Arnott’s Lodge & Hiking Adventures

We were picked up from our hotel by our tour guide I, and he was super. He took us to the volcanic national park on highway 11. Very friendly and down to earth. He was very knowledgeable about the volcano park and it’s history. It was so interesting. I really and truly enjoyed the excursion and that 1.8 mile walk man. Got my exercise and had a good night’s rest afterward later on. We brought our own meals even though our tour guide offered to stop us off at a local fast joint on our way back from the volcano national park of which we did and he recommended Verna’s. We ordered the pastele plate and man, was it soooo onolicious! Anyway, Arnott’s is awesome. The driver was very prompt and on time when he picked us up.

We camped for 2 nigts in arnotts’ garden. The place is really nice and confortable. Hot showers, privatives restrooms for campers. Everything was clean. Campers can use kitchen and Wi-​Fi. Good deal. The only negative point is that arnotts is quite far from Hilo downtown, but it s closed to the beaches. In overall, good experience.

We did the Mauna Kea summit and star gazing tour. Our tour guide, Ben, was very professional and very knowledgable. We met up with the tour as we were not staying at Hilo, Ben was on time to pick us up and take us up to the summit. The tour stops briefly at the visitor center before going up to the summit. Warm jackets were provided because it is COLD and WINDY at the summit! The view was amazing from the summit. We watched the sunset and the view is unparalleled. We went back down the mountain and did some star gazing and Ben walked us through some constellations and had a super bright green laser to point things out.
Only cons I can think of is that the van was somewhat cramped, but perhaps it keeps the costs down.
It was byo dinner, which we preferred compared to some other companies which provide a dinner (of unknown quality). Pricey, but zero percent chance risk of breaching a rental agreement for your rental car/​needing to call a tow truck. It is a rough dirt road up to the top! (We did see a tow truck bringing a vehicle down from the summit).

Stayed at the Deluxe lodge for a few nights and it was a clean and comfortable environment. There is a common area with a lounge, library, and kitchen. Each room has a private bathroom, A/​C, and mini-​fridge. No TV, but that’s not a deal breaker because I rarely ever watch TV on vacation. Wifi is included too. It’s very quiet there and rather relaxing. The deluxe lodge is in an annex, and there is plenty of parking available, although it’s on the lawn and not in marked stalls.
We also went on the Mauna Kea tour. I got a discount on the tour since I stayed at the lodge, and it was a great tour. Our tour guide, Lauren, was very informative and energetic. The drive didn’t seem long at all. She offered water to some people who had forgotten to bring their own water bottles and encouraged everybody to stay hydrated. The summit was amazing and the sunset was the best I have ever seen. She then had a stargazing show and pointed out constellations and explained how the Hawaiians used stars to navigate.
Overall it was a great stay and a great tour. If I visit the Big Island again, I’d definitely consider staying here again.

Very clean, comfortable beds, and great location near the tide pools. Our family had a wonderful visit especially enjoying evenings under the outside lounge & mornings awakened by unusual bird sounds! Staff very friendly & helpful.

I did the Mauna Kea sunset and stargazing tour. My guide was Lauren. From the moment she picked me up, she was friendly and cheerful. I forgot to bring food for dinner so she stopped at a health food store so that I can pick up a healthy dinner after I voiced to her my dietary concerns. She was fun and knowledgeable and we had a great time on the drive up to the visitor center. The other four people in the tour were really fun as well. The group was small enough to get plenty of attention from our guide Lauren and have interactions with each other. The location was really amazing. It was the best sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. All five of us also climbed the summit and the views were amazing. It was a little tiring to go up the summit because of the altitude but everyone felt pretty good. We spent approximately one hour on Mauna Kea and saw the whole spectrum of colors in the sky as the sun set. At that altitude you’re above the clouds so the colors are extra vivid and change quickly. After the sunset Lauren took us back to the visitor center where we stargazed for awhile. Lauren was really knowledgeable on astronomy and pointed out a lot of things in the sky for us. She also brought hot chocolate and green tea for us so we could warm up. The entire trip was incredible. I highly recommend it!

