Aloha Crater Lodge

We stayed here for 3 nights 10 – 12 April. It was my first visit to Hawaii and I was so excited to be there!
We drove from the airport on a wet and dull Friday afternoon and had a little trouble finding the place — we should’ve looked more closely at the directions owner Shannon had sent to us as they were very helpful and detailed.
We stayed in Room 3 on the ground floor. The room has a very rustic feel but perfectly clean and cosy. The Lodge is located in the middle of a forest, it rains a lot, and I quickly learned to be careful with crumbs so as not to attract any uninvited visitors.
The breakfast put in our room each morning was delicious and plentiful with homemade cakes, juice, yoghurt, coffee, real milk in the fridge, fruit and … the absolutely best papayas we tasted in all our time in Hawaii!
Shannon gave us some good tips about visiting the nearby volcano. She also kitted us out in hard hats and gloves before we followed her into a hidden opening in the undergrowth, down a ladder, and into the most amazing lava tube! We later visited the Thurston Lava Tunnel and there is no comparison! The Lava Tube at Aloha Crater Lodge is not full of crowds of visitors, and the formations are intact and beautiful. It was one of the highlights of our trip!
We had a great experience at the Aloha Crater Lodge and would have no hesitation in recommending it to other travelers looking for a simple place to stay whilst exploring the Volcanoes National Park.

We stayed in Room #1, which had a king and a double bed. Nothing fancy about the room itself, but it was clean and comfortable. The room was definitely on the rustic side which we loved, but if you’re looking for fancy, this may not be for you. The bathroom was nothing to write home about, but all we really needed was a hot shower and clean towels so we were quite happy. We loved the feel of being in the jungle — even though we were just a short distance off the highway and the room added to the ambience. We arrived late and had no problem getting into our room or following the directions they sent to us to get there.
The provided continental breakfast was awesome! We had milk, juice, yogurt in the fridge. There was an incredible fruit bowl with papaya & limes, apple bananas, oranges, star fruit, plums. There was also oatmeal, cheerios, granola, and coffee and hot chocolate. And best of all was the amazing home made banana bread — scrumptious!
The lodge has great access to Volcanoes National Park. In just 15 minutes we were able to get to the Jagger Museum viewing platform for both a night viewing of the caldera glow and again for sunrise. After watching the sunrise over the active caldera, we were able to pop back and take the lava tube tour before checking out. You must do the lava tube tour while you are there! Very cool and much more interesting than the Thurston lava tube in the national park.

Great location in a lush forest setting and very close to the park and volcano village. We were greeted by very friendly dogs that my daughter loved. The accommodations are rustic, but quite comfortable for a great price. The fridge with yogurt, plus fruit, coffee, and assorted warm drinks are waiting for you in the room. The highlight was the tour of the lava tube that is on the property, which we took in the morning with Dan. Beats the touristy one in the park and my daughter loved it.

This place is wonderful. The owners (husband and wife) are so nice. The wife (sorry I forgot both of their names) made sure we had fruit and wonderful baked goods every morning. The room is stocked with coffee from Hilo coffee plantation. I didn’t even know! I need coffee in the morning, so I bought ground coffee only to find out we had some in our room. Shucks!
Our room had such a cozy homey feel to it. Not to mention there is a lava tube in their backyard, which the husband will take you on a free tour through. Just a fair warning, he’s a bit touchy feely for my own taste, but he’s super friendly. Other wise the tour is great, because unfortunately we booked our trip when the Gov. shutdown happened, so we could not go see the volcanoes. So having a lava tube tour was a blessing to our trip. The entire area is super quiet, so there is no disturbance.

