My husband and I had a wonderful time in Hilo staying in a romantic room "at the Beach with Friends". IT was a 25th anniversary trip and we were not disappointed in our decision to go to Hilo for four days. At the Beach with Friends is conveniently located near the airport but one gets the feeling of being in a remote hideaway. The rooms are beautiful, well kept up and the bathroom was luxurious with nice towels and amenities. We lacked nothing. On our first day after a sumptious breakfast prepared by Claudia, the owner, we drove to the Volcanoes Park. There we went hiking, drove through the lava fields., saw the ocean and the volcano at night. Coming home we were able to get into the house easily and have a restful evening. Rooms are equipped with WIFI and TV.

On the second day we took a driving trip to see botanical gardens and the observatory. We also went swimming at Richardson's beach nearby. It was great snorkeling in a safe evironment. We saw a lot of fish and also a large turtle.

On the third day we went swimming , exploring. and went to the market in Hilo.
Sadly we had to fly back to Honolulu but would definitely return to HIlo and at the Beach with Friends in a heartbeat. Claudia and Scott have created a small paradise in HIlo- it was far better than we ever would have imagnedl

Just left after spending 3 nights at The Beach with Friends. We wished we had have stayed longer. This B &B was so comfortable, the owner, Claudia so welcoming and friendly. We found it a place to find a balance of great hospitality and time to spend in private moments. The breakfasts were delicious with homemade cereal, muffins and hot food. The room was clean and roomy, lovely comfortable king sized bed. We have no hesitation in recommending this B&B.

We had a wonderful experience during our stay at "At the Beach with Friends" Bed and Breakfast. Claudia is a wonderful hostess and made a delicious cooked breakfast for us and the other residents of the B&B each morning. She obviously prepares meals with love in her heart and an objective of making sure we enjoyed them. I had a special need for protien at breakfast and she accomodated that need. Breakfast is presented at 8:00AM with coffee ready by 7:30AM. Claudia woke with us at 4:30 AM on the morning of our departure and made us coffee, the night before she gave us a take away breakfast of muffins and cheese. Mahalo Claudia.
Our room was clean and prettily prepared for our visit. We thought it was a beautiful room. The linens, bathroom and room were clean. We asked for and received fresh towels each day. It rained often when we were in Hilo, March 24 to 31, 2012, many times it poured rain at night then many times cleared to beautiful sunny days. We enjoyed Hilo and very much enjoyed swimming with turtles at Carl Nelson beach park. We liked Hilo because it is not a pretentious town, with friendly people who are welcoming to visitors.
Once Claudia got done with her morning breakfast chores, she took time to visit with us and the other visitors to the B&B. She is a long time resident of the area and had lots of advice on things to do and places to visit. She also provides equipment for guest to borrow such as snorkel equipment, towels, beach chairs and more.
My husband and I were impressed with this B&B as the home was built for the purpose of being a B&B, not converted from an existing home. I was impressed with the quality of the construction of the building and the thoughtful planning that was done to assure that each room was afforded privacy and access to amenities such as private baths. Sound proofing between rooms is very good, even when all three rooms were occupied, I didn't hear any of the other occupants except for the sound of a shower running. The grounds and building are quite beautiful and is just across the road from the ocean, you can hear the waves from your room, that is if the frogs haven’t fully started singing.
This B&B doesn't have air conditioning so you will want to sleep with your windows open. That means you will either enjoy or endure the Coqui frogs noise. Prepare yourself, and take the time to make a decision about whether you’ll want to sleep, or try to sleep with this sound (click on youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Ic_3uGzCE ) Claudia kindly provides ear plugs. I eventually got used to the nightly downpours and frog songs. I even began to recognize individual frogs.
Here’s information on the Coqui frogs from the Star Bulletin “Linda Stevens has them in her yard in Leilani Estates, south of Hilo. "Either you get used to it or you go insane," she said. U.S. Department of Agriculture biologist Earl Campbell is working at a field station in Hilo to control them. "On a good night, it's just deafening," he said. … The really noisy Eleutherodactylus coqui is up to 2 inches long and hails from Puerto Rico. It puts out ear-splitting, 100-decibel squeaks -- about as loud as a table saw cutting wood.”

I've stayed at several bed and breakfasts and prefer them to a hotel. The experience of staying in a family environment is one that I treasure.

I just returned from a two week stay At the BeachWith Friends and it was just that. Claudia was a wonderful hostesss and very knowledgeable about Hawaiian customs, history and culture. She was very accommodating and always smiling. She knows the all the best spots on the island for all kinds of activities and their history. Her breakfasts are delicious and filling! There was always plenty of food. Her homemade muffins each day were a special treat, she made a different kind each day, and she always made sure that we had them. Even when we had an early day planned, she would made breakfast early for us or if we planned to be gone the entire day, she would supply us with a To Go Breakfast. The location is great, on a quiet street within a couple of blocks of Richardson Beach. The house is set around several (or one big) pond/s and in the jungle, so there are a lot of frog and other nocturnal noises. They did not bother me, I thought it was kind of like those sleep machine sounds. There is no air conditioning cause you don't really need it if you keep the windows open.