Hotels and Resorts on the Big Island

I stayed here last year during the summer and I would come back again! We (my family and I) had suite at the north end of the hotel which was very comfortable and roomy. The best thing about this hotel is that it is adjacent to the beautiful Hapuna Beach with its white sands and blue water. The room that we stayed in was very comfortable and private. We could see the ocean and there was a nice green lawn in front of our balcony. I like the design of the hotel which is very open with sprawling grounds. Much of the flooring in the lobby and throughout the hotel is made of natural slate and wood. We ate in several times through Room Service and we had dinner once at the Coast Grille which was outstanding. We also ate at the snack bar near the pool during the afternoon. The views from the Coast Grille were awesome since we sat outside facing Hapuna Beach. We went to the pool almost every day and played ping pong near the pool lawn. Their restaurant near the golf course was just okay since a swarm of bugs lingered near us the whole time that we were there. Service was very good and most of the staff was very attentive and friendly. I would recommend staying at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel if you come with your family. Try to get a room near the lobby entrance because some of the rooms are quite a way from the lobby and it takes a long time just to get to your room.

Formerly the Naniloa Hotel, this hotel is now under renovation but it is open to the public. The hotel has 382 guestrooms with about 132 rooms already renovated. They have a pool, 2 restaurants, a semi-private golf course, and have an outstanding view of Hilo Bay. The hotel is within walking distance to beautiful Banyan Drive that winds through picturesque Reed's Bay and the lovely Liliuokalani Gardens. If you drive to the parking lot you will see an empty parking lot and one of the hotel's towers looks like it needs to be demolished. Their spa is still being renovated and will be ready by the year 2010! Until their hotel is fully renovated I would recommend staying at either the Hilo Hawaiian (high rise hotel), Hilo Seaside (low rise budget hotel) or Uncle Billy's at Hilo Bay (low rise budget hotel). The Naniloa Volcanoes Resort offers renovated rooms in 3 different categories such as gardenview, ocean view and ocean front. Their renovated garden view rooms start at $99 (without tax) and increase to $139 for their renovated ocean front rooms. To get to the hotel you need to take the Airport Access Road to first signal which is the junction with Highway 11, then turn right onto Highway 11 (Kanoelehua Ave.). Continue driving down Hwy 11 to next signal at Kamehameha Ave. (1 mile). Then drive through the intersection and onto Banyan Drive. There you will see the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Uncle Billy's at Hilo Bay, the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort, and further down is the Hilo Seaside hotel.

Drive less than a half mile on Banyan Drive, you will see a big sign "Naniloa" on the right-hand side of the road and follow it to the lobby of the Resort.

This hotel is still in operation since 1917 when a Japanese family opened it in Captain Cook. It offers clean, simple accommodations, delicious home cooking, and a lot of aloha spirit, all at budget prices. The older rooms with shared bath ar plain (22 rooms) and the rooms with private baths (42 rooms) in the new wing are still pretty spare (no decorations and no TV), but they are clean and surrounded by Japanese gardens with a koi pond. Adventuresome travelers might want to stay in the Japanese rooms with Tatami Mats to sleep on and Furo (deep hot tubs). Rooms can be reserved as a single or double occupancy, with a maximum of 3 occupants. The third floor rooms are more expensive and have the most spectacular views of the Kona coastline. Rates range from $60 - $65 per day (double occupancy) for rooms on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. Japanese rooms are about $78 per day for double occupancy. The Restaurant located within the hotel. It offers the delicious local and American foods at reasonable prices. The dining room setting is typical of old Hawaii, with a spirit of family hospitality. The waitstaff are very nice and have a lot of aloha spirit. I would recommend staying at this hotel if you are on a budget and you are sightseeing in the area.

