At the Beach With Friends Bed and Breakfast

Amazing place! Claudia was great, has everything I needed to snorkel, etc. Some notes: Very comfy room, great wifi in what feels to be a rainforest, just a block from a rocky beach park. Short drive to old town center, food stores, restaurants etc. There's no air-conditioning, and it's best to communicate clearly about your arrival time as Claudia manages the large home alone. She's very sweet and knows a lot about Island.

Our gracious host provided a wonderful breakfast each morning with fresh fruit from the Hilo Farmer’s Market in a lovely open social room with big windows overlooking a pond with lush gardens. Claudia gave good tips about the area and had snorkeling gear and beach chairs readily available. It felt like we were staying with our kind and eccentric aunt. Spacious rooms in a 1970s style, beds were comfortable and the bathroom had nice tile with large shower. There’s no AC so we slept with the windows open to feel the ocean breeze and were lulled to sleep every night by the tropical rain and singing frogs from the pond below. Property was secluded and charming with coconut trees and birds of paradise in walking distance to Richardson Ocean Park, a beautiful black sand beach. Thank you Claudia for your hospitality and making our trip to Hawaii extra special.

Very quaint, and surpassed our expectations. A vehicle is required to get there, but a vehicle is required to get anywhere in Hilo and on the Island.|We fell asleep to the sound of the frogs, very soothing!! An incredible front door!! We have recommended Claudia's place to friends and family, along with our travel agent in our City. Claudia was a real joy to chat with and a real ambassador for Hilo.

This was my first trip to Hilo (I moved to Oahu in 2018) and I believe this amazing B and B is part of what made me fall in love with Hilo. The place is wonderful, very charming, great energy and my room was superb (it is the middle one). Claudia is delightful, be sure to get her advice about activities and restaurants. Her cooking is wonderful and very accommodating, be sure to talk to her about what you like to eat. I can't say enough good things about this place. I will tell you if you are a light sleeper, you may want to bring your own noise cancelling device. I did have my gummy earplugs with me but I just closed the windows and ran the fan to block out the crickets and the frogs.

I rarely leave a bad review but PASS on this place. The owner is too anxious to manage a bed and breakfast. We messaged that we would be arriving around 8-9 pm and she recommended a few places to eat. The one we tried Mahalos in Hilo was a bar and the food was terrible. When we arrived she kept cautioning about breaking tiles with luggage. She showed us to our room and broke a jar with earplugs in it while letting us in. The name should be 'In the Jungle with Frogs' as we never saw the beach. The place was way overgrown. At breakfast the next morning she had us move from one table to another as she was afraid we would break her chairs (not overweight). Interestingly there were guests that morning and the next to whom she did not voice these concerns. My wife said the place smelled bad. On checking out, again she cautioned about breaking floor tiles with luggage. I don't know where the outdoor photos were taken with a nice manicured lawn but that is not what we saw. Pass on this place.

We had a great stay with Claudia! We prefer small local places vs big resorts, and this place was very nice. If you are looking for the Marriott or Four Seasons maybe it’s not for you. Location was very nice, we walked each morning to one of the beach parks right behind the property for a swim. Breakfasts were great but it’s whatever Claudia is making, typically fruits, an egg dish and some muffins or pastry. We found her breakfasts to be tasty and plenty, but would have been nice if it was served a little earlier. We ended up going for that swim before breakfast, for us that worked well. The rooms were very very nice, beautiful and we had a nice view over the gardens. Bed was super comfy. Claudia also had guide books, advice for local restaurants, snorkeling equipment, beach chairs etc. As her house has a pond, there is definitely frog and bird noises in the evenings and mornings, we slept just fine with it but again it’s not a big hotel with closed in rooms and ac humming away. Overall, I think some people will love it, but some should just go to the big hotel.

The woman who runs this place is INSANE- she will obsessively monitor your comings and going's and activities and you will be given a ridiculously long and unreasonable list of rules and regulations. She is unbelievably rude and insulting. I cannot believe this person has any good reviews at all- she is the worst. Claudia absolutely ruined our stay and I strongly advise anyone considering this bed-and-breakfast to stay literally anywhere else.

After staying in some high rise hotels on the Northwest coast of Kona, we wanted a complete change. We found it at our tropical jungle oasis, "At the Beach with Friends" hosted by Claudia Rohr. What a delight to walk into the Bamboo room near a lagoon, and feel like you were actually among the flowers and plants of the tropics outside the large glass windows. The unique wood furniture gave the room character, and the gentle night time lulling sound of frogs and birds have left us wanting to return. |Claudia prepared a hot breakfast each morning made with fresh ingredients, and offered helpful suggestions for destinations to visit and restaurants. We are forever grateful Claudia did not cancel us when she broke her leg a week before our arrival. and instead soldiered cheerily on.

