Volcano House

This hotel keeps the front doors wide open despite chilly weather. Our first night there we went into the bar and it was chilly. The outside temperature was in the high fifty’s and it was damp and breezy. Then we decided to iced to eat in the adjoining restaurant. I asked the hostess why the door was open and she didn’t have an answer. I told her it was very chilly and she sat us away from the draft. But my husband still had to go to the room and get his coat. We noticed another couple and the man had a jacket on and was shivering. The woman had on a jacket and had the hood on her head. Several employees wore jackets. I went to the front desk and asked why the doors were wide open and she said “fresh air.” I told her I had been miserable the whole evening in the bar and eating dinner, so she closed the doors. The next night we ate in the fancier restaurant and it was further away from the wide open doors. It was 58 degrees outside. We couldn’t enjoy sitting at the bar or being in the lobby due to the discomfort. Perhaps the locals are used to this, but their guests are not. Also, I can’t eat gluten and each restaurant only offered one gluten sensitive menu item, which was discouraging. We have visited and stayed in several national park lodges and have never had such temperature discomfort. Also, I don’t usually have such difficulty seeking gluten free/sensitive options in a “nice” restaurant.

Lunch average. Boring dining room, but a great view of the crater. Order green salad, which was ... green ... with a few other things. Specified gluten free, but it came with croutons on the top. Also tomato bisque with cheese toast points---this was amazingly good. We don't know what it is like for dinner, but for lunch it is for the tourists, and lots of them. No feeling of teamwork and no feeling of wanting to be working there.

Nice little hotel with friendly staff. If you book a crater view room, you can wake up seeing the huge crater of Kilauea. The food in the restaurant was good and the variety is ok for a few days. Staying in this area for a few days is definitely worth it if you are at least ready to do some hikes.

This hotel is well located in the park, but the decor and amenities do not match the price. It is very tired in decor, not always clean, and rooms are in need of repairs and updating. I cannot recommend this hotel. It is a shame since it is an historic property right in the national park. Major renovation is needed. Uncle George's Lounge had bad service and average food. We ate elsewhere. Find another spot in Volcano Village.

We love the National Park lodges, and this one was no different. Cute building, great seating areas inside--choose from a panoramic view or a fireplace spot. The restaurant and the bar had great food and service. Hotel staff was friendly and helpful. Free coffee in the mornings plus a coffee bar, and free mimosas in the afternoon. You can borrow board games and books. Easy parking.

We had a nice 2-night stay at the Volcano House in June 2023. The place is nice,mostly a 1940s building replacing the prior hotel which was destroyed in a fire, plus a slightly later addition. It is not grand but it is very nice. The room was comfortable. We had a superior volcano view room with king bed and sofa bed. The latter was actually very comfortable. We had a pretty good view of Kilauea but some trees partly blocked it. The hotel itself is looking right over the Kilauea crater and the Crater Rim trail goes right by the back of the hotel, through the steam vents, all the way to the Kilauea overlook. We walked there and back from the hotel. Food at the dining room, both breakfast and dinner, was very good and we had nice views when the mist cleared. Service was good and friendly. The bar had pretty good cocktails. The lobby area was nice. However, it could get crowded by hordes of people staying elsewhere and coming to eat, especially in the evening. Most just wanted to eat at the bar area. We made reservations for the actual dining room and in the morning and layer at night the crowds are absent. The main reason to stay here, though is that this is a unique place to stay right near the rim of the Kilauea crater and is an iconic National Park hotel. It naturally gets extra points for that and was definitely worth it.

The location is incredible - just across from the visitor center right on the rim trail. The views are great from the restaurants and some rooms. The hotel is quite old with very little character (a far cry from other historic National Park lodges such as Old Faithful Inn). The entire hotel is very tired. The rooms are decent size but feel like they haven’t been touched in ages. They were, at least, reasonably clean and comfortable.