Oceanview Mauna Loa Shores Kai Ekahi #201 next to Carlsmith Beach Park

There were sea turtles every day! They showed up generally in late afternoon. Fair for snorkeling too. The unit we were in was nicely remodeled and decorated. Great central location to stay on the Hilo side of Hawaii for the volcano, botanical garden, falls and more. No AC but we did not need with the trade wind cross breeze from lanai. There was some remodeling going on in the unit next door which was noisy; however, we were not there much during the day anyway. Laundry is not in room and insufficient for the number of people there, so planning is needed to wash. Quiet area, people were friendly at the park right behind us. Both visitors and unit residents were nice and shared information, recommendations and tips. We will stay again if we are fortunate enough to come stay in Hilo in the future.

Noisy street with cars until 10 pm. Great park next door for swimming and snorkeling.

Nice stay close to the beach park. However the building is right on the main road so it was quite noisy at night with the windows open.

The condo was awesome. Perfect location! Steps from Carl Smith Beach and just a few minutes from Hilo town.

Awesome location right at a beautiful public beach with awesome swimming and snorkeling. Well represented on rental page remodeled unit with great view. Just a couple suggestions for the next guests to know the laundry is a common shared washer and dryer that is 4.50/load and there is only one key for the condo provided needed to access condo, elevator and pool. Our kids are older and sometimes wanted to do their own thing so it would have been nice to have a second key. But these were small issues we easily worked around for the very nice unit and great location

The property and housing was a perfect getaway. The housing had everything we needed to make our own meals with groceries purchased in Hilo. The best part about the property is the location to the beaches. We spent days snorkeling at beach right outside the back door and at the black sand beach less than 1 mile away.I would stay here again without a doubt. The communication and process was simple and easy. We traveled in from another island and was a very short drive from airport.

Comfortable condo with a nice lanai on the park. Beach swimming plus a nice pool. We enjoyed our stay very much.

The property is on a lovely, lovely park. The highlight of our trip.

My daughter and I stayed 3 nights. The location overlooking CarlSmith is gorgeous. The condo was beautiful, extremely clean, and had everything we needed and more. The hosts were extremely responsive to questions about the area. We loved our stay and would definitely choose this location again.

Nice apartment near beach park. Lots of street noise.

Our stay at this property was ok. The property was overall clean but towels, kitchen towels and supplies were limited. We bought, used and then and left things like coffee filters, Saran Wrap, baggies, laundry pods for others to use. The kitchen had a good supply of equipment for cooking except for silverware. Carlsmith park which this property overlooks is heavily used by the public at all hours. Windows are always open to try to cool the place so the fireworks, loud vehicles and people’s party voices thru the night was very loud and disruptive. The building manager did not keep the walkways to the rooms and the elevators very clean. Overall, this property is clean but not well stocked and beside a very busy park. The best snorkeling was down the road at Richardson park where the fish and turtles were abundant. If I was to rate this property out of ten, I would give it a six.

Perfect

The apartment was spotlessly clean and well equipped. The lanai overlooking Carlsmith Beach is a treat. The owners respond politely and immediately. For anyone flying into Hilo to place is only a few minutes away. Getting to the condo building requires driving a few minutes through the industrial area of Hilo port, but after that the coast road is beautiful. Kilauea Volcano is less than an hour away. Other sites on this part of the island are easily accessible. We experienced only two drawbacks, one of which is correctable. First, swimming at the intimate beach cove is uneven. At hightide the water in the cove is rough and makes swimming difficult. Unfortunately, during our stay that was in the mornings when we wanted to swim. We ended up driving 5 minutes to the local lap swimming pool--which is free. The second drawback is that a key is needed to get to the unit, either my elevator or stairs. Since we had only one key and were three adults who often wanted to follow our own schedules, that required a lot of planning and communication. Multiple elevator keys with a lockbox outside the unit for the unit keys would be a solution. Mahalo.

Property can use some updating. We enjoyed our visit to the area.

Location was great right in front of Carlsmith beach park where we spent some time snorkeling and saw sea turtles each day. Easy to adventure to Hilo and surrounding areas. Condo was clean, and worked great for our family of four. Check in was easy and check out was the easiest I’ve ever experienced on Vrbo. Host was responsive via messenger. We would definitely stay here again.

This property was very clean and well-appointed for a small space. The beds were comfortable, the pool was wonderful, the proximity to the beach park was amazing, and the restaurant recommendation was spot on! The only reason we took off one star was it was SO hot at night that my daughters struggled to sleep. The AC in the main bedroom was wonderful and all of the fans were great, but it was very hot while we were there (and perhaps uncharacteristically so).

The location for this unit is incredible. Just past the parking lot is Carlsmith Beach Park, a lovely park with good swimming, snorkeling, and sea turtles. Richardson, the black sand beach a mile up the road, is also awesome. The unit is recently redone and well cared for. There were plenty of towels (beach and bath), chairs, boogie boards, and swim toys. The beds were comfy, the kitchen was well stocked, although there's no dishwasher and they ask you to wash dishes before departure. The only issue that gave us pause is the lack of air conditioning. The owners are clearly working hard to combat this: there are two fans in both bedrooms and the screened in lanai can be left open to a screened front door, which creates an excellent cross breeze for the sitting/eating area. Unfortunately, the way the sun comes in, the master bedroom does still get hot early afternoon (we stayed in peak July heat) and probably wouldn't be comfortable for a midday nap. Also, without AC, you have to keep the windows open at night and hear the moderate street noise plus one surprisingly loud 7am dumpster pick up right outside the window. Our family would absolutely still stay here again, even without AC. It was a wonderful, well appointed unit right above a gorgeous beach at an excellent price point for our family of five. That said, if you are the type who keeps your home at 70 all summer or isn't used to a little street noise, this may not be the place for you.