I was having difficulty finding an officiant for our renewal of vows, and found Reverend Russ on…read moreYelp. I'm so glad I did. We renewed our vows for our 25th anniversary, and it was important to us to do so in Volcanoes National Park. Rev. Russ worked with us to make the ceremony special. He respected our philosophy with respect to faith. He guided us through a ceremony with Hawaiian traditions that we will remember for a lifetime. We're very grateful to him for making a special day truly magical.

I worked with Russ to arrange a surprise vow renewal for my wife while in Kona. He is very…read moreresponsive and made the whole thing for easy to coordinate with flowers and Hawaiian custom traditions. I would highly recommend Russ.

My wife and I stayed here for two nights in mid June in the Princess Kaiulani room…read more This inn isn't for everyone. There are few of the amenities that most people expect of hotels. Many of the individual rooms have no TV, microwave, ac/heat, mini fridge, or kettle/Keurig in the rooms. Fairly Spartan, but the rooms are clean, the staff is great, the bed is comfy, and there is a decent but limited hot breakfast included every morning. When we went there was a choice between egg scramble, breakfast panini, and French toast. There's also a communal area with a coffee machine and hot water kettle. Instant oatmeal, muffins, juice, and breakfast bar snacks are included. There's a fridge with bigger snacks and cold water for purchase. You're really here for the waterfall and the natural serenity. And both are wildly spectacular. The waterfall is huge, multi-tiered, strong even in the dry season and you can see it from the dining area and several of the rooms. Inn policy is to check in with the innkeeper to see if the water is safe to enter but even if you don't go in, it's relaxing to just read on the deck to the sounds of the waterfall. There's kayaks and standup paddle boards for rent. The water is cold even in June but it is quite refreshing to take a swim in. Do not drink the river water and avoid getting any in your mouth or eyes. For the outdoor enthusiasts, they offer repelling down the waterfall. The Inn does sell day passes to non-overnight guests but waterfall activities have a few morning hours exclusive to overnight guests. When we stayed, the Inn had low occupancy and it was nice having the morning waterfall all to ourselves to paddleboard and swim. There are two trails on the property that both lead to the waterfall. There's also a covered open air structure down river with seats to enjoy nature. Buddha statues are placed along the bamboo trail. Both trails are pretty easy and it's hard not to feel some sense of calm with this much lush jungle. Totally a place you can just peace out, write your novel, read, or just commune with nature. Parking is included in their shared lot. Coqui frogs are out of control and it can be quite loud. We didn't have problems sleeping but you may want to bring ear plugs. Bring bug spray for the mosquitos, slippers/flip flops or water shoes for the waterfall pool and hike. There's a communal box of supplies containing mostly sunscreen. The drive to and from the Inn is rather sketchy as it's through rural Hilo with no street lights, several blind turns on a 1.5 wide road with often very overgrown plants on both sides. Vehicles have to pull off into dirt or plants to let another vehicle pass. Do not recommend driving it late at night, especially when it is raining. There's also the main gate to the Inn and a main gate to the rural road right off from more urban Hilo that closes at night, but also can be opened with the same code you get from the Inn. If you're a nature lover and love waterfalls, you'll find this place absolutely enchanting. But if you're looking for a Waikiki style experience, you'll want to look elsewhere.

This spot is simply perfect. Great staff, beautiful grounds, very comfortable beds, great breakfast…read moreoptions. This is a very special.

We had a great experience staying at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and would definitely come back…read more The best part of our stay was the staff. Everyone we interacted with was friendly, welcoming, and genuinely kind. A special shoutout to Charla at the front desk. She was professional, patient, and handled a difficult guest with grace while still making everyone else feel taken care of. Employees like her really make a difference. The location is beautiful. The ocean views are amazing, there's plenty of parking, and it's a nice area to walk around and enjoy the scenery. Our room's AC worked great, which was much appreciated after spending time outside. The hotel itself is clean but could use some updating. I think it would be nice to modernize certain areas while still preserving the Hawaiian history and charm that gives the property its character. There are also a few maintenance items that could use attention. For example, our towel rack was very loose and some bathroom finishes were showing wear. We also really enjoyed WSW | The Steakhouse. The service was excellent, and the bartender was knowledgeable and made great recommendations. Overall, if you're looking for a comfortable stay with beautiful views, friendly staff, and a relaxing atmosphere, I'd definitely recommend staying here.

I think if you're familiar with the properties on Banyan Dr. you know the Hotels are old. I don't…read moreexpect much, we always stayed at Uncle Billy's (RIP) but decided to try here. First off, the Lobby area is absolutely beautiful and parts of the Restaurant is still under construction. However, the rooms are dated.. extremely dated. We had three rooms for our Family, all on the 8th floor, and our room smelled of straight mildew as soon as we opened the door. Unfortunately we couldn't keep the door open to air it out as it was also extremely humid and there were swarms of termites on the balcony. The wallpaper was bubbling all over the walls, and the rug and chair fabric looked as if it were better to just toss. The minifridge was also busted.. it would freeze all our beverages that weren't placed in the freezer. Annoying but I'd rather it be frigid than warm. The bed was very comfortable and clean.. as well as the bathroom. No signs of rust or mold. No bugs were seen in the room. Front desk was flustered when we checked up, there were a lot of activities in Hilo town this past weekend so although they weren't overly friendly, they weren't rude. Parking is onsite but of course first come first serve. It's nice that they have a garage under as well but if you miss snagging a space, there's street parking. It was a great visit for us so we do recommend it if you get your room at a decent rate. The property is very well kept and the elevators are relatively fast but the location itself is very convenient to everything you need to do.

