The best!!!!!! If I can give 10 stars I will, truly amazing. Randy was the best, hospitality is…read morebeyond expectation. The place is very serene, very clean and just magical . Thank you ! Will surely come back!

Randy and Allison have created one of the most inviting, relaxing, and comfortable specialty inns…read moreimaginable, and for an incredible reasonable price compared to a mainstream hotel. Mahana House is an off-the-beaten path tropical lodge (four rooms, one of which is a suite) that welcomes visitors to its South Pacific-themed oasis just outside of Hilo. We were here for three nights and about 95% of our time here in January there was a constant downpour. My husband and I both came to the conclusion that we were incredibly fortunate that we unknowingly chose to stay at an beautifully manicured inn that made staying indoors and watching the rain actually very enjoyable. We were roomed in the main suite, which was perfectly decorated and furnished, had a semi-full kitchen (including a microwave, fridge, bowls/cups/silverware/etc, along with tea and coffee), spacious bathroom, and a veranda that looked out over the coast and a gorgeous field of grass and trees, complete with comfortable outdoor furniture and tables. Tranquility abounds on this property thanks not only to the surrounding gorgeous countryside but all the small homey touches that Randy and Allison have created to make this an unparalleled vacation house. Not only was our room a welcoming and pleasant place to be, but so was the main common area, an immaculately and luxuriously furnished living room, with a massive kitchen stocked with the basics, and ample seating area both indoors and outdoors. Other perks: an incredibly comfortable king-sized Sleep Number bed, free laundry, a substantial stock of beach supplies, earplugs for the noisy little coqui frogs, coolers/ice packs for day trips, a vast collection of books in the main common area, a thoughtful guide (compiled by Randy and Allison) in each room about exploring the island, and nearby hosts who offer pretty much any help that is needed. Google Maps provides accurate directions to the house, but there are also a few signs pointing you the right way once you are off the main highway. Highly recommend, and would undoubtedly return next time we are in the Hilo area!

Remarkable place nestled along gorgeous beach front and hosted by a dynamic team. Our hostess Val…read morewas a delight and treated every guest with care. Chef Joseph knocked our socks off with delicious menus. We absolutely loved the family style dinners allowing us to socialize with the other guests. Rooms were beautifully designed with unbelievable views. I loved the soaking tub, super comfortable beds and linens. The infinity style pool was a highlight. And the open kitchen allowed us to prepare our own lunches. Breakfast was provided daily and it was always fulfilling and yummy We will be back!!!

Hidden away north of Hilo 30 minutes is this marvelous B&B on the edge of a cliff overlooking the…read moreocean. Originally a home, it now has 6 bedrooms to offer. We had #3 and had the best view I think. Morning breakfasts were wonderfully prepared by the chef who was very attentive and personable. Our room were immaculate and the beds comfortable. I noted it seemed the resident team took efforts to provide superior quality amenities. The grounds were beautifully maintained with many coconut palms and gardens. Very enjoyable and relaxing to walk around.

Pros: Great view, hot tub, pool…read more Cons: Not what it used to be. I've stayed here at least three times since the early 2000s. Gone are the days of live-in hosts who greet you, prepare great breakfasts on the communal deck where you mingle with the other guests, and provide a sense of welcome. I get that all that can change with new ownership and especially in the wake of Covid, but the place is in need of maintenance. The huge view window in the Bamboo room we rented was filthy. Breakfast was marginal. Very sterile rent/check-in process. We are not picky travelers and prefer to be self-sufficient with meals so we brought a lovely fresh fish to grill and they no longer provide an outdoor BBQ! A disappointing stay in comparison to our past experience here.

Pros: Nice View Cons: Everything else. Terrible breakfast,…read moredirty room, missing smoke detector, no staff on hand. Ignore the old reviews and pictures. They describe a very different place and experience. We were bitterly disappointed. It's called a bed and breakfast. This is technically true. There is a bed, and you get breakfast. If you want to be welcomed by a smiling inn keeper and served a piping hot, freshly cooked breakfast, stay somewhere else. First, there is no welcoming staff (or staff at all other than housekeeping). The property is currently managed by a company that runs multiple places on Big Island. We arrived at noon and got a message to just go to the room (it was unlocked) and grab the key. On the plus side, we did ask to check-in early at noon, and that was accommodated. We had the Bamboo room which is more private than the others. Second, the room was dirty. The coffee maker had not been cleaned. There was a bunch of coffee in the paper filter, with several dime-sized blobs of mold. The pot still had some liquid coffee in it (see picture). There was some green something or other on the nightstand. After a few hours, my wife noticed that her socks had turned black, so we walked around in sandals the rest of the time. The shower is moldy (see picture). Third, calling the breakfast uninspired is high praise. When we arrived, inside the small refrigerator in the room we found a plate of cut fruit, two muffins, some milk, two Yoplait yogurts, and a bowl with two hard boiled eggs. That was to be our breakfast for the next day. We ate the fruit, one muffin and the yogurt. The next day, the pattern repeated: a new plate of fruit appeared in the fridge, but no extra muffins (gotta finish them if you want more!), and the yogurt was replenished. That pattern repeated the third day, so that's the extent of the breakfast. (They also have some standard oatmeal packets and granola bars on the desk that looked picked over). Is the fruit plate a collection of local Hawaiian fruits like papaya or pineapple? Nope - bog-standard bananas, apples, cantaloupe, and strawberries. And since it's cut the previous day, the banana and apple start to turn brown by the morning, even though it's in the fridge with plastic wrap on it (see pictures). Oh, did I mention that our room was missing the smoke detector? It had been pulled out, so there is just a hole in the ceiling with wires hanging out (see pictures). The view is great, I will say that. Bottom line, look elsewhere. You've been warned...

