Shipman House Bed & Breakfast

Beautiful historical house with lovely, old grand piano in front room and wrap around porch (where an eclectic, exotic, delicious breakfast with a view awaits each morning). Our hosts were very friendly and were extremely helpful with recommendations for local food and attractions. Our room in the guesthouse was spacious and comfortable. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend to others :)

We have stayed at many bed and breakfasts in the Central Coast area of California and the Shipman House experience beats any bed and breakfast we’ve ever seen. Barbara and Gary (the hosts) have done an outstanding job of renovating the historic house and recreate a bit of a magical experience of a different time. I was in ‘hog heaven” as a former history teacher! We stayed in the guest house the first night since all the rooms in the main house were reserved. The room was quite comfortable and had an attached bathroom. The next two nights we stayed in Auntie Clara’s Shell Room in the main house. The «shell room» had a private bath across the hall with a privacy robe for each guest.
The house is located a short distance from downtown Hilo and is situated on Reed’s Island, between two rivers. Check out the pictures on Unilocal,of the house, the furnishings and the incredible continental breakfast. Most of the fruit is grown on the property and we must have tried 8 – 10 fruits that we’ve never experienced before. Toast and breads, fresh home made muffins and a great Macadamia Nut Granola were included with cups of the most outstanding coffee we have ever had.
We toured the house with the help of a self guided notebook and really sensed the history of the rooms. How many times does one experience sitting down at a grand piano that the Queen of Hawaii played? The list of notable visitors from former years goes on and on. Jack London, Amelia Earhart, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr, Cecil B. deMille, Lauritz Melchior, Cole Porter, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Newman, Janet Gaynor along with many others.
The Andersons gave us excellent advice and recommendations for dining and touring the Hilo area, including the amazing volcano experiences.
We couldn’t have been happier with all aspects of our stay.

This place is one of the best places I have ever stayed at in my life and I travel a lot. In fact this was my 5^th trip to the Big Island and I had never been to Hilo and wanted to meander the Hamakua Coast and take my time at Volcano National Park. I found this venue on the internet. I picked it for the obvious beauty of the house.
It turned out to be a total score. Barbra and Gary are the best B&B hosts I have ever encountered and there is much to do on this side of the island to boot. The Hamakua coast to the north is right there, there is excellent snorkeling about 20 miles south in some tide pools and staying here allowed Even Faker Buddhist (formerly known as Fake Vegan) and I a chance to visit Volcano Nat’l park after the crowds leave around 8:30.
After touring immense beauty all day, it was a delight to come back to this home of even more interest and beauty. All of the rooms are well appointed and the breakfast they provide was off the charts. We are talking home made granola, warm cereal, fresh baked goods, hard boiled eggs and a beautiful tray of home grown and local tropical fruits. Staying here was the best decision of the trip. The trip I almost didn’t go on.
The generosity of Gary and Barbara also provided me with some warmth and sanity I desperately needed. EFB and I had been together as «forever partners» for almost 2 years. We both had huge life transitions to accomplish and our pact was that I would help him and when it was my turn, he would be there for me. Well girls, get paid up front. I did not, because I had total trust in our relationship. Right when it was his turn to step up, he sacked me. I was blindsided. No concerns or discussions, just sacked. He still though wanted to take me on this fabulous trip to Hawaii which was scheduled in 3 weeks after the sacking. We always got along fabulously but I would never be his «buddy». So how were the dynamics going to shake out? Well he treated me like we were still together and I went along with it as I didn’t want to cause any drama. Lock your heart in a safe and turn into an Escort at a flick of a switch. The wonder of the Shipman house provided me with a giant distraction especially while EFB took a nap. The grounds provided much solace and peace.
The east side of the island is worth some extra time and staying at the Shipman House is a no brainer. I hope to see them in better circumstances next year.

What a lovely place to stay in Hilo… we found the Shipman House by accident. We were suppose to stay in a hotel on bay front but the reservation dates got mixed up, hotel was booked when we arrived so I jumped onto Unilocal.OMGOSH how lucky were we to find this bed & breakfast. The house was super clean, was minutes from the bay, over an adorable river, up a small luscious green hill, in a sweet Hilo neighborhood. Expect pretty views of the bay from 5 or so adorable rocking chairs on a huge covered wrap around porch. Our chosen room was spacious, nothing like a hotel size room at all, and the bed/​linens/​mattress — just like home. I will never stay any other place in Hilo whether I am there for business or pleasure again. The Shipman House allows you privacy during the day/​evening yet Barbara and Gary/​other guests keep you company in the am at breakfast. Loved our Hilo history talks over sweet papayas and the other local in season fruits. Barbara even took the time to make sure I had my usual coconut milk and cocoa for my 365 start of the day coffee ritual. Loved her all fruit smoothies and truly appreciated that she made us some special «we are vegans» pancakes. Who takes the time or cares enough to do that?! Breakfast was so completely filling and delicious that my husband and I both skipped lunch. How fun — our 2 days of business turned into a much needed relaxing/​pleasure trip. Mahalo Barbara, Gary, and wonderful staff at Shipman House Bed and Breakfast– and a hui hou! ps. although the house is very old — there were no creepy shadows or «heeby geeby» feelings at all. Well deserved Easy 5 star rating from us!