We stayed at Arnott’s for 4 nights while exploring the Hilo region by car. We signed up for the Mauna Kea tour (great commentary by the guide and he was great driver!). We stayed in the Double-​Twin combination and had an enormous space at a very reasonable price ($ 99). For the price and the location this was great! This is not a 4 star hotel, it’s just very comfortable lodging at a very reasonable price — so no swimming pool, no 24 hour desk, etc. We liked it so much that we’re canceling our last day at a high end hotel in Kona to stay at Arnott’s for our last night in Hawaii.

The Mauna Kea tour was awesome! Such a spectacular sunset! This showed me that Hawaii is more than just beach – who’d expect to go from shorts and tank at the beginning of the tour to heavy jacket and gloves at the top of the summit? It was INCREDIBLE to see the sunset above the clouds; there’s nothing like it. The star gazing was also amazing. Our tour guide, Sean, was very knowledgeable and peppered the tour with lots of interesting stories and facts. He was really engaging and passionate about astronomy. I’d definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Big Island. It was an UNFORGETTABLE experience!

We mainly picked Arnott’s because we can get a discount on the Mauna Kea tour if you stay for 2 or more nights. We opted for the private room/​bathroom with shared living room option. The accommodation was definitely small and basic. Not much room to put the luggage. Worst part was the AC really didn’t cool the room at all. We just ended up opening the patio door at night and sleeping like that. While humid, it provided a cool breeze and sounds of nature. The location was ok, it’s a little ways from town which means you do have to drive to everything. But I guess for 100 bucks a night which is by far the cheapest stay of our Hawaii trip, it’s not bad.
The Mauna Kea tour was fabulous. We got really lucky and essentially ended up with a private guide. Our guide studied astronomy so he was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The sunset and the stars were absolutely incredible to witness. Let me tell you, I would not have wanted to drive up this mountain by ourselves at all. I’m not afraid of the steepness and it’s manageable if you have a 4×4. But it gets quite dark and foggy at night which made it more hazardous than I would have enjoyed. We got to sleep through that part!

Great Campsite. It has everything you need. I highly recommend when you are in the Hilo area. Good Value, semi secluded area. Wonderful lounge area with internet access.

The campsites are clean. A small lawn in the front of the common space. The common space is kept cute and nice. The desk folks are cool, the place is comfy and has a good international feel. Welcoming and reasonable. Classic Hostel.

Pros:
Good security, they are adamant about checking id and require an onward ticket.
Quiet neighborhood, see cons
Nice common porch area
Very close to beaches where turtles hang out
Cons:
Just kinda dingy looking
Road is somewhat industrial
«Open» dorm option better labeled as hallway option
Provided dishes cookware is kinda disgusting
Generally better to do private rooms here but still nothing special.

We stayed here for one night in a deluxe room and we are making plans to come back for a longer stay as soon as we can. The hostel is super chill, community oriented, had bikes for rent and has tours you can go on up Mauna Kea and other attractions in the Big Island. I’m not sure how the other rooms are, but the deluxe had a queen sized bed, fresh sheets abd towels, a bathroom with a standing shower, coffee maker, fridge, a/​c unit, wifi, and a little table outside with chairs. Really cute and great for our budget. I can’t wait to come back and use all the other amenities they offer.

