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O no! I already booked my vacation. I never stay at places like this, I just figured since it was in Hilo on Banyan drive it couldn't be that bad for the price. I thought it was sort of a mom and pop type of place that would be just OK. Since I am only traveling for business I wanted to save as much as I could. LOL, I hope I don't regret my decision with going the cheap route. O well, I guess it will teach me a lesson never to stay at a cheap ole place again. LOL..I am trying to get away from the spending frenzy when it comes to travel.I know after this I will probably forever feel that I will never, ever, stray away from my motto "SPARE NO EXPENSE WHEN YOU TRAVEL!" LOL, If it is anything like you say I will for sure regret my decision! I have however heard some good accounts of the place. I guess we'll see?!
quote:
Service? Uncle Billy's? Now there's a contradiction in terms :0
Seriously, it's basically a high rise Motel 6 or Super 8 - a 'price only' place to crash. I've certainly stayed in bigger dumps; it's just a bit threadbare and down at the heels. It IS right on Hilo Bay though, so you'll have a nice view.
aloha,
Gene
Lenny
Lenny
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Hi Lenny,
We stayed at Uncle Billy's on our first trip to the BI. It is a bit thread bare, however the staff were very nice and accomodating. Bring your own pillow and you will be set. We had our then one y o son with us and were able to go on great walks with him from Uncle Billy's...perfect after a long day driving around. We found the location nice, as we were able to explore the whole west side. Parking is a bit dodgy. They have a restaurant and mini mart on site, so that was a plus. Not sure we would stay there again, but really, it wasn't that bad. Way better than the Pahoa flea trap my husband ended up staying at on his last visit.
Have a blast!
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Thank you all for the heads up on Uncle Billy's both the good and the not so good. If it were my husband and I alone I would not hesitate to stay there in the effort to save some money, but the "bring your own pillow" sent me running for the hills! ROFL, I found that to be the funniest and scariest thing I have ever heard about a hotel. LOL So as a result I have ended up paying a difference (still a cheap hotel, but there goes the "saving money" bit) and am now staying in Kona. The drive won't be that much since in Jersey we are used to driving forever to get places and we are early risers. Hawaii.com was extremely limited with hotels on the east side. Expedia was too expensive (i usually book everything trough them), and Travelocity was not working at all. King Kamehameha in Kona it will be. lol, thank you again for the heads up!
P.S. For anyone planning a trip, in contrast to Expedia and other travel websites, Hawaii.com prices seem to come down the closer it gets to the date. I find it very unusual. I have been on there for several days now and the prices on the packages I was looking into have actually gone down an average of $100 or more since I started looking.
Lenny
Lenny
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Aloha Lenny,
If you are planning to live on the east side and time is of the essence in your research, I strongly recommend you reconsider your decision to stay on the Kona side. I'm not Kona bashing here. It's fun to go to Kona for vacation, but staying there will not give you an accurate feel for the east side. And with traffic the way it is these days in Kailua, who knows how long it will take to get to Puna? Be prepared to drive at least two and a half hours one way - that's 5 hours round trip everyday! Can you afford to waste that valuable research time during your limited stay? You could spend those extra five hours talking to people who live here and maybe even socializing with some of the folks giving all this great advice on punaweb. If money is the issue, you're actually better off paying a little more for something in Hilo or Puna - even if it's a B & B - and saving the money on gas (not to mention that almost everything in Kona is more expensive than Hilo).
Uncle Billy's is not a place I would want to stay at on vacation, but for the purposes of your visit, it's a viable option. Really, it's not so bad.
IMHO, you should "stay the course" and stay in Hilo! Now take a deep breath, clear your mind, and utter the words, "there's no place like Puna, there's no place like Puna, there's no place like Puna..."
Aloha 
Tim
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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eek! I thought I was convincing you your stay at Uncle Billy's would be fine. I always bring my feather pillow when I travel, no matter where I am staying, but I'm a girl who likes my comfort.
I feel terrible that my off the cuff comment made you change your plans. Really, as a home base to explore Puna, Uncle Billy's is a good choice. Much less driving and more time to explore and relax.
I hope your trip is both productive and fun.
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Lenny - we drove the Saddle Road from Kona and it wore us out! It was also a long drive up around the northern route because we sat in very long traffic - they were working on the highway in Waimea...we didn't know until we were in the middle of it.
You are really setting your self up for some exhaustion by staying Kona side if you want to live in Puna and will be looking there for property.
