Great papaya in the morning.

Very friendly staff, location was quiet and out of the way, but close to downtown shops and restaurants.. coffee, fresh banana bread and papaya were great!

The room was clean even though the bed is a little on the older side, I slept well. The staff is friendly. It is a bit on the older side and could use an update. I enjoyed the complimentary fruit.

It is a little run but that’s part of the charm. Staff are incredibly helpful and the daily breakfast is a fun way to meet the other guests. It’s close enough to walk to restaurants and shopping. The garden is beautiful and they provide much needed earplugs for the frogs. The walls are thin and the balconies are close so do not expect a quiet resort. A great stay though snd the area is unbeatable. Great value.

Wonderful location, very clean room. Great for a family or couple. The staff is super friendly and very helpful. Daily cleaning of the rooms and fresh towels every day. Beautiful to walk around and they have a very pretty garden and walking path. Looking forward to a return visit!

Great place to stay, staff is friendly and helpful. Most rooms have a kitchen and lanai or patio. Facility is a little dated and lacks AC but staying in December, fans and open windows cooled room at night. Great banana bread and fresh fruit for breakfast and a cat or two might visit. Lovely garden, location is convenient, good off street parking. We are not bothered by the Coquis at night, we like the sound.

the staff was very pleasant and you can walk to many food options.The room is well equipped,a little old fashionned,but comfortable

Service was pleasant and good advice on where to eat and shop Banana bread, papayas and coffee/tea were all free and good for breakfast Room was clean and nice considering it is a bit older Cool locking mechanism on the front door Fresh drinking water in the fridge Full kitchen you can use Free and safe parking 10-15 min walk to the main Street but along the bridge there there is a homeless encampment Tv and cable work but the cable can be hard to get working Free wifi which was good The room was a very pleasant temperature -there were two small fans and a large ceiling fan but that was a bit noisy when trying to sleep Very quiet rooms otherwise

Beautiful, lush garden! We so enjoyed our stay in this small hotel in a quiet residential area. It was perfect for our Hawaiian vacation. We explored the nearby waterfalls, town of Hilo, beaches, and the Volocanoes National Park. The staff was very helpful with ideas. The daily papaya was so sweet and delicious. It was the best thing we ate during our whole vacation. Room is not modern or new but clean and so functional. Loved having a mini kitchen. Went to the local farmers market and got a few things, including some huge avocados and made a simple guacamole in the room.

The Dolphin Bay is a charming property. Despite being a little older property, the room was spotlessly clean and well appointed. Everything in the unit worked well and was perfect. They provide you everything you need to utilize the fully featured mini kitchen. It was great to have a complete cook range and oven. The staff are nothing but smiles. The clerk that checked us in met us at the room to let us in and reviewed the amenities. I can't remember the last time that happened. In addition to the excellent room, the grounds feature a fantastic garden with gravel paths through a lush tropical ravine and places to sit, relax and just take it all in. We will be staying at the Dolphin Bay again on our next visit to Hilo.

Comfortable room in a convenient location, full kitchen, and friendly, helpful, professional staff. We loved Dolphin Bay!

I stayed at Dolphin Bay Hotel two different times while on Holiday in Hilo. It is such a hidden treasure with a quiet beautiful location, wonderful banana bread n coffee n papayas in the morning, and probably the most amazing staff on the island! I truly treasured my time there! Thank you to the lovely Mom n Daughter who help run the hotel :-)

Love the feeling of staying in an apartment not just a room. Everyone staff and guests so friendly

Looks are a little deceiving upon arrival. The hotel is a bit older looking. However it was clean, the staff were welcoming. I loved the fresh banana bread, papayas and coffee each morning! They provided fresh towels and would tidy room each day. I found they provided all the in room amenities that we needed during our stay. The house cat Opie was a delight. The garden was beautiful and the grounds were nicely maintained. It had a very home away from home feel. We would definitely stay here again

It’s a great place. Clean and friendly with beautiful gardens

We really enjoyed our stay - safe clean convenient. Staff was great, super attentive and helpful. Their gardens in the back were a wonderful respite from our busy days. Kitchenette was all we needed to fix a couple small meals. Smaller old school motel away from the glitz of the new places - would certainly stay here again.

