Name: Hale Kai Hawaii Bed Breakfast
Address: 111 Honolii Place Hilo,Honolii Place, Paukaa, Paukaa, Paukaa, HI 96720, United States of America
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Rooms

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Free parking

Parking

Swimming pool

Spa tub

Outdoor pool

Beach facilities

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Honoli'i Beach

Honoli'i Beach Park

Hilo International Airport

Hale Kai Hawaii Bed  Breakfast

Paukaa

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

	Pros: Nice View
	Cons: Everything else. Terrible breakfast, dirty room, missing smoke detector, no staff on hand.

	Ignore the old reviews and pictures. They describe a very different place and experience. We were bitterly disappointed.

	It’s called a bed and breakfast. This is technically true. There is a bed, and you get breakfast. If you want to be welcomed by a smiling inn keeper and served a piping hot, freshly cooked breakfast, go elsewhere. 

	First, there is no welcoming staff (or staff at all other than housekeeping). The property is currently managed by a company that runs multiple places on Big Island.  We arrived at noon and got a message to just go to the room (it was unlocked) and grab the key. On the plus side, we did ask to check-in early at noon, and that was accommodated. We had the Bamboo room which is more private than the others. 

	Second, the room was dirty. The coffee maker had not been cleaned. There was a bunch of coffee in the paper filter, with several dime-sized blobs of mold. The pot still had some liquid coffee in it (see picture). There was some green something or other on the nightstand. After a few hours, my wife noticed that her socks had turned black, so we walked around in sandals the rest of the time. The shower is moldy (see picture).

	Third, calling the breakfast uninspired is high praise. When we arrived, inside the small refrigerator in the room we found a plate of cut fruit, two muffins, some milk, two Yoplait yogurts, and a bowl with two hard boiled eggs. That was to be our breakfast for the next day.

	We ate the fruit, one muffin and the yogurt. The next day, the pattern repeated: a new plate of fruit appeared in the fridge, but no extra muffins (gotta finish them if you want more!), and the yogurt was replenished. That pattern repeated the third day, so that’s the extent of the breakfast. (They also have some standard oatmeal packets and granola bars on the desk that looked picked over).

	Is the fruit plate a collection of local Hawaiian fruits like papaya or pineapple? Nope - bog-standard bananas, apples, cantaloupe, and strawberries. And since it’s cut the previous day, the banana and apple start to turn brown by the morning, even though it’s in the fridge with plastic wrap on it (see pictures).

	Oh, did I mention that our room was missing the smoke detector? It had been pulled out, so there is just a hole in the ceiling with wires hanging out (see pictures).

	The view is great, I will say that. Bottom line, look elsewhere. You’ve been warned…

Dirty. Appalling breakfast. Nice view!

The Bamboo Room was a tranquil spot with expansive views of the ocean. We enjoyed the sound of the waves and birds with the warm tropical breeze. We even saw a pod of dolphins from the lanai during breakfast one morning! The parking is tight, but we were able to manage it in our rented Jeep. We will definitely plan to stay in the Bamboo Room when we visit Hilo again!

Beautiful garden-like setting by the water

I booked this hotel before the new management took over.  I will give them credit for good communication throughout the process.  But I have to agree with most other recent reviews.  They need to step up the breakfast, or change the type of hotel.  You can't really call this place a B&B any longer.  It just isn't!  There is a coffee maker, microwave and toaster in the room.  Our welcome letter mentioned breakfast items that just weren't there.  Room is showing some aging.  The parking is scary!  We got lucky as there wasn't another car in the spot near ours, so my husband was able to reposition and straighten up a few times to get our car in correctly.   Also know that they don't have air conditioning.  You can open the sliding glass door and get a nice breeze, but once you close the door at night it's really stuffy.   But the view is amazing!!

You come for the view

This is not your classic bed and breakfast… more like air B and B.  Based on previous reviews, it seems there was a change in Management recently. 
They don’t serve breakfast, with Covid as an excuse which I can understand. But if you are going to do a prepacked breakfast at least put decent granola bars, yogurt, fresh fruit.  Everything was the cheapest quality food. Their  bread looked like one of those packed breads at Walmart. The coffee grounds were not good and tasted like the cheapest coffee from Walmart … which in hawaii I would expect only amazing kona coffee.  If I worked at a bed and breakfast, and had to do prepacked meals I would at least make overnight oats or something that seems more homemade! Breakfast was very disappointing and not appetizing. They also did not refill the eggs my husband ate our second nights 

There was an odd stench in our kitchen like as if food was stuck in cracks. Also food from the previous tenets was left in the sink. 