This review is about the lodge’s Mauna Kea summit/​stargazing tour. Since it was the first day that the summit opened after a week of bad weather, the van was full with 13 people. Some people in the back had difficulty hearing our local guide; fortunately I was just behind him. Fun guide — he even introduced us to some contemporary Hawaiian music and folklore. There was a brief stop at the visitor center where food can be purchased (food’s not included in the tour), and there’s hot water. After the visitor center, we went through a rough 4WD road to the top. I’ve driven worse to 14er trailheads in Colorado but after 12K feet I got woozy, as we started from sea-​level. There were brief stops by the 8 telescopes near the summit but these were closed to the public. Nevertheless, they’re still an amazing sight, like sentinels of the sacred mountain. The tour could be improved by mentioning what major discoveries were made by these telescopes and the scientists behind them.
The main event was the sunset, which was spectacular. However, I thought seeing the full shadow of 13,800 ft Mauna Kea on the other side was even more thrilling! Make sure to bring GLOVES, or your fingers will freeze snapping those pictures! The stargazing after was also fun, with a green laser-​light show to point traditional Hawaiian navigational aids in relation to known constellations. The stars are amazingly bright here, but cars with their headlights driving down the slope were a distraction. The stargazing portion of the tour also lacked depth. SUGGESTION: the tour could truly benefit from having a resident astronomer — they have many starving PhD and MSc students studying astronomy and physics in UH Hilo who could earn a few bucks and share their excitement with the public! Altogether, this is an fun tour from Hilo that brings nature and science together in a dramatic landscape. A few tour changes incorporating more science (they got the nature covered) could make this trip exceptional.

Dave is an outstanding tour guide! He picked us up from the NCL Pride of America cruise ship and it was a smooth and adventurous tour. Very knowledgeable and social. Thanks!

Clean, lots of space for starters. Lots of housing good provided. Amazing common areas, laundry, tables with fresh flowers and Hawaiin coasters, TV room, tent space, all kinds of rooms not just dorms. Great location short walk to water. 3 miles from downtown. 40 minutes to Volcano, also close to community college. Staff was friendly. I would have signed up for an adventure tour but already had plans. Binder with great info (free stuff, food, etc), and magazines in room.

Our stay at Arnott’s lodge can only be described as the best accommodation we have ever visited. We stayed for 9 days in a deluxe room, located in the ‘Annex.’ Which is essential a house across the street from the main lodge, which has been subdivided into several separate rooms which share a common kitchen. It’s not that it was fancy or lavish. That is not the point here. However, it was clean, it was quite and it was sufficiently private; with a private restroom in every room. We has a nice sitting area outside the patio door of the room. We would eat dinner there, and enjoy the island.
The room is basic, but complete; sans a television. Which was fine with us, as we didn’t come here to sit in the room and watch reruns. There is a small refrigerator in the room, and everything else that you may need is in the shared kitchen. We met the proprietor several times during our stay, as he went about his work. He is a very pleasant person, and we enjoyed talking with him. The desk staff was equally pleasant, and helpful. Parking was beyond convenient, as you simply pull your car up in the garden.
We will happily stay here again, as we prepare for our relocation to Hilo. The accommodations offered represent the very best value to be found anywhere in Hilo, and perhaps on the entire island.

I was so impressed with the Mauna Kea Stargazing tour. Our tour guide was Kate and she was amazing. She was pleasant and so welcoming. Her knowledge regarding the observation area and especially the constellations was outstanding.
I highly recommend this to anyone visiting the big island. It is an experience that shouldn’t be missed.
I do suggest you bring gloves. The jackets provided were very warm, but at 15 degrees and brisk winds gloves would have been welcomed.
Thank you, Kate, you made this amazing experience even better.

The Mauna Kea summit tour was amazing. David is a great guy with probably more knowledge about what goes on at the summit than any other tour guide. We felt safe the entire time. At no point did I regret my decision. This tour is also cheaper than most if not all of the other tours provided. There is no reason to smash a large dinner right before going to nearly 14k feet, something the other tours provide.
We were staying on the Kona side of the island so we met the tour at the start of the summit road, in a parking lot located on the side of the highway. By meeting there we actually got a discount.
I would go with these guys again, especially with David as a tour guide. Well done!

Doug Arnott vanned my group around the island to various places where we had training; he was a tremendous help.
The lodge is awesome too. So mellow and not far from hilo’s square. I will definitely stay here for personal use.
Buy your own water to drink unless you boil it for food/​coffee, etc… It’s not BAD to drink but not too much recommended by the staff.