planning a trip to Hilo

[mdand3boys]

Originally Posted by Jimbo's

I really don't know why everyone thinks saddle road is such a problem, I thought it was a blast to drive. As far as the mountain I agree with hotzcatz and marc.

It isn't worth the risk of damaging your rental car or yourself, besides the tour will give much more than venturing on your own.

Saddle Road was a blast to drive - Now I suppose that with the new mods to it, it won't have the curves like it used to. The kids liked spotting all the car parts on the outside of each curve, up against the lava. The sharper the curve, the more car parts there were.

As to the mountain - it's only an issue for a car if there is fresh snow on the road. Otherwise, it's just an issue with driving on loose gravel and possibly rutted roads.

Waipio Valley though really requires a real 4x4. No cars need apply. I have some cool pics of our rental SUV's over the years going thru the stream and giant mud holes.

[Galactastica]

hello finnclem, i recently stayed at the dolphin inn and work at the visitor center on mauna kea, so i'll take on both of your questions!

Dolphin Bay Hotel: I loved it. I did not have one complaint. I stayed in the 1 bedroom apt they offer. I chose it because other than a hostel, (which my company did not want to stay in) it was the cheapest i found. They also allowed for a1 night only stay, which most hotels i called required a minimum stay of at least 2-3 days. Since you will only be in town one night, a hostel will probably be a better price. That said, the room was wonderful and super comfy and clean. The staff was awesome! They offer free coffee and delicious pastries in the morning, and they were very friendly. I don't stay in Hilo much because I live in Kona, but i would def. stay here again.

Mauna Kea. A normal rental car makes it to the visitor center but is not allowed to go any further due to the steep grade and narrow, mostly loose gravel road among other things. I know people that rent with Alamo have no problems in general with this area (they are also usually cheaper). Their normal cars can go on saddle road and up to the VIS, and their 4 wheel drives can go to all the way to the summit. Remember to stop both on the way up and down from the summit at the visitor center to aclimate for 30 min. minimum. Feel free to drive up for the sunrise, sunset or anytime during the day, but you are required to be off the summit 30 minutes after sunset. Also, the visitor center does a star part every single night of the year, from 6pm to 10pm, completely free of charge to everyone. We put out 4-5 small scopes for everyone to play with and 3 large ones that we find object in throughout the night. If you only have one night and you are already up there you might as well stay for it! The visitor center is actually a better place for viewing stars at with our bare eye alone or through a telescope for many reasons, so please stop by and enjoy yourself. I'm there on Sunday nights usually, if you happen to be coming by then! I don't know about the other hotel you mentioned, but the drive between dolphin bay and mauna kea is a snap. Saddle Road from Hilo is a much easier drive than from Kona, but still mind speed limits and be careful. Let us know if you have any other questions and hope you have fun!
Haylan