Name: Arnott's Lodge
Address: 98 Apapane Road, Hilo, Hilo, Hilo, HI 96720, United States of America
Rating: 8

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Newspapers

Ticket assistance

Washing machine

Garden

Television in lobby

Terrace

Dryer

Outdoor furniture

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Non-smoking rooms

Family room

Rooms

Laundry

Concierge services

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Common kitchen

Vending machine

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

English

Japanese

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Library

Bike rental

Barbecue grill(s)

Hiking

Picnic area

Barbeque

Recreation

Free parking

Free Parking on Premises

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Business

Cycling

Sports

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Extra decontamination measures

Personal protection equipment for guests

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the cottage

Onekahakaha Beach Park

Keaukaha Beach Park

Carlsmith Beach Park

Hilo International Airport

Arnott's Lodge

Hilo

Clean. Great bed. Good quiet location No TV in room. No closet. The water in the shower was only warm not hot. The room rate was reasonable   Residential location but walking distance to the shoreline 

Not first class but good for the price

This is a no frills, all substance joint. Capable, froenfly, helpful staff. The owner, Mr. Arnott, is available as well. Our room, the Simple Studio, had all we needed in the basic kitchen  for a four-night stay. Very clean and comfortable. A plus: the bus stop is a blockmor two away.

Excellent vibe ( and value)

We booked a tour to visit the top of Mauna Kea with Arnott’s. They only pickup guests in Hilo so we met them at the visitor’s center at Mauna Kea which means we missed the visit to Rainbow Falls.  We met David at the center with the rest of the group to acclimatize to the altitude before heading up to the summit. David is a great driver and really made the bumpy road better than it actually was (his driving skills and the specially built tour van are most in display during the descent). He was full of knowledge and shared a lot of local knowledge not just about Mauna Kea but about what the people of Hawaii went through in the past years with COVID and such.  Great insight!

After driving us to the top and ensuring we were protected from the wind, the jackets provided were perfect for keeping us warm in the harsh winds (it was a warm day but the winds made the wind chill quite cold so you need to dress up). We watched sunset and then immediately drove down closer to the visitors center to start the astronomy tour (the rangers don’t allow anyone to stay at the top after sunset so don’t expect to be able to stay when it gets dark). The astronomy tour was incredible as you are above the cloud cover and the stars are amazing to say the least.  Using his laser David showed us many of the well known constellations as well as the local constellations. His knowledge of astronomy is extensive and his passion is quite evident.  

If you’re looking to take pictures do it after the tour as you don’t want to expose your tour group to any light pollution which will ruin everyone else’s enjoyment of the dark sky you are in. Ideally, book this tour during a new moon cycle to get the most exposure to stars. A bright moon means less stars available.  

Overall this tour was the highlight of our trip!  Well worth the money!



Day trip to Mauna Kea

It was super cool to camp there, the location was great, the equipment was very nice and the personnel was just beyond amazing so friendly and they even invited us back for free to celebrate 4th of July near the beach. Such great people! It was so much fun :)

Amazing time

Arnott‘s Lodge is amazing. We were 14 people and camped there. There is a lot provided. You can wash and dry your clothes. The showers and toilets are very clean. The place is very quite and there is an area where you can eat with your group or by yourself. This is the ideal place for camping. I recommend Arnott's Lodge to everyone!!!

Perfect place to set up your tent!