Super stay and comfy kitschy place with great views. We also really enjoyed our meal here…read more We ticked a bucket list item off with this stay! Mahalo!

Amazing service and epic views and delicious food! We loved it all and huge shoutout to Eddie! He…read moremade this such a wonderful experience

This charming plantation-style inn is nestled on lush property that looks like the Garden of Eden…read more The price can't be beat! The inn has several rooms and a suite, and features a large kitchen with granite countertops, gas barbecue, and outdoor dining area so you can prepare your own food. The decor is "Vintage Hawaii" and the facilities are spotless and neat. Very kid-friendly, plenty of room to roam and explore. It is only 5-10 minutes from beautiful hot ponds and the ocean where you can snorkel or surf. A short drive to the funky, charming little town of Pahoa. Kapoho Village Inn is so peaceful, and set back far from the road. We loved the sound of the coqui frogs at night! Owners are very friendly and helpful, and provide you with a map and lots of information for local sites. LOVE this place!

Such a great find! It's definitely hidden so watch for the sign nearby. Very secluded and off the…read morebeaten path, immersed in what is pure jungle we stumbled across this lovely in. The owner, Chris, was nothing short of hospitable. Everything is at your fingertips here, laundry facilities if you need, a fully stocked kitchen equipped with utensils, microwave, etc. We enjoyed sitting on the back porch after the sun has set listening to the frogs and lovely night sounds and watching the stars and sipping a few drinks. If I ever return to the big island this is definitely where I would stay for much much longer. We don't care about wifi or tv. If you guys want that garbage go stay at your ridiculously priced resorts. This place was perfect for us. Thank you, Chris!

**First thing first, if you are having a beautiful Hawaii wedding with a lot of beautiful scenery,…read moreno one is going to get a better shot than Reed.** Having five stars Photography to shoot our wedding was one of the best decisions we made during our whole process! Reed is just so fantastic and easy to work with. Reed is the BEST photographer for the job. His passion for photography. I really liked how he wants to capture the photo in the moment, rather than using "photo-shop" as a crutch later on. He also does a very good job at time management throughout your wedding day and really keeps things moving. we were a little nervous that our families and wedding party would be all over the place, but Reed did an AWESOME job at wrangling everyone together and snapping photo after photo. honestly feel like Reed entire goal and commitment to every couple is to deliver amazing photos that capture every fabulous moment of your special day!!

Had a great experience with our server Jon. Not only did he help us with our beer selection, but…read morehe helped this tourist group navigate the vulcano must sees and hike, full experience. We had the macadamia nut crusted fish with fries. The crust had a crispy crust and our friends said it was delicious. We had the penne pesto pasta and added some grilled shrimp, added price. The shrimp were (thumbs up) dollar size. The pesto pasta sauce had a great flavor, but it was very watery. Would have loved for those flavor to shine a bit more. Overall we had a great time, with good food and a great server. Definitely recommend

In past years when I did the circle island tours we always came here for lunch and it was always…read moregreat, so when I planned a family trip I reserved dinner here as I knew we'd have a good view of Kilauea. The food was good overall - but you are paying touristy prices. Things my party tried: - Kona kampachi and lobster - this was my pick and it was great! The fish was perfectly cooked and loved the sauce. They include ginger and Japanese pickled veggies, which I love, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. The lobster tail half was also a good size and hit the spot. My only gripe was I didn't have a small lobster fork, so had to dig into the lobster with my fingers. - my BiL devoured the rib eye and said it was good. - my brother really enjoyed the stuffed chicken. It was my second option.. and I won't lie it looked really good. - my SIL for the pesto pasta and added steak. The pasta was meh, but the steak was great. - the kids menu were hits. The mahi mahi comes with fruit, but the hot dog doesn't. It was just odd that fruit wasn't available for all kids menu options. - shrimp scampi pizza was pretty good. Nice flavors. All in all a great family dinner spot with great views. The staff was really friendly too! Would I come back - definitely!

We had Renata and Dominik as our videographers for our wedding in September at the Four Seasons…read moreHualalai. They were one of the videographers recommended by our wedding planner and when I compared the portfolios from all the vendors, the videos from Walczuk Productions made the biggest impression on me. I knew we had to have them film our wedding. It took a bit over 12 weeks to receive our wedding highlights but it was definitely worth it. It was beautifully done! They captured all the emotions and scenery perfectly. All our friends and family loved it. Many said it brought tears to their eyes. In fact, the Four Seasons PR team saw a clip of it and asked us for our permission to use it for promotional purposes. I would highly recommend the Walczuk team for their artistic and beautiful videos!

Simply THE DREAM team that my husband and I could ask for for our wedding video on the Big Island!…read moreThe final product is a professional 9-min short film that perfectly help us re-live the best moments of our big day Prior to our big day, Renata really spent time to understand our love story, our wedding style, and what we were looking for in the video, etc. On the day of, the duo Dominik and Renata worked seamlessly to capture different angles that were later consolidated into the final production. Both of them gave simple and easy-to-follow instructions while filming and my husband and I felt very relaxed and the whole experience fun & enjoyable! Highly recommended to anyone having their big days on Big Island!