{"id":1037,"date":"2016-07-06T04:50:16","date_gmt":"2016-07-06T14:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hilovacationhomes.com\/?post_type=flawles_hilo_east&p=1037"},"modified":"2022-05-16T17:30:10","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T03:30:10","slug":"where-to-stay-in-hilo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hilovacationhomes.com\/where-to-stay-in-hilo\/","title":{"rendered":"Hotels, Vacation Rentals or B&Bs in East Big Island"},"content":{"rendered":"

An overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

One has three alternatives.\u00a0 The most obvious choice is a hotel.\u00a0 A very popular choice is renting a vacation home.\u00a0 Lastly, a much less popular choice is a bed and breakfast.\u00a0 The reasons for choosing each will be detailed below.<\/p>\n

Hilo is small.\u00a0 I only takes 10 minutes to drive from one side to the other.\u00a0 Therefore, the location isn\u2019t important except if you are spending time at the facility enjoying the grounds and area around the facility.<\/p>\n

Hilo is old.\u00a0 This is the charm of the town.\u00a0 If you are looking for a \u201cresort\u201d level of hotel, they don\u2019t exist.\u00a0 A common word in hotel reviews is \u201cdated.\u201d\u00a0 No hotel has anything more than a modest pool.<\/p>\n

Hilo is wet and humid.\u00a0 This is what makes it so beautiful, but it is also what can make a room \u201cmusty\u201d smelling.\u00a0 Towels and bedding must be washed in bleach and thoroughly dried.\u00a0 If left unused too long the smell tends to come back.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t unhealthy, but most people are sensitive to even a small amount of moldy smell.<\/p>\n

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Choosing between a Hotel, House or B&B<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny how people are fine spending between $600 and $1,200 per person to fly to Hawaii, $400 for a rental car for a week and then try to save $50\/night getting the cheapest hotel\/house.\u00a0 You get what you pay for.\u00a0 You will forget about the additional $500 you paid, but you will always remember a magical location you want to come back to one day.<\/p>\n

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Hotel \u2013 Short stays. Small groups. Place to sleep only.\u00a0 Houses charge a cleaning fee regardless of how long you stay.\u00a0 It costs much more to clean a house than a hotel room.\u00a0 Cleaning fees range from $50 to $200.\u00a0 If the stay is only a day or two, a house gets expensive when that fee is averaged over a very short stay.\u00a0 A hotel is great for a party of 2.\u00a0 If you find a large hotel room with 2 queen beds, you can get 4, although there is no privacy.\u00a0 Hotels have A\/C, homes do not.\u00a0 This is because a hotel doesn\u2019t have enough windows to keep a room cool with just fresh air.\u00a0 Still, if your health requires A\/C a hotel is a plus.\u00a0 Hotels are fine for a couple of days, but not so fine for a week.\u00a0 Longer stays require laundry facilities and the desire to cook basic meals.\u00a0 Neither easily done at a hotel.<\/p>\n

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House \u2013 If you are more than a couple, you will appreciate the privacy of a house.\u00a0 You won\u2019t need to share a bedroom with 3 other family members.\u00a0 Staying a few days?\u00a0 Get groceries at Walmart or Safeway and BBQ outside near the water.\u00a0 Look for a house you want to relax at.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t cost much more to be on or near the ocean.\u00a0 If you go in the ocean and want to dry your clothes, you will have a dryer at hand.\u00a0 Get a house where the yard is cut back.\u00a0 Otherwise mosquitoes will be a big problem.\u00a0 Houses allow you to enjoy the waves of the ocean.\u00a0 Sounds odd, but Hotels are in the bay, behind the breaker wall.\u00a0 If you came to Hawaii to enjoy the ocean, the bay location doesn\u2019t offer that.\u00a0 VRBO is by far the largest booking site for homes.\u00a0 They are owned by Homeaway and the home listings are generally identical.<\/p>\n

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Bed and Breakfast \u2013 The only reason to book a Bed & Breakfast is if you like to meet new people.\u00a0 They otherwise have the drawbacks of both of the above.\u00a0 There is little privacy, thin walls, shared bathrooms and no kitchen or laundry.\u00a0 With Hilo hotels and rental homes offered in great locations, Bed & Breakfasts are not popular.<\/p>\n

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Hotels<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are 5 \u201cmajor\u201d hotels and another few \u201cminor\u201d hotels.\u00a0 The difference being the size of the facility and number of rooms.\u00a0 Below is an overview in order of how nice they are.\u00a0 This is my opinion based on my visits, guests I have spoken with and online reviews.\u00a0 The major hotels are all located on or around Banyan Drive.\u00a0 This area is at the center of Hilo Bay, on the water.\u00a0 Nice area very close to Liliuokalani Park & Gardens and Coconut Island.<\/p>\n

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Major Hotels<\/strong><\/p>\n