Holo Holo In — Hotel in Hawaii

I am usually an easy to please person (look at my other reviews) but I feel I need to warn others about this place. We showed up a little after 4pm, which the website and our correspondence said was the check in time, to find a sign on the door that said check in was at 430pm. The owner was inside cleaning floors, he saw us and told us we needed to wait outside in the cold.. We had hoped to check in and make a quick dinner before heading out to see the sunset at the rim, but we were not able to get into the kitchen until after 5pm, which changed that plan. We found the kitchen to be very old and dirty and all of the teflon pans were old and shedding their teflon coating. When I opened the cupboards they were dirty and smelly inside, The bathroom was sort of clean but there was only one washcloth for everyone to use as a hand towel and one bathmat for each shower, which got muddy and wet with the first person who went in to take a shower after her hike. There was not heater and an old dusty rattly fan which didn't work well at all. Overall the place needed a very good deep cleaning! We were told to move our car and park at the school next door and lighting was poor and the path was muddy to get back to the house, passing by an open garage filled with junk. It was all very rustic and an odd set up. Our room was very cold and there was not heat in the room or the entire house. When I mentioned this to the owner the next day, he said something about the pilot light being out, but he made no apologies or promise to fix it. Mind you it was about 50 degrees at night, which seemed very cold after coming up from the Kona Coast. I barely slept at all at night as I was so freezing and had to put my head under the covers to try and find any sense of warmth. Other people who arrived at the Inn after us had to call a phone number and stand there waiting for up to 15 minutes or more for someone to come from somewhere else and check them in. One woman who arrived on her own by taxi was told that her pre-paid reservation didn't exist and was treated very rudely by the owner. Overall it was a very unpleasant experience and I wish that I spent a little more money to find something a little nicer. The hikes at Volcano National Park were awesome, especially the Kilieau Iki Trail, into the crater...and renting bikes at Kalapana to ride to the lava entry into the ocean. Kileaua Lodge for breakfasts were also delicious...try the dish with dill pickles added to the eggs for...

I am usually an easy to please person (look at my other reviews) but I feel I need to warn others about this place. We showed up a little after 4pm, which the website and our correspondence said was the check in time, to find a sign on the door that said check in was at 430pm. The owner was inside cleaning floors, he saw us and told us we needed to wait outside in the cold.. We had hoped to check in and make a quick dinner before heading out to see the sunset at the rim, but we were not able to get into the kitchen until after 5pm, which changed that plan. We found the kitchen to be very old and dirty and all of the teflon pans were old and shedding their teflon coating. When I opened the cupboards they were dirty and smelly inside, The bathroom was sort of clean but there was only one washcloth for everyone to use as a hand towel and one bathmat for each shower, which got muddy and wet with the first person who went in to take a shower after her hike. There was not heater and an old dusty rattly fan which didn't work well at all. Overall the place needed a very good deep cleaning! We were told to move our car and park at the school next door and lighting was poor and the path was muddy to get back to the house, passing by an open garage filled with junk. It was all very rustic and an odd set up. Our room was very cold and there was not heat in the room or the entire house. When I mentioned this to the owner the next day, he said something about the pilot light being out, but he made no apologies or promise to fix it. Mind you it was about 50 degrees at night, which seemed very cold after coming up from the Kona Coast. I barely slept at all at night as I was so freezing and had to put my head under the covers to try and find any sense of warmth. Other people who arrived at the Inn after us had to call a phone number and stand there waiting for up to 15 minutes or more for someone to come from somewhere else and check them in. One woman who arrived on her own by taxi was told that her pre-paid reservation didn't exist and was treated very rudely by the owner. Overall it was a very unpleasant experience and I wish that I spent a little more money to find something a little nicer. The hikes at Volcano National Park were awesome, especially the Kilieau Iki Trail, into the crater...and renting bikes at Kalapana to ride to the lava entry into the ocean. Kileaua Lodge for breakfasts were also delicious...try the dish with dill pickles added to the eggs for...

We stayed last April 2017 for a few nights. A number of people complained here about the dirt, but I didn't see any dirt or mould worth speaking of. It's in a rainforest on the leeward (and rainy) side of Big Island so judge accordingly for what you're paying for. Yes the storage shed outside is messy (interestingly so I thought!) so don't look at it, it's Mr. Satoshi's private junk pile, not guests' business. The kitchen is maybe outdated yes, but it was more than adequate and just like many hostel kitchens I've seen all over the world. The private bedrooms with bathroom was lovely and panelled with nice pine tongue-in-groove boards I believe. I remember thinking this is beautiful wood, is it imported from the West Coast? And at what cost? The host was interesting and welcoming; Satoshi loves to talk about the world, politics, his travel experience and many other fascinating topics. We didn't meet his wife. There were few guests there when we visited and we often had the massive kitchen all to ourselves. There are interesting things decorating the kitchen, tall cathedral ceiling, a great bookshelf and huge windows all around. He could fix up the outside deck it would improve the place immensely although I'm not sure how much pleasant outdoor time there is in the rainforest. ||||The worst thing about the Holo Holo Inn is that they close it for cleaning like about 5-6 hours a day (11.30 to 4.30?) which is admittedly a little extreme, so you'd better plan your arrival before or after then, because he means it and won't let you in! It could also use a little paint outside, because yes, you're not sure if it is the place you're seeking, until you see a tiny brown sign or VISA brand on the window...So he could work on the signage for the place... but... it is built very solidly with huge impressive beams, which can withstand the many tremors that happen here on the side of the volcano. We woke to a number of tremors in fact. It is very close to the national park and volcano viewing area. I wasn't bothered by any pump noise as others have mentioned. All things considered, the worst things were very minor and in our experience more eccentric than annoying - the hours, the lack of fresh paint outside and the poor signage (and Mr. Satoshi, please clean the pathetic dirty aquarium sitting on the entrance deck and add some water, or close it down!!) But I would certainly go back to Holo Holo and I hope...