Bears' Place Guest House — Hotel in Hawaii

This was our second trip to the Hawaiian Islands. On our first trip we stayed at one of the beautiful resort hotels on Waikiki Beach. Even though our stay was wonderful, we were looking for something different for our second trip which would be to the Big Island, in the Kona District. I was searching through the alternatives when I just happened to discover Bear's Guest House. I was immediately impressed with the large shared balcony that faced the ocean that was available when renting the Plumeria Suite or the Orchid Suite. We chose the Plumeria Suite because it suited our needs perfectly. When we arrived on September 19, 2018, it was a very warm day and at first I was a little surprised that there wasn't any air conditioning. But, what I soon discovered was that since the guest house is at a little over 2000 feet in elevation, the air cools down very nicely at night for a comfortable sleeping environment. Plus, two large ceiling fans also help to keep you comfortable. Nanette, our hostess, left a note on the door welcoming us, and even provided us with refreshments in the mini fridge in our suite. The bed was very comfortable and we both slept very well every night of our stay. Nanette also personally greeted us on our second day to check on us to make sure everything was going well and also to give us some helpful hints about visiting the Kona District. Her advice was greatly appreciated. There is also a laundry facility on site for a reasonable price so you don't have to return home with a suitcase full of dirty laundry. If you are looking for something different from the typical resort experience; maybe something a little more laid back, quiet, and more private, Bear's Guest House should be given serious...

We stayed in the Ginger Room on the first floor for 3 nights.

PROS: No cockroaches or other vermin (ok, there was 1 spider), quiet/safe neighborhood, off street parking, plush toilet paper, cooler and beach towels provided for guest use, easy check in and check out even tho we arrived very late, the lush forest made the place feel very secluded from the neighborhood, laundry room available, convenient location, affordable, hot showers, and the hosts are not intrusive - in fact, we never meet them,

CONS: The smell of mold is overwhelming. No HVAC in the building, so the only air movement was a ceiling fan and opening windows or the sliding door to the lanai; however, the screen door to the lanai was bent, so critters could get in if you left the glass door open. The bathroom towels and tub had hair on/ in them when we arrived. The bedding is not white, so you know it's not being bleached, which grosses me out. The bed and pillows were not very comfortable and the couch was worse. The tub didn't drain well. The coffee machine kept tripping the outlet breaker every 15 seconds so we couldn't get a full pot brewed. The walls are very thin so we could hear everything the other guests were up to.

OTHER: The coqui frogs sing all night. It's exotic and fun, but I needed earplugs to sleep. My husband loved them, tho! Neighbors also have roosters that start crowing early.

We only slept there; leaving each morning and returning late so it worked for us. But if you tend to hang out at your hotel a lot, you might...

We stayed in the Orchid suite for a week in January. The suite is as pictured.|Pros:|Large lanai with nice views to the ocean|Lovely sunsets sitting on the lanai|Spacious room with high ceiling|Nicely equipped with cooking implements in a large kitchen. Also supplies salt n pepper shakers,sugar.|Great coffee provided|Good wifi|Washer and dryer downstairs which I never used ($5 charge)|Beach towels and chairs |Free parking|Reasonably priced for the area||Cons|As mentioned you need a car…there is nowhere to walk. Guesthouse is down a very steep, bumpy road off the Belt Rd. About 20 minutes to town. (Closer to the airport)|Its in a neighborhood with all the neighbor noises…dogs barking incessantly in the early mornings and evenings. Neighbors talking loudly and neighbors working on their yard, so not a quiet, peaceful location.|Depending upon other guests you may hear them as sound carries from other units in the guesthouse.|Bed soft|No local info provided. Nothing on sites or restaurants...