Not as advertised. Upon arrival we were given a huge list of rules and procedures...I have never in the 15 years I have utilized B&Bs experienced that. The home, while beautiful, is not well taken care of. Our bathroom sink was not draining, the toilet plugged easily, the shower handle was about to fall off, and the shower curtain is missing many hangers. The toiletries and towels were on a tray and then sat on a stool. The tray was clean, but the stool top was disgusting under the tray. It is dirty. Nothing is dusted in the common areas or the room except the obvious things, like our bed and mirror in the bathroom, and there are piles of knickknacks, antiques, & books piled on all of the furniture and under the furniture. This includes on and under the table serving as a buffet/coffee area. The kitchen was closed off and so we never saw if our food was being prepared in a clean space. There were three other guests there at the same time as us and three of us got human hairs in our food. She was unhappy when I used a clean spoon to serve myself. She then served me my spinach by grabbing it with an ungloved hand. She did the same with most of the food. We thought about using the provided snorkel gear but it was filthy and looked a bit moldy. There is no air conditioning which is fine, but the wildlife is loud and we could hear cars periodically. We also heard every word the neighbors were saying...so if you are wanting privacy this is a no go. So if you are wanting something quiet this will not work for you. There were only two towels and two washcloths and we were told she did not have many so we should keep them as long as possible. The grounds had the potential to be beautiful, but they were very overgrown. I expect the little lizards in Hawaii and even think they are cute, but our room had their poop on the walls and shower tile. There were lizards on the wall in the hallway, especially at night. I felt as though were were being watched or I would have taken more photos. I would not choose to stay here again.

I would not recommend this place, but not because of the amenities, but because of the host. The location of the b&b was great, however, the host was rude and made things very uncomfortable for us with her attitude. Because everything was sold out, we decided to stay and just make sure we were gone all the time to avoid the host, her breakfast, and the other guests in which she bad mouthed us too. The accommodations were okay, but I would have preferred to stay at a hotel or rent a house so I would not have to deal with a rude hostess. My biggest complaint was that when we overslept for breakfast one morning, which she served at 8:15 (I asked her the night before what time breakfast was and she said - the guests usually choose when to eat, but I serve at 8:15!) she called me and demanded rudely that we come out our rooms to the common area to eat her breakfast 'right now' (her exact words). When I did come out of the room, I overheard her talking negatively about me in the common room to the other guests! This was VERY unprofessional and embarrassing for us, and made for a hostile environment. Nevertheless, I apologized to her immediately for over sleeping and explained that we didn't get in until late the night before, in which she talked over me and was very rude and simply thrust a plate at me and said, 'take this plate!' After this incident I felt very uncomfortable being around her or other the guests, so we made sure to avoid her at all costs, which seemed to work for the rest of our stay. When we checked out, she sent me pictures and accused of us of getting her towels too dirty in which I informed her those weren't our towels. There were a myriad of other things and rules that made this place not amicable, (the food, cleanliness, t.v. too loud and can be heard all night from other rooms, and etc.) however I will just mention the ones above. If you want to chill and have a relaxing time without someone bothering you, accusing you of things, being rude or bad mouthing you to others; if you don't want to answer to someone or walk on egg shells your entire trip, this isn't the place for you. However, if you are perfect and make no mistakes and don't oversleep and eat her breakfast, the host may be pleasant to you. There are hotels and many private rentals right across the street, I would definitely suggest staying there for a more relaxing trip....where you can sleep in and not get in trouble!

This place was very dissapointing. The water in the pools was ice cold and not invting at all. The room was adequate, but we found human toenails on the carpet....so that was gross. In addition, screws were literally falling off of the door jambs as we tried to lock it. Also, the food at the Breakfast reatirant was horrendous. Imagine paying $40 a person for cold, uncooked scrambled eggs and cold coffee! What a joke for $400 annight and that was a spe ial. This place also needs updates from paint to electrical, and last but not least...the caging of beautiful and intelligent Dolphins in a tiny pool sole for the enjoyment of humans. These magnificent animals should be in the ocean which is heartbreakingly only 100' away from their water cage. Stay away from this place, and you will not be disappointed.

