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.

Definitely a place you would want to consider when visiting the Hilo side of the Big Island. It's…read morean immense luxury Japanese themed four bedroom / four and a half bath home available for rental on Reeds Island, which is approximately one mile from the historic downtown Hilo. The gorgeous Japanese motif home is surrounded by a thick, lush rainforest, swimmable ponds and waterfalls. Staying at one of Hilo's few ancient hotels or motels or older homes with bed and breakfast options considerably pales in comparison. Of course choose to be lulled to sleep at nights by the thousands chirps from the coqui frogs (and the deep voice of a bull frog or two!) or be prepared and bring along some ear plugs. And don't forget to bring along a can of bug spray repellant. There are tons of mosquitoes outdoors! Take a look at some of the pictures they post on their website. True lush beauty!

Our family's first trip to Hawaii had our group of eight (seven adults and one 22 month old) on the…read more"older" Hilo side of the big island. Looking back on our trip, I am really glad this was the case. Hilo resonated with me personally, having spent much of my formative years in the warmer climes of Africa. The "perfume of green," the subtle sweet aroma of tropical flowers, and the cleanly saline breeze of the ocean are all welcome olfactory recollections. Tucked near the end of a serpentine (and at times single lane) road, one is presented with two gates. Mika Taki is behind the left gate. Fair warning: parking is PRECIOUSLY lean and narrow. (Seriously; pray your neighbor is a better driver than the visiting Canadian Of Counsel that side swiped our parked rental.) Anyway... Back to this awesome vintage Japanese-inspired estate. Basics: 4 bedroom 4 bathroom Sleeps 8 $214 / day $1,393 / week There is a large kitchen good for meal prep (though, if you miss out on the amazing rustic local eateries...you are robbing yourself of a not-to-miss experience). There is comfortable though limited seating to be found in the formal living room, but there is an additional sun room porch good for a lazy mid-day nap. We spent the bulk of our in residence time seated around the large glass dining table. There is also a glorious wrap around covered deck that I strongly recommend in the cooler air of an early dawn's light. The grounds and the exterior of the residence are well worth taking in. The lush green grotto is capped in a Nature's Solarium of varied palm and deciduous species and the steep drop off the back of the house makes for a glorious symphony of birds during the day and loquacious tree frogs at night. Wear your insect repellent religiously unless you do not value your hide. The fairly treacherous descent down the left side of the property does reward you with a bona fide WATERFALL. Vacation well, my friends!

Spectacular in every way…read more Me and my 3 kiddoes stayed 4 nights in the family cottage & wished we could have stayed longer. Like forever. Very clean, beautiful grounds, close to everything. Very smooth check-in, secure parking. Total Hilo vibe. I can not wait to return! Mahalo!!

It was Nice and Quiet clean rooms. Children friendly my kids loved the Beautiful garden and beaches…read morenear by. Also a kitchen to use.At the time only had us it was Awesome coming back real soon Loved it

Not as advertised. Upon arrival we were given a huge list of rules and procedures...I have never…read morein the 15 years I have utilized B&Bs experienced that. The home, while beautiful, is not well taken care of. Our bathroom sink was not draining, the toilet plugged easily, the shower handle was about to fall off, and the shower curtain is missing many hangers. The toiletries and towels were on a tray and then sat on a stool. The tray was clean, but the stool top was disgusting under the tray. It is dirty. Nothing is dusted in the common areas or the room except the obvious things, like our bed and mirror in the bathroom, and there are piles of knickknacks, antiques, & books piled on all of the furniture and under the furniture. This includes on and under the table serving as a buffet/coffee area. The kitchen was closed off and so we never saw if our food was being prepared in a clean space. There were three other guests there at the same time as us and three of us got human hairs in our food. She was unhappy when I used a clean spoon to serve myself. She then served me my spinach by grabbing it with an ungloved hand. She did the same with most of the food. We thought about using the provided snorkel gear but it was filthy and looked a bit moldy. There is no air conditioning which is fine, but the wildlife is loud and we could hear cars periodically. We also heard every word the neighbors were saying...so if you are wanting privacy this is a no go. So if you are wanting something quiet this will not work for you. There were only two towels and two washcloths and we were told she did not have many so we should keep them as long as possible. The grounds had the potential to be beautiful, but they were very overgrown. I expect the little lizards in Hawaii and even think they are cute, but our room had their poop on the walls and shower tile. There were lizards on the wall in the hallway, especially at night. I felt as though were were being watched or I would have taken more photos. I would not choose to stay here again.

