Jae & John are wonderful hosts. Jae made sure we had everything we needed. John's artwork is displayed thru the apartment. We stayed in the Ocean Suite and it was beautiful. It was in a great location- not right in the middle of the busy town but close enough for a quick trip in. The ocean was directly across the street and there's a great snorkeling spot. Also a very short walk to a beautiful beach. The pool is small but with the ocean right there, we only used it as a spot to wind down with a Mai Tai in hand! The others staying there were very friendly and we had a great evening visiting with others from all over the U.S. down at the pool. Jae & John are also very accessible for help when needed and make you feel like welcome guests. I would recommend this is as a place to stay to any of our friends. Grab some groceries on your way in and make use of the grill by the pool. The outside kitchen is also a nice touch.
What a great vacation!

My girlfriend and I stayed here after narrowly losing out on condos right over the water in Kona. In the end I'm glad we ended up here! We could hear the surf crashing on the rocks from the Sugar Shack, and that was ACROSS the street from the rocks. If you're staying in those condos right on the water it must really be as loud as the reviews on here say it is. They also didn't look as nice as where we ended up.

On to the Sugar Shack. It is run by an extremely helpful and friendly couple who rent out three rooms of their house. We stayed in the Honeymoon Suite and LOVED it. The room was spacious, very comfortable bed, nice bathroom, lots of amenities like a binder full of local restaurant menus and personal reviews, hats and flashlights for sightseeing, etc.

The owners were very helpful when we had questions about going to see the lava flows, restaurants, or anything. We never felt like we were just staying in a room in Hawaii. The only thing to note about the Honeymoon Suite is that it has a locking front metal screen door but that's it. This makes it easier to hear people in the room at night when it's quieter, and may not be the best room for an actual honeymoon :)