A visit to East Hawaii is an extraordinary opportunity to see the green, breathtakingly photographic side of Hawai`i Island. Here you will find wild ginger blooming along roadsides, waterfalls plunging through hillside jungles, and rainbows cascading across lush vegetation. Hilo is blessed with more rain than any other city in the U.S. (averaging about 120" annually), and the gulches and slopes in the Hilo area have more shades of green than there are names for. The rain-washed air is sweetened by flowers and ocean spray, and wonderful to breath. Deep blue waves shatter into brilliant white spray against the jagged jet-black shoreline. Here we have green "beaches," where the grass meets the water. Hilo is proud to be a college town. The University of Hawai`i at Hilo has an international student body, and a very active cultural program which enriches the community. This is the town that time forgot, with its false-front stores, covered sidewalks, and small town charm. Life moves at a slow, friendly pace. Shopping in downtown Hilo is an international adventure, free of "tourist traps." Pick up a walking tour map and stroll around Old Hilo Town, or hop on a sampan bus, Hilo's unique transportation. Be sure to visit the farmers' market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings for locally grown fruits, vegetables, flowers, and people. You can taste samples of produce you have only read about, and you can decorate your accommodations with sprays of orchids, anthuriums, and other tropical splendor for just a few dollars.

Hilo, the Big Island 's county seat, wears a wide greenbelt of parks and soccer fields bordering its half-mile-long black sand beach. A highly competitive canoe meet is a "must" experience for visitors. If you are lucky enough to encounter Hilo's rain, grab an umbrella and go for a walk. The rain is blissfully warm, and brightly-colored umbrellas pop up everywhere.

Have a picnic in beautiful Lili'uokalani Park; 30 acres of Japanese gardens with fishponds, gazebos, bridges, and a spectacular view across the bay of Hilo Town and the slopes of Mauna Kea. If you are lucky, you will see the snow-capped summit of the tallest mountain, from its base, in the world. Across a foot bridge is Coconut Island, just big enough for picnics and open-air concerts.

There are as many choices for meals as there are tastes. Enjoy "local" food at numerous restaurants, eat the cuisine of China, Japan, Viet Nam, Thailand, and the Philippines, or enjoy Continental and "Mainland" food with a unique Hawaiian accent.

Hilo is home of the world-famous Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, the International Festival, the Aloha Festival, and many other events throughout the year. The Lyman House and Museum traces the history and culture of the diverse peoples who have come to call Hawai`i home. Our tropical zoo emphasizes tropical fauna and flora. Hilo is the gateway to the new Hilo-Hamakua Coast Cultural Corridor, with its historic plantation communities and its many beautiful waterfalls and scenic vistas. Hilo is the perfect place from which to visit two beautiful botanical gardens, spectacular Akaka and Kahuna Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Hawai`i Volcano's National park, which is only 50 minutes away from our property.