How to choose a Place to Stay on the Big Island of Hawaii

Reasons to Stay in a Big Island Hotel

• regular cleaning service
• room service
• possible in-hotel restaurants and stores
• a concierge to help with baggage, tours, entertainment
• reliability and brand names
• pool, whirlpool, gym
• in room movies, video games
• packages



• I like to stay in a hotel for convenience. Room service and onsite restaurants are very convenient. Plus, with the amount of rooms available at any hotel, you are more likely to get to stay at your first-choice hotel. For me, though, it is hard to stay at a hotel for more than a few days because it is hard to live out of a hotel.

Reasons to Stay in a Big Island Rental or B+B or other type of non-hotel

• privacy
• personal attention and local advice from hosts
• great locations
• kitchens
• well-maintained units
• low prices
• groups can stay together



• When practical, vacation rentals are where I prefer to stay. I feel it is much easier to "live" out of a vacation rental than a hotel. Also, I love the privacy you get at a vacation rental. I don't like bed and breakfasts as much as I like vacation rentals (privacy thing), but they can be a terrific deal with some perks of both hotels and vacation rentals.