This classy low rise hotel is very striking in its appearance with its stark white five-story building with a whale sculpture. This resort/condo complex is 2 miles from the main drag in Kailua-Kona. The hotel is stepped back from the ocean for maximum views and privacy. The grounds feature a waterfall and lush garden atrium. Hanging bougainvillea add beauty to the white exterior of the hotel. For the price of a moderate hotel room, you'll get a large room with a large, sunny lanai, a full kitchen, and a washer and dryer. There is unlimited tennis at their tennis courts, 2 pools, spas, a sauna and barbecue facilities as well as services such as voice mail, a small store, and a concierge desk. The small studios run about $155, the 1-bedroom suites are about $165, and the 2-bedroom suites run about $195. The only downfall of this hotel is that there is no ocean swimming here since the shoreline is rocky. If you want to go to a hotel with an excellent beach, then I would recommend staying at the Outrigger Keauhou Resort which overlooks Kahalu'u Bay. Kahalu'u Bay is ideal for snorkeling and surfing (when the surf is big). Even though the room that we stayed in looked a bit dated, it was still spacious and clean. The front desk staff were friendly and the hotel is beautiful and surprisingly quiet. Since there is no bar on the property the hotel is quiet and you don't hear a lot of kids or loud noises at night. I would recommend staying at this hotel if you want to stay at a condo that is relaxing with no frills.

This is another popular hotel in Kona. Who doesn't know Uncle Billy's in Kona? This is where a lot of locals stay (from the Big Island as well as from neighbor islands). The lobby is very Hawaiian with a thatched rooms and the hotel restaurant looks like a Polynesian long-house. The rooms are very basic with nothing fancy (similar to the rooms at Uncle Billy's Hilo Bay Hotel) but they're comfortable and come with large lanais. Most rooms also have mini refrigerators (request one at booking if you want one), and some units have kitchens. Note that it can be noisy at night especially during holidays like Labor Day and when the hotel is fully booked. The hotel looks a bit rundown, especially the flooring and the beds. The fishponds that run through the hotel needs an overhaul. The swimming pool isn't the best and other hotels on Ali'i Drive have bigger an cleaner pools. The curtains in some of the rooms look really damaged. Overall, it is a budget hotel and you get what you pay for. On the upside, the rate includes a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant - Kimo's. The overall location is great since it is in the heart of Kailua-Kona. Rates begin at about $115 for a standard room but I would definitely choose another hotel on Ali'i Drive like the Royal Kona Resort, the Outrigger Keauhou Resort, or the Sheraton Keauhou.

This beautiful hotel on the ocean was built in 1968. It has an unusual design like a white mountain. It is located close to the main drag on Ali'i Drive which makes it within walking distance to all the shops and restaurants in Kailua-Kona. As you enter the open-air lobby you can hear the sound of waterfalls and smell the salt air of the ocean. There are three main buildings spread out over the property. The higher the room, the better the view and the higher the rate. All units are the basically the same with coffeemakers, refrigerators, safes, two double beds, and a nice bathroom. Rates start at $115 for a gardenview room in the Bay Tower. Note that there is no white sand beach in front of this hotel, so the hotel has a saltwater lagoon with a man-made sandy beach which is great for children to swim in. But note that this small lagoon can get rough when the surf is up during the winter months. There is also a freshwater oceanfront pool and a children's pool in the hotel. The 4 lighted tennis courts are wonderful and there are two golf courses (in Keauhou) just minutes away. There's open-air casual dining right on the ocean's edge at Don the Beachcomber Restaurant and Don's Mai Tai Bar. Even though this hotel is old the hotel renovated its rooms in two towers in 2006. If you want to eat in town, there are several restaurants within walking distance such as Huggo's, Lulu's, Rios, Thai Rin, etc. I would recommend staying at this hotel if you want to be close to the main drag on Ali'i Drive. Also it is a nice alternative to King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel.

