Maureen herself is lovely and personable, which makes writing a less-than-glowing review a little difficult for me. Mom told me if I don't have anything nice to say I shouldn't say anything at all. But I count on Trip Advisor reviews for both recommendations and cautionary tales, and if I'd known what I know now before booking at Maureen's, I don't think I would have booked.

I was traveling on business, and was convinced by my traveling companion to check out a B&B, since the nicest of Hilo's hotels is pretty mediocre. Like I said, Maureen was very sweet. But when I'm traveling on business, I want to be comfortable--and frankly, I wasn't.

First, the place isn't totally clean. It has fallen prey--at least a little--to the damp Hilo air. Some of the pillows on my bed smelled of mildew. The shower curtain was visibly mildewed. I was glad I wasn't allergic to mildew, because I would have had to switch to a hotel.

Second, there's no AC. Hilo is much more humid than it is hot, and there's nothing quite like sleeping with hair sticking to the back of your neck and your PJs sticking to your body. To add insult to injury, Hilo is famous for coqui frogs that croak--loud--all night, and they can be heard very loudly from every single room in the B&B. Without AC, you'd die from the humidity if you shut the windows. Sleeping sticky with loud frogs croaking in your ears is a little what I'd imagine hell to be like. At least a little.

Third, the bathrooms are shared. I was traveling on business and had to forgo my shower one morning because the guys down the hall took over my bathroom for an hour when I needed to be getting ready. Also, there was no proper shower--just a spray handle. So when I did get to shower it was, um, tricky.

Fourth, there's no maid service. Beds don't get made. Dirty towels aren't swapped for clean towels. Trash doesn't get emptied. Pretty much anything goes.

So what's to love? Maureen. She's so sweet. Really. And she personally cooks breakfast in the morning.

All in all, though, I'd take a clean, air-conditioned mediocre hotel over a sweet B&B owner. When I'm traveling on business, I just need my eight hours a night to count!

falling for the charm of the house itself seems not to be enough! Maureen herself is part of making this B&B stay so different and becomes such an experience. When i travel my skin tells me the feeling of the place, it's tighten up with the excitement since the first walking in. Aiming for 2 nights becomes the whole trip there. The coziness of this beautiful wooden 1930 style house spells the magic on me. it's like staying at friends home. It's quite a sophisticated experience to be able to stay in this charming historical house, it's giving me more than B&B style. Maureen herself makes the whole stay interesting and comfortable. Her taste and suggestion in seeing Hilo and the surround is marvelous. Never fail to trust that!. We extended the stay each morning because the pure joy we received from laying in the bedroom with massive windows that let the breeze came in and the sound of the ko-ji frog and the smell of the flowers. Maureen is helping us to make the whole stay effortless and unforgettable. Nothing is fancy but super super cozy. This is want i wanted to start the day not only being holiday.

Words can't describe how truly cool this place is. It's an amazing older home, designed by a well known architect in the 20's I believe. Maureen is a very sweet women, and I felt right at home the moment I entered this cool house. The price is extremely competetive. After reading some reviews about the place not being clean enough, I gotta say, that's just not true... This is a mellow and charming B&B in an, not a $1,000 a night penthouse suite, so be real here.. but saying it's not clean is a mis-representaion, it's very clean, and very cared for. I highly recommend this to anyone considering a stay in Hilo.

Let me tell you that Maureen loves animals. She was so good to us she even said she was going to keep our dog as deposit and odin
(our dog) really loved her! She also gave my husband cold meds when he wasn't feeling well. Great place to stay if you want to be walking distance to beach parks and like waking up to great food bright and early. We were lucky, we had the whole upper house to ourselves so making it feel like home was easy. Did I mention it's the only place in hilo that allows pets! Everytime we come to this side of the Island our family will be staying here. This is the real Hawaii :)