Lotus Garden Hilo The Lotus Garden is a proper garden with…read morenative Hawaiian landscaping and natural plants growing everywhere, filling the space with life. It is a compound of different types of living quarters. My favorite place is a studio on th main street. It is a sexy room with a separate sitting area to sip coffee in the mornings. You can hear the energy of morning musings. The outdoor shower has a great water feature that lulls you into sleep like a lullaby. Peace and tranquility reign here. If you are looking for the big box, first-world amenities, don't stay here. There are birds chirping, Coqui frogs and even a few mosquitoes. If you want air condition and perfectly coiffed lawns, go stay somewhere else. But, If you want to "feel" like you are in Hawaii- stay here. Bring your walking shoes because you literally walk to everything you need. KTA is literally across the street. Close to the farmers' market and shopping at all the unique shops in Hilo. Meg and Jasper are a delight. No matter what I have asked of them, they do their best to accommodate. French pressed coffee in the morning, and a Kendrick's and tonic in the evening. If you are lucky, Jasper may play you a song and Meg will tell you of her adventures. Don't just stay one time- this place is always evolving just like a lotus flower, a symbol of rebirth.

Rustic accommodations in a tropical paradise. This location is in the heart of Hilo, with close…read moreproximity to local fine dining, groceries, and the local farmer's market. This hidden gem provides cottages in a lush garden with a koi pond, serene statues and the sounds of nature in the evening. Access to local venues with live music and shaved ice around the corner. Easy free parking across the street. Cottages featuring nature's air conditioning, small kitchen, private living room, porch, and private bathroom. Stroll through the lush garden area and check out the koi pond.

As a past resident of Hawaii for half a year (would have been longer if the DOE didn't wait months…read moreto hire me back!), I stayed here for a couple of weeks when I first moved to town and this place definitely has pros and cons. Pros- - the apartment sizes are very comfortable - nice pool with ocean views (I enjoyed eating outside) - rec room with a pool table - very few kids in the building (quiet building) - walking distance to downtown - one of the only few buildings in town with mainly professional and retired people (opposed to county) - good upkeep Cons- - thin walls (I heard EVERYTHING next door) - horrible parking lot with very narrow spaces 1/4 of which have these huge squared cement poles which I banged my car into 1 time - you hear every single plane - if you are on the side facing downtown you will hear traffic at all hours (trust me on this and I usually sleep through everything) - the 11 minute dryers are a pain in the ass - some sketchy people who hang out in the parking lot (probably from the lower income places across the highway) Wouldn't be a bad place to buy a condo IMO if you do not face the highway. While their HOA is high, they include the electricity which is very, very high in HI. If I am here long term I would consider buying a condo here. This is one of the few nice condos in town. If you are looking into buying in Hilo, most of the condos are dumps. This is one of the "upscale" ones. If in any mainland city this wouldn't be considered upscale at all, but by HI standards it is. I spent weeks looking for a decent rental in Hilo. By decent, I mean by CA standards (and yes, they hate us for thinking you should hire exterminators when you are infested with roaches and termites!!). The only decent rentals are the most expensive properties in Hilo which are 3 condos (many are rentals though) on Kalanianaole, Hilo Lagoon, and Bayshore Tower. The apartments on Kalanianaole are in my dream location but were out of my price range. Bayshore Tower would have been my backup choice. You could easily get a 6 month studio rental furnished with all bills included (aside from internet) for $700-$900 ($900 being for an oceanview). Do not waste your time renting a house in Hilo. With the exception of my buddy's house, all the houses were falling apart and infested with termites and roaches. In the last house I stayed in, roaches regularly came out of the outlets so I had to put tape over them, and regardless of how clean the kitchen was, they were always there too. If you are bug phobic like me and live in HI, ONLY live in a cement building! Everyone I knew in the fancier places never saw a bug in their unit or rarely saw one. Glad to be back in CA and to only come back to HI as a place to vacation! I miss Hilo to some extent but felt like I was living in a third world country.