This seems like a landmark hotel because it has been around for quite some time now. It sits in front of Kamakahonu Bay and to the right of the Kailua Pier. King Kamehameha the Great's royal residence was adjacent to the current site of his namesake hotel. There is a heiau (stone temple) in the back of the hotel on Kamakahonu Bay called Ahu'ena which was dedicated to the God Lono. I have stayed at this hotel many times and have seen the many changes that the hotel has experienced. It isn't as crowded as it used to be about 15 years ago. The hotel shows its age but hopefully it will get a big makeover soon. Guestroom categories include standard ($119 without tax), partial oceanview ($139 without tax) and oceanfront rooms ($179 without tax) as well as oceanfront suites. Each category is available with either two double beds or a king bed. Since I always get the kama'aina rate I always end up with the standard rooms that overlook the roof. Each guestroom has a coffeemaker, T.V., refrigerator and a nice bathroom. The balcony overlooks the roof if you get a kama'aina rate. The rooms is nothing fancy and the last time that I stayed at the hotel the room smelled musty. I paid the kama'aina rate of about $100 (without tax) which is a bargain compared to some of the other hotels along Ali'i Drive. The best part of the hotel is its location since it is within walking distance to the shops and restaurants that are on the main drag in Kona. They also have a very nice pool with a hot tub that is really popular during the summer months. Their pool is nothing fancy but it is large enough to swim and dive in. The Prime Rib and Seafood Buffet on Fridays and Saturdays are awesome and their daily breakfast buffets at the Kona Beach Restaurant is worth the wait. I had their Prime Rib and Seafood Buffet on numerous occasions with family and friends and it is awesome. The restaurant overlooks Kamakahonu Bay and the Ahu'ena Heiau. I would recommend coming to King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel if you want to stay at a nice Hawaiian Hotel located near the main drag in Kailua-Kona town on Ali'i Drive. There is paid parking in the hotel's large parking lot on the right. I would personally stay at another hotel because I don't like the lower floor rooms that overlook the roof which they always give to me since I pay the kama'aina room rate (Hawaii resident rate). Of all the hotels on Ali'i Drive, I prefer the Sheraton Keauhou and the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort.

This hotel has been around for a very long time. It has changed owners many times over the decades but the hotel still keeps to its plantation roots. The original hotel was built in 1908 as the club for the plantation managers and became the center of social activity for the plantation workers. Today it continues to operate as an old style hotel for visitors and kamaainas (locals) as a home away from home. My family and friends have stayed at this hotel over the years and my husband's relative operated and owned the restaurant that is in the same building at the hotel a few years ago. Over 20 years ago I stayed at this hotel and ate at the restaurant when I lived on Oahu. Back then people from Oahu heard about the wonderful surf and turf dinners that the restaurant had on its menu. If you want to stay at a hotel that is budget friendly with no frills then this is the place to stay at. The town is an excellent place to visit if you want to see the remnants of plantation life when sugar was an important industry on the Big Island of Hawaii. There is a beautiful mural at the right of the parking lot that depicts plantation life in the old days when sugar ruled. This is a nice place to stay at if you want to visit Waipio Valley Lookout and take a walk down the narrow winding road to the Valley Floor and Waipio Beach. They have wonderful Ocean View rooms (recommended) that overlook the serene ocean along the Hamakua Coast ($80 - $90 tax included). Note that there are no balconies and fancy lounges...just simple, rustic rooms. Their Ocean View Rooms include queen size beds, cable TV, and a private bath. The decor is simple with country style decor and large windows that overlook residential houses and the blue ocean in back of the hotel. Their prices include breakfast which is a wonderful plus if you are on a budget. Note that this is an old hotel with creaky wooden floors and country furnishings. If you get hungry there are about a half a dozen eateries that include a health food restaurant, a pizza restaurant (often with live music), a drive in, a sports bar and restaurant. The Hotel restaurant is not open, other than for parties and conferences. The hotel provides WIFI access, conference and meeting rooms and all rooms are non-smoking. Even though Honokaa is a sleepy town, there are tennis courts at Honokaa Park near the Honokaa Complex (within walking distance), a pool, a grocery store (TKS), numerous gift shops, thrift shops (next door), several banks, churches, and a library. The Hele On bus stops daily at different locations in Honokaa town and continues to either Hilo or South Kohala (though I wouldn't recommend catching this bus since it is usually filled with hotel workers and there are many stops before you reach your destination). I would recommend staying at Hotel Honokaa Club if you are budget conscious and you want to experience the slow pace and plantation life of Honokaa Town. Also this is a nice hotel to stay at if you plan to spend some time in Waipio Valley. To get to Hotel Honokaa Club, take Highway 19 from either Hilo or Kona and get on Highway 240 in Honokaa. The Hotel is on mainstreet (Hwy 240) in Honokaa. Look for the Hotel sign and the plantation mural in front of the Hotel.

