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The Palms Cliff House Inn

At a Glance

    Pros

  • stunning views
  • terrific breakfast
  • comfortable rooms with every amenity
  • all rooms have private entrances from the exterior

    Cons

  • no pool
  • no lunch or dinner on site
  • remote location means you have to drive to Hilo town for dinner

The Palms Cliff House Inn Review

This handsome Victorian-style mansion, 15 minutes north of downtown Hilo, is perched on the sea cliffs 100 feet above the crashing surf of the tropical coast. You can pick fruit and macadamia nuts from the gardens of the 3½-acre estate. Individually decorated rooms have private lanai. Suites include oversized hot tubs (the one in Room 8 is by the window with a stunning view of the coast), and there's also a private hot tub in the garden. A husband-and-wife team serves breakfast with pride on the lanai overlooking the cliffs; meals generally include fresh-baked muffins, locally grown fruit, a warm egg or meat dish (they always ask about food allergies or dietary restrictions ahead of time), and, of course, fantastic local coffee. They can help you plan activities, including hula lessons and massage.

    Hotel Amenities

  • 4 rooms, 4 suites.
  • Business center.
  • Rooms have: a/c (some), safe.
  • Rate includes breakfast.
  • Credit cards accepted.

Member Reviews

  • Golnarsarge, from Orange County, CA
    5/8/07

    John and Michelle Gamble (the owners) know what great service is, and train their staff accordingly.
    The rooms and grounds are gorgeous. We loved the hot tub in a secluded part of the estate and the lantern provided in our closet to unobtrusively light the path.
    The breakfasts were fabulous and utlized local ingredients--We actually started to look forward to next morning's breakfast the night before!
    Bonnie (one of the breakfast staff) was so delightful and gave us excellent tips each morning about the locations we were touring. The lanai that breakfast was served on was truly magnificent.
    We also appreciated the consideration we were shown on one morning when we had to leave before breakfast was served--the staff packed muffins for us.
    Warning: This is a serene place for people who like peace and quiet. Unfortunately, a couple moved in during our stay who chose to blast their TV every night (John had to ask them to quiet down and graciously offered to move us). So if you like noise, please do not stay here because you'll stick out like a sore thumb.
    The only suggestions we have to make are:
    Putting a couple of hammocks on the property so guests can relax on the grounds (it is full of trees and would be ideal).
    Making the sign for the property stand out more--we (and other guests we talked to) passed it several times without noticing it. We actually had to wake Michelle up in the middle of the night when we arrived (she was very gracious though).
    Overall, we hope people don't miss out on this place--while we also stayed on the Kona side of the island, no trip to the Big Isle is complete without a stay on the Hilo side as well where all the rainforests and waterfalls are.

    Ratings details: Room: 5 | Atmosphere: 5 | Service: 5 | Value: 5
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