The Grand Naniloa is situated directly on the coast, and we reserved a room with a balcony. The view is breathtaking, and the balcony enables us to keep the sliding door open for the majority of the day. I strongly recommend investing a bit more to secure a room with an ocean view and a balcony. While other sections of the hotel offer ocean views, the floor-to-ceiling windows do not open, preventing guests from enjoying the refreshing ocean breeze. The hotel staff are amiable and are undoubtedly one of the establishment's assets. I assigned the hotel a relatively low rating for several reasons:
The hotel is quite dated, with some areas poorly maintained.
The hotel is adjacent to two deserted and derelict old hotels inhabited by squatters, making it unsafe to wander around at night. One can observe burn marks and boarded-up windows on these decrepit structures.
The complimentary internet service is extremely slow.
The walls are very thin, which means you can hear your neighbors.
The resort fee is disproportionately high considering the modest additional amenities provided by the hotel, such as the small swimming pool.
It appears that many of the tourists we encountered in Hilo's popular spots had traveled from other parts of the island. I was unaware that people generally do not stay in Hilo. Now I understand why. The premier hotel in Hilo is just about a three-star establishment.
