Dwellable: An App for Dwelling

Reviews are generally not found here. However, there are exceptions for everything.

It just so happens that my birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. And for the bazillionth  time I’m headed to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park because I have yet to see the lava flow.  Every time I make the 90 mile trip from Kona  I seen nada. Zip. Okay, creepy red glow from Halema'uma'u crater is exciting, but it is not flow, the slow oozing cascade that drops slow-mo into the Pacific where it explodes, sizzles and kicks up a toxic cloud that wraps back to Kona in the form of vog.   Don’t get me wrong I've done the hikes but I hear the same thing, “You should have been here yesterday. It was flowing right over the road where you're now standing.”  Volcanoes are unpredictable forces of nature, that don’t conveniently erupt like Yellow Stone’s Old Faithful – same time, same spot. Kilauea, located on the southern flank of the Big Island of Hawaii, has continuously erupted since 1983. One could reasonably assume to see some oozing lava creeping across the acres and acres of black lava fields. This is not always the case as the flows constantly change and can require miles of hiking over sharp, sun toasted lava beds. Or blindly walking on black in pitch black.

My birthday quest this year is to see earth born from the volcano on the very same day I was born. To do so, I am investing a weekend to traverse barren grounds under a tropical sun.  And I'll spend the night to see the red snake slitter into the sea.  Since the drive from Kona to Volcano takes several hours and the most dramatic viewing of lava is at night I was looking for a place to stay in Volcano Village.  Enter the app called Dwellable, vacation rentals and reviews with photos, maps and more. They ask, "Where do you want to go?"

Easy to download the app opens with an intoxicating scene of a gentle wave washing over a sandy beach. The only thing missing is a soft gentle sound of water lapping ashore. (Did I hear a seagull?)  There is a menu of hot vacation spots across the country from Cape Cod to Virginia Beach. Okay, that is an alphabetical listing that seems east coast oriented but honestly the west coast is more heavily covered.   

I entered my destination:  Volcano Village and was surprised to find fifteen rentals.  As a test I typed in my hometown, a summer time hot spot in upstate New York: Saratoga Springs. One hit. So the concept is building its base.

The listings are presented without the clutter found on your typical internet search travel sites. Even the Dwellable website site is clean, the way you expect your room: no clutter, simple and effective with a nice view. That is, the pictures are quality. Using the app to explore lodging availability is a click away.  More photos pop up, feature descriptions and contact. Some listings include a convenient calendar. Since we are not dealing with major hotels, but privately owned lodgings each owner may have a preferred way of contact…email, website, phone etc. 

Why would I use this app?  Because I just arrived unplanned and unscheduled in a city. Maybe a spontaneous excursion or when  the airlines dumped me due to weather.  I pretended this happened in Minneapolis.   I discovered seven places in the city, and using the map I find one located near the airport. A charming 2 condo bedroom for $150.  I had to scroll into the text to find a phone number, but the email was front and center.  I would want the phone number first. 

I couldn’t think of any reason not to use this. And I couldn’t think of any reason why someone with lodging  – say in Saratoga – wouldn’t want to be on Dwellable.I don't know the business model - how they make money. There are no stupid ads trolling this app. 

I found lodging limited in some place. It was weird to find accommodations in Scio, Ohio but none in Cleveland. If Dwellable continues to serve up a clean and easy to use display I am sure this will grow.  If you’re headed to Lake Tahoe you can filter through the 1723 rental options – selecting price, beds and options like pet friendly, swimming pools. And then use the map to be exactly where you want to settle in.. north end or south of Lake Tahoe.  My beef with some apps is some are difficult to quit, exit, stop. Not so with Dwellable.   

A couple little hiccups: “Sadly we don’t have the exact calendars for these rentals” popped up frequently when trying to zero in on a availability date.  And if you have gone deep into a search and would now like to try a new location, only a repeated use of the back button will take you home.  But save a favorite and it will always be there. Kind of like having the porch light on.

Armed with the knowledge that there are fifteen Dwellable lodging sites in Volcano I’m off to find the lava that flows from Kilauea.  Now there should be an app for that.