Ok let’s start with the good. Handy location to get to the volcanoes and we were so lucky to arrive as Mauna Loa came back to life for the first time in 38 years. We also took their tour to Mauna Kea and Donna our tour guide was fantastic and the tour was spectacular. Also don’t miss the nearby Tropical Garden Reserve - it is truly paradise on earth! A few cute beaches nearby. We spent a day at the Volcano National Park where we spent a day hiking amongst the awesome power of nature.  We were also preparing for the Honolulu marathon and it was easy to find places to run nearby to the lodge. The staff were mostly friendly but the level of helpfulness depended on which staff member you engaged with. Sarah was the most helpful and friendly.
Now, onto the bad….. as we drove through the town of Hilo I started apologising to my wife for what a decrepit area I had led us to. The town is a horrible eyesore, particularly the industrial area which leads you towards the lodge. The lodge is just outside of this area but close enough to have quite a seedy feel. Lots of really sketchy characters walking the streets. I did not feel like it was safe for my wife to go anywhere nearby without me accompanying her.
We knew beforehand we would be sharing a kitchen but nothing could prepare us for the comically small size of our optimistically named “deluxe” queen room. Literally the size of a bed. No I’m not exaggerating. Once you put your bags on the floor I think you are expected to levitate or hover around the room in the air as there is absolutely nowhere to store clothes or suitcases except for a small rail hanging limply from a wall and thus we spent whatever time we had to in the room tripping over ourselves and our suitcases and stubbing our toes on the tiny step built into the floor that led to the bathroom. You also have the bonus of hearing EVERYTHING that is said and done in the neighbouring rooms. If you have inconsiderate people staying next door, which we did, then it becomes a bit much. The bathroom was small but acceptable for our needs - but note it includes a toilet that sounds like a jumbo jet taking off every time you flush it. Sounds great at 3am!!!
The shared kitchen has one saucepan, a microwave and a rather sad collection of badly washed plates, cups and cutlery.
There are coin operated washing machines and dryers which is fine and not unexpected but they were not all actually working. To complicate matters, the lodge staff use the very same machines to wash and dry all of the lodge’s towels, sheets, etc so you have to compete with them just to get a chance to wash your clothes - very annoying and utterly ridiculous when you’ve got limited windows of time to fit washing in amongst the actual vacation activities you want to do each day.
Overall for the low level of comfort and practicality this place offers, it should be half the price and had the price we paid been more in line with the value you receive then I would have been a little more accepting of the circumstances and a little kinder with my review.
We did know in advance that we would be “slumming it” a little bit on that leg of our Hawaiian holiday but wasn’t expecting to slum it quite as much as this. And a “deluxe” queen room should fit a little bit more in it than just a bed!
Oh and not that this is the lodge’s fault of course, but it rains virtually every day there. Sometimes quite out of the blue and it can settle in for hours so either prepare to get wet often, bring your wet weather gear or allow extra time to get to all the places you want to go in the inevitable event of crappy weather.

Sub standard

I absolutely hate leaving a bad review, especially when people are friendly and accommodating which they were. My husband and I stayed here one single night when we flew from Maui to Hilo for a day trip to volcanoes. I called a couple of weeks ahead to inform them that I would be arriving past 8 o’clock, and they were very accommodating with saying that they would notate it and then I would not be charged a late check in time. They were true to their word and did not charge a late check in fee. Upon arrival there was no one at the front desk, but a nice man, possibly the owner, found the person that would be assisting with check-in. The checking itself went very fast, and they directed us on how to get to our room. When we entered our room, room 6, it was absolutely nothing like the pictures or reviews has indicated. It was extremely dingy with a terrible musty odor. The musty odor wasn’t the worst part, even though I did have a hard time sleeping because the must felt like I could have an asthma attack at any moment. The worst part was the roach on our bed frame before we could even set our stuff down. My husband looked under the mattress only to find three more roaches. Honestly we should have packed up and slept in our car. Instead we slept in the bed and tried not to think about what might be crawling on us during the night. I know  Hawaii has roaches, but the entire room was very unclean including the black in the shower corners, the carpet, musty smell, and wooden vanity in the bathroom with God knows what living under it! 100 dollars is affordable, but unsanitary is a deal breaker!

Roaches, musty odor, and gross bathroom.

Aloha! My family took Arnott's Mauna Kea Stargazing (private) tour (they accommodate large parties as well) - it was sooooo amazing!  Our tour host Donna is so friendly and well informed; she's very talented and complemented the breathtaking views from the top of Mauna Kea to our stargazing site - If you are visiting the Big Island, this is a "must do" activity.  Memories last a lifetime. 

Thanks VIP Tour guide Donna.  The staff at Arnott's - Siobhan & Lauren - for coordinating our tour and answering all our questions!

Mahalo - Leslie, Mo, Leila & Scott  (July 2022)

Mauna Kea Stargazing Tour

Arnott's was easy to work with. Everything was clearly communicated upfront. Donna is an excellent tour guide. She could easily be your Science and History teacher in addition to being an excellent tour guide. Very courteous and customer friendly. Great experience overall on the sunset tour. -- Anupam & Jaya. 18 Jan 2022.

Professional, knowledgeable, Mouna Kea sunset tour

Andras was our guide and this was the highlight of our superb Hawaii trip to Maui and Big Island! Andras provided all the extra info and care for altitude sickness anyone could need to make an awe inspiring place even more amazing. He helped us take some amazing photos of the night sky! He was funny and kind and very calm as he drove what we would have found to be a not fun drive to the summit! Couldn’t have had a better tour! Thank you Arnott’s and Andras!

Arnott's Lodge

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