Exterior

Reviews of Dolphin Bay Hotel

2.5 out of 5
Dolphin Bay Hotel
333 Iliahi Street, Hilo, HI

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 357 out of 552 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 151 out of 552 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 21 out of 552 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 11 out of 552 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 12 out of 552 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Ann

Liked: Staff & service
Loved the garden and staff were friendly. Banana bread was good. Expedia did not make a distinction between rooms with and without a balcony. We wanted a balcony and the lady we very helpful in checking and letting us know that there was one available for an additional 20-30 per nigh. We agreed but was actually charged 40 per night. This was not what we originally agreed and seemed mean - especially considering the room was not booked. The balcony made the room and the original room we were allocated seemed dark and confined. As the property has several internet addresses it was difficult to find the one allocated and the correct password. The office closed at 7 so there was no one to ask. There was supposed to be instructions in our room but these were missing and we realized this too late. There were limited power points and as we had forgotten our power strip this meant we had to scatter our devices through the room. Again the office was closed at 7pm so we could not ask for a power strip. Would be great if the lamps could be updated to have power points USB connections and if new power points were added each side of the bed.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024
Response from John on 16 Apr 2024
Mahalo for your review.

10/10 Excellent

Hiroshi

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Really enjoyed a beautiful morning of Hilo with free banana bread and coffee the hotel offer.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024
Response from johnhilo - on 15 Apr 2024
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Nicole

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Loved this place - super friendly staff, fresh banana bread in the AM, and fresh papaya too. We had the family suite, and found it to be very comfy. Wish we could have stayed longer than one night.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from johnhilo - on 15 Apr 2024
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Toni

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was beautiful, it was just right size. Easy to get to, near the bay and restaurants. Morning coffee, banana bread and papaya. Easy check in, parking available, room with kitchenette, clean and staff were wonderful. Would stay again when visiting the area.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from johnhilo - on 18 Mar 2024
Thank you very much.

10/10 Excellent

Sanjay

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice location with natural ambience and very friendly staff. They gave us a lots of free papayas and banana breads. If we come to Big Highland, I am going to book this hotel.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from johnhilo - on 18 Mar 2024
Thank you.

8/10 Good

qing

Liked: Cleanliness
rooms are clean and they do provide banana bread, hot coffee/ chocolate and papayas in the morning which definitely is plus. There is no AC installed, only fans are in the room. Also, the walls are paper thin you could hear frogs singing over night. They do provide earplugs if you needed.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from johnhilo - on 11 Mar 2024
Thank you. Not sure about the thin walls though, as we are a brick building.

10/10 Excellent

Adam

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We truly loved our stay at Dolphin Bay hotel! The suite option drew us in, having a 5 person family. So very nice to have beds for 5! This is an older hotel, but very clean and well maintained. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the banana bread and fresh papaya in the morning was a great local touch. We would absolutely stay here again when in Hilo.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024
Response from John on 7 Mar 2024
Mahalo for your kind review, Adam! We are very happy you and your Ohana enjoyed your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2024
Response from John on 7 Mar 2024
Mahalo you for your kind review. We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

Keith

Travelled with family, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The folks running the hotel are very friendly and helpful. It has a sense of coming home. It's also a 5 min walk to town for dinner or walking around. Hilo's a cute place, very laid-back. Worth more time than we had...
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024
Response from John on 5 Mar 2024
Mahalo Keith for your kind review. We are happy to hear you enjoyed your stay and are looking forward to you coming back to visit!

10/10 Excellent

Nicole

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024
Response from John on 27 Feb 2024
Mahalo Nicole! We are so glad you enjoyed your stay with us!

10/10 Excellent

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Lovely landscaped grounds; Cozy and efficiently designed rooms; kichenette is a definite plus; Very attentive, friendly and accommodating staff; excellent morning coffee/tea, delicious banana bread, and fresh fruit; nice walkable proximity to town.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024
Response from John on 18 Feb 2024
Mahalo for your kind review! We are so glad you enjoyed your stay!

10/10 Excellent

Shian Yu

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We love there: mini kitchen so convenient; bed comfortable; air breathing from window and fan is perfect setting. I love papaya for breakfast and my husband love coffee they made. Delicious banana bread too.
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2024
Response from John on 6 Feb 2024
Mahalo for your kind review! We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us!

8/10 Good

Kimberly

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice property, older, but clean and very friendly staff. Room was right off office area so a lot of people noise in the morning.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from johnhilo - on 5 Feb 2024
Thank you.

