And so did we... love this place, not fancy but cozy. Ask for a crater rim room, an amazing sight to see in the morning. We loved the big fireplace in the lobby with the giant Koa rocking chairs. Wonderful star gazing at night. Great value for the dollar.

We stayed in the wing across the lot in a family room that had three beds. It was a cabin-type room. There was a living area for the whole building that had a fireplace. The main lodge has had its fire burning for the last 125 years - a great place to sit and rock in front of in the evening. We watched the sunrise over the crater rim with the steam rising and it was a quiet, almost spiritual, moment. I'm very glad we stayed there.

The Volcano House was chosen more for location than anything else. It is the only hotel in the park (we wanted to see the volcano craters) and the Volcano house is as close as you can get. Located in the Volcanoes National Park, you can drive to a variety of different parts of the park and hike to what you want to see. We explored several different trails and went all the way to the edge of several craters (or as close as we could safely get). We were also treated to a beautiful sunrise in the morning (see picture). As for the hotel itself, it was okay and nothing special. It was quiet at night and very low key. I did enjoy reading about the history of the volcano and the hotel on a variety of placards. One big downside is the hordes of tourists that come through the hotel and the hotel dining room. Don't be surprised to see several buses.