Hilo Bay Hale Bed and Breakfast

My husband and I were thoroughly impressed with everything from the architecture to the warm hospitable homey atmosphere Matthew is a wonderful host and went out of his way to make us feel at home. The breakfast was better than restaurant food and we were actually sad to have to leave so soon. A true home for us in old Town Hilo. Home away from home !!!

Matt was such a great host! He had a lot of suggestions and tips. Ask him about the history of the lava flows! The breakfast was fresh and delicious. We really enjoyed our time on both the front and back porches. I would stay here again.

Absolutely love the old home! Beautifully renovated, Gekos abound, breakfast is amazing and the host is the BEST!!! Friendly, will talk with you and gave us excellent directions. Rooms are clean as is the house! Will definitely be back.....but first going to enjoy this week

We had an amazing stay! This place is an old plantation style home. The place is clean, tidy and welcoming. We stayed in the orchid room and our balcony overlooks the koi pond full of small fish, tadpoles, frogs and 2 big fat kois! Be ready to be serenaded to sleep by the rain and noisy frogs. Matthew (our host) was amazing, giving us ideas on where to hike, have dinner and drinks. His breakfast was fantastic! He had a spread of fresh fruit (from his farm) to a baked egg dish. He apologized that the eggs were not from his chickens because they are getting older and no longer producing eggs regularly. Everything was delicious. We will stay here again. I highly recommend staying here.

Hilo Bay Hale was absolutely wonderful. It's a short walk from everything in downtown Hilo, and the hosts are warm and welcoming. Breakfast was superb and very fresh, with local fruit and bread, eggs, yogurt, cereals and more. If I ever return to the Big Island, this is where I'll stay.

Beautiful, historic home with a great host. Hilo is a quarky town and this B&B is a close walk to downtown. The breakfast was fantastic and the check-in/out process was as easy as it gets.

Hilo bay is centrally located very close to all the Hilo action in the heart of town. Matt was amazingly helpful, breakfast was to die for.... Choose the Lava room as it has a rain shower that puts your shower to shame! Aloha

Wonderful B&B! Convenient location to walk downtown to restaurants and shops. Great breakfast. Matthew is aan excellent host.

My partner and I love Bed and Breakfasts, and the Hilo Bay Hale Bed & Breakfast did not let us down. They had everything we needed for a comfortable stay (including air conditioning), and it was all done with great style (Matthew, the owner, has a fabulous decorative sense). The house keeper, Carolina, was sweet and a great conversationalist. She and Matthew talked to us about our plans, making sure we hit the highlights of Hilo. The house is located a few blocks away from downtown and very convenient to everything we wanted to see and do. There is plenty of street parking, and we felt safe in the location. To top it all off, the food was fabulous. They were very accommodating to dietary restrictions, and made sure there was lots of fresh, local produce for their guests. My partner and I hope we are lucky enough to return for another stay at the Hilo Bay Hale Bed & Breakfast.

We stayed at the Hilo Bay Hale B&B over the Holiday and it was our third stay here. We really love the place for its location right in Hilo town. It is only a few blocks away from the famous Farmers Market and lots of dining places around. It is also one of the few places in Hilo that is pet friendly and allows pets to stay. We always bring our two dogs with us when we visit so we don't have to board them while we are gone. Their amazing breakfast is really a fine example of what a real B&B should serve. For this stay they had fresh fruits, eggs, potatoes, breads, yogurt, juices and coffee. Everything was prepared by Carolina who was our host. She was so accommodating and attentive. She made an extra effort to allow us an early check in. We will be back again when we come to visit Hilo. Also, please note that they have a Kamaaina discount so be sure to note the request in the comments section when you book the reservation.

we loved staying at this place!! it feels so cozy and we fell in love with lavas room's bathroom!!!! the whole house is so cute and built in 1930s! one of owners checked us in and he knew ASL!!! (we're deaf) so that's bonus!! we definitely will stay here again whenever we visit hilo again!

To be honest, we had reservations then Covid-19 made us stay home. They promised a refund for our stay and I've reminded him 3 times. The last time he said "he just found his checkbook." Would like to visit after the shelter in place is lifted, but now I'm skeptical... all we want is the promised refund!

I really don't want to post this one because I loved this place and can't wait to come back and don't want it to be too crowded .... talk about warm, welcoming and treated like family. When you go out all day sightseeing and you're tired, you come home to this comfortable room in a real house that's waiting for you. Breakfast is fresh, delicious and plentiful with delicious coffee! Of course!

