels, coolers, umbrellas, bikes, boogie boards, etc. House was very clean and beds were comfy with super soft sheets. As others have mentioned, the hosts have thought of everything to make your stay hassle free. Location is about 10-15 minutes from the closest grocery store & restaurants so plan accordingly. David the host was very responsive to questions before our stay and after we arrived. The key to the 3rd bedroom downstairs was not there at check-in but when I contacted the host, someone was there shortly thereafter with the key. If we are blessed to return to the Hilo area, we would stay at the Whale House again. Mahalo nui loa to our hosts!!!
Beautiful property! Gardens are relaxing. Well stocked. The amenities were helpful! Bicycles, boogie boards, water shoes, ice chests, chairs, beach towels, to list a few. Really no need to leave the property. Beautiful home. Awesome vacation for our 4 generation family!! The view was spectacular.
The Whale House was super clean when we arrived. The beds are very comfortable, especially the soft sheets. David and Chrystal have thought of everything! I loved the beautiful grounds. Every day we walked out to the ocean, and listened to the waves crashing. We have family on this side of the island, so they took us on many excursions. We ate at Kaleo’s in Orchidland twice. I highly recommend it. We took a day trip to the Kona side and enjoyed swimming at Hāpuna Beach. There is so much to see and experience.
The Whale House is a beautiful property and was a great base for all of our adventures on the big island. Watching the sunrise over the ocean every morning was a special treat. The house is very well appointed, very clean, and the beds where all comfortable. The only suggestion from our party was about the downstairs suite. There is no A/C which wasn't a major issue temperature-wise but getting decent airflow required all of the windows to be open at night and coqui frogs were incredibly loud even with multiple fans running.
The house was great with a superb location. It can be a bit hot inside the house in the late afternoon and early evening but we didn't care because we preferred to spend the whole evening out on the covered front deck watching the ocean. The house has lots of windows to let the breezes through and they provide a lot of fans if needed. The accompanying oceanfront lot across the street was also a great place to spend the mornings and evenings. The house had a lot of amenities that made the stay very pleasureable.
Beautiful property with a mini rainforest in the back and surf crashing on the front. The wrap around deck is amazing. Interior is great with two bedrooms upstairs each with a private bath and two downstairs bedrooms. Note there is a separate entrance for the two lower level bedrooms. This is one of the best apportioned Vrbos I’ve stayed at. Beach gear including coolers and chairs, umbrellas for the rain, bug spray, card games, a full kitchen with pre frozen ice packs, and more. It’s clear that the hosts want their guests to be able to enjoy their stay. Thank you!
Had the most wonderful time at the Whale House. We could have spent more time exploring the property. Loved the ocean front view and wandering through the gardens. Hosts were wonderful and am hoping to come back and visit again!!
