History and charm seeps from the walls of this majestic property. The large and tastefully appointed rooms evoke a restrained elegance that is quaint and inviting. Your hosts are humbly proud of their creation and rightly so. It is always a challenge to renovate and reestablish heritage of a bygone era but the icing on the cake is Barbara's family link back through the generations of family members who originally established and have owned the home. She has relit the candle to her families history and created a museum of charm that is an unexpected bonus when you stay at the Shipman and a tour by Barbara through the house is an elevating and must do experience. The breakfast is an inspired delight based around Hawaiian fruits and homemade cakes and pastries with an oatmeal mix to die for ... and make sure you don't forget to ask Barbara to test you with a surprising taste sensation from a magical African berry that tricks your taste buds into thinking sour is sweet and sweet is sour.

We stayed here with another couple in the upstairs rooms and had a fabulous stay. Our hosts, Barbara & Gary were most gracious and generous in providing local knowledge about where to eat, what to see & where to go. Breakfast was produced mostly from fruits grown on the property or baked on the premises and was delicious.
The house has been lovingly restored and you get a real sense of its history as you wander the halls or chill out on the verandah with a beer or wine.
If you are rambunctious or have boisteroud kids this may not be the place for you, but we loved it.

Amazing house, hosts and experience! I stayed here with my daughter and it was the most relaxing, informative and tasty vacation. Hilo is old and charming and not crazy like Kona or Waikiki. The people were friendly and Barbara and Gary gave us daily advice on what to see and experience. The breakfast was HUGE and had fresh local fruits, fresh smoothie, juices and baked local bread and a homemade breakfast muffin. Simply fabulous!

We loved our stay at the Shipman House. The trip up the driveway to this enchanting home was just the beginning of our excitement. The owners have restored an old Victorian Home to it's former grandeur and have furnished it with many family antiques. The main floor is a step back in time to pre-statehood Hawaii. We stayed in Auntie Clara's Bedroom and loved watching the sunrise from our very comfortable bed. Then was the fabulous breakfast on the lanai. The weather was beautiful, the owners were great hosts, and the amount of quality of foods available was outstanding. There were 13 different fruits (most gown on the Shipman House grounds), two kinds of homemade granola, a hot cereal, fresh yogurt with 6 different toppings, two kinds of bagels, and two kinds of homemade breads with 4 different jams or fruit butters. And that doesn't include a fabulous assortment of teas, coffee, and juices. My only disappointment was that I couldn't eat it all! The wrap around porch on the first floor and the second story porch were appointed with great chairs to comfortably watch the sun set through the palm trees and to enjoy the sounds of the Hawaiian evening. The innkeepers were spot on in their recommendations for great parks, eating places, and businesses to visit. The value for your money was definitely worth it and we will stay there anytime we are in Hilo.