Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel

Worst check in ever the line was so long and waiting in line for about an hour. Only two people working this is the last time I will stay here..

I would not recommend this place at all! Don’t stay here! Simply, it’s dirty. Bugs in the room, stains on the bed, holes in the screens and spaces between the Ac and wall so more critters can come in. I will say that the view is amazing, but I would have preferred to spend an extra $ 100 to get a clean room. Still considering shortening my stay at the hotel to one night instead of two.

We stopped simply because it was conveniently located in the relationship to our hotel. We walked it, looked around and walked out. The place was dirty and I didn’t even feel like getting a cup of coffee there. Surprisingly locals didn’t seem to mind. I’m not asking for anything fancy but simply clean would be sufficient.

Wow! For $ 102 for a single person along with an extra $ 23 room key charge that the employees didn’t find sitting on the front desk that I left when I walked out, this place was SOOOOOOOOO NOT WORTH IT. Not to mention, not taking a customers word really (regarding the dropped off key) is really really poor customer relations. Sad, because it seems it could be awesome again with such a lovely location, cool history & sweet little Koi pond center. But with cheap olé Uncle Billy & his recent death & new O’ahu owner, it could be quite some time. Go camping instead & save your money!

Horrible. Super old, ac didn’t work. Maintenance guy couldn’t fix it. Ugly. Super uncomfortable beds. Just awful. Not even worth $ 50 a day.

Would come back for the staff but that’s it the rooms are not the best. Old TVs, broken mini fridge, really old elevator, cracks in the wall, weird smell like sweat and dirt, etc it just seems like it’s not even taken care off.

While a bit old and tired, rooms are good sized with all of the basic necessities. We upgraded for an ocean view which was worth the extra $$ — a total of $ 127/​night. Not bad for a view of the bay! Window unit kept room cool and dry. Would stay again if able to stay in same room…342.
General store has a menu of items you can order. We had the chef salad which was made while we waited. It was great and well worth the low price of $ 7.95.

I had to travel to the Hilo area for work during Valentine weekend. Everyone was booked solid… except for Uncle Billy’s. I went in expecting the worst. You know what? It wasn’t that bad. Yep, it’s dated, but they offer their rooms at a really good price AND they include a continental breakfast. I had a lovely view of the garden and the bay. The room was OK clean. The bed was comfy and clean. The staff were amazing and they greeted me by name… who does that anymore? It’s Hilo so there are noisy coqui frogs but they provide earplugs. The only bummer for me was they didn’t include some of the usual amenities I’ve come to expect — in room coffee maker and hair dryer. It’s a small inconvenience. They have a store that serves ‘good’ coffee on the grounds (no pun intended) and I’ll just remember to pack a hair dryer.

The hotel room is fine. But, boy, the front desk clerk this morning was a witch. Aunty from hell, and I’m local. She wouldn’t talk to me about a room. I’m a victim of a recent assault and needed to make a phone call and she was snotty about the pay phones. She needs to be fired.

Believe what to read about this place. It’s definitely rundown and in need of a remodel. We stayed one night in Hilo so we could hike Volcano National Forest and do the farmers market the next day. Unfortunately with a last minute reservation, this is all we could find.
They actually still give you real room keys (vs electronic key cards)! The sliding door to the patio was wide open when we got into the room. I decided it must be that way for a reason (scared of the room smelling), so we left it that way all night. The bathroom had cracked tile and mildew all over the grout. I definitely didn’t want to walk barefoot, wondering what had been on the carpet before me. And the toilet whistles every time you flush. We had no towels in the bathroom. Upon asking the front desk for some, the delivered two bath towels for the three of us, no hand towels or washcloths. Once I laid down to sleep, I noticed the decaying popcorn ceiling above me. Luckily, it didn’t fall on me while I slept!
On a more positive note: they actually had rooms available. The sound of the ko-​kee frogs lulling you to sleep. After hiking several miles up and down, in and out of craters all day, I wasn’t up all night, thinking about the filth. The room was only $ 99/​might and we were only there for one night.
Conclusion: if you are desperate or want budget, and don’t care old and rundown, this place is for you!

