(07-20-2023, 08:41 PM)oink Wrote: I checked out the Hilo Seaside online not long ago. Different name and management now but boy did they go up in price. They must have done major renovations. I enjoyed my month long stay there a number of years ago quite a bit but I wasn't actually there much. I had a 2nd floor room overlooking the fish pond. The view was nice. The plumbing was a disaster. Sewage backed up into the bathtub one day. The shower was just frustrating with such miserable shower head until I went to the plumbing store, bought another and a wrench and replaced it. The room itself was well worn but not terrible. I thought the location was nice and for me convenient. I'd walk the Banyan Drive loop every morning starting before sunup. I became just one of the regulars doing that. Parking sucked. But at the time the price was fairly reasonable. Not now, unless they produced a miracle renovation. I need to find another modestly priced place to stay there. Fat chance?
Assuming we're talking about the same hotel (now SCP Hilo Hotel) I recommend it. It's been renovated and the staff is super-friendly and helpful. The rooms are not as cozy as those in the Hilo Hawaiian or Naniloa, i.e., they don't have carpeting, but the amenities are the same or even better. Parking is still an issue though. The restaurant is no longer part of the hotel, but you can still walk in there via the hotel's lobby.
The only issue I found was that the parking is as bad as it used to be, but it's not a deal-breaker and it's free.
The one hotel I would avoid is Hilo Reeds Bay. Awful place and one of only two hotels I checked out early due to the hotel itself.