8/10 Good

Robert

Great papaya in the morning.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from johnhilo - on 5 Feb 2024
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Vacation to Hilo!
Very friendly staff, location was quiet and out of the way, but close to downtown shops and restaurants.. coffee, fresh banana bread and papaya were great!
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2024
Response from johnhilo- on 5 Feb 2024
Thank you very much.

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2024
Response from John on 29 Jan 2024
Mahalo Scott for your kind review!

8/10 Good

lynn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Decent stay
The room was clean even though the bed is a little on the older side, I slept well. The staff is friendly. It is a bit on the older side and could use an update. I enjoyed the complimentary fruit.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from John on 22 Jan 2024
Lynn -Mahalo for your kind review!

10/10 Excellent

Lynn

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from John on 16 Jan 2024
Mahalo for your kind review. We hope to have you stay with us again!

8/10 Good

Calvin

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023
Response from John on 16 Jan 2024
Mahalo for your kind review!

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It is a little run but that’s part of the charm. Staff are incredibly helpful and the daily breakfast is a fun way to meet the other guests. It’s close enough to walk to restaurants and shopping. The garden is beautiful and they provide much needed earplugs for the frogs. The walls are thin and the balconies are close so do not expect a quiet resort. A great stay though snd the area is unbeatable. Great value.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 5 Feb 2024
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

MICHELLE EVANS

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Can’t wait to return!
Wonderful location, very clean room. Great for a family or couple. The staff is super friendly and very helpful. Daily cleaning of the rooms and fresh towels every day. Beautiful to walk around and they have a very pretty garden and walking path. Looking forward to a return visit!
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023
Response from John on 31 Dec 2023
Mahalo Michelle! We enjoyed having you and your Ohana stay with us. Opinion sure misses you all! Have a Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you again!

8/10 Good

Bence

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from John on 16 Jan 2024
Mahalo for your kind review.

8/10 Good

BETHANY, Rochester

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great place to stay, staff is friendly and helpful. Most rooms have a kitchen and lanai or patio. Facility is a little dated and lacks AC but staying in December, fans and open windows cooled room at night. Great banana bread and fresh fruit for breakfast and a cat or two might visit. Lovely garden, location is convenient, good off street parking. We are not bothered by the Coquis at night, we like the sound.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 5 Feb 2024
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Belinda A.

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 5 Feb 2024
Thank you very much.

8/10 Good

Debra

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 5 Feb 2024
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Jutta

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from John on 16 Jan 2024
Mahalo for your kind review!

10/10 Excellent

Jesse

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay
Service was pleasant and good advice on where to eat and shop Banana bread, papayas and coffee/tea were all free and good for breakfast Room was clean and nice considering it is a bit older Cool locking mechanism on the front door Fresh drinking water in the fridge Full kitchen you can use Free and safe parking 10-15 min walk to the main Street but along the bridge there there is a homeless encampment Tv and cable work but the cable can be hard to get working Free wifi which was good The room was a very pleasant temperature -there were two small fans and a large ceiling fan but that was a bit noisy when trying to sleep Very quiet rooms otherwise
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from John on 5 Jan 2024
Mahalo Jesse for your kind review! We are pleased you enjoyed your stay!

10/10 Excellent

Valerie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful garden, wonderful staff, the best papaya
Beautiful, lush garden! We so enjoyed our stay in this small hotel in a quiet residential area. It was perfect for our Hawaiian vacation. We explored the nearby waterfalls, town of Hilo, beaches, and the Volocanoes National Park. The staff was very helpful with ideas. The daily papaya was so sweet and delicious. It was the best thing we ate during our whole vacation. Room is not modern or new but clean and so functional. Loved having a mini kitchen. Went to the local farmers market and got a few things, including some huge avocados and made a simple guacamole in the room.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 13 Nov 2023
Thank you very much.

10/10 Excellent

James

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Dolphin Bay is a charming property. Despite being a little older property, the room was spotlessly clean and well appointed. Everything in the unit worked well and was perfect. They provide you everything you need to utilize the fully featured mini kitchen. It was great to have a complete cook range and oven. The staff are nothing but smiles. The clerk that checked us in met us at the room to let us in and reviewed the amenities. I can't remember the last time that happened. In addition to the excellent room, the grounds feature a fantastic garden with gravel paths through a lush tropical ravine and places to sit, relax and just take it all in. We will be staying at the Dolphin Bay again on our next visit to Hilo.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 9 Nov 2023
Thank you very much.

