Hilo Bay
Hostel
- Press Release
Hawaii
Youth Hostel Opens
Hilo,
Hawaii—The Hilo Bay Hostel, downtown Hilo’s first
hostel and perhaps the best deal on the east side of the Big
Island, is open for business.
Prices
start at only $18 per person. Private and dorm-style rooms are
available, each spacious and cool with ceiling fans and open
windows that catch breezy tradewinds.
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The
comfortable Hawaii Youth hostel, at the corner of Waianuenue and Keawe
Avenues, is conveniently located. It’s within easy walking
distance of restaurants, a post office, banks, shops, a bus
terminal, bike and kayak rental shops, a farmer’s market,
movie theaters, museums, and, of course, the beach at
beautiful Hilo Bay.
The
hostel, with a view of the bay, comfortably accommodates up to
50 in an elegantly restored, old-style building originally
built as a hotel in 1913.
Its
old grandeur remains: The original, grand wooden staircase
opens to an airy common area with wood wainscoting and 13-foot
ceilings. The building—the oldest surviving wooden structure
on the island—has plenty of modern charm, too: Bath and
shower rooms are new, as is a kitchen/break room. There is
high-speed Internet access and cable television, an outside
patio garden area, free coffee and tea, a billiard table,
storage lockers, free local phone calls and more.
The
hostel’s accommodating staff can arrange tours to explore
the Big Island or make suggestions for independent travel. An
extensive information board lists what to see and do and how
to get around.
In
additional to more conventional travelers, owner Scott Owens
says, "It’s a great place for youth sports groups to
stay, like soccer or volleyball teams that travel inter-island
for tournaments, or halaus who come for Merrie Monarch, or
Elderhostel, groups like that."
"It’s
a much needed addition to our community for both young and old
people wanting to visit on a budget," says Jerry Chang,
representative for the Hilo district and chairman of the House
tourism and culture committee. "It’s very clean, and
right in the heart of town so guests can visit all the
restaurants, businesses, shops. They can talk to the people in
the community and get a hint of what Hilo is really
like."
Cool,
comfortable Hilo Bay Hostel is ideally located to visit nearby
tropical rainforests, hike to scenic waterfalls, or explore
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, where Kilauea Volcano
(sometimes referred to as "the drive-in volcano" for
its accessibility in terms of viewing the lava flow) has been
erupting continuously since 1983.
Hilo
Bay Hostel offers great mileage for your travel dollar
By
Hunter Bishop - Tribune-Herald 12/18/03
Once
a hotel, always a hotel, or at least a place to stay.
The
Burns Hotel opened more than 90 years ago at the corner
of Waianuenue Avenue and Keawe Street. Today the old
wood building, once headed for the scrap heap, is alive
with the sound of visitors again.
Though
it ain't the Ritz, the hostel provides low-budget
lodging for cost-conscious travelers who need a bed and
a shower, security, a friendly face, a few directions
and not much else.
Hostels
are generally more popular in Europe, and are more often
associated with the youth, but they are gaining
popularity in the U.S. and young people aren't the only
ones staying in them.
After
all, you get a night in Hawaii for $18 - if you don't
mind sleeping in a dorm, showering down the hall, and
cooking in a communal kitchen.
It's
not all spartan. The Hilo Bay Hostel, which opened in
March 2003, has high-speed Internet access, cable TV, storage
lockers, free coffee and tea, free local phone calls, an
information board which lists what to see and do and
how to get there, and a friendly staff that can arrange
tours and make suggestions to foreign travelers.
In
real estate parlance, it also has location, location,
location. It's ideal for travelers who want to visit
rain forests, waterfalls, and Hawaii Volcanoes National
Park. It is also an easy walk to shopping, restaurants,
theaters, museums, the post office and the farmers
market in downtown Hilo.
Some
of the hostel's original grandeur remains. An inviting
7-foot-wide wooden staircase leads up from 101
Waianuenue Ave. to a common meeting area with wood
wainscoting and a 13-foot ceiling. Open windows and
ceiling fans keep the place in retro-style comfort.