This inn has changed ownership and name at some point in the past few years (not sure exactly…read morewhen). It's now called the Hilo Town Inn. We chose it for its excellent location but were very pleased overall with the accommodations. It suited us perfectly, was clean, air conditioned, and even had a microwave which is more than I can say for a lot of hotels these days. The owner, Sam, was very helpful prior to and during our stay via text. There was also parking behind the building which was very convenient. We were about as centrally located in Hilo as you can imagine. I loved being able to walk right out to the Hilo Farmer's Market and to various restaurants nearby to enjoy meals. It really is a very basic place to stay. Don't expect resort amenities. That being said, I would definitely stay here again if I returned to Hilo! The location can't be beat and we really enjoyed our stay.

This is a charming, tiny hotel located in the downtown area. You're only about 150 feet from the…read moreFarmer's Market and lots of stores and restaurants. Easy walking distance to almost everything. Our room had a nice view of a park and we could see the ocean/bay, too. My only (minor) complaint involves checking in. There's no front desk so figuring out the code to your door can be a little challenging. I recommend calling well in advance to get any similar questions answered. The room was very clean and attractive. The mini-fridge was also most welcome. Terrific location and reasonably priced.

A beautiful small inn/B&B about 11 miles north of Hilo and 5 miles from Akaka Falls park with…read moreluxurious rooms set amidst lush grounds and high on a cliff overlooking the ocean. We stayed for 3 nights in January in room 5 which was on the end on the top floor. Our very large room featured a great covered patio with a nice ocean view and was quite large and furnished in royal Hawaiian style. Pros - large comfortable room on the end on the upper floor - fairly quiet and located high above the ocean with great views - tastefully furnished b&b that was well taken care of (or course there are small things here and there if you choose to be picky) -I liked the location and plantation style architecture - breakfast is included and way more food than we could eat-one day was French toast, another omelet or any style eggs. Each day in addition there was muffins or pastry, fruit, coffee and juice -very clean and tidy -good wi-fi coverage (no AT&T cell service here) - location was 15 minutes north of Hilo so close to restaurants but far enough away for peace and serenity Opportunities - huge shower but the extreme water saving shower head left me a bit disappointed -small window style a/c kept the room cool enough but also was quite loud all night

Paradise can come in small packages…read more My wife and I stayed for two nights. We found Palms through some travel websites. This was our first time staying in a bed & breakfast. We like to indulge when we travel so big resorts are our preferred accommodation and we travel quite a lot. We aren't the book reader types so the solitude doesn't appeal to us. To tell you the truth I had my doubts the second I reserved the place. Upon arriving at the Palms, all doubts were gone. It was truly beautiful, more so then the online pictures depict. We stayed in the Paradise room on the second floor. My suggestion is to stay in rooms with the A/C. It's nice to sleep with the waves, but when you're sweating you're not going to get much sleep. Simple rules are in place to follow - no shoes in room and luggage on luggage racks. They aren't anything crazy to complain about. I actually like the no shoes thing. Breakfast is served early. Though not an early riser it wasn't hard to wake up to a beautiful view while having homemade breakfast. They provide towels, umbrellas, and coolers for use. We did a lot of hiking so those things came in handy. As oppose to what the guide book say, I recommend staying in Hilo for 3-4 days. There is much to do and the food is excellent this part of the island.

I'm sorry but this place is a total dump! There is no hot water in the bathroom or kitchen, the…read moreshower is outside and has hot water but you can't adjust it while you were in the shower, you have to go outside to shower change the temperature go back in the shower which is around on the other side of a wall. Furthermore the room that I stayed in had a strippers pole in the middle of the room, an extension cord stretching across the room which is a safety hazard, and the worst bed I ever slept on! It must've been a 50 year old boxspring with a 4 inch foam topper. The final straw was the host gave me expired yogurt for breakfast. I checked out after the first night. The people who gave this place great reviews must've been staying in the other unit, otherwise this makes no sense. PS - no TV, no air conditioning, hard location to find on unpaved roads, and a long walk to the cabin from the parking area on the grass.

We stayed for a week here the beginning of February. We lost our home in the Lava Flow and were…read moreoff balance coming back to a different reality. The Enchanted Gardens turned out to be a nice place to stay. Off in the green hills but very close and convenient to Keaau, Pahoa, and even Hilo. Sherri is a beautiful welcoming host and she has gone out of way to make things homey. She did everything she could to make us feel comfortable. Yes it is rustic but that is the point. We don't expect sterile when we visit Hawaii. We want to experience and share the way others live there. Humble but warm and filled with Aloha! You make your visit what it turns out to be. We had a good time and would stay here again. Mahalo.