Wow! Best breakfast at any B&B that I've stayed at. Probably better than some hotel breakfasts. Homemade and fresh fruit. Room was a bit small for two but it's to be expected since it's a renovated 1900s building. We had a futon pad on the floor, no problem. Bathroom was clean. The entire building was comfortably and artistically appointed. Matthew was an awesome host. Very helpful and cheery. I would stay here again. Very charming and a short walk to the farmer's market.

Best place to stay in hilo! I stayed in the tranquil room downstairs called the lava room. And Loved it! Room was remarkably clean. Bathroom was luxurious with the over head shower head and the rock sink (pics show better than I can explain). The only con I have for the room is that it has a strong smell. Nothing that a good air freshener can't fix. It wasn't because of cleanliness though just because it's an older house. I loved that the owner was friendly and accommodating but not overwhelming. He just had a very pleasant and calm aura about him. He was there if you needed him otherwise he did his thing. Breakfast was great! Lots of options! And I thought it was great fun meeting the other guests. I know there aren't many options in Hilo but this is a great option. I would definitely recommend this BnB.

Let me get the couple of negatives out of the way. There is no AC, which, probably should be obvious, however if you come during a hot time of the year, the rooms can get pretty hot. I came to learn AC is not common due to high energy prices, but just not something that I expected and after 18 hours of travel, walking into a steaming hot room was a bad first impression. The only other issue I had was the parking situation. For a couple of the days the rooms were full, and some of the other guests didnt do the best job staying in the spots, its a huge inclined driveway with little room for error, it got me a bit nervous at times. Now that thats out of the way, Breakfast was amazing. I was so happy to have local treats such as fresh scones or sweet bread along with a good variety of fresh fruits. We watched dolphins from the breakfast area in the morning which was also nice. The owners are very nice and had suggestions when asked questions. The rooms were nice and clean. I felt comfortable staying there and leaving my door unlocked at night. Their dog was very nice. I would recommend staying at this B&B if you are going to be in Hilo.

This place is amazing and right in downtown Hilo! Super easy to find and so quiet! Matt the innkeeper is awesome and makes some mean grindz! Will def be recommending all my friends and family here.. loved our stay! The Lava room is amazing!

Excellent B&B. We enjoyed a three night stay. Joe and Matthew were excellent hosts who were super nice and talkative. They always had time to share local knowledge and tips. The breakfasts was substantial with tons of fruit and breads. Would have liked to see a main dish other than egg strata or egg casserole. We stayed in the James Michener room and loved it. Well appointed with a very cool rain fall shower head. Nice deck overlooking the Koi pond. Beautiful house that is within walking distance of downtown and just up the hill from the Hilo farmer's market. Perfect spot for a trip to the Volcano! We would definitely stay here again. Mahalos guys

Absolutely wonderful place to stay in Hilo! Very convenient to walking around the downtown area and Matthew had lots of helpful recommendations on places to eat and things to do around town. The Bay Room I stayed in was quite lovely with fun decor but comfortable furniture, including the bed. It felt private despite the place just having a few rooms. The breakfast was really scrumptious and I thoroughly enjoyed eating in the morning out on the front porch of this outstanding B&B. I would definitely stay at this place again and I give it 2 thumbs up!

We have been here for 3 weeks now...and we just adore this house, we wished we could have stayed longer. The bedrooms are well designed, the back yard is gorgeous, and it has this "Ah, good we're home" feel at the end of the day, not to mention the location couldn't be more perfect. My boyfriend really enjoys the plants and trees surrounding the house and there is a porch outside to eat meals at. Although this island isn't the typical Hawaii that most envision, it is the real Hawaii, and there is plenty to do on this side of the island.

This place is amazing! We stumbled upon it after our airbnb got cancelled last minute, and what a blessing in disguise that was! The house is a beautifully renovated historic plantation home, with a great common area and a kitchen that guests can use. The breakfast is amazing, with fresh fruit from the owner's farm and delicious dishes that he made that morning. Everyone was incredibly warm and welcoming - we will be staying here again next time we're in Hilo!

This is my first time staying at a place like this. The staff and the room really make you feel at home

My friends and I stayed here for a few days while we visited the volcano sites and lava tubes! Matt was perfection! The breakfast was amazing and he was so helpful! He even had hard hats for us to use for the lava tubes (which we definitely needed because I hit my head three times in the cave)! I would absolutely recommend staying here and would love to visit again! Thank you for making our trip extra wonderful!