Scott,
47, has frequented hostels all over the world and knows
what hostel visitors need. "It's basic, cheap, and
clean," he said. "What's fun about hostels is
people meet other people. For $18 it's pretty hard to
beat."
Owens
commutes to his job several times a year from Australia
where his family lives and his teenage daughters are
finishing high school. He manages a number of day-to-day
functions via computer from Australia - reservations,
accounts, payroll, website maintenance - and stops by up
to six times a year when he sends his onsite assistant
on vacation and takes over.
"I
started working on this two years ago," he said.
"It took me 13 months to get it open. It's amazing
the people who come through," he said. Owens just
took a reservation for Merrie Monarch week in 2005 from
a group in Whitefish, Montana.
"We
send a lot of business to local restaurants," he
said. "We have Ocean Sushi on speed dial."
Visitors
are not all travelers, either. Lately Owens has seen a
number of real estate deals signed on the tables in
hostel's common room by guests looking to buy property.
A
mother wanted a place for her son to stay after his job
in a band instead of driving home to Waimea in the wee
hours of the morning. "He's welcome here, I told
her."
People
learn of the hostel via the Web site, rack cards at the
airport and referrals. Word of mouth is important,
Hostelers are the epitome of free and independent
travelers. Up to 75 percent don't make reservations.
"They do things spontaneously," Owens said.
"We're
more of an international hotel," he said.
"Right now we have a woman from Slovenia, two from
Australia, a Japanese, there's always some Japanese.
They come here for hula, to work with Johnny Lum Ho.
They can walk to his studio from here."
Guests
must have identification and some evidence that they are
traveling. The entrance is locked 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. when
quiet time rules, but late night revelers can get a key
to let themselves in. "It's nice to have Cronies
down the street," he said, and Bear's Coffee is
around the corner for early risers.
The
hostel has 10 rooms and holds up to 50 men and women.
Until recently "it was just a derelict
building," said Owens, who credits previous owners
for not tearing it down. Guidebooks are also key to
gaining recognition among hostelers, but "we're too
new for the guide books." The place is filling up
anyway, Owens said.
"It's
going to make it, I'm not worried about that."
"The
main thing is some place that's clean, a place where you
won't get ripped off and doesn't cost too much,"
Owens said.
Private
rooms are available and rates max out with a deluxe
private room and bath for one or two people for $58.
Group rates are available and in the tradition of
hostels, some people make arrangements to work for their
room.
The
traveling mother-daughter team of Rebecca Holt and Nikki
Joy from Ashland, Ore., have stayed in hostels
throughout the Northwest, California and Canada, and
rate the Hilo Bay Hostel among the best. "It is so
beautiful, like staying in a five-star hotel," Joy
said. "It's so nice every morning to see the
sunlight through the window."
Mom
doesn't share Nikki's start rating, but says
"Scott's done a good job making things clean, safe,
acceptable, and inviting." Holt was especially
impressed with the linens. "Things feel really
crisp and clean,"
she said. And "it's such a beautiful
building."
Holt
wants her daughter to learn how to travel, be safe, and
"learn the dynamics of where you are."
"We
stay in hotels, too," she said. "But the
hostel culture is important. Instead of a sterile room,
you meet people. It's an easy-going, nice way to
associate with other travelers. We're going surfing this
afternoon with some of the other guests."
Hunter
Bishop can be reached at hunter@hawaiitribune-herald.com
ALOHA
ON A BUDGET by
Jon Henricks
There
is a place where molten lava meets a foaming ocean.
Where a snow-capped mountain climbs the clouds. Where
cultures come together, slow dancing to a slack-key grove,
finding harmony with the sweet whisper of a gentle trade
wind.
The
island of Hawaii is far and away the rarest of tropical
gems. Even the most stunning beaches become lost amongst
the landscape; deposed by the intrigue of lush valleys,
awe-inspiring waterfalls and yes, Kilauea, the world's most
active volcano.
Unfortunately,
such extravagance usually comes with a hefty price tag.
