Testimonials
The lotus garden is such a lovely gem tucked away in Hilo town. Ideally located so many local attractions are within walking distance. Megan was such a welcoming host, even... read more delivering freshly ground coffee and a French press to the door each morning. The space itself is stylish and comfortable. I personally loved the light sway of the suspended bed at night - like rocking to sleep in a hammock. Soaking in the claw foot tub with a glass of wine was the perfect way to relax at the end of the day. Mahalo!


November 24, 2020
Wow. Where do I start? This was such a special place in a peaceful town with lovely hosts. We are so lucky to have stayed here! The Mauna is one... read more of a few thoughtfully designed cottages in Megan’s Lotus Garden. We enjoyed the serene landscaping, incredible handcrafted touches and warm hospitality. I can’t say enough great things about this place and hope to have the chance to return again.


February 21, 2020
The loft is very stylish and unique. Loved the hanging bed and the open bath. The hosts were friendly.
The exterior of the space and surrounding area... read more is a little underwhelming. Stark contrast to the interior. The host was also slow in responding ( more than a day late ).


December 19, 2020
I had a wonderful stay here. The bed was comfortable, the place was beautiful, a lovely outdoor shower, with the sound from the little waterfall stature outside (I don't know... read more what to call it, sorry!). Megan showed me in and was very helpful and responsive. The location was perfect for what I wanted to do on the East side of the island. So many rainforests and other beautiful adventures. I hope I am able to get back there in the not so distant future! Thank you again, Megan!


December 15, 2020
We had an amazing stay. This place is so cool and Megan and Jasper and their friends were all amazing. The room was adorable and spacious and had all the... read more amenities we needed. Hope to return. Highly recommended!


January 11, 2021
Megan’s place is perfect for a couple nights in Hilo. It is walking distance to coffee and food downtown and a great location to explore the area. It was clean... read more and cozy. We loved the outdoor shower and coffee. A perfect stay overall. Highly recommend!


December 31, 2020
We really liked Megan and Jasper and their incredible property. The house and grounds are really impressive and the hosts and their community work hard to maintain it all. Perfect... read more location. The house has been fixed up and is beautiful but can be damp when it rains and buggy when it stops. If it rains a lot you’ll want to use the laundromat to dry out your clothes, which won’t dry in the house or outside because of the humidity. We liked having the windows open and listening to the frogs at night, and were glad the hosts, other guests and work-exchange folks on the property were respectful and not noisey. There are a lot of people around fixing up the property and working during the day, so something to consider if you’re trying to avoid interaction during Covid. We enjoyed chatting with everyone and the relaxed community vibe.


December 26, 2020
You can’t beat the location. We walked everywhere right from the front door. Other reviewers mentioned that it’s noisy during the day... that is true, it’s right on a busy... read more street, but it dies down in the evening. I love how airy the place was, with the high windows and the Buddha statues. The king bed was very comfortable and there is a lot of open shelf space. The farmers market is a few hundred feet away, so we got fresh fruit for breakfast every morning. It was SWEET (literally and figuratively). The tea station was my favorite. I really like the Murphy’s and Alba products that were ours to use. It was a great place to stay and I would return. Thank you!


December 3, 2020
Megan and Jasper's space is beautiful! It's such a fun and cool use of space with partially open-air rooms along with very pretty grounds. Perfect for the climate of Hawaii.... read more The space was also very clean with a good use of many green/sustainable products. We loved the coffee in the morning! Even though we had to leave early, Jasper stopped by to chat briefly and see us off which was very considerate. One thing that was kind of unfortunate is there were two cats howling very loudly from 4am - 4:30am the morning we left. I'm not sure if they were the hosts cats or the neighbors, but it was unexpected. The traffic didn't bother us because that didn't start until about 6:30am and we didn't notice any issues with mosquitoes.


