Hilltop Legacy Vacation Rental

Excellent place. Great atmosphere. The first thing when you hear when you walk up, are the tropical birds in the forest next door. Great staff. Very homie.

If I could give this place negative stars I would. This place had no ALOHA SPIRIT. When we got there, no one was there to check us in.
We get weird directions via text to open the room.
After putting in all of our things in the room, my fiancé drew the window drapes to cover the windows and a humongous cockroach flies directly at us. IT WAS A FLYING COCKROACH!!! It landed on one of the walls and started crawling all around the room. It even got on the dinner table.
We were so disgusted. My fiancé tried killing it, but it kept flying all around the room.
We left immediately and texted Jade that we would not be able to stay there. She told us that a few bugs get in the room, and that the cleaning crew had just been in there. How did they not see the flying cockroach? There was no one at time of check-​in to give me another room so therefore we left. What were we suppose to do, wait for them!!!
We ended up driving all the way back to KONA, (2.5 hour drive) to our home base.
The worse part of this situation is the customer service. My fiancé and I were only booked for one night which at that time was 89 dollars. When I wanted a portion of my money back (which is reasonable for most hotels), because of the cockroach, I was left rude and upsetting emails by the owner. I have been in dispute with them for more than a month. They wanted to give me a credit for the room, but I will not be in Hilo any time soon. If I ever return to Hilo, I would never stay at their establishment!!!
I SUGGEST THAT IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A CLEAN TO STAY, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE. LOOK FOR MY COCKROACH PICTURES IN THE PHOTO FEED!

Unfortunately this is no longer a bed-​and-​breakfast, it’s just a bed. And that’s basically what it is. The owner Jade is very nice. The room is clean but I do not want to find two fleas in my bed nor do I like ants crawling in the bathroom. The towels could use some softener as they were very sandpapery hard. The most upsetting was only two wall plugs w ext cords… no outlets in the bathroom, which I’ve never seen before. So any hair drying has to be done sitting on the bed. Shower head splays not sprays water n same w sink faucet. I would’ve been better off at a motel 6 .
Ordered big island pizza which was AMAZING! but that’s another review!

First off this location is not as bad as my rating but then my rating is fair. I had a few issues and expectations for $ 149 a night. Here is what I got. This location is on top of a Hill in a residential area. If you are looking for some security on your location this is not the place as there is a PRISON around the corner. I learn this the hard way. When I made this reservation it was by accident when I meant to find a place in Kailua-​Kona not Hilo. I called the next day to explain my situation. Was told that all cancellation must be made 30 day before reservation. Thing is I made my reservation less than 24 hours before. I was offered credit but then I said what the heck let me give this place a shot. When you get location there are NO information from the ground floor or parking to show where you go. Nothing labels this the Hilltop Legacy only a small sign on the bottom saying its for Hilltop Legacy Guest. The owner was not present. Early check in before 3pm might be hard. For me the was gone and I kept calling the 800 number listed for the hotel and got no answer. I tried 8x to call and left messages with no reply. It was only when
gave them a call he answered. Short and sweet this is a house and your renting rooms in this house. Now time for Cons for this location
Check-​in– No real instructions for check in, No one to greet you, No information on what to do and if you are like me you will be like a deer in a headlight.
Parking– Good luck it is small and tight. Three cars need to fit in a stall fit for two. Be careful when driving as on the far right side the railing ends so if you back up too far there is a sudden drop approximately 5 – 10 feet.
Room-​Outdated, Uninviting, Linen did smell clean but the color is extremely faded. Floors are wooded and is stained with wood stained but is shiny.
Kitchen/​Restroom= Kitchen you can tell you had uninvited guess as in pest from what looks to be excretions. In my room there was a Tub but this was dirty to begin with. I mean real dirty (Forgot to take a picture). If you use the tub you can see the kitchen from the tub and has a BIG OPEN WINDOW. not very safe if pervs are watching you as it gets real dark outside. As for the toilet this is the only part that looked and smell clean. The shower was nice and clean.
I did perform some test to see how the service was. I left two used utensil in the sink, made some mess on the tub, made my bed messy, left a light on (Had to do this because it get DARK and i left early in the morning) I moved the table near the bed, left a used towel on a chair. The only thing that was done for my room was my bed was made and my light was turned off. Would I honestly recommend this place to my friends and family. My answer would be No I would not.

My husband and I stayed here for four days. While we didn’t spend a lot of time here, it was a good quiet place to come and sleep and spend down time.
The grounds are beautiful. The balcony faces the bay as does a big window and it is just perfect to watch the sunrise. This place was clean and quiet. There is no ac, but with the windows open at night, it gets quite cool. The rain, frogs, and birds were nice to fall asleep to and wake up to. This location make it easy to got do things in town.
Like others mentioned, the water pressure is very low. However, the bath tub filled very quickly. Could this place use a fresh coat of paint? Yes. However there seems to be a certain charm and coziness to the location. We would stay here again!

We spent two nights here in January and loved it! Jade is a really warm, fantastic host. The views are amazing and they also have a beautiful garden. It was great that we could use the kitchen. Others mentioned hearing neighbors and water pressure but we had no problems with water pressure so that’s been adjusted and we did not hear our neighbors. The breakfast is continental style and the fruit was particularly delicious. Jade was very helpful with suggestions and ideas for things to do in the area. It felt like we were staying with a friend, in the best possible way!

