We booked two studios. One had a nice ocean view, the other (mine) not so much. We had to wait for both rooms for quite a while, one room (mine) much longer wait than the other. The woman at the desk was very friendly and helpful throughout the stay. There are stairs to access the living areas. The setting is gorgeous and grounds well maintained.
The unit was nicely furnished, bed was comfortable, and kitchen adequate. How convenient to have washer/dryer unit in room. We’re glad the temps were cool enough that we didn’t have to pay to run the A/C. We sat out at the small pool and enjoyed our time out there.
The black sand beach is very close - I wouldn’t quite consider it as “beach access” as described. It is just a little drive down the road.
As explained, be aware this location is rather remote (only very small shopping options and few restaurants within 10-20 minutes). For us, that was fine. For our other party, they found the remoteness a negative. We enjoyed the restaurant in Na‘ālehu very much (10 min west). They have a limited menu but very fresh, local catch seafood. There’s no real grocery nearby.
But the proximity to Volcanoes National Park is great, especially if you’re lucky enough (like we were) to be there on an eruption day. It is about a 35 minute drive east to the park entrance.
You know, everything is a trade off. You can’t be close to conveniences AND be close to an erupting volcano. Overall, we loved it and would choose Sea Mountain again next time.