This hotel is run down. Fortunately the sheets looked clean, the shower and bathroom are awful. The lady at the front desk is very nice and helpful, she deserves to work at a better place.
Do not stay here.

Back to 2 stars unfortunately. This time I paid extra money to get the ocean view. The room was a dump but damn, it had an AMAZING view! This was well worth the extra money.
pros and cons…
pros–
view
lots of space for clothing
most workers were friendly
general store came in handy
cons–
there’s one really rude hawaiian lady (maybe asian) worker in the mornings on the weekend. she wouldn’t allow us to bring pool towels to the beach. jesus lady. we are spending a lot more extra money for an oceanview and we cannot even borrow a couple of towels? they have 2 mats you can use but they were leftover from prior guests LOL. ask for pool towels and then throw them in a bag to take with you to the beach but just make sure sand is off them. the worker the previous day had no problem with it, but she did. the breakfast is still bland. very weak wifi signal almost to the point of there was no point going online. shower was bad every time. i’m also almost certain there is mold because i woke up with chest pains every morning while sleeping there.
i probably would return here though since accommodations in hilo are slim.

I travel a lot for work (once a week to Hilo) and I normally stay at Hilo Seaside and after this stay I will never stay at a Uncle Billy’s hotel again! The hotel looks like it should be on that show Hotel Impossible! Everything is run down and dirty and I do mean everything from the floors to the ceilings! I really wish I could give this place no stars!

The only redeeming quality about this place is the friendly and helpful staff. Other than that, this is the mother of all sh*t holes!
First room reeked of mold and mildew. Couldn’t stand it for more than five minutes. The friendly staff gladly switched my room. My new room didn’t smell moldy, but the mildew and mold was visible on the ceilings and inside the bathroom and tub. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in over a year.
AC worked well, the room had a basic TV with cable, no HD. Bed linens and towels were clean. The free wi-​fi was spotty but worked well enough. Stayed here for work and could barely stand the 3 days of hell. I felt really bad for people vacationing. I would never stay here if it wasn’t for work. Walls are very thin. Australian couple next door were arguing all night. It felt like they were in my room fighting. At least their fighting offered better amusement than the crap cable.
Like other reviews stated, the breakfast is just coffee, toast, and a little bit of fruit. I didn’t even bother. General store is convenient but a little over priced. Was starting to feel sick after two days. My guess is the mold and mildew. Currently feeling better now that I’ve checked out. I would rather stay at the seaside down the street while here working. It’s a dump too, but at least it’s pretty clean and there isn’t any mold or mildew that I noticed.
Sorry tourists, all the nice places to stay are all on the Kona side. Good luck in Hilo…

What you get here is worth the price. 3 star pricing gets 3 star services, can’t complain much especially when this is in the Hilo area.
The conventional breakfast they serve is repeating and simple but fresh.
Good place to stay for a night or two when all other options are full.

The Hilo Bay Hotel (Uncle Billy’s) is a decent choice for those traveling on a budget. The rooms aren’t especially fancy and could use some modernization, but they are clean and comfortable. The back of the hotel is right along Hilo Bay (the Pacific Ocean), so there are some great views here.
The lanais (patios) for the rooms give you a chance to enjoy the ocean breeze from the comfort of your own room.
There is a general store on the property, as well as a pretty decent restaurant with nice breakfast and brunch options. Parking is free.
Within walking distance to local attractions including Coconut Island and Liliuokalani Park.
Come to Hawaii to enjoy the island; spend time exploring, not in your hotel room!