The Hilltop Legacy Vacation rental is a bed and breakfast that is conveniently located in downtown Hilo, just a short drive from the historic town of Hilo where you can visit centuries-​old wooden storefronts with some shops, restaurants, galleries and other cultural sites including local museums.
Although we booked the spacious Legacy Suite at the corner of the rental home, we were still able to hear our immediate neighbors in their rooms, as well as the other guests staying there coming and going in the early mornings and evenings. This Ranch style home is an older style from the 20s or 30s, so it’s walls are very thin and the home’s interior fixtures and wooden built-​in furniture have definitely seen better days.
Our room included a private lanai (which we barely used because of all the mosquitoes) overlooking very pretty lush vegetation and a cute cloudy Koi pond, a fireplace (which we never used), an older squeaky King-​sized bed, refrigerator, microwave, desk, telescope (which we never used), and a loud, squeaky floor fan. My husband and I chuckled because the only thing in the suite that was up to date was the electronic trash can. Otherwise everything in there was dated.
The evenings were rough because of the hundreds of loud coqui frogs chirping in harmony (and off-​key) all night, so we had to keep all of our windows closed, which in turn made the room stuffy. So either leave some windows open for some circulation with the loud frog chirping or close the windows and run the extremely squeaky fan all night. Either way you won’t get a good night of sleep. The mornings were equally rough because the sun rose early and shone brightly into our room filled with it’s many old-​styled windows.
Although Jade’s hospitality was very much appreciated, I’m not sure if we would stay here again unless some renovations are done.

We recently had a trip to Hawaii and spent 5 days at Kona and 2 days at Hilo. I should say while you can find tons of places in Kona to stay, it’s not easy at Hilo. Since Skyroom (the one with jakuzzi) was available only for one night, we had to book Castle Hilo for the first night at Hilo. After Castle Hilo experience, this place was heaven. The quality was much better and cheaper! The front and backyards are so beautiful, the view is beautiful. The breakfast was tasty. The house was clean and our host Jade was very nice. I agree with some negative feedbacks though. The walls are thin and we were able to hear the snoring from next door and every time we even walked on tiptoes we felt like we are making noise. The frogs (not the insects) i guess thousands of them chirped like birds all night. However, it was the case in all Hilo. I mean if you don’t want those sounds you should not stay at Hilo but somewhere else. Besides, we did not find it annoying. It’s 15 mins to airport and 4 mins to Rainbow falls. very close to all attractions on the hilo side. Overall, we were pleased with our stay and we would recommend this b&b to all of our friends.

My wife and I stayed here for a night during our vacation to the big island. On the trip we stayed in a total of 4 different locations, two of them bed & breakfast places. Unfortunately, I have to say that Hilltop was the least comfortable place we stayed at. However, part of it may not be their fault — Hilo feels so ghetto that the entire town needs an upgrade.
PROS:
1. Jade was the primary person of contact, and he was quite courteous.
2. The breakfast was probably the best thing of this B&B — the papaya were ripe and sweet.
3. The stay was economical ($ 65/​night).
CONS:
1. The place definitely needs some renovation. I feel like the pictures shown on Unilocal (posted by the owners) were a bit more touched up. The condition of the building looks more like a structure from the 1920’s, especially when considered from the inside. The walls are also thin so that you can hear your next door neighbor watching TV late at night even when the TV isn’t on really loud.
2. While we had a personal bathroom, I really did not like the water pressure we were getting for our showers. Hot water came very slowly, and the showerhead is barely dripping water. It makes an uncomfortable shower after a whole day out (in the rain too).
3. This may be a pro for others, and possibly even one of the unique characteristics of the place, but I find it disruptive to my sleep. At night, you can hear the insects — there are so many of them chirping in harmony. If I were not so tired it woud have been more enjoyable.
Like I said though, Hilo itself really needs an upgrade. So if you HAVE to go to Hilo (I wouldn’t really want to go again), Hilltop may not be a bad choice.

We took a trip to the Big Island during spring break. We planned to land in Hilo, visit friends and spend the night in Hilo. After reading the reviews of the hotels in Hilo which seemed to be really sketchy, I contemplated driving to Kona. I took a chance and did a search of B & B’s in the Hilo area and found Hilltop Legacy.
We stayed in the Volcano room for 79.00 a night plus tax which was lower than the rooms at the Hotels. I was a little hesitant that the bathroom was located outside the room but it turned out to be ok. The room was comfortable. The home was one of those older style but it was nice, well kept and I could tell the owners really loved the place. Our host Jade was really sweet and friendly and made us feel really comfortable there. Even the cats outside were friendly. Breakfast was simple but satisfying.
I would highly recommend this place and would stay there again the next time I visit Hilo.

My wife and I stayed here for three days with our three year old son. We were amazed with the view we had from our room of the Hilo skyline! I have watched many great sunsets, but here we were able to watch the sun rise! It was an unforgettable experience!
The owners (father and son) are very friendly and hospitable. They opened their home to us and are very accommodating. The grounds are absolutely beautiful! It is in a rainforest setting with a Japanese style garden complete with a pond and many fruit trees on the property. My son loved the horse and the two very friendly cats. We felt as if we could have stayed and enjoyed this yard all day long.
The room is in need of some upgrades. The bathroom could have used some new flooring. But, overall, we were comfortable and will stay here again next time we come to Hilo.

Definitely not the fanciest place we stayed at while in Hawaii, but definitely a memorable place!
Jade and Mr. Lee were really friendly and that meant a lot. The legacy suite was nice and did provide a great view of the bay.
It was a perfect respite from the hectic 4 island vacation we had!
I will say this place isn’t for everyone, but definitely is great for a bed and breakfast.
Thank you Mr. Lee and Jade for your hospitality.

I wouldn’t recommend the Hilltop Legacy given the need for renovation, but the hosts are charming.