There was hair in bathroom from previous tenets.
Some fruit flies. 
Parking lot was a little difficult to fit in 

Only pro was the ocean view and sunrises.
I wish we could have stayed when the old owners were there

Seems to lost it charm, would not stay again

We stayed here a couple of nights in the Pele Suite.
It was nice and roomy.  The house is beautiful.

We thought we would be getting breakfast (like a real one).  Unfortunately due to covid there was only toast, yogurt, peanut butter etc.  So kind of disappointing for the price.   We usually enjoy meeting the owners of B&B's but we never did meet the owners.

When we arrived we had no towels.  They kindly brought them down.  There is a community room downstairs, but we didn't find much in there.  And our toaster was broken, so bread was great, but no toast.  There was a little microwave which was great.  The bed was comfy.  Shower tiny, but fine.

The grounds are quite lovely.  In the morning you could hear the surfers next door yelling at each other.  And of course the birds singing.   Otherwise this is in a very quiet neighborhood.

We did not get a chance to use the pool or the hot tub.  Of course it's Hilo, so it rained each day we were here.

We met a lovely couple staying next room over and they were quite lovely to chat with.    Always our favorite way to meet fellow travelers.

Parking is kind of tight in here, but there is parking on site.

A Beautiful House with Great Views

We had made a confirmed reservation in May but when the B&B was sold the reservation was lost. Fortunately I called to check in restaurants I was told I had no room. Been there many times and always had one of two rooms we liked. They told me they could give me another which it turned out to be tiny, good for a single with little luggage, and no storage. Couldn’t unpack suitcases fully, so they remained in the floor. Tripped over them nearly breaking my toe. Breakfast food was pitiful. Room was so damp our clothes remained wet. Lighting was poor. Never again! We don’t feel the manager was honest  in describing this room

By far, the most disappointing segment of our three week trip to the islands.

Pros: Oceanfront accommodations with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean and Hilo Bay. Small pool and hot tub. 2 miles north of Hilo Town. Host was helpful and provided anything you asked for. Very clean rooms. 
Cons: Four oceanfront rooms are adjacent to each other. Need to keep doors open for breeze or provided fan, since no A/C. Breakfast is extremely limited-not a sit down and barely continental due to COVID. Parking is a bit difficult in a tight space. A little expensive based on the cons listed, especially the limited breakfast.,

Nice B&B with some quirks

Our host & hostess were extremely nice and accommodating. We loved the kitty cat always freeing us. The view of the ocean & surfers was perfect. Able to hear the waves crashing all night long. The pool & hot tub were a nice touch for chilling on a relaxing afternoon. We had the suite which allowed for plenty of room.

A Relaxing B&B. Perfect location

If you are looking for a place to stay in Hilo look no further ! Hale Kai is true perfect B&B in town. It is right on the cliff above the ocean and all rooms are facing the ocean with their own private entrance from the terrace, meaning you will be able to enjoy these amazing views all along your stay. It is a little bit outside of town so it is super quiet and we greatly appreciated it. The rooms are very comfortable, modern, well equipped and beautifully decorated in a Hawaiian style. The owner is very friendly and wants to make sure you are enjoying your stay. He left us breakfast in our room for the next day when we would be out (because of Covid). While he lives above, his presence was unnoticed and our stay felt very private which is great. So much better than staying in a big resort or a hotel !

Fantastic place to stay in Hilo

After leaving Hale Kai Hawaii, we went to a big condo complex in Kona.  It was fine, but we missed the personal touch we had gotten at Hale Kai.  There Maria prepared splendid breakfasts (fresh tropical fruits, pancakes or eggs, a different kind of sausage every day).  She and Ric provided us with excellent advice (written and oral) on restaurants and sights, starting with the 1 1/2 mile walk down the hill (and over bridges and past waterfalls) down to the beach where we had seen surfers and from which we could look back up and see the B&B.  It also was delightful to talk with our fellow guests--from Seattle, Minnesota, and Germany--at breakfast.  The whole experience was profoundly human.  For an inept driver like me, it was a bit of challenge to back up (and I do mean UP) out of the driveway and onto the street, but I managed it.  On our way to Kona we stopped at the Volcanoes Art Center and saw a magnificent mosaic, "'Ōhi'a Emerging from Lava," that Maria had created.  Hale Kai Hawaii is, itself, a work of art and of humanity.

Hale Kai Hawaii Bed Breakfast

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