Hilltop Legacy Vacation Rental

We have stayed here several times, always in the Legacy Suite. The view of downtown from the front window is spectacular. But there is also a large side balcony that has a downtown view and, on a clear day, a great view of Mauna Kea. Also a nice view of the surrounding lush tropical greenbelt. Not sure, but this property could be on top of the highest hill in Hilo. I also love the original bathroom from the 1930s that this suite has, with its tile work and nice soaking tub, as well as the cute dressing room. So much more character than some newer properties or a generic hotel. Apparently there is sometimes confusion about where to park, but I'm not sure why since the on-site parking spaces are well-marked.

Hilltop Legacy is a very small hotel -- a few rooms that are part of a larger house where the family that manages or owns the property lives. As the name suggests, it's way up at the top of a steep hill with a lovely view of the bay. Unlike the last small hotel where we stayed on the Big Island, we found the arrival instructions to be straightforward and easy to follow. We were met by the friendly owner/manager, who helped carry our bags upstairs. The room was very small, but clean and pleasant. The walls, however, are very thin, and we felt as if we were in the next room. (Not a place we wanted to be.) The common area was inviting. All in all, we were very pleased.

WATCH OUT!!! This hotel totally lacks any empathy for its guests! They don't care! We had NO CHANCE to get to Hilo on December 20, 2022. Our flight got canceled from HNL to HILO due to extreme circumstances with the weather. Hundreds of passengers got stranded by Hawaiian Airlines. It was all over the news. We reached out and asked if they could kindly refund us at least half of our money back or anything since we won't be staying at their hotel at all. They replied back saying, "Sorry we're a small company. No refund. We hope you understand". Because you are a small company, you should feel even worse charging full price for a hotel stay when guests are not staying there at all! If I got given minus 10 stars, I would! No empathy whatsoever. Nothing. We barely got an apology, no refund, and no empathy. NO SERVICE! They only want to take your money! BE AWARE!