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Where are the
nearest grocery stores? The nearest
store is the General Store on Orchid Land
drive (take Maku'u Drive to the main
highway, turn right and after about a mile
you will pass Paradise Drive shortly after
which you will turn left onto Orchid Land Dr
– the store is behind the gas station. The
next closest is Malama Market. To get there
take Maku'u drive to the highway and turn
left and after about 4 miles you will come
to the turn off for Pahoa. On your right you
will see a small mall - the Pahoa
Marketplace. At the back of the plaza is the
market. They have a good selection of
everything. If you continue on into Pahoa
you will pass a 7-Eleven and the large
Island Naturals Pahoa Market & Deli. The
largest most complete supermarket short of
driving all tghe way into Hilo is Foodland
located in the small shopping mall in
downtown Keau'u. To reach Keau'u head back
up to Hwy 130, turn right, travel about 6
miles towards Hilo, and turn left at the
signs for Keau'u until you reach downtown.
There is a small Farmer's Market in downtown
Keau'u which is open every day of the week.
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What should we
remember to bring? The house is fully
equipped with everything you would expect in
a home (for instance all linens, normal
kitchen dishes, utensil, appliances, etc.)
Our Features page
contains more information. All you really
need to think about is what you need
personally. Depending on the time you arrive
you may want to pick up bottled water, ice,
and maybe a few food items. At the house you
will find spices, teas, a few condiments and
other food items left behind by previous
renters. There may or may not be any coffee
but you should not have to worry about
coffee filters - we try to keep those
stocked. Certainly come prepared for the sun
(bring hats and a light long sleeved shirt
for those days when you have had enough
sun). Bring sunglasses and reading
sunglasses if you have them. Sand (aka swim)
shoes for use while in the water is a good
idea. Also for hiking on the lava a pair of
good tennis or other sturdy shoes is
recommended. You may need to buy some sun
tan lotion after you arrive unless you plan
to check your baggage. Often time previous
renters leave behind suntan lotion, other
body lotions, hair shampoo and conditioner.
We provide sample sized Hawaiian made soaps,
lotion and shampoo\conditioner. We also have
accumulated a number of beach mats. Finally
bring a flashlight for use after dark for
entry into the house. While we have lights
on the lanai you never know when the bulb
may burn out.
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Where can I
swim in the ocean? Hilo has many
beaches including a couple safe for
children, our favorite is Carlsmith
Beach. Until the road to Pohiki and
Isaac Hale Park is reopened there are no
safe areas to swim in Puna.
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Is there a
beach across the street from the house?
Across the street are 20 foot lava cliffs
with no safe ocean entry and no safe
swimming. The cliffs are very interesting
and you can walk almost endlessly in either
direction. When the whales are around, the
cliffs are a good place to see them
spouting, flashing their tails, and
breaching. However the cliffs can be
slippery so if you are near the edge please
be careful and do not turn your back on the
waves.
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How far is the
house from Hilo? From the Kona airport?
The house is 18 miles from Hilo and the Hilo
airport (about a 30 minute drive). The Kona
airport is an easy 2 hour drive away.
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How close is
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park? The
national park is an easy one hour drive over
excellent roads from the house. See the end
of this page for more information on the
volcanoes.
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Where can we
rent snorkel gear in Hilo?
Hilo Ocean Adventures
1717 Kamehameha Ave
Hilo, HI 96720
(808) 934-8344
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Will I need to
rent a car? It is difficult to get
around Hawai'i without one. Whenever we rent
a car in Hawai'i we use
http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/.
They negotiate with all the major rental
agencies and consistently have the best
price. One of our renters saved $300.00 on
his rental fee using this site. If you get a
better price elsewhere please let us know.
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Should we rent
a 4 wheel drive? The Big Island has
great roads (no freeways) so the usual
rental car will take you just about
everywhere. However a 4 wheel drive will
allow you to drive to the top of Mauna Kea,
Waipi’o Valley, Green Sands Beach, and some
off the grid roads such as the road that
runs from Hawaiian Paradise Park to Hawaiian
Beaches through the Maku’u Point area along
Government Beach Road. You should keep in
mind though that once you are off the grid
you cannot assume you will have cell service
should you get stuck. The number one reason
people rent a 4 wheel drive is to drive all
the way up to the summit of Mauna Kea. You
can learn more about the summit by visiting
Onizuka
Visitor Center. We have heard there is
a shuttle for people in normal cars that run
to the summit but not sure when that runs.
If you decide to try a 4 wheel drive you
might want to check out this site -> jeeprental_link.
I have no experience with this company.
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Is the house
child safe? - We welcome children in
our home but we want you to be aware it is
elevated and we do not consider it a toddler
safe house. We have both an interior and an
exterior stairway that are not blocked off.
Also right across the street are 20 foot
lava cliffs. We are comfortable with people
who have young babies and children that are
7 years old and older. We have plenty of
games for you to play with your children -
including Konane ("Hawaiian Checkers").
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Do we share the
vacation rental with anyone? No. You
have the house all to yourself.
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What amenities
do you supply - is there a coffee maker,
is there a cooler, and a hair dryer?
The house is fully equipped with all the
usual appliances including coffee maker,
coffee grinder, hair dryer, small cooler,
blender, washing machine, dryer, iron,
ironing board etc. Linens are also supplied
(towels, beach towels, sheets, etc.) Check
out the Vacation
Rental Features page to learn more. If
you can't find the hair dryer search all the
drawers and cabinets in the bathrooms.
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What about
food, spices, etc? The house usually
has a good supply of spices, teas, coffee
filters, etc. My advice is to pick up some
bottled water, ice, drinks, a little bit of
food, and maybe a few other items on your
way to the house but don't buy too much
until you see what others have left behind.