8/10 Good

Isabelle, Manotick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 2 Nov 2023
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Joyceleane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Comfortable room in a convenient location, full kitchen, and friendly, helpful, professional staff. We loved Dolphin Bay!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 30 Oct 2023
Thank you very much.

10/10 Excellent

Amy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 26 Oct 2023
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Steven

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 23 Oct 2023
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Vicki

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I stayed at Dolphin Bay Hotel two different times while on Holiday in Hilo. It is such a hidden treasure with a quiet beautiful location, wonderful banana bread n coffee n papayas in the morning, and probably the most amazing staff on the island! I truly treasured my time there! Thank you to the lovely Mom n Daughter who help run the hotel :-)
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 23 Oct 2023
Thank you so very much.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Love the feeling of staying in an apartment not just a room. Everyone staff and guests so friendly
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2023
Response from John and the Dolphin Bay Ohana on 13 Oct 2023
Mahalo for your kind review!

10/10 Excellent

Tony

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Looks are a little deceiving upon arrival. The hotel is a bit older looking. However it was clean, the staff were welcoming. I loved the fresh banana bread, papayas and coffee each morning! They provided fresh towels and would tidy room each day. I found they provided all the in room amenities that we needed during our stay. The house cat Opie was a delight. The garden was beautiful and the grounds were nicely maintained. It had a very home away from home feel. We would definitely stay here again
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 11 Oct 2023
Thank you very much.

10/10 Excellent

John

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 30 Oct 2023
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Carol

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dolphin Bay Hilo’s best kept secret
It’s a great place. Clean and friendly with beautiful gardens
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023
Response from John on 27 Sept 2023
Mahalo Carol for your kind review!

10/10 Excellent

jack

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dolphin bay hotel mid september
We really enjoyed our stay - safe clean convenient. Staff was great, super attentive and helpful. Their gardens in the back were a wonderful respite from our busy days. Kitchenette was all we needed to fix a couple small meals. Smaller old school motel away from the glitz of the new places - would certainly stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023
Response from John on 27 Sept 2023
Aloha Jack - Mahalo for your kind review. Glad you enjoyed our gardens - it really is a special place. Take care!

10/10 Excellent

Julie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We were only in Hilo for two nights but the beauty and wonder of the place, including our family studio at the Dolphin Bay had us longing for a longer stay. The room was perfect for 3 adults. The kitchenette was nicely stocked and everything was clean and comfortable. The grounds were beautiful and we enjoyed the banana bread and the papaya in the morning. We would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023
Response from John on 18 Sept 2023
Mahalo for your kind review! We are so glad you enjoyed your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hotel had true Hawaiian feel to it. It was very roomy and had all the amenities we needed. The staff were super friendly and helpful. The family loved the fresh banana bread in the morning and the perfectly ripe papayas available in the lobby. The cats were even super friendly.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 23 Aug 2023
Thank you and Opie thanks you too.

10/10 Excellent

MASAMI

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 17 Aug 2023
Thank you very much.

10/10 Excellent

Robbin

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 17 Aug 2023
Thank you .

10/10 Excellent

Jodine

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 17 Aug 2023
Thank you, mahalo.

10/10 Excellent

Phebe

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 24 Jul 2023
Thank you-

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful staff and so welcoming. Nice path to walk behind the property. Clean and good coffee and banana bread in the am was a bonus. Will plan to stay here again👍
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 18 Jul 2023
Thank you very much.

10/10 Excellent

Grant

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 17 Aug 2023
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Leo, Palmer

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Friendly service, clean and very homey atmosphere.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 17 Jul 2023
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Brian, Portland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from John on 7 Jul 2023
Thank you very much!

10/10 Excellent

Anthony

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We only did an overnight trip to the Big Island to see the Volcano Park. It was the most affordable option I found but provided amenities that was beyond what I would expect. It is close to town (just a couple of minutes drive to Pineapples Island restaurant!), and not terribly far from the Volcano Park. The staff was super friendly. The room was clean, and way bigger than we had imagined. Our room could easily accommodate 4 people with 2 sofa/beds in the living room and a queen sized bed in a separate bedroom. The beds were comfortable. There was plenty of hot water and good water pressure for showers. There was even a kitchenette that was equipped with all that we needed. Free coffee, freshly baked banana bread, and a whole beautifully yellow-ripe papaya for breakfast was delicious. I wished we had a longer stay. I would definitely stay at the Dolphin Bay hotel again.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from johnhilo - on 5 Jul 2023
Thak you very much.