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Hilo · Hotel shortlist

Hilo hotels with air conditioning

Marc Delacroix

Marc Delacroix France

Updated 1 September 2026 · 12 Hilo hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Hilo, out of the 12 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 5 down to 4.1.

Hamakua Hotel is the one I would book myself.

Hamakua Hotel

Highest rated of the five

Hamakua Hotel

★★★★★5 from 45 reviews

Hamakua Hotel comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 5 from 45 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 4 star property and found under city centre.

12 hotels in Hilo qualified for this list and five made it. Island Goode's is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Gymopen to guests, not a partner pass down the road
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Hamakua Hotel1

    Hamakua Hotel

    ★★★★★5 from 45 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

    Check rates Read more

  2. Island Goode's2

    Island Goode's

    ★★★★★4.8 from 57 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Parking
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  3. Hawaii Magic Skies Farmstay3

    Hawaii Magic Skies Farmstay

    ★★★★★4.9 from 41 reviews

    • Spa
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

    Check rates Read more

  4. Hilo Beach House Inn4

    Hilo Beach House Inn

    ★★★★★4.8 from 56 reviews

    • Pool
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  5. Shaka Shak Guest House Hilo Bay5

    Shaka Shak Guest House Hilo Bay

    ★★★★★4.1 from 57 reviews

    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

12 Hilo hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Marc Delacroix

Marc Delacroix France

Closes the shop two weeks each winter and goes wherever people make something fermented. Dairies in the Basque country, the Caucasus and rural Sardinia.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.