We stayed here in August 2011 and loved it! Located very close to the volcanoes with the rooms all looking into a rainforest setting, this place was a hidden gem. The suites have a homey feel and the hosts have homemade muffins and fresh fruit in your room every morning. The deck was relaxing and the master bedroom that we stayed in had a spacious layout with a relaxing oversized tub. The underground lava tubes (which we were unaware of when we booked our stay here) were amazing! I would recommend staying here just to experience the lava tubes. Dan (the owner) took the two of us on a tour walking though the tubes and provided us with flashlights. He was very knowledgeable about the land and the history of the volcanoes, and he offered to take charge of our camera so we could enjoy the scenery along the way while he photographed our experience. This place gave us the relaxation everyone deserves when vacationing (or stay-​cationing) in Hawaii. Some areas of Aloha Lodge may seem worn out or out dated to some travelers, but I think it just shows the character and history of the place. Highly recommended staying here, even if it’s just to check out the lava tubes

The private lava tube tour on the property of the Aloha Crater Lodge alone made this a great place to stay for a night. But the kindness of the owners (Shannon and Dan) and affordability and cleanliness of our room made it a great choice too. Hubby and I were fortunate enough to get a room last minute on a Saturday night. The room was comfortable and I appreciated having a mini heater in the room because it did get a little chilly, even in July. The highlight of the stay was the private lava tube tour for me and my hubby led by Dan. He was very knowledgeable about the tube and it was great chatting with him and learning about the tube and the history of Hawaii, among other things. And since we ended up staying at the Aloha Crater Lodge last minute without knowing anything about the place (we usually search TripAdvisor thoroughly before staying anywhere), the lava tube tour was a wonderful surprise. It was complimentary because we were staying overnight, but I think there’s a fee if people who are not guests want to do it. I’ve recommended the place to my friends who live on the Big Island if they or their visitors want to stay overnight near Volcano Park.

My hubby and I stayed here for three nights when we visited the Big Island. We decided to split our trip — a few nights in or around Volcano, to have easy access to the Volcanoes National Park, and a few nights on the Kona side, to enjoy all of the resorts and snorkeling. Honestly, this was the best trip-​planning decision I’ve ever made and staying at the Aloha Crater Lodge was a close second!
Since I had waited until kind of the last minute to book hotels for the Volcano side, I started off by calling a bunch of well-​known hotels in Volcano and in Hilo to check vacancies. Of course, nothing was available in our price range. A receptionist at the Kilauea Lodge referred me to the Aloha Crater Lodge, saying it’s a Bed and Breakfast and the owners are very friendly. I decided to check them out.
After checking out their website and their trip advisor reviews (which are, sadly, just average), I called them and spoke with Shannon. Shannon Fisher is the wife in this husband and wife team that owns the lodge & runs the bed and breakfast. She was really sweet and offered us the Master Bedroom Suite, which had its own private jacuzzi, for $ 120/​night. This was a little more than we wanted to pay, but it was getting close to our departure date, and Shannon sounded really nice, so we decided to go for it.
This bed and breakfast is super close to the Volcano, just minutes away, on Highway 11 in Volcano Village. Getting there requires a short, beautiful drive down Lanihuli Road, where you’ll feel like you’re being transported to a different world. It’s the jungle! There were trees, birds, frogs, you name it. We pulled into the B&B and were blown away. It’s on a huge parcel of land with dogs, cats, wild flowers, plants everywhere. It’s gorgeous!
We went up to our room, which was on the 2^nd floor and had a private balcony. The room was very spacious and well-​maintained. It had a mini kitchen with a little refrigerator, coffee and tea, fresh baked banana bread daily, fresh juice, etc. The jacuzzi was a nice touch — it really helped soothe our muscles after a long day of traveling.
The B&B itself is located on top of a lava tube (part of Kazamura Cave), and the owners will take you on a free tour of the cave. I highly recommend it! I’d never seen or done anything like this before. We climbed down a metal ladder into a dark pit where we had to wear headlamps to see anything. The husband, Dan, explained a lot of unique things about the lava tube and kindly took many many photos of us. It was a fun experience!
My only complaints about Aloha Crater Lodge are minimal. First, the price is a little steep for what you get. (I’m comparing this to the Priceline deal we got for the Sheraton, at only $ 90 a night). Second, the room could use a little updating — the towels were rough and worn down, the room was dusty, and the bathroom needed a deep cleaning. Part of it is due to being in the jungle — it’s always very damp, and nothing ever gets completley dry — but I think a deep cleaning or professional cleaning would do wonders for this room. Also, be warned that the entire jungle and your room is permeated by a musty odor — again, no fault of the owners — this is the smell of the dampness, the vegetation, etc. that surrounds you.
All in all, I’d recommend Aloha Crater Lodge to travelers and I’d go back myself anyday!