Besides if you don't stay in Hilo how will you ever see a bufo toad or a 4" cane spider? LOL! 
Carrie
http://www.cafepress.com/dreamhawaii
http://www.hellophoenix.com/art
Edited by - Carolann R on 07/07/2006 18:15:02
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Lenny,
Did you consider the Hilo Seaside Hotel (formerly the Hilo Hukilau Hotel) 800-560-5557 or 808-935-0821.
http://www.sand-seaside.com/Hilo_Seaside.aspx?HotelID=2
I have stayed there a few years ago and it was fine. It is Hawaiian owned and economical, but nothing fancy. I stayed there to do just what you are doing. It is at the end of Banyan Drive so you can easily walk down Banyan Drive.
I would also strongly agree with NOT staying Kona side. You will waste way too much time that you are paying a lot for to be in Hawaii.
Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP
Allen
Finally in HPP
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I just drove back and forth to Kona today from Leilani Estates as I do a couple times each month. I took the saddle road both ways (fastest most direct route) and know the roads/route very well. I made very good time both ways. Going to Kona I made the trip in 2 hours 15 minutes and the return was 2 hours 40 minutes. I got behind some slow traffic on the saddle. Today was pretty optimal driving conditions as there wasn't much rain. So total there was 4 hours and 55 minutes of drivng back and forth and I knew exactly where I was going etc.
If I had to do that drive with two small kids in tow each day for a week while trying to find my future home in an area that I didn't know very well or not at all ... I think I would rather live in Milwaukee or Detroit or something.
Kona is a great place for a vacation but If the purpose of your visit is to scope out your future home on the East side PLEASE:
Stay at Uncle Billy's.
I stayed there once, it really ain't that bad.
___________________________
Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".
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Hi Punamom:
I've lived in Leilani 19 months and have no idea what you are talking about. All I hear all day is birds and the sound of the breeze in the trees and at night coquis and crickets. I haven't heard any annoying geothermal plant sounds even a single time.
Also our anual insurance premium is $1,056.00
quote:
Sorry Leilani"ians" I forgot to mention you as one of the good subdivisions, but I would not live there because of the mold problem and the annoying sound of the geothermal plant
by - punamom
Edited by - Andrew on 07/07/2006 19:33:58
Edited by - Andrew on 07/07/2006 19:34:34
___________________________
Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".
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Lenny...I have been a long time reader here...never a poster...but this is the time for me to jump in. Staying in Kona is crazy. Think of gas prices...$3.47/gal....where is the savings? We have stayed at Uncle Billy's...although not in many years. Yes, it is basic...but so is the King Kam..which is our hotel of choice when we visit the Kona side for R&R or shopping. Driving back and forth to Kona in one day is exhausting to say the least. Weather, traffic and wrecks on the two roads of option are always unpredictable. And, driving back to Kona side in the dark is dangerous. We always plan our drives during daylight.
I was also born and raised on the East coast..driving here is different. No street lights, places to pull over or stop and few police patroling the roads to catch the crazy drivers. If you are planning to live on the East side of this island...you MUST stay over here.
Why don't you try to find a vacation rental on the East side? There are tons of them on VRBO, and they are usually much better value than a hotel. Plus, you have the added value of a kitchen for preparing your own breakfast, etc.
There is NO way you are going to get a feel for the East side unless you stay here. Everything here is a little "rough" around the edges compared to NJ. Things over here are just different. I did not know what the word subdivision meant until I spent some time living in the midwest. The East coast term for a subdivision is development. At least, that is what we called it on Long Island. There is no distinction on what is an upscale development over here. Everything is very mixed and you just have to pick the area that feels good to you. All areas have vacant lots on all sides and you cannot predict what will be built next to you. It is all a crap shoot and a lot of fun.
I live in Kapoho Beach Lots....a GATED community. The gate was here long before we bought our home (1991)and had no impact on why we chose this area. Does living in a gated communtiy make us bad people? We looked all over the East side...saw this home during an open house...loved the view and all 864 sq. feet of this little cottage and plunked our money down. We finally moved over here in 2002 and were thrilled that we had picked the sunniest spot on the East side, moved into a fun and friendly neighborhood, had county water available and realize now that this is probably the only Coqui free area on this side. Of course, this is due to our neighborhood spraying effort...but it is working. If I had to move tomorrow....I would head to Leilani....love that area.
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