I was travelling alone and wanted to stay a night in the Waimea region before heading to a conference near Hilo the next afternoon and only needed a quiet room. That is what I told the woman on the phone at the Kamuela Inn when I booked the room two weeks prior to arrival. The woman on the line said she had "the perfect room for me." When I arrived at the motel, no one was in the office. Another person had been looking for the manager for several minutes-(she needed an iron. ) We each rang the bell, waited, searched outside, asked other patrons if they 'd seen the manager...15 minutes or so went by and a woman came in- she was curt. As she handed the woman the iron, she told her not to let it burn the carpet or bedding. She came to the desk to help me and then answered the phone and proceeded to help the person on the line as I continued to stand in front of her at the desk listening to her offer him/her the last king bed/ground-floor room...She then, after waiting for help for 25 minutes or more, asked me how she could help me. I told her that I had booked a room two weeks ago and all that i needed was someplace very quiet...She assured me room 10, upstairs, was perfect-"very quiet." Sleeping in room 10 proved to be the loudest night I've spent in a motel- or at least it rivaled my college days. My night in room 10 at the Kamuela Inn was my only bad night in my two weeks in Hawaii due to being directly in the line of the drive into the motel and directly beneath the manager's quarters. Three or four groups of drunk patrons loaded into and/or out of their cars below my window- it seemed that some came from the manager's quarters above, which was very noisy due to foot traffic in and out and all about. The headlights of each car that drove into the motel beamed into my room through the crooked curtains. Additionally, a winged-back chair in this room is covered in mold and filled the room with a moldy aroma requiring that I keep the windows open for air. I slept for about an hour or two total. I would gladly pay more for a quiet room somewhere else, one perhaps with a view of some sort and without mold and without the very odd attitude of the incompetent manager. So, go the extra dollar and stay somewhere more quaint or make sure you are on the end near the gallery when you book. The patrons at that end seemed content, except when they needed something like an iron. When you book, make sure that room 10 is not the only room available.

The Kamuela Inn is probably the best value for accomodations in Kamuela (Waimea). It's a very, very basic motel with a competent staff, cheap rooms (~$70-90/night), and a modest continental breakfast (muffins, bagels, etc.). One thing that I will say is that there's a huge degree of variability between the rooms in terms of comfort, size, and decor. Some of the rooms have lanais (balconies) but some of them do not. Make sure that you ask what features your room has when you book with the property.

Basically, if you don't expect too much other than a clean room and a modest breakfast, you won't be disappointed (think a Hawaiian version of Motel 6). If you're looking for more, search elsewhere.

We just stayed at the Kamuela Inn in the Suite with kitchenette (2nd floor, $89 per day). Based on the photos from their website, I had the impression the suite was in much better condition. Well, that was not the case as the room was definitely out of date from the photos with some peeling paint and plaster here and there. The queen bed and bath were in the back area access by a separate door. The bathroom and shower stall were relatively clean upon our arrival (important) The outdated kitchenette (pots/pans/utensils) was functional with the 30+ old gas range working properly, newer frigerator, and sink /dish storage area along with rouond sitting table with cheap white colored plastic chairs. A T.V. with cable was in the front room. We also had free wireless internet access from our room which was nice.

The morning continental breakfast served downstairs was basic with guava juice, folgers type coffee (I had to go to Starbucks to get the real stuff), raisin bagels, oroweat brand wheat and white bread for toast, english muffins, and costo type bulk muffins. It was fine as long as you did not need a better cup of coffee. But, what do you expect from a basic Inn esablishment anyway?

Kamulea Inn was located about 100 yards off a busy street in Waimea (aka as Kamuela) and was realtively peaceful place to stay even with the many guestrooms. The landscaping around the grounds were nicely maintained with a lovely huge jacarada tree in the middle. It looks inviting from the outside when you drive under the main sign and park. However, If you are looking not to spend a lot of money for a place to stay in Waimea (which is kind of hard to do during the high season and with the lack of budget accomodations nearby) and do not mind a place which needs some updating, then this place could be a good deal for you. However, if you are more discriminating and do not care for mismatched furniture bought from a thrift store, rusty door knobs and bath fixtures, duct tape covering holes in wall, some peeling paint on walls/ceilings, thin bed sheets and blankets (it can get cool in waimea in winter), then you should pass on this place and pay more $$$ for better accomodations elsewhere.

I really like Kamuela Inn and have stayed their about 10 years ago. This time around with my husband and 3 young children we were given a real bad time by one of the receptionists, I think she was a manager. They gave us a room that apparently was suited for 3 people, which I had no idea when we made the reservation. When we asked for extra towels she wanted to charge us $10 per towel (for our children) and kept complaining that we shouldn't be in that room, that it was against Fire Marshall regulations, yet, they smoked right their in the check-in office! I asked to see the rules and regs but she sassed me instead. Our room was suited for 3 but there were 2 sets of towels and the 3rd set would have been "extra" even though we told her there were only 2 towels. Finally I asked if this was her idea of customer service and she replied, "oh, we dont do that."
Aloha 'oe Kamuela Inn for having no Aloha!