testimonials
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
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
Great location for nightlife and farmer market. Easy to walk everywhere in Hilo. Lots of shopping. It’s a hidden gem most of the locals do not know about. We enjoyed... read more our stay. The only time we needed a car was to get to a beach area to swim; otherwise everything else could be done by foot which was important to me in getting that local feeling in this little community.


July 23, 2022

December 7, 2020
This bnb was the perfect place in Hilo. Very close to shopping and restaurants and the bay. The space was colorful and quaint - felt like home. Megan was so... read more accommodating. Thank you for a wonderful stay and we hope to be back in the future!


December 24, 2021
We had a good stay at Megan’s property. We stayed in The Lotus Garden - Mauna Villa. Megan was a very helpful host. She was very communicative and gave us... read more great options to visit and eat at during our stay. We enjoyed the outdoor garden and loved hanging out with “Loki” the resident mascot of the property. We sure felt at home. Nights were nice and cool but the afternoons got really warm indoors. If you decide to spend some time out in the garden, just make sure to use some mosquito repellent. We’ve never slept on a hanging bed before staying here. We would describe the feeling as sleeping on a cruise. You will definitely feel the sway. Also, just watch out for the random avocados that fall on the roof. They will catch you off guard during anytime of the day and it will scare the heck out of you haha. Other than that, we would definitely recommend this property when visiting Hilo. The location is perfect and the parking is easy.


July 9, 2020
The location, host, and beauty of the room and environment were so perfect. The noise at night from the restaurant and parking lot behind the property (which are beyond... read more the control of the host) made sleeping difficult.


February 24, 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
Incredible location in downtown Hilo.
Comfortable & creative lodgings. Megan & Jasper are wonderful hosts!


January 5, 2022
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
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
This place is beautiful and well located in downtown Hilo. Super comfortable with lots of space to stretch out and relax and it’s surrounded by a garden oasis. We didn’t... read more get to meet Megan as she was out of town but Jasper gave us great local tips and even dropped off a french press with all the fixings on our first morning there. Could not recommend this place more. We hope to stay here again sometime.


February 7, 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
This little spot was ideal for staying in Hilo. It is centralized with fabulous restaurants and shopping all within walking distance. The property was cute and very zen,... read more with little frogs that chirped at night. I highly suggest ear plugs or the white-noise app to drown out any unwanted noises at night. The building we stayed in was backed up to a public area. At 1-2am, there were garbage(?) trucks that came to collect, beeping and rumbling and making a racket. Then there were random people talking at around 3am as well. The rain at night could also get pretty loud, but that was considered white noise and not as bad.
The hanging bed was comfortable but if you don't want it to swing too much, just prop up the sitting chairs around it. There aren't too many power outlets and no wifi in the room. So good thing we had an unlimited data plan. The hosts Jasper and Megan were friendly and on the property if you need assistance. Overall, I would highly recommend and would stay there again.


February 28, 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
Great location in the heat of Hilo paired with a unique atmosphere that made for an excellent experience.


January 20, 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
This cottage is a simple delight and offers the best of both worlds: the relaxation of a country garden cottage that is still downtown and walkable to everything you need.... read more It was an absolute haven. The cottage is inset - in the middle of the block, not along the street - and a stream-like gurgle from two water features on the property floats into most rooms.
The upstairs loft feels very much as photographed: bright and airy and spacious. As someone who appreciates the sound of rain on a tin roof very much, I enjoyed Hilo's frequent showers. But if you are a light sleeper, I would recommend bringing good earplugs as it can get loud. There is a second bedroom not pictured on the lower floor, which I would recommend for any light or sound sensitive sleepers.
There is also a perfectly equipped kitchen not shown in photos. We bought a lot of produce from the nearby farmer's market and other groceries from the natural food store just around the block and had all of the tools we needed to cook most of our meals in-house. For those who prefer to dine out while on vacation, there are at least a dozen great eateries in easy walking distance. The Poke Market was our favorite, and Antics Pizza offers gaming counsels while you dine (Nintendo etc - with some throw backs!).
Overall, this cottage made for a charming staycation, with everything we needed - including shampoo & conditioner, beach towels and board games - and enough space for two of us to work undisturbed while a third slept in.


May 17, 2021
We loved our four days in Megan’s place. The location can’t be beat, half a block away from the Hilo Farmer’s Market, and close to loads of eating establishments and... read more shops. It was easy to park (on the road in front). We slept well, cooked several meals, and felt like we were staying in the rainforest, which made it special and magical. Megan was easily reachable and happy to share tips with us. Highly recommended!


December 26, 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