Casa Tortuga, Romantic Custom Oceanfront Getaway

Hello, we are an italian couple leaving in USA since 2005.
We spent in Casa Tortuga our 12 anniversary. I can tell you that the pictures don't bring to justice what this house is.
It is better that that!
It is not actually a place with walls,furnitures and stuff, this is a living thing that tells you a story. The story of two people, Lynn & Don, falling in love and designing the house of their dreams. They actually got married in this house.
I am not into design, I am a computer programmer, but I can tell you that Casa Tortuga will became part of your vacation.
I cannot even start telling how much we loved this place.... everything is so perfect, super-clean, handy and in the right spot. Don and Lynn are super nice and a step away if you need any help. You will only regret the little time (no matter how long) you decided to spend there. We found ourself cutting our trip short to come back sooner.
The house is close to Hilo airport. I would recommended to rent a 4x4, you will need it in many sport. Go to the volcano ride during the night is expensive but totally worth it, the black beach, for sure you will find some turtles, green beach, the warm pool. I also enjoyed the botanic garden, really a lot. You will find in the house many book and guide with the best place to see/to go. Follow them! Everybody added some notes that helps.
I totally would recommended this to a friend... as a matter of fact, as many other we want to go back as soon as we can to spend more time.... if you want to see our picture of this house click or cut and paste this link in your browser:
http:\\www.sibamedia.com\personal\casatortuga.html

Claudia & Simone - Los Angeles

My wife and I wanted a special vacation to celebrate our 30th anniversary and chose Hawaii as our getaway. We spent one week in Oahu and then discovered Casa de Tortuga on the island of Hawaii for our second week. This discovery was the best. The house was well maintained, clean and provided us with the most romantic and beautiful views during our time at the house. From the time we entered the house, we could not stop smiling. Sliders opened to a great deck with 2 loungers. In the mornings we heard the sounds of the waves crashing on the cliffs below as the sun rose in front of us feeling the trade winds. At night, we laid on the loungers counting the endless number of stars. It made our return to reality very difficult. Don and Lynn had many necessities at the house, including binoculars, one rain cover, a ladies sun hat. They also had some Hawaiian CD's which we enjoyed tremendously. The house was about 30 mins from Hilo & airport. The grocery stores, KTA, Safeway and Walmart were about 15-20 minutes towards Hilo. We found driving to many of the activities & attractions convenient. Restaurants: Pesto's for dinner (good), lunch at Ruebens Mexican Restaurant (very good, original Mexican food), & Cronies (hamburger place). Akaka falls (few miles from Hilo) & Rainbow falls in Hilo. Our scenic ride on Rte 19 to Kona took about 2 1/2 hr but we made several short stops along the way. One stop was at Hapuna Beach for a few hours, which was beautiful, then to Kona. The summit at Mauna Kea was about 1 hr up from Hilo. Driving up Saddle Rd was challenging. Volcano Natl Pk was 30 mins from house & Punaluu black sand beach was 30 mins from Natl Pk. We would very much recommend the house. They have a binder with things to do. We got to meet Lynn and Don and gave them a big hug for designing such a wonderful house inside and out.

My husband and I spent our 10th Anniversary at Casa Tortuga and fell in love with the house. Lynn was so sweet and very helpful with tidbits and directions to places. Every inch of the house is gorgeous. The view is mesmerizing especially at dawn. The sun rose straight on and seemed to rise just for you. At night the skies were littered with stars. It's surreal to hear the sounds of the ocean hitting the cliff side while you sleep.
The house was spotless and has everything you would need. The Jacuzzi is so relaxing after being out all day. I don't know why there's no "real" picture of the bathroom but it's spacious and looks like something out of a magazine with skylights and two sinks. I love how you can take a shower (if you choose to keep the doors open) and feel like you're outside enjoying the ocean view.
My husband is hot all the time, and forgot that there's no a/c. He had a fit at first, but then realized it wasn't necessary because of the fans & cross-breeze and actually used a blanket at night.
You do need a car because everything is about 15-20 minutes away.
TIPS on places to go: If you go to Hilo, you have to go to Ken's house of pancakes and try their coconut pie DELISH!!! You can't go to the Big Island and not go to Volcanoes National Park, Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, and Green Sand Beach. The Green Sand beach is at the Southern most tip of the Big Island, (the closest continent is Antarctica) and you NEED, a 4x4. It's not really tourist friendly and locals say don't drive your rental or you WILL get stuck (No joking) or your rental will get broken into. Some rental companies say it's against the contract to go there. We didn't get to see the "REAL" Green, green sand beach. and found a small beach with a little green sand and figured it would do, after hours of looking and deciding whether to take our rental through the forbidden zone. But I hear it's worth the trip. I regret not going all the way to the big beach but next time I'll definitely rent a 4x4. Do your research about getting there, you need to.
Choosing to stay at Casa Tortuga won't be a let down by any means. I wish it were my home.