But thanks to some enterprising souls in the land of Aloha,
life on a budget can be oh so beautiful.
For
just $18 a night, about the cost of a large pizza with
everything on it, you could spend the night at the Hilo Bay
Hawaii Youth Hostel while enjoying everything the Big Island has to
offer. Note the 's', that's hostel, not hotel.
Hotel's come with baggage, so to speak. Hostels provide
clean, safe living quarters at rates even the most budget
conscious adventurer can afford. It's a no frills
concept, but not at the cost of comfort.
Hilo
Bay's airy and spacious hostel offers large dorm rooms with
13-foot ceilings, double beds and multiple windows overlooking
Hilo Bay. Full-size bathrooms come equipped with hot
showers to wash the beach away. High-speed internet,
free local phone calls and a pool table are just a few of the
amenities provided. Private rooms are also available at
a rate of only $38 per night for a single, $48 for a double.
Proprietor
Scott Owens saw a need, and decided to fill that void.
"There's
a whole group of travelers out there in the world who don't
have the money resorts and hotels require or would rather
spend that money having fun," said Owens.
"We're here to accommodate them so they get the chance to
enjoy every aspect of this amazing island to the
fullest."
And
that could take some time.
The
Big Island of Hawaii claims twelve distinct climate zones,
ranging from Hilo's tropical rain forests on the east side,
through the sweeping fog-laden ranchlands of Waimea, across
the coffee orchards of Kona in the west, down south to the
arid, desert coastline of Kau. If you can imagine it, it
exists. Where else could you gaze at a snowy mountaintop
framed by swaying coconut trees as warm, frothy water washes
sand through your toes?
Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park is a world unto itself displaying the
effects of over 70 million years of volcanic activity.
This massive park defines eco-diversity, with environments
that range from sea level to the summit of the earth's most
massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. All that and
live lava shows for just $10.00 per vehicle (a seven-day
permit), $5.00 for pedestrians or bicyclists.
Conveniently
located in the heart of downtown, Hilo Bay Hawaii Hostel sits just
one block from a major bus terminal where a few dollars can
take you practically anywhere on the island. Just as
close is a farmer's market rich with exotic local food and
produce, clothing, jewelry and art. There are few
existing cultures lacking representation at this potpourri of
sight, sound, and smell. Venture only a couple miles
toward the mountain, or mauka as the locals say, and
you come across Rainbow Falls, a powerful display of fresh
water force where rainbows steeped in lore project from it's
mist.
"Hilo
is just such a unique environment with so many awesome sights
and activities, not to mention the interesting people you
meet," Owens said. "It's very exciting giving
people the opportunity to come out and explore and find their
own piece of Aloha."
HOME
SWEET HILO, BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII by
Leslie Lang
Room
prices at the Burns Building in Hilo haven't gone up much
since the classic wooden structure was built as a rooming
house in 1913. Where else in 21st-century Hawaii can you
stay for only $18 a night?
The
recently remodeled building, with it's graceful facade and
original grand wooden staircase, is home to the newly opened
Hilo Bay Hawaii Hostel, which combines the old structure's Hilo charm
with the convenience of modern accoutrements, including new
bathrooms, showers and a kitchen/break room, as well as
high-speed internet access and cable TV, a billiard table and
more. The hostel offers accommodations in both dorms and
private rooms.
Located
on the corner of Waianuenue and Keawe avenues, Hilo Bay Hawaii
Hostel
is within an easy walk of restaurants, banks, shops, a post
office, a bus terminal, bike and kayak rentals, a farmer's
market, movie theater's and several museums. Owner Scott
Owens points out that, in addition to the conventional
travelers of any age, the hostel, which accommodates fifty, is
well-suited for youth sports teams traveling inter-island for
tournaments, hula halau who come for Merrie Monarch and other
groups.
For
a touch of added flavor, pay a visit to Room 9 and look out
the window. A clever trompe l'oeil painted across
the way makes it look as if someone is holding open window
blinds with a finger and peering out at you.
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