Ala Kai Bed and Breakfast

I really wanted to like this place. The property is a two-level house owned by Eric and his wife and is located in a residential neighborhood south of Hilo, across the road from the ocean. There are no stores or restaurants anywhere within walking distance. We stayed in the Bamboo Room. The room was small but the bathroom and shower were spacious. Pros: Owner Eric is a congenial and helpful host. We arrived with no car, and because there are no restaurants nearby, he offered me a ride to buy food at local supermarket. Cons: I was charged an extra $50 for my ten-year old daughter, although we weren't advised of this charge at the time of booking. The breakfast is only available from 8 am to 8:30 am and is not very good. At 10:30 am on our last day, Eric's wife came to our room to inquire when we would be leaving. She seemed quite concerned we would not leave on time, claiming that taxis and ubers take up to five hours to make a pick up, which was unwarranted and annoying because I advised her that we had already arranged for a taxi pick-up within 30 minutes. Then at 10:59 am, one minute prior to the 11:00 am check out she again appeared and seeing we had already packed our luggage, she demanded, quite rudely, we immediately vacate the room on the pretext that the cleaning crew was scheduled to enter at 11:00 am on the dot. She also demanded we move our luggage away from the house and onto the driveway in front. At 11:15 am when our taxi arrived no cleaning crew had arrived to clean the room. My wife and I felt disrespected because Eric's wife never thanked us for our stay nor wished us a pleasant trip. She also for no reason kicked us out of our room one minute before the check-out time.

I found this location on Travelocity when booking a package deal. I saw the ratings were very good, so that made it easy choice. I was not disappointed. I felt like I was at home. The owners Erich and Suzy live at the location and were very nice and welcoming. They made it there goal to educate me about the island, pointing out the great locations to visit. They always had coffee and breakfast ready in the morning, greeting the guests as they arrived. Great views of the Pacific ocean from their front yard and porch. Bedrooms were spacious and had fans and A/C if needed. I would recommend this location to friends and family. When I return to visit family in the future I will attempt to book a room here at Ala Kai BNB. Thank you for the great time!