We were only in Hilo for two nights but the beauty and wonder of the place, including our family studio at the Dolphin Bay had us longing for a longer stay. The room was perfect for 3 adults. The kitchenette was nicely stocked and everything was clean and comfortable. The grounds were beautiful and we enjoyed the banana bread and the papaya in the morning. We would definitely stay here again.

Nice hotel with a friendly cat and a nice garden

The hotel had true Hawaiian feel to it. It was very roomy and had all the amenities we needed. The staff were super friendly and helpful. The family loved the fresh banana bread in the morning and the perfectly ripe papayas available in the lobby. The cats were even super friendly.

Excellent staff.

Wonderful staff and so welcoming. Nice path to walk behind the property. Clean and good coffee and banana bread in the am was a bonus. Will plan to stay here again👍

Friendly service, clean and very homey atmosphere.

We only did an overnight trip to the Big Island to see the Volcano Park. It was the most affordable option I found but provided amenities that was beyond what I would expect. It is close to town (just a couple of minutes drive to Pineapples Island restaurant!), and not terribly far from the Volcano Park. The staff was super friendly. The room was clean, and way bigger than we had imagined. Our room could easily accommodate 4 people with 2 sofa/beds in the living room and a queen sized bed in a separate bedroom. The beds were comfortable. There was plenty of hot water and good water pressure for showers. There was even a kitchenette that was equipped with all that we needed. Free coffee, freshly baked banana bread, and a whole beautifully yellow-ripe papaya for breakfast was delicious. I wished we had a longer stay. I would definitely stay at the Dolphin Bay hotel again.

The woman who greeted us was so welcoming and informative. I'm sorry I didn't get her name, but she was great and set the tone for our stay. This place is clean and comfortable. but it is an older hotel, The description and photos are accurate. There is no A/C, but lots of fans. We slept with all the windows open and were fine. The complimentary coffee, banana bread and papayas were delicious. We walked the 10 min into downtown Hilo with no problem. I agree with both the two recent reviewers from 06/25/23. Just set your expectations appropriately and you'll be fine.

The room was a good size for our family with a nice division between sleep and living when necessary. The kitchen was useful. Staff very friendly and accommodating

This is a throw back to days gone by. It is quiet. It is clean and maintained so well. Feels like a bit of a time warp. No AC but windows and extra fans did the trick. Hostess of the place was so nice. It is nice to see places like this still exist. Coffee, baked banana bread and fresh local fruits for breakfast. Very Quaint.

This review is going to come across as being negative about this hotel, but that's not its intent. It's really just meant to manage expectations. The staff is friendly and attentive. The room and grounds are very clean. If that's all you need from a hotel, then this is the place for you. However, this is an old hotel and lacks most of the amenities that one might expect. There is no air conditioning in the rooms (or anywhere), so you have to keep the windows wide open and the fan cranked up all of the way to cool the room off at night. This means that you need to be able to sleep through the local wildlife noises. Morning breakfast consists of a pot of coffee, some fruit, and some banana bread (which is tasty) near the front desk. The room doors lock/unlock with an actual key and are located on the exterior of the building. The hotel is located in a less-than-stellar-looking area of town. There are condemned houses with overgrown yards across the street and an assortment of abandoned cars around the neighborhood. It is about a 10-15 minute walk to the downtown area of Hilo to find anything to do or eat, but most of the nicer (and more tourist-friendly) places are a bit farther. Again, this is not a horrible place to stay, but it lacks many of the comfort/safety/convenience aspects that one might expect.

This was a beautiful family stay for a family of 5, all adults. The staff accomodated greatly giving us a large room, and the reception hospitality was attentive and personal. They had fresh whole papaya's set out in the morning with banana bread and coffee. The balcony was useable, and rooms had screens on windows for good airflow. They also had a small garden area to wander. Overall, this was an affordable, clean, accomodation...leaving pleasant memories!

nice and quiet

Super friendly, helpful staff: they accommodated my very late arrival and offered lots of great recommendations for a first-time visitor to Hilo. Delicious coffee and banana bread, and a clean, comfortable room with beautiful gardens. Will absolutely stay again.

Dolphin Bay is a delightful place to stay. Retro charm. Beautiful gardens. Wonderful soundscape of birds and frogs. Delicious banana bread (and papaya and coffee/tea for breakfast). The best of all is the very friendly, positive and genuinely helpful staff. Loved it and wish we could have stayed longer.

Old fashioned but neat