Great places to eat

[jackson]

I think the Seaside is about the least expensive you'll find in Hilo. Not the best, but inexpensive. Dolphin Bay is great but costs more and rooms can be hard to book. Worth a try if you can spend a little extra.
For food, Kilauea Lodge is great, but so is Keawe Kitchen. Both in Volcano but both $$$$. For Thai food, my favorites are Chiang Mai in Hilo and Nings in Pahoa. I think they both top the competition hands down. I'll second and third Miyos. Hilo's not exactly known for fine dining, but I always enjoy a night out there. If you make it to Hawi, the Bamboo is awesome in many ways as is Sushi Rocks.

[missydog1]

If you want to be nearer your land, I always hear about My Island B&B in the Volcano area. It has an in-law room that is under a $100 for two people.
These are the rates.
http://www.myislandinnhawaii.com/rates.html
Theodore Jay who posts here has stayed there repeat visits and knows it well.


"And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody, outside of a small circle of friends ~ Phil Ochs

[csgray]

Anybody who can afford the Kileaua Lodge for dinner can afford Dolphin Bay, plus not having to eat every meal out can be a real savings. We spent one night at the Seaside, and the planes taking off and landing right over our heads meant I didn't get good sleep. If you want cheaper than the Seaside the hostel in Keaukaha has private rooms in their plantation style houses for rent pretty cheap.

Carol

[dayna]

Carol, it's all about priorities. lol I'd rather drop $200 on a meal than on a hotel room. I can sleep anywhere, so long as it's clean and I can shower. We are celebrating our 7th marriage anniversery on the 15th (same day we are flying back to the mainland) so at some point during our stay we wanted to have a "nice dinner" in a posh fancy smancy place.

Dayna

www.AvianNation.com

[missydog1]

Makes sense to prioritize, but what is the price range of Seaside? Is it that cheap?

I figure it costs $10 in gas and an hour to 90 minutes round trip to drive up the hill.

My Island includes breakfast, and the Hawaiian Coffee Cottages are nice.
$550 per week for the studio with kitchen, in Mountainview. Nice and new.
http://www.hawaiiancoffeecottages.com/

"And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody, outside of a small circle of friends ~ Phil Ochs

[dayna]

Kathy, I'm going to send these links to Steve (terracore) and see if we can find something nicer. I think Seaside is running us about $100/night including a hot breakfast.

Dayna

www.AvianNation.com

[Carey]

At $100 a night, you do have a wide selection of places in the vacation rental/B&B arena, from Hilo all the way up to Volcano & out to Kapoho. many of the owners I know do have some availability during the time you are here, and most have some flexibility on their rates (esp. if they know you are a land owner & future resident....and it might be more fun to sample the island offerings and locations....)

Hubby & I have done camping & hostels for most of our vacations & have always loved to sample different areas, plus you can always justify one or two nights at a more upscale location or a fine dining splurge.... There are some fun campground & hostels around, the one in Keakaha that Carol mentioned (Hilo Tropical Gardens) has both, & is in a former botanical garden.
link
http://www.hilogardens.com/

Hilo also has other hostels, link: http://www.hawaiihostelsguide.com/Big_Island/Hilo/

If you would like to camp, & would like to borrow gear, we can help with that....

[punafish]

I second Miyo's for getting a decent Japanese meal with a view no less!

Hilo's best kept secret imho is Ichiban Sushi in the strip mall on Kilauea (near Subway). It's not fancy at all, kind of like takeout place, although you can eat there if you want. Very reasonable and high quality sushi. The owners are Japanese. The only downside is that the pieces of fish (neta) are sliced a tad on the thin side. But I'm a quality-over-quantity kind of guy so it's a worthwhile trade-off.

On a side note, here's a very bizarre but funny Japanese sushi commercial that made me smile http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JTZ17bIiwLQ

[aunty]

If you have purchased a home in Puna maybee could check out lower puna. I have a friend that has a B&B in Kapoho Vacationland near the sunniest part of the island and the best snorkeling in warm tide pools.You can have your own privacy and maybe cook. Call Kenny at 808-345-0385. Kapoho B&B. Pahoa has several places to eat or take out.

[hooligal]

If you're heading up Highway 11, be sure to hit Pearl's Bakery Cafe at Mile Marker 16 (just above Mt. View town). Delicious pastries, deli sandwiches & super Ono bbq they smoke every day. This is where I (happily) spend my disposable income. They're open Tues-Sat. Yum Yum!

* I'd rather fail at happiness than succeed at misery *