Uncle Billy’s is a great local kama’aina hotel. It is simple, it is cheap, and it offers things you would be charged at other places.
$ 79 a night (kama’aina rate) = standard room (partial ocean view, 2 twin beds), free parking, free wifi, AND free breakfast. This is a very good deal.
No, this isn’t the Hilton or the Sheraton. And no, you aren’t going to be paying those rates to stay here. It would be a disservice to say «you get what you pay for», because it would seem like a dive. However, this is not the case. You get a very good deal for what you pay here. There is also a great convenience of Uncle Billy’s General Store connected to the hotel. It is much better than the small stores you will find in bigger hotels. Much bigger, and they don’t rip you off for the necessities.
Reading prior reviews from the people giving this place 1 star, I would highly suggest doing your homework before coming. Who in their right mind would come all the way to Hawai’i on their honeymoon and book this place thinking it would be the Hyatt? Seriously, you are just setting yourself up for failure. Realistically though, you could do much worse in Hilo, and you could also do a bit better. Not leaps and bounds better, because honestly, Hilo’s hotel situation is lacking on all fronts. There are many people who look for B&Bs, or even drive and stay in Waikoloa or Kona on the other side of the island.
For me though, Uncle Billy’s is just fine. I am not expecting plush luxury, I am expecting a bed to sleep in and a clean shower to bathe. The free wifi and breakfast are great perks that puts them above the other small hotels here.

We stopped at Uncle Billy’s general store that’s connected to the hotel. From the outside looking in I wouldn’t want to stay at the hotel. However, you cant judge a book by its cover. We stopped here to get some snacks and use the restroom while on a Discover Hawaii tour. Its you basic general store.

I came here to find donkey ballls. Now donkey balls are a funny product. They are either mac nuts or malted balls dipped in chocolate. And they are delcious.
We drove 25 miles just to come to this place. After reading on Unilocal I figured that we could get lunch here. When we walked in I realized I was definitely wrong. This place looks like a souveneir (sorry for my spelling) shop gone bad. An assortment or horrible hawaii gear is crammed into all the nooks and crannies of this place. To get to the donkey balls you have to go to the back of the shop. After getting my chocolate I ordered my food. I ended up paying 6 dollars for a blt. This blt took them 20 minutes for them to microwave the bacon, toast the bread and put it together. The reason it took so long was that the staff decided their personal conversation was more important than giving me my food.
Seriously for all the advertising they got they should atleast be a decent store with good food.

Way to screw up a honeymoon.
It’s 2:36am and I am awake writing this review. I can’t sleep. The sound of the old air conditioner was driving me nuts (literally making the room sound like a construction site). I decided to turn it off. The room smells like a mix of dust and mold. It’s muggy in here. I am convinced that this bed is making me itch.
The only reason I am here right now is because my beloved husband decided that it would be better to spend this night at a hotel by the Hilo airport. Our flight to Maui departs at 8am and we were staying at the Sheraton which is located all the way in the other side of the island. Oh, Sheraton… Clean, quiet, nice Sheraton…
No, don’t think I came here thinking I would be at a resort. I knew I was coming to spend the night at a motel, really just a place to sleep. But I didn’t think I would end up at a place which looks EXACTLY straight out of a bad thriller movie. There is a mysterious door by my bed, and the light on the other side keeps going on and off. Despite my efforts to make the room quiet by turning off the air conditioner, all the frogs of Hawaii are singing a sweet mother fucker melody outside. Unfortunately I can’t get hold of a gun and go shooting one by one right now.
My husband? Oh, he’s sound asleep. He sleeps despite any nuclear attacks, tsunamis, or any other natural disasters. But the real disaster will happen later today, when I’m going to be so pissed and tired that we will «miss» one full day of activities in Maui.
So, please, pay attention to this: my absolutely lovable coconut-​head husband decided to opt for this shit-​hole of a place despite all — and I mean ALL– the bad reviews here. Don’t do the same. It’s not worth it. You deserve peace of mind, a restful night of sleep. Please, disregard this place as an option.
I feel bad for the ppl who work here, but or this place goes through a super make over or it should be just shut down.
Sorry.