What a beautiful and interesting inn! Owners/​Innkeepers Barbara & Gary provide an inviting, informative, and tasty stay in a home over 100 years old with tons of character. The house is a museum with interesting decorating and old time functionality. Skeleton keys are used to enter the rooms and with this throw-​back feel comes old school cooling: fans and a breeze. No A/​C! Surprisingly, the room never felt uncomfortable. Another omission is tv but they do provide WiFi which is welcome accommodation. Fresh baked muffins, homemade jams/​butters, and sweet fruits coupled with the island’s best coffee give guests a wonderful start to their day. Barbara and Gary are more than willing to share the house’s history plus answer any questions you have about Hilo and the rest of the Big Island. Highly recommended!!!

The beautiful Shipman House in Hilo is one of my favorite places to stay in all of the Hawaiian islands! I dream about the fresh, juicy papayas, with a scoop of passion fruit and a squeeze of lime. I’m in love with the homemade lilikoi butter, which they make with fresh passion fruit and butter. I toast my slice of homemade Portuguese sweet bread, and smother it in delicious lilikoi butter at breakfast. The owners grow over 20 varieties of tropical fruit trees on their property. Breakfast doesn’t get any fresher than that! (-;
I’ve stayed at Shipman House on «Reed’s Island» in Hilo on 2 separate trips to the Big Island. We’ve slept in 3 different rooms, and enjoyed all of them. We slept in the cottage which faces the main house, and in 2 rooms in the main house: Auntie Clara’s shell room, and Auntie Carrie’s room. Which room is best? I dunno I seriously liked them all!
Every day after breakfast, the owners helped us plan our day, marked places on the map, and gave us the inside scoop! Barbara is very organized, and her inner kindness unfolds like a Hawaiian flower the longer you know her. For example, one guest had recently developed an allergy to dairy. When Barbara heard this, the very next morning she provided homemade, scrumptious, moist gingerbread muffins which were dairy free, and everybody enjoyed them!
Breakfast: The fresh tropical fruit platter is a work of art! There is also oatmeal or quinoa (hot cereal); yogurt; homemade granola; homemade Portuguese sweet bread, breads for the toaster, hardboiled eggs, cheese, juices, coffee, tea…
On this trip in January 2014, we slept in Auntie Clara’s shell room near the top of the stairs on the 2^nd floor, which has a queen bed and 4 small windows with lovely views of the «rainforest» and a distant peek at Hilo bay. The private bathroom for this room is actually in the hallway outside of the room, and we were provided with robes.
Hilo is on the greener, wetter side of the Big Island, and we love the «rainforest» atmosphere, where a warm, tropical rain might start up for a few minutes, and then the sun comes popping out. We love the «jungle» feel of the location of Shipman House.
Hilo has a local feel, and there are great dining choices for reasonable prices. Hilo makes an excellent base for the east side of the island. From Shipman House, it’s an hour or less to the major sites, such as Waipi’o Valley, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and Hawaii Volcanoes National park. I wouldn’t want to sleep in Volcano, because there aren’t enough dining choices in Volcano, and the air is better in Hilo. We prefer to do the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as a day-​trip from Shipman House in Hilo.
Shipman House is an authentic historic Victorian building, and has many antique furnishings, including furnishings made from special native Hawaiian woods. Barbara is a Shipman descendant, and she has some rules for guests to follow to protect the house, which is on the National Registry. The rules:
–No shoes in the house. Remove shoes at the door. (Exceptions are made for guests who must wear orthotics with soft-​soled shoes.)
–No smoking in the house
–No rolling luggage over the floors. Luggage must be carried.
The county of Hawaii is still working on the wooden bridge as of January 2014, therefore you have to take a longer detour between Shipman House and Hilo, which makes it a trip of about 1.7 miles or so. (You can easily WALK into Hilo in under 15 minutes when the bridge is fixed.)
I highly recommend Shipman House bed and breakfast in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii! I’m already dreaming about my 3^rd visit to Shipman House someday.

