Hilo Hawaiian Hotel

Great Views, Great Price, OK Rooms

My husband and I stayed here when I came to Hilo for work and we extended the time and made a vacation out of it. First impressions of the hotel room were NOT so good, however the view from our balcony did help make up for it. We were expecting a little nicer place than what we found, but were somewhat sad to leave four nights later as we got ready to stay at the Mauna Lani Hotel and Bungalows on the other side of the island. The Hilo Hawaiian really grew on us and we did use the refridgerator that was included in the room to store the fresh pinapple we bought at the farmer's market downtown. We were able to get out and see a lot from there so felt like the location was really great. If we were to go back to Hawaii (which we'd love to do) I would spend more time on the Hilo side of the island which I preferred for its lushness.

I would look into a bed and breakfast though. However, if I didn't see one I liked, I wouldn't hesitate to stay again at the Hilo Hawaiian, especially now that I'd know what to expect.

While there we went to the Botanical Gardens which were really fabulous! We also enjoyed Volcano National Park -- we got to walk right up to the lava flowing down the mountain which was pretty intense but a LONG walk! We also really enjoyed the observatory at the top of Mauna Kea (? the highest volcano) which was really very interesting and VERY cold!

Great stay at the Hilo Hawaiian, great views, friendly people

We had a great time at the Hilo Hawaiian. The service is great, people were very friendly. The pool though is not heated, very cold. That and no gym was the only disappointment.

Don't waste your time and money!

We spent two nights too many at this hotel which is more like a really, really, really old motel. We did not get an ocean view room, but can't see how it would ever be worth the money. While we recieved tons of useful insider information from the front desk staff and terrific service at breakfast, sparkling service and bright smiles cannot overcome the hotels dusty carpets, dark rooms and downtrodden furniture. The facilities at the Naniloa next door seemed slightly "newer" in comparison, but a conversation with a couple that stayed there for 10 days inidicate that the rooms in that hotel are no better.

On our last nights in Hilo we stayed at an inexpensive bed and breakfast and would suggest that anyone willing to pay 80 dollars or more per night look into that option. Skip the Hilo Hawaiian (and all the hotels in Hilo located on Banyan Tree road) except to take a picture of the Babe Ruth's banyan tree and a walk through the truly beautiful gardens next door.

Think twice about this place

Front desk person wasn't very nice. We were there over Christmas and had been told we would have a room high up with an ocean view. We were placed on the third floor and looked at the top of the garage. No balcony for us. Also the remote control on the TV didn't work and we had ants in the room which weren't taken care of. Also couldn't sleep late as the housekeeper knocked on the door every morning at 8 AM to make up the room. Would think twice about staying there again.

Wonderful Stay at Hilo Hawaiian

First of all I want to thank the other reviewers who did not lead us astray in telling us to stay here at tripadvisor.com

I just went with my husband on a 3 week business trip (I went for pleasure). We stayed at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and loved it. It is not one of those glitzy resort hotels, but it is clean and friendly place to stay. The large staff was excellent and very accomidating. It was really like a home for us for 3 weeks. Pay the extra $$ and get an ocean view room!!! The view is spectacular!! It was so nice to sit out on the balcony looking at Hilo Bay ever morning. We had a King size bed and our room was HUGE!! We would definately stay there again if we went back. Some of the other hotels in the area (Banyan drive) looked kinda sleezy. We enjoyed the "Big Island"! Our favorite place was the Botanical Gardens (located on the Onomea Bay), don't go to the World Bontanical Gardens, they are an imitation and a real let-down, but the Botanical Gardens at Onomea bay (just north of Hilo) are SPECTACULAR!

We also enjoyed Hapuna Beach (on the other side of the Island, north of Kona). It was the most beautiful white sand beach and clear, turquoise water. Most of the coastlines on the big island are rocky, so this is one of the only beautiful all white sand beaches we found. The volcano national park is interesting, the park is huge and a lot of driving and walking, but if you go when the volcano is really active (which is wasn't very good when we were there) it would be a lot of fun to watch.

But there is a lot of trails of previous destruction, that are quite interesting. Hilo, HI is not a really touristy part of the big island, but it does make a good place to spend a few weeks where it is pretty quiet and you are close enough to all the fun things to go see. Just get a rental car with unlimited miles and you can't go wrong! You will feel like a real explorer, driving the countryside. It is so plush and beautiful on the hilo side of the Island - like a big rainforest!!! We loved it!! Hope you enjoy your stay!!

Decent place to stay, WONDERFUL views

The views from our room were absolutely fantastic. The hotel itself was okay, but Hilo in itself was not that great. I wouldn't recommend staying there for more than 2-3 days to explore the southeastern part of Hawaii. Overall, though, this was an excellent value, and again, the views were unbeatable!

Good bang for the buck!

Stayed there around 5/2003 for about a week and enjoyed our stay. The rooms were clean and the people were all friendly which is typical on the Big Island. They had enough parking and best of all, it was FREE.

Nice little bar in the lobby, however, smoking in unfortunately allowed. I recommend the hotel and would stay there again. Good bang for the buck!

Loved it.......

We stayed there 5 days, and loved every min. Look forward to returning........

Nice View

One of the best hotels in the Hilo area. Hilo itself isn't the most exciting town...a bit run down and not to many dining and evening activity options. However, the location is a good base for exploring the southern half of the Big Island (including Volcano National Park). Parking is also convenient and was free. Oceanview rooms are nice, have ample space, quiet and overlook Coconut Island. Although rooms don't appear to have been renovated in the past 10 years or so, everything was in good working order, clean and equipt with the normal modern amenities including hair dryers, coffee makers and mini refrigerators. Staff friendly and overall atmosphere was low-key and relaxing.

Nice Hotel in Hilo

We (family) stayed at the Hilo Hawaiian in July 2002 for two nights. We found the hotel to be neat and clean and the staff very friendly. The room itself was fairly standard with two double beds and a refrigerator. The view (ocean veiw) from our room was fabulous. The room overlooked tide pools and coconut island. We were a little disappointed in Hilo itself. The town seems to have fallen on hard times. It was great to be close to the volcano and the rainforest, however we enjoyed the time on the Kona side of the island much more. The zoo was a great attraction (and was free) as was the Botanical Garden. Cafe Pesto was one of our favorite restaurants.