We’ve assembled a number of the most frequent questions people ask about us and our vacation rentals. If you don’t find an answer to your question here, you can send us your question via our contact page or call us on the Big Island at 808.965.0400.

What types of Big Island vacation rentals do you offer?
What do the properties come with?
Do the properties have telephones and computer connections?
Your rates are shown as ranges. How do you determine my rate?
Can I pay by credit card?
What if I have to cancel?
Who do I call if there is a problem after I arrive?
Is there daily maid service?
Do we need to leave the property like we found it?
This is my first trip to Hawaii. What should I bring?

What types of Big Island vacation rentals do you offer?
All our Big Island vacation rentals are located in East Hawaii, also known as the Hilo side of the Big Island. We offer a number of complete private homes as well as condominium units. All the properties we represent have passed our high standards for quality and location. Hawaii Holiday Vacation Rentals only accepts properties that are oceanfront, have great ocean views, or are in an extraordinary tropical location such as Hilo Waterfall Estate.

What do the properties come with?
All of the properties we represent come fully furnished with complete kitchens including microwave, blender, coffee-maker and toaster. All linens are included and most owners provide beach towels, beach chairs, coolers and umbrellas for their guests. Housekeeping provides soap, tissue, trash liners and dish soap to start you off when you arrive. Additional items are the guest’s responsibility.

Do the properties have telephones and computer connections?
All properties have telephones and calls are free in the local calling area, which covers the entire island. Please use a calling card or cell phone for long distance calls, or call collect. Most but not all properties have answering machines. Most properties have high-speed Internet; see the description page for a particular property to confirm. If not, you can use the telephone line for dialup computer access to your Internet Service Provider. Most national ISPs have local access numbers on the major Hawaiian islands, but if yours doesn’t you will have to set up your computer’s dialer with the necessary calling card number sequence to get a working long-distance connection. Please note that there are many areas of East Hawaii, especially the Puna district, that have very spotty cell phone coverage.

Your rates are shown as ranges. How do you determine my rate?
We provide rate ranges on most of our properties so we can quote an appropriate rate for your specific request, taking into account the number of people in your party, number of nights, length of stay, time of year, and how your dates fit with existing reservations. Typically, we quote the lower end of the rate range for longer stays and sometimes last-minute requests. Please be assured that once you submit our Reservation Inquiry Form, we reply promptly by email, or you can call us at 808.965.0400 for rates and availability.

Can I pay by credit card?
Yes! We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club and JCB. We are also happy to accept your personal check or money order, and we can accept wire transfers from foreign guests.

What if I have to cancel?
Our cancellation policy balances flexibility for the guest with the needs of owners, who depend on the income from these rentals. If you cancel more than 60 days prior to arrival, we will refund your initial deposit less a $75 processing fee. If you cancel with 60 days notice or less, you will forfeit the entire rent and tax unless we can rebook the property. We ask for 60 days notice so guests are more inclined to let us know early if they can’t make the trip. We go into high gear to try and rebook, and if we have enough lead time we are often lucky. When a cancellation occurs within 1–3 weeks of arrival, our job is much tougher, but we do try very hard. If we can rebook the property, we will refund the amount we collect on the new rental less a 25% cancellation fee. If you think you might have to cancel on short notice, please consider trip insurance.

Who do I call if there is a problem after I arrive?
The confirmation and welcome letter we send you has the contact information for the on-island contact for your vacation rental. The on-island contact can resolve any problems that might arise during your stay, such as broken appliances, getting locked out, or other maintenance issues. Of course, you can always call us as well; our number is also on the confirmation and welcome letter.

Is there daily maid service?
Your house or condo will have been thoroughly cleaned just prior to your arrival. We do not provide daily or weekly maid service but we can arrange for it at an additional charge. Washers and dryers are available at most properties.

Do we need to leave the property like we found it?
We do not expect you to clean the house or condo before you leave (you’re on vacation!) but we do ask that you not leave dirty dishes or open food out as they attract lots of tropical critters. We do ask a favor: two of our biggest cleaning challenges are suntan oil and wet clothes, so please be considerate when you come in from sunbathing or swimming.

This is my first trip to Hawaii. What should I bring?
Pack all the clothes you think you’ll need. Then take half out. No kidding. Most of Hawaii is very, very casual and that is especially true in Hilo and Puna. T-shirts and shorts over a swimsuit and “slippahs” (flip-flops) are what you will wear 90% of the time. Bring one or two nice (but casual) shirts or sundresses if you want to go somewhere nice for dinner and one sweater/sweatshirt for the airplane or a trip up to Mauna Kea or Volcano. An umbrella would be a good idea, too — our side of the Big Island is so lush and green because it’s prone to sudden bursts of rain! Besides the usual tourist items (sunglasses, camera, sunblock, hat) you may want to bring:

• Binoculars (especially December–April when the whales are here!)
• CDs (Most properties and rental cars have CD players. Check out the Hawaiian Music section of our Cars, Flowers & More page if you want to get into the mood before you arrive!)
• That novel you’ve been meaning to read
• Mask, snorkel and fins if you have them; if not, they are easy to rent and you don’t have the hassle of carrying them
• A simple day pack is a great way to carry stuff to the beach or take a quick hike to a waterfall
• We suggest cleaning out your wallet; leave out extra credit cards, library card, grocery card, etc. that you won’t use (This might be a good time to photocopy all those cards and leave the copy in a safe place at home.)
• A good Big Island guidebook; we recommend Hawaii The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman

And don’t forget to bring your confirmation and welcome letter with directions to the property, as well as any lockbox codes or keys we send you! (It’s usually the honeymooners who forget… guess they have other things on their minds.)