Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel

I have traveled to the Hilo side of the island several times this past year. I found an unexpected passion for the back to basic side of the Big Island. This hotel is in a good location if you want or need to stay in Hilo. If you are more flexible I suggest staying in Volcano where there is a better choice of B&Bs that function well for business and personal travel. I wanted to write a review praising Volcano Village Lodge, but it wasn't listed.
The Castle is the best choice in Hilo, but it is still only a 2.5 star hotel. The bar and restaurant have been renovated and I found them both to be welcoming. The staff in the bar and restaurant were fantastic.
If you get a chance I suggest breakfast one day at Ken's as it is open 24 hours.

Unique Quality: The hotel is in Hilo and that is good.

I have stayed at three other hotels on Hilo since I frequent Hilo for business purposes. The Hilo Hawaiian is by far the best choice to stay. The folks are friendly, the food is better than average and the room condition is better than average. Now, I would not say this is an Omni, or Four Seasons, but it is far better than Uncle Billy's and the Naniola next door to it.

Hilo Hawaiian sits in a picturesque location on Hilo Bay fronting Coconut Island. By no means is it a luxury hotel and they do not claim to be. At no time did I recieve less than a gracious and friendly attitude by the staff! I usually go there on Monday mornings with friends to have breakfast at the Queens Court. They are open daily for breakfast and dinner. Three days out of the week, they also serve lunch. The facility is set up mostly for business or party functions. They have a pool but its not the biggest of attractions with beaches near by. Hilo Hawaiian is the cleanest and finest for hotel stays in Hilo.

Unique Quality: Hilo Hawaiian sits just a few yards from the bay with Coconut Island right across. There are a few stores located along Banyan Drive that front the hotel.

Directions: From the airport, turn right, take the center lane. Go straight until you see Kens House of Pancakes on the left. Around the bend at Ice Pond and Reeds Bay, youll see the hotel after two other hotels and condos.

The Hilo Hawaiian is right on the bayfront, and offers great views. It's an older building, the hotel shows it's wear...but everything about it is so..."Hawaiian." I couldn't stop tinking about my parents being here forty years ago, and it looking just as it does now.

The rooms are very clean, and the staff is incredibly friendly. The best thing about it, we got a waterfront room for under $100 a night. With deals like that, I'll bite.

Hilo can be a great place to start a day at the volcano or exploring waterfalls for the day. There are few "hotels" in Hilo to begin with, and this one fits the bill. It's gonna rain, everyday. But it clears up quickly.

The restaurant downstairs, the Queen's Court, offers a great seafood buffet on Friday and Saturday nights. MAKE reservations. This is popular with the locals.

Unique Quality: Our room overlooked the cove. Even when it rained, the views was relaxing.

FYI...our room was haunted.