My wife and I stayed here for three nights in October 2013, during our honeymoon, in Auntie Clara’s Shell Room. Every morning we were greeted by a gorgeous view sunrise over the bay below through the two large windows opposite the bed, and by an equally beautiful breakfast spread out on the lanai, featuring local fruit grown on the property.
The house itself is full of incredible Asian and Hawaiian antiques and gorgeous koa furniture.
We didn’t mind the frogs at all — we found the sound rather soothing.
Barbara and Gary are gracious hosts and full of excellent recommendations for things to do in the area. This is the place to stay in Hilo.

We stayed at the Shipman for a few nights way back in February of 2000, but we still have good memories of it. We stayed in Auntie Carrie’s room, which was very comfortable and spacious. The breakfasts were filling & tasty and we enjoyed talking to the owners. The grounds were pretty and the entire atmosphere was really pleasant.
Since we were there in February, we didn’t encounter any of the problems mentioned by others (noise from tree frogs and bugs in the room). It’s true that the prices are high for a B&B, but it’s a lovely oasis and therefore we felt it was worthwhile spending the money.

This is one of the best places I have ever stayed! I am a little biased because I love the owners and always have an amazing experience here :) Gorgeous house and fabulous breakfast!

Located in a wonderful old building convenient to downtown Hilo and nearby points of interest, the Shipman House B&B has lots of common space downstairs for guests, and large rooms with high ceilings. We stayed in Auntie Carrie’s Room, which comes with both a built-​in closet and an armoire, a full bath, and a mini-​fridge. The grounds are pretty and well maintained.
The owners, Barbara and Gary (who used to live in Fremont, CA), are very nice, and they pointed us to some good local restaurants. Plus they have four cats that live outside, which is great for us feline lovers. Breakfast (served from 7:45−9 am) consists of local fruit (some grown on the property), various breads (including fresh muffins), oatmeal and granola, plus juice and coffee. The muffins can be somewhat hit-​or-​miss, but the jams and sauces that come with them are quite good.
Upon our arrival, we were warned that the toads would make a lot of noise at night (and they do!), but we found the sound quite pleasant. Less pleasant were the ants and gnats, which were a constant presence in our room (the ants in particular; including on the bed). Some of that is to be expected in Hawaii, but this was a bit much. We were also warned that termites might swarm, but thankfully they didn’t.
Aside from a loose toilet seat, everything else was fine. But the Shipman House does lack some of the amenities of other high-​end B&B’s, such as a pool or hot tub, a full breakfast, and access to the kitchen; plus they’re a little on the pricey side (starting at $ 219 a night). It can also be a bit awkward coming and going — if the front door is locked you usually have to go around to a side door (rather dimly lit at night) with a slightly fussy old-​style lock. And as with some other Hawaii B&B’s, footwear may not be worn inside.
All in all, this is a nice B&B, and we enjoyed our stay.
UPDATE: Barbara sent a nice note up to check on some of the little issues we had, which I appreciate.
UPDATE 2: Note that B&B’s in Hawaii can serve a hot/​full breakfast if they have a «certified kitchen».

Upon arrival we were greeted by Barbara, who despite the fact that we were just coming in early to drop off our bags, and we were not technically checking in until noon, invited us to have breakfast. This is just an example of the hospitality that you receive. We stayed in the Shell Room, which is a lovely room full of antiques and a beautiful, old Hawaiian quit, with a view. It’s true the frogs are noisy – deafening at times – but we were given earplugs and that helped a lot! The breakfast was delicious – every imaginable tropical fruit as well as oatmeal, homemade granola, and fresh baked muffins that were scrumptious. All this is served with a Shipman sunrise (fruit smoothie with guava juice), and any hot beverage you desire. All in all a wonderful experience with very friendly, helpful hosts.

I had a really great time at this B&B. I really enjoyed the beautiful grounds, it’s walking distance to downtown, the room was comfortable, and the breakfast was delicious!
We stayed in the Makai Room, which is part of the guest house in the back. The room is huge with a very spacious shower, screened in porch and bay window with a bench. The bed was very comfortable. The only problem we had was that the tree frogs are a problem this time of year — they are very loud — but ear plugs are provided.
Breakfast!!! I’m a vegan with a wheat allergy & my husband is vegetarian. We were so pleased with the variety of delicious foods at breakfast. It’s a meatless continental breakfast but don’t let that stop you! The spread of local tropical fruits is divine and there is local honey, tropical jams, juices, fresh baked Portuguese sweet bread, english muffins, hard boiled eggs, cheese, homemade macadamia nut granola, yogurt, hot cereal AND a baked good. Twice Barbara made quinoa for hot cereal and it was great! She was extremely accommodating to my wheat allergy and made ginger muffins with oat flour one day and made two batches of cornbread the next — one batch with spelt flour for me. That was so thoughtful and unexpected!
The Andersens are social and friendly and keep up with current activities to help visitors plan their stay in Hilo. I highly recommend Shipman House!