Bottom line: No frills studio that has a nice balcony, decent kitchen and bath. Location is close to downtown and airport using a car.
Pros:
Decent sized studio
Balcony/lanai is large
Nice TV with great smart features
Wifi worked well, no issues while I was working
Shower water pressure is wonderful, hot water, great etc.
Bathroom has ample light and a big sink area
Kitchen area was nice, large fridge, etc.
Nice pool (we didnt use, very few people used)
Owner/manager was very communicative, easy.
There is a nice book on site with information on condo, on Hilo, nice!
Cons:
No elevator! 3rd floor condo... heavy suitcases
Nothing to walk to (use your car a lot)
Location is fine.... 5 minute car ride to airport, downtown, beaches, etc.
Hot in Jan/February
No A/C (there is a fan that has button for "cooling" but its only a fan)
At night, the birds/frogs make some jungle noises (kind of cool!)
No iron or ironing board
No barbecue area
Your condo does NOT overlook the pool
Parking lot is run down, but it parks plenty of cars just fine.
Floor tile is old and grout missing, but is fine, not dangerous.
Only one set of keys and door locks automatically behind you. A second set of keys would be nice to leave in the box "in case".
Please replace the shower curtain as it is not clean at the bottom.
Overall, this is a "no frills" condo that will meet all of your needs for a 4 to 5 night stay. There is no elevator to get you up to the 3rd floor, so remember your heavy bags on arrival and departure. Otherwise going up 2 sets of stairs is easy. The bed is comfortable (queen), the kitchen is perfect, and the bathroom is nice. There is a large balcony that has a decent view to the right (open space with bamboo and downward to the koi pond) and to the left would be looking at other units who are looking back. Not an issue really. The location is decent but you will have to drive everywhere. There is one brewery to walk to but other than that you will be driving to downtown, to the volcano, the beach, etc. The owner was very nice, helpful, communicative, and had a nice supply inside the unit (missing an iron). Overall, its a nice place to stay for your stay in Hilo. From the beach stops we made we saw whales, tons of turtles, beautiful waterfalls, the volcano at day, back again at night (awesome), Ken's Pancakes, Cafe Pesto (great pizza), and a special shout out to the Hilo Yacht Club, FANTASTIC (if you are a member of a yacht club). Mahalo!