We just returned from a three night stay at the Hilo Bay Hale Bed & Breakfast. We stayed in the James Michener room - it was a good size bedroom with a queen bed, it has a large bathroom with Jacuzzi tub & shower, there were two closets (bonus!), and has a good size lanai attached to the room. The weather was cool, humid & rainy during our stay, the ceiling fan in the bedroom kept the air circulating. When not in our room, we enjoyed hanging out in the kitchen or living room area. The kitchen is stocked like a regular kitchen, we made a few quick meals while there. The living room area has a good stock of travel books and board games. To me, this B&B felt like home. It was well decorated with vintage art and pottery. It was also very clean. As most reviewers have already noted, our host was very gracious and accommodating - he makes a wonderful cup of coffee and breakfast. We would stay here again and recommend it to friends. Activities within walking distance include: Rainbow Falls, museums, downtown area shopping (Hilo souvenirs and antiques), farmers market, restaurants, gardens, and Hilo Bay. We visited Volcano National Park twice during our stay, but you'll need a car or tour bus from Hilo to get there (about 30 minutes away).

Outstanding! Clean! Friendly! Walk to Hilo Town! Amazing breakfast! I love the 1915 home, the home was furnished beautifully! Next time we are brining out weenie dogs, which they accept! We saw the ocean from the lanai :0) The bamboo surrounding and grounds were beautiful. Thank you for your hospitality.

Only sad that we didn't get to stay longer. We were only in Hilo for 2 days on our way around the island, and luckly were able to make a last minute res at Danny's place. He was the best host that we had on the island, and the house is great. We stayed in the James Michener room and it was perfect. Big bathroom with a great tub and the private veranda was great for breakfast.....and the breakfast! French toast, papaya, pineapple, bananas, delicious coffee, you name it. It is a MUST STAY if you're on the island and into the B&B thing. Thanks again Danny!!!!!

I was so close to giving this place five stars, but there's a few things that could be done to make it even better. We stayed in the James Michener room for two nights. There were three of us, so one person had to sleep on a Japanese-style futon (i.e. a mattress on the floor, no wooden frame). There really wasn't enough space in the room to lay the futon down, you had to either put it in front of the bathroom door or the door to the room itself. It did have a lovely lanai that looked out on a small koi pond and nicely landscaped backyard. The outdoor space in general was great, with an expansive front porch and small back porch. The manager, Misty, was absolutely lovely and prepared a fantastic breakfast of fruit salad, bacon, pastries, and a hot dish every morning. You can't find a better location, it's only a five minute walk until you're downtown. My complaints: - There's no air conditioning, but the rooms do have ceiling fans and Misty provided an additional desktop fan. It's Hawaii, so you have to be ready for the heat, but it was pretty oppressive at times. - While the Inn itself has a wonderfully homey feel, it also feels a little unfinished/impractical in spots. There was no flooring transitions into the bathroom, leaving about a 1/2 inch difference between the wood and tile (just enough to stub your toe on). The vessel sink left zero counter space for toiletries, and the shower curtain rings had the habit of falling off the rod every time you tried to open or close it. - Water frogs. Males sing all nights to attract females, and the koi pond and surrounding area is home to hoards of them. We didn't find it difficult to sleep, but I think the noise could be irritating to some guests.

Thank You Matt! You are the Host with the most! The Bay Room was lovely. We loved the convenient in-town location - easy access to the wonderful Hilo farmers market, north coast and south to Volcanoes National Park. We enjoyed the fresh breakfast and the economical rates :) Thanks Again!

This is not a review on the facility itself as we have not yet visited and now probably will not ever. This review is for my complete disappointment with the customer service. I have a room book for June for my honeymoon and had called right before the cancellation period would end to inquire about the volcano activity and if I should cancel since things may get worse and I did not want to risk it. I was recommended to hold onto the reservation and that they would definitely honor a later cancellation due to the circumstances of the volcano if I decided not to come. At the time I was very happy with this offer as we were looking forward to visit for the first time. However the news on the volcano kept getting worse and since we were most excited about the National Park that will likely still be close I decided to call today (more than 2 weeks before) to cancel just to be told that I was passed the deadline and also that they could not cancel it and refund "even it they wanted to" because it was through a 3rd party vendor. Why wasn't this address in the first conversation? and why offer to honor a later date? So I did call hotels.com who then contacted the hotel directly and informed me that the hotel refused to refund even after explaining to them that they had offered to. I feel completely lied to. If I had known this I would've canceled the room the first time I called which was within the cancellation period. This is my honeymoon and would not have risked it to a unpredictable natural disaster.

Loved the downtown location. Joe the inn keeper prepared a terrific breakfast and provided good "local" tourism gems you won't find in the travel books. Be prepared for frog sounds all night. In enjoyed the ambiance like you are in a tropical rainforest in south america but you are just in Hilo! Residence is clean and comfortable. A good location to get to many of the sights on this side of the island. Highly recommend.

This was a great hotel; they accommodated us very last minute after our first hotel was terrible. They were wonderful hosts, made awesome breakfasts and gave us great tips about the islands. Definitely would recommend this to anyone!