At the Beach with Friends Bed and Breakfast

I rarely leave a bad review but PASS on this place. The owner is too anxious to manage a bed and breakfast. We messaged that we would be arriving around 8-9 pm and she recommended a few places to eat. The one we tried Mahalos in Hilo was a bar and the food was terrible. When we arrived she kept cautioning about breaking tiles with luggage. She showed us to our room and broke a jar with earplugs in it while letting us in. The name should be 'In the Jungle with Frogs' as we never saw the beach. The place was way overgrown. At breakfast the next morning she had us move from one table to another as she was afraid we would break her chairs (not overweight). Interestingly there were guests that morning and the next to whom she did not voice these concerns. My wife said the place smelled bad. On checking out, again she cautioned about breaking floor tiles with luggage. I don't know where the outdoor photos were taken with a nice manicured lawn but that is not what we saw. Pass on this place.

This is a charming house near the beach park less than 10 min drive from the center of Hilo (or the airport). It has a beautiful garden all around and everything for a comfortable stay. Claudia, the owner, cooks a fantastic breakfast and is a pleasure to talk to. We really enjoyed our stay there.

Our gracious host provided a wonderful breakfast each morning with fresh fruit from the Hilo Farmer’s Market in a lovely open social room with big windows overlooking a pond with lush gardens. Claudia gave good tips about the area and had snorkeling gear and beach chairs readily available. It felt like we were staying with our kind and eccentric aunt. Spacious rooms in a 1970s style, beds were comfortable and the bathroom had nice tile with large shower. There’s no AC so we slept with the windows open to feel the ocean breeze and were lulled to sleep every night by the tropical rain and singing frogs from the pond below. Property was secluded and charming with coconut trees and birds of paradise in walking distance to Richardson Ocean Park, a beautiful black sand beach. Thank you Claudia for your hospitality and making our trip to Hawaii extra special.

After staying in some high rise hotels on the Northwest coast of Kona, we wanted a complete change. We found it at our tropical jungle oasis, "At the Beach with Friends" hosted by Claudia Rohr. What a delight to walk into the Bamboo room near a lagoon, and feel like you were actually among the flowers and plants of the tropics outside the large glass windows. The unique wood furniture gave the room character, and the gentle night time lulling sound of frogs and birds have left us wanting to return. Claudia prepared a hot breakfast each morning made with fresh ingredients, and offered helpful suggestions for destinations to visit and restaurants. We are forever grateful Claudia did not cancel us when she broke her leg a week before our arrival. and instead soldiered cheerily on.

because of the amenities, but because of the host. The location of the b&b was great, however, the host was rude and made things very uncomfortable for us with her attitude. Because everything was sold out, we decided to stay and just make sure we were gone all the time to avoid the host, her breakfast, and the other guests in which she bad mouthed us too. The accommodations were okay, but I would have preferred to stay at a hotel or rent a house so I would not have to deal with a rude hostess. My biggest complaint was that when we overslept for breakfast one morning, which she served at 8:15 (I asked her the night before what time breakfast was and she said - the guests usually choose when to eat, but I serve at 8:15!) she called me and demanded rudely that we come out our rooms to the common area to eat her breakfast 'right now' (her exact words). When I did come out of the room, I overheard her talking negatively about me in the common room to the other guests! This was VERY unprofessional and embarrassing for us, and made for a hostile environment. Nevertheless, I apologized to her immediately for over sleeping and explained that we didn't get in until late the night before, in which she talked over me and was very rude and simply thrust a plate at me and said, 'take this plate!' After this incident I felt very uncomfortable being around her or other the guests, so we made sure to avoid her at all costs, which seemed to work for the rest of our stay. When we checked out, she sent me pictures and accused of us of getting her towels too dirty in which I informed her those weren't our towels. There were a myriad of other things and rules that made this place not amicable, (the food, cleanliness, t.v. too loud and can be heard all night from other rooms, and etc.) however I will just mention the ones above. If you want to chill and have a relaxing time without someone bothering you, accusing you of things, being rude or bad mouthing you to others; if you don't want to answer to someone or walk on egg shells your entire trip, this isn't the place for you. However, if you are perfect and make no mistakes and don't oversleep and eat her breakfast, the host may be pleasant to you. There are hotels and many private rentals right across the street, I would definitely suggest staying there for a more relaxing trip....where you can sleep in and not get in trouble!

My best friend, teenage daughter and I stayed in June 2022. I was very surprised and pleased with our stay! This bed and breakfast is secluded but very close to black sand beaches. My daughter and I walked out every morning to see the sun come up. Our hostess had fresh fruit and a hot breakfast every morning, along with coffee and hot water for tea. We will definitely be going back to stay and visit.

Claudia was a wonderful host. She gave us great recommendations for fun and food. The beach was a 12 minute walk away. Claudia provided snorkeling gear and boogie boards for added fun. Breakfasts were delicious and conversations were interesting.

We enjoyed our stay here. Claudia was a pleasant and attentive host. She is very knowledgeable about the area, gave good recommendations and had interesting stories to share during our breakfast chats. The place feels like you are in the rainforest but is within walking distance of lovely beaches and a convenient drive to Hilo and nearby attractions like Rainbow and Akaka Falls. Snorkel gear and boogie boards were provided.

Not as advertised. Upon arrival we were given a huge list of rules and procedures...I have never in the 15 years I have utilized B&Bs experienced that. The home, while beautiful, is not well taken care of. Our bathroom sink was not draining, the toilet plugged easily, the shower handle was about to fall off, and the shower curtain is missing many hangers. The toiletries and towels were on a tray and then sat on a stool. The tray was clean, but the stool top was disgusting under the tray. It is dirty. Nothing is dusted in the common areas or the room except the obvious things, like our bed and mirror in the bathroom, and there are piles of knickknacks, antiques, & books piled on all of the furniture and under the furniture. This includes on and under the table serving as a buffet/coffee area. The kitchen was closed off and so we never saw if our food was being prepared in a clean space. There were three other guests there at the same time as us and three of us got human hairs in our food. She was unhappy when I used a clean spoon to serve myself. She then served me my spinach by grabbing it with an ungloved hand. She did the same with most of the food. We thought about using the provided snorkel gear but it was filthy and looked a bit moldy. There is no air conditioning which is fine, but the wildlife is loud and we could hear cars periodically. We also heard every word the neighbors were saying...so if you are wanting privacy this is a no go. So if you are wanting something quiet this will not work for you. There were only two towels and two washcloths and we were told she did not have many so we should keep them as long as possible. The grounds had the potential to be beautiful, but they were very overgrown. I expect the little lizards in Hawaii and even think they are cute, but our room had their poop on the walls and shower tile. There were lizards on the wall in the hallway, especially at night. I felt as though were were being watched or I would have taken more photos. I would not choose to stay here again.