January 18, 2020
Aloha! We were on a counter-clockwise driving tour from Kona, three weeks after Hawaii had reopened for tourist travel following closure due to the COVID pandemic. We had chosen Lotus... read more Garden wanting a location in town, rather than the big hotels by Reeds Bay, and are glad we did. After a night in Volcano, we spend one night in the Botanica Apartment. It’s location is perfect for sauntering around town to shop, nibble and gaze at gallery art. Megan and Jasper, our hosts, were friendly and attentive, establishing communication beforehand and providing tips for our stay. We made advance dinner reservations at Pineapples, cater-corner from Lotus, and it exceeded expectations, featuring the first live music that we’d seen since pre-COVID. Breakfast at The Booch Bar was outstanding. We hope to return to Hilo and Lotus Garden to indulge at Kula Shave Ice and the lovely farmers market adjacent. Mahalo!


November 7, 2020
We loved everything about this place! A surprising little tropical oasis right in town. We’ve been to Hilo many times & would never have guessed this place existed. We arrived... read more early in the day with our 8 month old & Megan was very sweet & offered us a beautiful space we could be in with our baby until our room was ready.
The outdoor shower is such a treat. The water feature is gorgeous and blocks out the street noise well. We will be back!


August 24, 2020
The place is a beautiful relaxing atmosphere escape while still being close to everything in Hilo. The hosts are very friendly and accommodating and have a beautiful spot.


February 20, 2020
This is a beautiful place in the heart of Hilo within walking distance to the bay, botanical gardens, farmer’s market, restaurants and shops. Meghan is a wonderful and welcoming... read more host!


January 16, 2022
Megan's lotus garden was absolutely amazing! We needed a staycation, and this was perfect. The location is more than ideal and definitely worth the money. The cottage was adorable and... read more the loft upstairs area was very private. The outside garden area is very relaxing and peaceful. The unit had everything we needed to cook and more than enough space for 2 people, easily fitting 4. Megan and her husband were really adorable and fun to talk to. We will definitely be staying here next time we come to hilo! Thank you Megan!!


November 16, 2020
Incredible location in downtown Hilo.
Comfortable & creative lodgings. Megan & Jasper are wonderful hosts!


January 5, 2022
This place is located right downtown in Hilo and a block from the ocean. The full house is charming and has a complete kitchen which we found very useful.... read more It is a great place to stay if you are looking for somewhere to hole up for quite awhile during the Covid-19 period. Megan is a wonderful host and was very warm and helpful.


April 5, 2020
I stayed here four years ago in the large "white" room upstairs. It was nice to come back to Megan's place again and try a different room/building. ... read more I love the colors and style of old buildings turned bright, splashy, and stylish.


January 29, 2020
Megan and Jasper were welcoming and friendly. Their cabin is in an amazing location in Hilo since you can easily walk to restaurants, a grocery store and the farmer's market... read more in under 5 minutes. We especially liked the Pineapples restaurant which is basically right across the street and open later than some other places in Hilo.
The kitchen had everything we needed for light cooking including a full stove/oven and kitchen sink so we easily made breakfasts and lunches. There wasn't quite enough cookware for us to feel we could easily cook a full dinner and there was no microwave.
Since it was warm and humid, we left the windows open and fan on to stay cool enough. Having all the windows open made us feel close to nature which was nice and relaxing in some ways and a bit bothersome in others. For example, the frogs were loud at night (although we still slept well) and there were some mosquitos inside (although each bed had a mosquito net if needed). The open windows also made the place a bit less private since you could hear and see some folks walking around in the garden during the day, although everyone we met was very friendly.
Overall, it was a great base from which to explore Hilo, nearby waterfalls and Volcanos National Park.


September 6, 2021
The scenery was so beautiful. Pictures do not do it justice. Airbnb was very clean and Megan was an amazing host. She left coffee on the balcony one morning which... read more was very sweet. Can’t wait to book again when I visit!!


January 7, 2021
Megan and Jasper have created a serene and beautiful oasis…in the middle of downtown Hilo. Flowers, foliage, kois, and fountains galore. This is definitely a hidden gem where we will... read more return to.


August 22, 2021