This is exactly what we where looking for off the main path will loved the frogs other wildlife at night this is not a luxury hotel so if you what a pool and stuff not for you the beach parks just across the road are outstanding my only complaint the shower head us way up there lol

Please read! *I am taking the time to write this lengthy review to save you money and a headache* I could not believe that we paid $362 for two nights. The hostess is unwelcoming and the property is not as posted! Choosing the bed and breakfast with Claudia was a nightmare. On the day of our check in she called us at 11 am and told us that we needed to keep in touch with her and let her know when we planned to arrive. She was very busy and needed extra time to get the room ready. We told her we would be hiking and snorkeling so we could give her some extra time and check in around 5. We got to the property at about 4:45 and was greeted by Claudia yelling at us. She told us we were not to show up until 5 and we should have called.I told her that I had tried to call her multiple times but she did not answer. She replied, oh my phone is dead. She told us she needed 10 more minutes and that we could get our luggage. She yelled at us not to damage the tile floors with our luggage. Once in the house the smell of pet urine was very strong. The house is also dirty! She took us to our room which smelled like bleach. Almost to the point of making me sick. She told us our towels were still in the dryer and we would have to use what she had, two very small towels and a hand towel for a floor mat on the tile floors. I was speechless. We showered and went to have dinner. I went to see about using the kitchen to wash some cups. Claudia did not allow us in the kitchen and washed the cups for us. She left the cups so dirty I decided that if she washed dishes this way I could not eat her breakfast. I felt so sick to my stomach about how much we paid, there was no ocean view or even a patio, the house smelt, we were offered two small towels to shower with and how dirty the tub, windows and blinds were. I started looking for other places to stay and decided we would go back and tell Claudia we were uncomfortable with her property, she did not accommodate us or even attempt to. When we told her she yelled at us again. She told us she would not refund our money and she didn't want to. She continually spoke over me to a point where I snapped and told her to stop talking, I told her she is not respecting us and we are leaving. AirB&B made her refund us $200. We had to pay $162 to shower in the room. We ended up paying for two places that night but sadly it was worth getting out of there. This lady is something else, after we left she sent us 2 extra payment request for $23 each. The AirB&B representative even said that this was inexcusable and informed us to decline both payment request. We still had to pay Claudia for a full night because we did not take photos of the filth at her house. Claudia operates the WORST B&B we have ever seen. Every other place we stayed was cheaper and offered so much more. This lady is taking advantage of people because of the location her house. Do not be fooled! Her property is dirty, overgrown, cat and mosquito infested. I really thought I would get sick if we stayed there. There are much better places with more amenities for cheaper. Get your money's worth and don't stay with Claudia.

This is a very nice bed and breakfast! The owner is a very sweet lady who makes delicious breakfast! She is kind and attentive, and very knowledgeable about the area and gave great advice on what to see and do! She is very friendly. The room was clean and right by the lagoon, so you feel like you're in a jungle! There is snorkel gear and sunscreen you can borrow and great beaches just steps away from this place. This is a great experience that is much different from the resort feel. There is nature all around you, you will see geckos, hear birds right out your window, and all the green plants and water from the real lagoon is such a neat experience! I say "real-lagoon" because the Hilton resort I stayed at prior to this b&b, had a man-made lagoon, which was fake, sadly. But this b&b literally feels like you are away from everything and in a remote jungle with its own lagoon, so cool! I especially liked the beach, off to the right, down the road a bit, that was within walking distance from this b&b. I liked it because it had a small pool-like part, separated by some rocks, where the water is crystal clear. It's a little more shallow there and there weren't any big waves really, because the rocks blocked them, so it's perfect to swim in and very safe for children! This was my favorite swimming beach out of all the beaches I visited on my Hawaii trip. Overall I had a great experience at the B&B and I'd recommend it, especially if you want a real Hawaiian nature experience!

Nice size room, breakfast was delicious, very clean. Just beware of the coqui frogs who croak all night. Nice visiting with other guests also. Bring bug spray too. It's not well marked and kind of hidden but that makes it kind of nice.

Went a couple of years ago and I had an amazing time with the fam! Staff were amazing as the food! Love Hawaii and this resort! We will be coming back for sure asap!

We stayed here for 2 nights. We had the Coconut Palm room because of the extra bed for our 14yo son. Claudia was very welcoming host and she made us a fresh breakfast every morning. The building is surrounded by a beautiful, lush tropical garden and is literally across the street from the beach (tru the garden) and short drive to Hilo Waterfront. At night we slept with windows open and fell asleep to the sounds of nature. When I booked I was a bit apprehensive about the lack of A/C in the room but we never felt hot, with windows opened and the ceiling fan on, the room was always cool at night. We enjoyed our stay here very much and I'd stay here again every time over any hotel in town.

Prepared for a wedding at this hotel this past weekend. We were unable to use our room because electricity was down and air conditioning was not working. Staff isn't all that friendly in all departments except for house keeping. Rooms weren't that clean, and for the price, not that roomy either! Such a bad experience for this hotel being newly renovated and upgraded with staff:(