I would not recommend this place, but not because of the amenities, but because of the host. The…read morelocation of the b&b was great, however, the host was rude and made things very uncomfortable for us with her attitude. Because everything was sold out, we decided to stay and just make sure we were gone all the time to avoid the host, her breakfast, and the other guests in which she bad mouthed us too. The accommodations were okay, but I would have preferred to stay at a hotel or rent a house so I would not have to deal with a rude hostess. My biggest complaint was that when we overslept for breakfast one morning, which she served at 8:15 (I asked her the night before what time breakfast was and she said - the guests usually choose when to eat, but I serve at 8:15!) she called me and demanded rudely that we come out our rooms to the common area to eat her breakfast 'right now' (her exact words). When I did come out of the room, I overheard her talking negatively about me in the common room to the other guests! This was VERY unprofessional and embarrassing for us, and made for a hostile environment. Nevertheless, I apologized to her immediately for over sleeping and explained that we didn't get in until late the night before, in which she talked over me and was very rude and simply thrust a plate at me and said, 'take this plate!' After this incident I felt very uncomfortable being around her or other the guests, so we made sure to avoid her at all costs, which seemed to work for the rest of our stay. When we checked out, she sent me pictures and accused of us of getting her towels too dirty in which I informed her those weren't our towels. There were a myriad of other things and rules that made this place not amicable, (the food, cleanliness, t.v. too loud and can be heard all night from other rooms, and etc.) however I will just mention the ones above. If you want to chill and have a relaxing time without someone bothering you, accusing you of things, being rude or bad mouthing you to others; if you don't want to answer to someone or walk on egg shells your entire trip, this isn't the place for you. However, if you are perfect and make no mistakes and don't oversleep and eat her breakfast, the host may be pleasant to you. There are hotels and many private rentals right across the street, I would definitely suggest staying there for a more relaxing trip....where you can sleep in and not get in trouble!

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...

Wonderful Hawaiian Hospitality at the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo…read more Coming from Honolulu as a kamaʻāina, I was truly impressed by the warm hospitality I received at the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo - a DoubleTree by Hilton. From the moment I checked in, Miss Brooke, Miss Melissa, and the front desk manager ( young Caucasian man I forgot his name), were exceptionally warm, welcoming, and helpful. Their genuine aloha and professionalism made me feel very well taken care of throughout my stay. The hotel has a beautiful Hilo setting, but what really stood out to me was the service. As someone who lives in Hawaiʻi, I especially appreciate when a hotel reflects the true spirit of aloha, and I certainly felt it here. Mahalo to Brooke, Melissa, the front desk manager, and the entire Grand Naniloa team for making my stay so enjoyable. I look forward to returning on my next visit to Hilo!

Amazing staff. Kailyn at the front desk was awesome. Extremely friendly, knowledgeable, & great at…read morewhat she does. Always nice to feel the Aloha welcome when checking in. We stayed 5 nights which included hurricane Lala. Shout out to Scott at the lobby bar for always keeping our drinks full and the conversation. The hotel was great with communication as far as the hurricane information. Letting us know the power might go out which it did. They provided sandwiches, flashlights, & information. The only part I feel this hotel failed was after the power went out. Everyone wanted to hang out in the open-air lobby & converse with one another. I understand why the bar can't be open, but they forcefully herded us to our rooms around 6:30-7:00pm. I understand the locals need to go home to be with their families & drive safe but it felt like Covid all over and people telling you what you can and can't do. If we had our own beers which a lot of people did, we should've been able to hang out with others in the lobby to chat. Instead, they made us go to our rooms, which were dark with no AC. I heard they had 1 person from each department remain on the property. They could've had someone hang out in the lobby as they were probably worried about people taking from the lobby bar which is understandable. But leave an employee there so we can stay cool, keep having conversations with other guests, and enjoy the open air breeze. Left the day after the hurricane & a lot of water went thru the hotel especially in the stairwell which everyone had to use without the elevators. So yeah the hotel is a little run down but it's in a great location and I would return in a heartbeat because of their employees. Just don't play Dr. Fauci in the next hurricane & let everyone still vacation.

I'm so sorry they closed. I used to stay there for decades. What a disappointment but I'm sure it's…read moregreat for the community.

Very comfortable place. We visited Hilo from Kona and didn't want to drive back. So we found this…read moreplace. It didn't have AC but the fans kept us cool. The Mark was very hospitable and got us situated.

We really enjoyed the beautiful well kept down-to-earth stay. The property is both immaculate and…read morerelaxing. The morning breakfast is delightfully done and creates a nice community feeling. They are SO close to the surfing beach. A nice stroll with coffee to watch the locals was sweet.

I cant take the credit for finding this jewel. My wife did a lot of research and finally settled on…read morethe Orchid B and B. They have two rooms here. One is detached from the house and is rhe smallest. The larger room is located at the entry to the house. It appears that it is a converted living room with a 3/4 bathroom. No tub. The room is decorated nicely in island style and sconce lighting. Nice large flat screen tv on the wall with a swivel. A/c in the room if needed, cieling fans, and a couple nice couches. There is a refrgerator in the room that has a small freezer. There is a microwave on the lanai and a barbeque that can be used also. The breakfasts are outstanding and consist of papayas, mango, bananas, apples, dates and kiwi. In addition Steve makes waffles, and brings in bagels and sweet rolls on alternate days. Theres also, Coffee, yogurt and three types of dry cereal. The grounds are lush and well maintained. You have full access to the pool and hot tub. Theres also a koi pond. The lanai is about 35' x 35' big and really nice with many chairs to lounge on and chill... The only negatives i can think of is the water pressure in the shower is really low and the towels are pretty thin....these things are not deal breakers. Steve and Su are great hosts and we definitley reccomend the Orchid.