This is where I stay at if I need to find a hotel in Hilo. Sometimes I need to stay overnight in Hilo (for a sporting or a school event) since the drive home is about an hour away. This cute hotel is a low rise hotel, unlike its high rise neighbors - the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and the Naniloa Volcanoes Hotel. What I like about this hotel is the Hawaiian decor and ambiance. Uncle Billy's is one of the two least-expensive places to stay along Hilo's Hotel row, Banyan Drive (Hilo Seaside is also another inexpensive low rise hotel). This is an oceanfront budget hotel in a great location, and they have wonderful car/room packages. You enter via a tiny lobby that is dressed up in Polynesian style, complete with thatched like decor and tapa covered walls. The rooms are very simple, complete with a bed, TV, phone, closet, coffee maker and soap and clean towels in the bathroom. Since the walls are thin, it can get very noisy at night but who can complain with budget rates and a very friendly and accomodating staff? The hotel rates also include a continental breakfast served up in a small room downstairs next to the lobby. There are a lot of locals that stay at this hotel for local events. I would recommend staying here just for the old Hawaii charm of the hotel, the friendly staff, and for the inexpensive rates.

This is an older hotel but it is always in good shape and it is probably the most classy hotel on Banyan Drive. All rooms have a/c, a TV, phone, restaurant, and there is a pool. The Hilo Hawaiian occupies the most beautiful grounds and landscaping of any hotel in Hilo. From the hotel's veranda, you can see Coconut Island, and the lovely Hilo Bay. Although the interior halls and rooms in the hotel are sort of dim, it is a very nicely kept hotel. The service and staff are attentive and the hotel is usually quiet, unlike its neighbor, Uncle Billy's Hilo Bay Hotel. You wouldn't want to stay at the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort because it looks like it is going through major construction. It must be noisy and it does look shabby from Uncle Billy's Hilo Bay Hotel. I'm not sure if they are still taking reservations at the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort which is under new management. The hotel buffet, especially the Friday and Saturday seafood version, is absolutely out of this world. If you are not looking for a budget hotel then this would be the place to stay at.

This older hotel across the street from Harrington's on Banyan Drive is a quaint and charming budget hotel. It is clean and well kept and has a Polynesian ambiance. Room prices are reasonable starting around $82 for a standard room. Their room categories range from standard (garden view), superior (Hilo Bay or poolside view) and deluxe (near lobby). They also offer room/car packages. The grounds are laid around a central courtyard and there is a nice koi pond to the right of the entrance. Rooms are very comfortable with a TV, beds, air-conditioning, a refrigerator, and standard bathroom. The rooms have the jealousy type of windows so you can see out into the garden or pool area. Note that if you get a standard room (garden view) it could be located at the far end of the lobby so if you have someone in your party that has a hard time walking far, then get a superior or deluxe room which is closer to the lobby. They recently added new tile to the area around the pool so it looks a lot better now. They also have a nice restaurant located right next to the hotel lobby. For the reasonable price and great location, I would recommend staying at the Hilo Seaside if you are on a budget. Don't expect anything fancy at this hotel because it is very similar to staying at a Best Western Hotel.

