Big Island-HPP house rental
 

Some friends are trying to interest us to join them in renting a house on the Big Island next January. We have always stayed on the Kona side before which I know is drier but a new area to explore is always good and fun. This house is located at Hawaiian Paradise Park on the Hilo side. We are not into being around a lot of tourist so this area might work as it is mostly private homes. Has anyone rented a house in this HPP area before? Any good swimming beaches and decent grocery store in the area? We like to hike, so being close to the National park seems like it would be handy.

Thanks for any advise about this part of the Big Island!
KC

Since you've been to Hawaii before you are aware that Hilo is rainy. We were there last January/Feb and stayed in Kona. We kept an eye on Hilo because we wanted to spend a few days there. It rained everyday. Of course I'm sure it was not all day, but it rained some everyday. The two days we choose to visit it rained part of each day and I could not find any good swimming beaches.

Beware that Pele and her lava have been threatening the area.

http://www.bhh.com/d/bhhresponsive/m...easter2015.pdf

I personally would not make plans in Puna/Pahoa right now.

Apparently Pele is known for her wonderful Easter brunches.

HPP is a huge area. The largest subdivision in America or something similar. So, location is important. The houses closer to the Ocean are nicer. There is no beach or ocean entry in the area. You will need to drive to that recognizing that the best beaches are on the other side of this really big island.

The lava is unpredictable. I believe the current outbreak is south of HPP so it shouldn't be a problem. Traffic in the area is tough. Recognize that.

A couple questions I would ask. Is it a legal rental? Does it have catchment water? Where in HPP is it? How much touring do you plan to do? If you want to do a lot, HPP probably isn't a good base.

Happy planning.

We spent some time in an HHP (ocean front) In May of 2013. Puna and Pahoa were fun to explore, although the recent lava flow has transformed part of this area. We went snorkeling at Isaac Hale State Park and at the Kapoha tide pools. From this base, we went to the national park, explored Hilo and the coastline north of the city and also went to South Point and hiked to the green sand beach.

While we like all that we saw, it was a lot of driving. No regrets, as we were not interested in just sitting on a beach. We also spent another four nights closer to Kona. But if you're looking to spend some time beachside or want a convenient location, I'm not sure HPP in January is a good fit.

Good questions to ask about the house. I don't have much information at this time on what address the house is located or about it being a legal rental or not. I know it is on the Ocean and the price is reasonable. Some rain we would expect. Not sure if we want rain every day all day long on our vacation but I hope that would be unusual.

We are pretty active and would enjoy hiking and it seems like that side of the island might afford some good hikes. The heavy traffic and the recent lava flow sounds like a potential issue.

Thanks for all the replies.

http://www.wunderground.com/q/zmw:96720.1.99999 This is what you can expect. It is why it is so green and plush on that side of the island, it rains a lot.