Suite Spot: Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo

[...] the heart of East Hawaii has contemporary, clean lodgings that meet national standards, yet with a style that celebrates Hawaiian culture, thanks to $20 million in renovations to the 388 rooms and public areas, including two restaurants, a lobby bar and nightclub. Lead investor Ed Bushor is equally proud of the hotel’s other new moniker, “The Home of Hula,” reflected in the hotel’s weekly free hula shows and classes, videos of Hilo’s renowned Merrie Monarch hula competition playing in the lobby, and Kim Taylor Reece’s black-and-white images of hula dancers nearly everywhere you huli (turn). At the northern apex of wooded, hotel-lined Banyan Drive, overlooking Hilo Bay, the ocean and Reeds Bay, where cruise and cargo ships dock at one end and locals paddleboard at the other. Only 30 miles from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Grand Naniloa is also less than 2 miles from quaint downtown Hilo, home to the Mokupapapa Discovery Center, focused on the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands; the Lyman Museum and Bailey House, exploring Native Hawaiian, missionary era and modern ecology and culture; and the Pacific Tsunami Museum, which documents the devastating local tsunamis of 1946 and 1960, as well as more recent international catastrophes. KapohoKine Adventures’ excellent zip line and volcano excursions depart from the hotel store; its guided hike to see lava starts much closer than from the public viewing area. Families may want the oceanfront junior suite (742 square feet), which offers a king bed, queen sleeper sofa and kitchenette for $289.