This past weekend we (my family) stayed at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort. We had a choice of staying at either the Sheraton Keauhou or the Outrigger Keauhou but we chose the Outrigger Keauhou because the kama'aina rate was more affordable. Sheraton Keauhou had a kama'aina rate of $169 for a standard room without breakfast and Outrigger Keauhou had a kama'aina rate of $130 for a Partial Ocean View room with two breakfast buffets included in the rate. When we checked in on 9/27 it went smoothly without any problems. We took the elevator up to the 4th floor (our room was 434) and we were pleasantly surprised by the nice green carpet and the beautiful green walls. Our room was very nice and the Hawaiian print bedspread and green carpet added a nice touch to the room's decor. We were surprised to see a square shaped bathtub (we never saw this before). The view from our room was very beautiful since it overlooked the newly restored Hapaiali'i Heiau which is magnificent. The view of the large tide pools and the heiaus (stone temples) are awe inspiring. I think that the hotel has a feeling of "Old Hawaii" which is a trademark of Outrigger hotels in Hawaii. We went down to the lobby to check out the Kama'aina Terrace and the Verandah Lounge. Both dining rooms have a wonderful view of Kahalu'u Beach and King Kalakaua's Beach House. The view of the ocean nearby is very soothing and relaxing. There are 2 large koa canoes (both handmade) that are on display in the lobby. One is for about paddlers and the other canoe is for 6 paddles, including the steersman. The larger canoe is beautiful. We left the hotel shortly after we checked in to go to a football game at Konawaena High School. After the football game we came back to the hotel to sleep. Our beds were very comfortable and the room was very clean. In the morning we go ready and went downstairs to the Kama'aina Terrace for the breakfast buffet. The buffet was very nice and there was a good assortment of hot and cold breakfast items. After breakfast we walked around the hotel, saw the fitness center (kind of small), took pictures of the heiaus, checked out the surf at Kahalu'u Bay (small surf), saw the pool (kind of small), and went back to our room to check out. All in all, it was a nice visit. I think that the Sheraton Keauhou has a better pool (their pool is huge and it has a slide), a better restaurant, a better lounge, and a better fitness center but the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort has a better beach which is Kahalu'u Bay. They also have a better Kama'aina rate of $130 which also includes breakfast. There is parking at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort but they charge $7 per day. I would recommend staying at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort if you want to stay at an affordable hotel with breakfast included in their room rate. Kahalu'u Bay is one of the best snorkeling spots in all of Kailua-Kona and Kahalu'u Bay has one of the best surfing spots (besides Banyans) on Ali'i Drive.

Like the Hilo Seaside, the Kona Seaside Hotel is a no frills budget hotel located on Palani Road near King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. It is within walking distance to Ali'i Drive and Kailua Bay where most of the small shopping malls and restaurants are located. The rooms are simple and cozy and overlook Kailua town and part of Kailua Bay depending on which room you stay in. Standard rooms (poolside) start at $88, Superior rooms (garden view) are $98, and Deluxe rooms (partial ocean or mountain view) are $110. All rooms include a refrigerator, air conditioning, There are two pools, laundry facilities, and 4 oceanfront restaurants nearby. Rates begin at about $100 for a standard room with double beds. The rooms remind me of the rooms at a Best Western hotel. The atmosphere of the hotel is very relaxed with a local flair. The staff are very friendly and are full of the "aloha spirit". There is a large open deck that overlooks Ali'i Drive which is the main drag that runs through Kailua-Kona town. I would definitely recommend staying at this hotel if you are looking for something simple and affordable. To get to this hotel from the Kona Airport, continue south on Highway 19 (Queen Kaahumanu Highway) until you past the Old Industrial Area on your right. Make a right turn on Palani Drive and head makai (toward the ocean). You will see the Kona Seaside Hotel at the intersection of Kuakini Drive and Palani Drive.