Hale Kai came very highly recommended to me by a close friend. We stayed here last November and I would highly recommend it to anyone staying in Hilo. The view from the Lanai is picturesque with surfers swimming in the gorgeous water in front of you. The vegetation is lush, and tropical. The breakfasts are delicious - a little different each morning - wonderful scones, Portuguese sausage, mac nut pancakes, stuffed papayas, fresh local fruit, etc...You will not be disappointed by your stay here. Ric also will provide you with great suggestions how to best organize your trip. For example the observatories on Mauna Kea are free on Sundays until 1pm. So get up to the Visitor's Center (9,000ft) by 1pm, have a free informational video and caravan to the top and have a free tour of one of the observatories. Fair warning, you must have 4WD to go to the summit - pack your winter clothes! Seriously, I'm from Chicago and you need gloves, hat, pants, coat, etc...

Hale Kai think of all the details - a fridge is available in the common area and take out menus for all the local spots. There is a three night minimum, and the room we wanted wasn't available all three nights, so I emailed them and they let us divide the nights between 2 rooms.

Didn't even have time to test out the pool!

Great view best part of this B B. Good size room which was good as we had three staying together.
You need a car to stay here so you can go out for your evening meal. We would have liked a jug in the room so that after dinner you could make a cup of tea, or early morning drink. Breakfast was lovely.

I've only had one other experience with a B&B and it was a good one, which is what prompted us to try it again. We could not have had a better experience here. The breakfasts were phenominal. Maria is a great cook and eating out on the lanai every morning is a big plus. The property was immaculately kept and the views of the ocean were spectacular. The beds were comfortable and as far as our room went, the room was exactly as advertised on the website. We had a great time meeting the other guests and learning about their experiences. Rick was very knowledgable about the area and had lots of tips to help us enjoy Hilo and the surrounding areas. You really have all the comforts of home (and more) with the spectacular views, wonderfully kept property, watching the whales breaching right off the coast and those delicious breakfasts. In looking at some of the other reviews, I didn't see many that I felt were out of line, but I don't look for perfection in every single area. I am rating our overall experience and it couldn't have been better. The parking is not perfect, the rooms may not be brand spanking new, but overall, those things are very very insignificant to the overall experience. You will not be disappointed to stay here.

Excellent place just outside Hilo, 5 min by car. The room faces the ocean, with a nice lanai where you can relax and look at the ocean. We were there in february so we were lucky enough to see many whales breaching out, just from our room. Totally awesome. The room is clean and Rick and Maria are very nice people with a lot of good advises on what to see in the area. The breakfast is probably the best one we had in all our vacation where we stayed at 5 different B&Bs. Fresh fruit with some very particular fruits that I never heard before (e.g. rambutan) and the macadamia pancakes were out of this world.
I definitely recommend this place and I will go back if I'll visit Hilo again (hopefully)