The refrigerator usually has left over
condiments, jelly, and other items such as
cooking oil.
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Does the house
have Internet access? Yes we have
broadband wireless access and directions on
how to hook up are in the house.
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Any guidebook
suggestions? The best guidebook we’ve
come across is called “Hawai'i The Big
Island Revealed”, 8th edition. It’s quite
popular, very detailed, and we have the 6th
edition at the house for your use. However
you might want to pick a copy up in advance
or check with your local library. https://www.hawaiirevealed.com/hawaii-the-big-island-revealed/
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How do I see
the lava? Lava has flowed continuously
since 1991 but its path changes. The USGS
site posts updates daily. The transfer
station in Pahoa is where you can view some
of the 2014 lava flow field. To view one of
the ocean entries of the 2018 flow drive to
Mackenzie State Park, walk to the lava
cliffs turn left, and hike about a quarter
mile and eventually you come to a wall of
lava - very impressive. There is a rough
trail onto the lava flow but be sure to wear
good shoes (no sandals), carry water, and be
careful - the lava is quite sharp. As of
November 2018 there are no active surface
flows on Hawaii however it continues to
bubble and flow underground.
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Whale watching?
Yes! Yes! Yes! Our neighborhood is quite
good for whale watching beginning in
November and running through April. But in
truth there are whales year around just not
as many. Bring your binoculars! In house
guests said they saw a mother and calf come
up so close they heard the spouts. We we saw
a mother and calf breaching together for
about 15 minutes. In addition, the
bottlenose, spotted, and the amazing spinner
dolphins are here year around. You can start
by walking across the street to the lava
cliffs. If you walk or drive to the left
about half a mile the lava cliffs are even
higher and afford a somewhat better view of
the bay. Additionally we have also spotted
spinner dolphins and a number of very large
green sea turtles swim by quite close to the
cliffs. Whales can also be spotted from the
lanai (deck). Link
to information on wildlife and whale
watching tips.
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Are there
walking\hiking areas near the house?
Yes. Walking and hiking begins as soon as
you walk out the door. Follow this link to
another page on our site that discusses
hiking and visiting the volcano. http://anotherhawaii.com/EastHawaii/Hiking.html
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Where do I find
the petroglyph? Across the street from
our home is a couple petroglyphs of unknown
date. Follow this link to learn more about Maku'u
Man. The binder in the house also
contains directions to locating the
petroglyph.
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Where can we go
Horse Back riding? Our favorite place
but also a bit of a drive away is Dahana
Ranch. It's on the slopes of Mauna Kea near
Waimea. Call (808) 885-0057 or toll free
(888) 399-0057 visit http://www.dahanaranch.com.
Another place that renters have recommended
and is closer is Pa'ani Ranch, off Highway
11 past Keaau,
http://www.paaniranch.com/big_island_horseback_rides.html.
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What does it
take to get married in Hawaii?
It doesn’t look like it could be
much easier.
http://health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/marriage-licenses/#eligible Here is
another link that describes who can
perform the ceremony. It looks like anyone
affiliated with any religion, even on-line
religions such as the Universal Life
Church, can perform the ceremony. However
Hawaii does require the performer to
register with the state which has a fee.
So maybe one of your friends could become
a minister with the Universal Life Church
and register with Hawaii and they could
perform the ceremony.http://www.themonastery.org/wedding-laws/hawaii
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What are the
fishing regulations in Hawaii? Can I
fish from the cliffs across the street? No
license is required for recreational
saltwater fishing. More information on
fishing regulations in the state of Hawaii
can be found here:
http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/fishing/fishing-regulations/
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Where can we
rent bicycles? Here are a couple
bicycle rental places I found in Hilo:
http://www.bicyclehawaii.com/ and
http://www.midpacificwheelsllc.com/MPW/Rentals.html
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How do we
secure our reservation? If you are
booking more than 90 days in advance then
$200 will secure your reservation. Within 90
days a 50% payment of the total amount is
required and within 45 days the entire
rental fee is due.
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How do we make
our payment? - Once you are ready to
book we will bill you via PayPal or else you
will be billed directly by the booking agent
(HomeAway, TripAdvisor, etc.).
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Do I need trip
insurance? Here is a link to good
advice on trip insurance from Consumers
Reports:
Do you need travel insurance?
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How is the cell
phone coverage? It depends on your
provider so you may want to check with
yours. As of October 2013 Verizon works
well, Sprint coverage is “roaming”, but ATT
does not appear to provide coverage. However
we do have wireless Internet (WI-FI) and a
phone with free long distance within the US
at the house so staying in touch with others
is not a problem.
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How can I
receive a package at the house? The
postal service does not deliver to our
house. We have seen the UPS truck making
deliveries on our street and we think maybe
FedEx as well. It may be better to find out
in advance whether it’s better to pick your
package up at their facility versus having
it delivered to the house. Also you should
be able to use General Delivery mailed to
the local Post Office. To get mail on the
road with General Delivery, have your mail
addressed with your first and last name,
care of "General Delivery", c/o the post
office address. Once it arrives, the
postmaster will hold your mail for at least
30 days. In America this service is free,
but in other countries fees might be
assessed. Here are the addresses for the two
closest Post Offices (Pahoa and Keauu).
|
First name, Last Name
Care of General Delivery
15-2859 PAHOA VILLAGE RD
PAHOA, HI 96778
|
Mon-Fri 10:00am - 4:00pm
Sat 11:00am - 2:00pm
Sun Closed
|
|
First name, Last Name
Care of General Delivery16-578 OLD
VOLCANO RD
KEAAU, HI 96749
|
Mon-Fri 8:30am - 4:00pm
Sat 10:00am - 12:00pm
Sun Closed
|
