I've stayed at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. When I first moved to the Big Island, the Army put me up there for almost two months while I was looking for a house to rent. It was actually very nice.

The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel is located on Banyan Drive in Hilo. Banyan Drive is less than a mile from the downtown area, it is lined with large Banyan trees planted by famous people, and it has a small golf course across the street from all the hotels. Banyan Drive is where most of the hotels in Hilo are, and it is also shared by a nice local beach (Reeds Bay) and a gorgeous Japanese-style garden (Liliuokalani Park), which is a nice place to get married if you can dodge the rain.

I stayed in a non-ocean view, which meant my lanai (porch) overlooked the parking lot, the koi pond, and the Banyan trees of Banyan Drive. The room was spotlessly-clean, and large enough for my purposes, with a seperate bathroom and a tiny fridge. If you get an ocean-view room, youll have a nice view of huge Hilo harbor, Coconut Island, and the breakwall.

The lobby of the hotel is open on one end (really neat when it rains, and there is a small bar where you can get food. I gained 15 pounds minimum eating loco mocos for two months (try them!) and genuinely enjoyed myself. There is no beach, but the hotel is right on the water and it has a decent pool.

back of hotel (ocean-view rooms)	koi pond
lobby area	front of hotel
coconut island seen from hotel	banyan drive, as seen from hotel
pool area	view from back

"Hilo Hawaiian Hotel - we stayed here for the long weekend and being Thanksgiving, we had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner in the Queens Court Restaurant. It was quite a festive set up, pecan pie, the works… all new to us of course. The hotel is Hilo’s only first class hotel and right on the shores of Hilo Bay. There are lovely gardens surrounding the hotel." - was at virtual tourist, no longer there.

"Located on historic Banyan Drive in Hilo, this place describes itself as "Hilo's only first-class hotel." To interpret that statement properly, you need to realize that Hilo is not a high-end resort town - it is a real working port city with dirt under its fingernails. Think of Buffalo, but in a radically different climate zone. The place has heart and personality, but not a lot of polish. Accomodations at the Hilo Hawaiian are comfortable, clean, and reasonably priced, but certainly not luxurious."

"I found this hotel to be a good place to stay in Hilo, Banyan drive is beautiful, and the staff at this hotel was very friendly and helpful. The rooms were average, our a/c was noisey. The views were fantastic, the pool not open late enough. Parking was limited, though free. The hotel has a great bakery on the grounds. A wonderful place to relax and to get away from all of the hype of the mega-resorts on the Kona side. Hilo is a great walking town. Coconut island is right next door, and offers a beautiful view."