When to Visit Hilo, HI
The best season to visit Hilo and the rest of the Big Island is between September and November when hotel rates are lowest. Another excellent time to see the area is the week after Easter, during the Merrie Monarch Festival. It honors King David Kalākaua, who restored many Hawaiian traditions, including the hula. The festival includes a hula competition for individual and group performers. Hilo is often crowded around the time of this event, so you should make hotel reservations well in advance of your trip. Temperatures stay constant all year so that you can enjoy the warm weather and beautiful scenery anytime.
Below is a chart of the current pricing seasonality of hotels and motels in Hilo, HI:
Hilo, HI: Prices by Star Rating Class
Below are 3 charts illustrating avg. nightly cost trends by star rating class in Hilo, HI. Browse these illustrations to calculate the cheapest time to stay in Hilo for upcoming travels.
Luxury Options in Hilo, HI
4 Star Average Prices: $229.63
The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls is a favorite place for weddings, family reunions, and other special events. It overlooks the biggest private waterfall in Hawaii, and it's a popular place for filmmaking. The inn has its own environmentally friendly hydroelectric power plant, so you won't have to worry about outages. Kids are welcome, but extra beds aren't available.
When you visit The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls, you can go hiking or surfing, take a helicopter ride, go rock climbing or kayaking. Ziplining is available as well. Breakfast is free from 8 to 9 a.m., and there's a library, gift shop, barbecue grill, terraces, picnic area, and a porter to help you carry your luggage. The spacious rooms have free wireless internet access and ceiling fans. Relax in their spa treatment rooms. Check-in is from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the front desk is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you have a group with more than 20 people, event services are included.
The Bay House Bed and Breakfast is only a 5-minute walk away from downtown Hilo, but it's still quiet and secluded. It's at the top of a cliff that's at the tip of Hilo Bay, so you can watch the ocean right from the patio. There are lots of restaurants in the area, and you can visit the local Farmers' Market. Each room has a private balcony or lanai, a ceiling fan, wireless internet access, digital programming, and a hair dryer. There's also a cliffside spa tub, a library, and a complimentary continental breakfast. However, people under 18 aren't allowed at this adults-only property.
The Palms Cliff House Inn is in a historic neighborhood in Honomu that's about 10 miles away from the center of Hilo, and it has beautiful wrap around porches. It's close to Hakalau Beach Park, the World Botanical Gardens, Umauma Falls, and Akaka Falls. Any of the eight individually decorated guest rooms are perfect for a romantic getaway. They have refrigerators, DVD players, private lanais, satellite TV, luggage storage, and complimentary dial-up internet access.
The Palms Cliff House Inn's private bathrooms come with designer toiletries and hair dryers. You can also enjoy an onsite massage, concierge services, a gift shop, dry cleaning and laundry service, and an attractive garden with a picnic area. A full breakfast is included with the room rate.
Affordable Hotel Options in Hilo, Hawaii
3 Star Average Prices: $186.90
Aarons Cottage is next to a golf course, just a few minutes from Onekahakaha Beach Park, and near the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo. This bed and breakfast has seven rooms with refrigerators and flat-screen TVs. Breakfast and wireless internet access are complimentary, and the bathrooms have hair dryers. You can also enjoy a coffee maker, ceiling fans, barbecue grills, housekeeping, laundry facilities, and a beautiful garden. The spacious rooms have attractive outdoor patios.
Kilauea Hospitality Group offers three individual hotels that are about 20 miles from the center of Hilo in Volcano, Hawaii. They have an appealing garden with a picnic area, a business center, a kitchen, complimentary newspapers, free wireless internet access, cable TV, hair dryers, free toiletries, portable fans, concierge services, and more. These rustic houses are at different addresses, and they're all perfect for visiting Volcanoes National Park. The locations are all secluded and surrounded by beautiful scenery.
Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel is on the shores of Hilo Bay and a just few minutes away from Naniloa Country Club and Coconut Island Park. It's also near Liliuokalani Park and Gardens and the Hilo Art Museum.
The Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel has a bakery, 286 rooms, an outdoor pool, a nearby golf course, a sun deck, a gift shop, a florist, massage facilities, safe deposit boxes at the front desk, soft drink and ice machines, and a car rental service. Many rooms have a coffee maker and a kitchenette with a refrigerator. Most of the rooms have private lanais or balconies, and there's an elevator, laundry facilities, a meeting room, and a front desk that's open 24 hours per day. The Queen's Court Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch.
2 Star Average Prices: $79.80
The Best Hotel Discounts in Hilo, Hawaii
At Hilo Seaside Hotel, discounts are available for AAA members, AARP members, people on business trips, and Hawaii residents. This hotel is right on the beach, and it has an outdoor pool. The 135 air-conditioned rooms have free wireless internet access, flatscreen TVs, balconies, complimentary toiletries, hair dryers, desks, coffee makers, and daily housekeeping. There's also a picnic area, a restaurant, a bar, a computer station, complimentary newspapers, a 24-hour front desk, safe-deposit boxes, and laundry facilities. If you're having a special event, there are 400 square feet of conference space on the property.
The Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo is a Doubletree by Hilton that's on the waterfront and near Coconut Island Park and Naniloa Country Club. It's also close to Liliuokalani Park and Gardens and the Hilo Art Museum. The 265 air-conditioned rooms have refrigerators, microwaves, and complimentary wired and wireless internet access.
Other amenities at the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo include 48-inch LCD televisions, free toiletries, hair dryers, safes, desks, a nightclub, an outdoor pool, a golf course, fitness facilities, and a hotel restaurant and bar. Wedding services are available, and the hotel has 11,000 square feet of facilities for events. Kids 12 and younger can stay in parents' rooms for free, and everyone can get complimentary chocolate chip cookies when they check in. Breakfast is available for an extra charge, and you can reserve a free shuttle from the airport. The Eforea Spa offers any guest customized experiences.
All guests get a free nine-hole round of golf, and you can save up to 15 percent with a valid Hawaii state ID. Seniors and AARP members get at least 5 percent off the hotel's Best Available Rate. Members of the United States and Canadian military also get discounts, and if you're a AAA member, you can save 10 percent. Students, staff, alumni, and parents of the University of Hawaii Hilo will get one free night for every 10 nights they spend at the hotel.
Hilo, Hawaii's Best Hotel Values
The Wild Ginger Inn Hotel & Hostel in Hilo has free wireless internet access, a Hawaiian-style continental breakfast, and plenty of activities like hiking, surfing, and self-guided tours. You can stay in a regular hotel room or an even more economical indoor or outdoor hostel. Private and dorm-style rooms are available.
The historic building was a sugar cane plantation workers' house in the 1920s, and it still has an old-fashioned country atmosphere. It was changed into an inn with 27 private bedrooms and bathrooms in the 1950s. There's a relaxing ocean view, and some rooms have cable TV, mini refrigerators, and microwaves. The Inn doesn't have air conditioning, but it catches lots of cool ocean breezes. Airport shuttles are available, and you can rent boogie boards, surfboards, and coolers. The minimum check-in age is 18, and kids under 12 can stay for free when using existing beds.
Fun Things to Do in Hilo, Hawaii
Hilo is one of the best vacation spots in the United States. You can relax on the beach, go fishing, explore the island, and learn more about Hawaiian culture. Visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to see an active volcano. The area has several black sand beaches, and the clear water is excellent for snorkeling or scuba diving. You can even watch whales or swim with dolphins. There are many museums as well, including the Hale'iwa Surf Museum, the Pacific Tsunami Museum, and the Mokupapapa Discovery Center.
Whether you're looking for a romantic, luxurious getaway or just a comfortable place to sleep, you can find an excellent hotel in Hilo. There are lots of places to stay on the beach or within walking distance, and everyone will enjoy the warm, comfortable, tropical climate. You can see some of the most breathtaking natural locations in the world when you stay in Hilo.
FAQs about hotels in Hilo