The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls

A wonderful experience. We could hear the waterfall (and frogs) from our room. We slept with the windows open, and it was delightful. If you’re looking for a 5-star hotel, this is not it. It’s an experience. The rooms are clean and well decorated. The staff are young adults who volunteer and live there, and are incredibly hospitable and helpful. It felt like a retreat, and a true getaway! You can also play near the waterfall, including paddle boards and rappelling. Highly recommend.

You are paying for waterfall access here - not the room, and not the service. You can basically expect a motel room. The waterfall is beautiful. Save your money and absolutely do not pay for the chef's table dinner or its accompanying "wine pairing" - both are a terrible value. You pay Michelin star prices for subpar food, service, and wine. The wine pairing involved all of 3 half glasses of wine that weren't served in tandem with each of the 6 courses or intentionally paired with any of the dishes. The poor chef does all the prepping, cooking, plating, serving, and busing with zero support. Most dishes were unseasoned, dishes that should have been served hot were served at room temperature, and the dessert that should have been frozen was melting. We highly recommend having dinner at Moon and Turtle in Hilo. They serve amazing food at a fraction of the price. Would definitely NOT recommend staying or dining here.

You're only paying for the waterfall view but that's it. The "hotel" has inadequately low standards of hygiene. When we checked into our room, I saw that the bathroom was not cleaned for our arrival. The shower had sand in it, there was someone's used wet towel inside and the trash had some discarted items. Also, the shower door handle was falling off. The bedroom floor had several dead bugs, which I had to pick up as soon as I arrived. Moreover, we had to share room with this lovely flying cockroach. I had to sanitize the door and closet handles because they had visible grime on it. Thankfully, we dedicated our days to exploring Volcano National Park so we didn't spend much time in our room. Very dirty hotel, would not recommend, definitely would not come back. 👎. The only reason why I gave this place 1 star instead of 0 is because of the lovely black cat who apparently serves as a hotel receptionist. The most adorable and attentive staff employee so far. Perhaps they should give her a raise.

A very beautiful and unique place to spend some time on the Big Island. The falls are incredible and definitely make having to go to Rainbow and Akaka considerably less necessary. We were situated in the Harmony House in the Orchid Room. Located close to the falls you could listen to the falls and frogs as you fell asleep. Breakfast was served overlooking the falls and was delicious. Only two slight downsides - wifi was spotty and with no cell reception it made it tedious to plan the next day’s activities. Additionally, they have kayaks and SUP boards but you have to rent them separately from your room rental which should be included in my opinion. Would definitely recommend for a unique couple of nights if you’re hanging out on the Hilo side.

Amazing experience! While not technically wheelchair accessible, we were able to stay in a room on the ground floor that only had one small step to go up in order to enter the room. The room was plenty large including a wide enough bathroom door for our wheelchair. The common areas were also accessible. There was plenty of parking, although none was designated for wheelchairs. There is a wonderful view of the falls from the breakfast area that is wheelchair accessible without any stairs. If you adventure down the waterfall trail, it's a bit steep but mostly grass and dirt without too many rocks to the paved lookout point 1/2 to 2/3 of the way down. The rest of the way is very steep rocky, but we still did make it with our manual wheelchair. The bamboo garden trail is less rocky and has more switchbacks with a good waterfall view from the pavilion at the bottom. Staff were very welcoming and accommodating.