Wild Ginger Inn, Hilo

We reserved a room for 5 nights. When we arrived, i said ,its a dump. ITS very old. Rooms are very small. Curtans had green mold on them. There were no dishs or spoons. The back wall of the building has settled and is a good 10 inches lower than the front. Im talking Alice In Wonderland. The crockie frogs where very loud. Kept me awake till 11 pm. Then it was the busy highway at 4 pm. That borders the property. WE decided to move the next day. Ben said no problem, but kept two more nights of our money. Because he charged our credit card for 5 nights when we checked in. IT was a 135.00 dollar mistake for us. Live and learn. The Reeds on the bay was less for more.

We stayed at the Wild Ginger 6/2007 and went back in 6/2008. We loved the sound of the frogs and the view of the ocean. The friendly staff and great healthy breakfast. We walked to the local cafe's and local sights from our room. I would not stay any were else when visiting Hilo. Clean and confortable with helpful frienly staff is all we need to be happy.

In the first room I got, the door didn't close. No apology, but they did give me a new room. The showers were moldy, the beds squeaky, and the place was loud. Honestly, there are lots of other hotels around Hilo that are kinda quaint and a bit shabby, but at least in much better shape than this one, and they don't cost much if any more!

We loved this place. At first we were confused when we were given flashlights to find our room. But we knew we were in the real Hawaii. Do you enjoy a late night card game, good hammock, clean bed, tv, fridge, clean basic sturdy bathroom, large closet and friendly hosts? Then stay here, we did and loved it. I have never had such a great selection of fresh local fruits . Delicious and yummy. After a filling breakfast we explored beautiful downtown hilo! We found the farmers market and black crabs (on the beach) to be our best hidden find! Dont let the crabs bite your toes as you walk on the rocks at the sea wall. Kick back, relax watch the surfers from the long wooden porch at the inn. Amazing view, unspoiled by tourists. Others have mentioned walking to downtown hilo at night, DONT. why would you walk anywhere at night alone..its very dark..you can park for almost nothing in town (50 cents will buy you alot of time at the meters). Also try being nice to locals maybe they will be nice to you. We left with a big hug from our hosts. We would come back anytime..wish we were there now...we will gladly listen to tree frogs chirping over the racoons, sirens, traffic jams and gun shots of baltimore. If you like nature and want to sleep in the jungle safely then go to Wild Ginger Inn! Carol and Brandy

Stayed in Wild Ginger Inn in June 2007. It is close to the river, all night there was loud noise of frogs. It is like million of frogs making noise all night. You can not close the windows, no AC. If you are a light sleeper, don't stay there. They run the water from 4-9 AM and 4-9 PM, just luke warm water for showers. No shampoo or conditioner. Only one small soap bar for the whole stay. Paint peeling from the floor boards. Be careful walking at night time from the downtown Hilo to the inn. We walked one night and teenagers on the street started yelling and cursing, even though we did not talk at all. After that we always drove. Not very good breakfast either.

I've stayed in some of the nicest hotels in Japan, Las Vegas, Singapore, etc. & this one isn't in the same league - it's not meant to be. I don't need a casino, restaurant or piano-bar. I don't need 5-star luxury because what do I know when I'm dead-asleep? What I did get was some informative conversation as I ate the breakfast snacks (some eggs would have been nice). And a special "Thanks" for the ad lib personal tour. Nice view of Hilo Bay too.

Wouldn't stay anywhere else It's like slipping into old hawaii .......will be going back again for Merrie Monarch Festival 2008. Have recommended it to my friends who have also had great experience

My brother and I reserved two rooms for 26/27 March 2007. Rooms not ready until 3:30 and was still not cleaned, only the bed made. Tiny one room hardly big enough for the two smaller beds pushed together to look like a queen bed. Tiny bathroom that needed to shut the door to use the toilet. Paint peeling from all baseboards in bathroom. Next morning, NO HOT WATER! It is turned off at night and not turned back on until 8 AM, and then only lukewarm. Cold shower. Electrical outlets only provided by one overused multi-outlet extension cord. We left after first night and got a refund for second night.

This is an excellent location for Hilo. One can walk to anything in town from this hotel. The owners were very friendly and quick with advice about the area. The hotel is near the main highway, so traffic noise is fairly bad during the day and evening. Our room was pretty small and the bathroom looked like it had had some emergency rennovations recently. Overall, it was pretty clean, but not REALLY clean. The towels were new, however, and the sheets were clean and fresh. We had a "Bamboo Room" for $74 a night. The room was a queen bed and had cable TV. Strangely, we had only one lamp out of the 2 nightstands. The shower took a LONG time to run hot water. A continental breakfast was served at 7:30 am---coffee, papaya, sweet breads and a fantastic sweet rice cereal that I asked for the recipie....and they happily provided it. Overall, I think this hotel is a little run-down and perhaps expensive for it's condition. As it was rainy the week we were there, I caught the faint scent of mildew in the room many times....Still, the location is great, the hosts are friendly and it has all of the amenities that budget travelers need: on site coin-op laundry, internet connection, continental breakfast, and walking distance to town---all of one block! Also, I must mention: most older hotels in the tropics have their share of insects in whatever quantity---ants, cockroaches, etc. The Wild Ginger Inn had NONE, which attests to it's cleanliness!

We liked everything! I miss sitting on the sun-lit patio and having lavender bread and papayas for breakfust. Thank you for giving us directions as how to get to the magnificent places on this gorgeouse island! Thank you very much, Ben and Lee and all staff!