Palms Cliff House Inn

based on 4 reviews

Categories: Hotels, Bed & Breakfast [Edit]

28-3514 Mamalahoa Hwy
Honomu, HI 96728

(866) 963-6076

www.palmscliffhouse.com/index.htm

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Hours:: Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Price Range:: $$$$

First to Review

Christine R.

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4 reviews for Palms Cliff House Inn

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One of Palms Cliff House Inn's Favorite Reviews What's This?

Kevin R.

Los Angeles, CA

8/31/2009

Spectacular, Hilo convenient location. Aptly named since the palms are lush, the cliffs, impressive and the house immaculate. The grounds are park like, beautiful and well maintained; a real plantation oasis. Were all that not enough, hundreds of spinner dolphins frolicked in the adjacent cove as we enjoyed a very complete, very well prepared breakfast.

The room was only better than average BUT the view made the overall experience exceptional. If I had to reach for something about which to be critical, I thought the inn keeper got a touch testy when I arrived a little later than the specified check in and failed to follow the clearly outlined late arrival procedure. Again, I'm reaching and in fact, I could have read the instructions better. Let's call this negative a wash.

All that aside, PCH is a great setting, properly sized for a small or mid-sized wedding party to take over the joint and enjoy a very private, very special gathering. I'm going again.

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Clare T.

Palo Alto, CA

10/11/2009

I would love to write a great review for this B&B, since it really has some nice things going for it. Spectacular views, clean & modern rooms, very secluded, lovely grounds...but unfortunately, our interactions with the owner, John, were so unpleasant and distasteful that I would never, ever stay there again. John was so incredibly rude and unkind to us... he overcharged $60 by making us pay an additional amount for the breakfast, even though his website CLEARLY states that the "Rate includes breakfast." He refused to give us a refund, and his last email to us on the matter was almost comical it was so downright nasty. Also, like the person who wrote a review below, we were rather shocked to receive this very creepy 1 page checkout letter reminding us to tip his housekeepers (so...Is he not paying them enough?) and be gone by 10am (rather early for a checkout, I think) In addition, while we were sorting our bill, we watched as his wife lugged this huge suitcase down the stairs. When I asked about it, John said he'd had to call his wife back from the airport to get their DSL working again. All I could think was...why don't you call a local DSL repair person then, instead of troubling your wife who needs to make her flight? And also, could you show a little courtesy and respect for your wife by offering to help her with that huge suitcase? Truly, the whole experience of staying here left a really bad taste in my mouth. I would be surprised if the place is still in business a year from now if this is how he treats his guests.

Comment from Michele G. of Palms Cliff House Inn 10/26/2009

This guest booked a "Room Only" rate option through Expedia,… More »

210

Yummy P.

Santa Barbara, CA

9/26/2009

perfect place for the b&b. breakfast was delicious. nice place, somewhat a lot of rules to follow but whatevs, it is someone's house. hm, tv didn't have any of the espn channels, that sucked since it is fb season now

151

Christine R.

Kula, HI

5/10/2008

It seemed like this place was trying to cater to two different kinds of travelers. While it was nice, quiet, and romantic, it still missed the mark a bit for us.

We hate B&Bs. We both find them creepy and weird, but with the rates here (we stayed in the more expensive upstairs corner view room) and the way they advertise, we expected this to be more of a boutique hotel. And it was, mostly. It was a nice place, beautiful property and view, there were no personal or family items in the room (I am incredibly put off at the idea of staying at a B&B room filled with family quilts and stuffed animals). The breakfasts were also very good.

There was a comfortable room in the main house that was always open for guests which had a large DVD collection to check out, games, snacks, and information about the Big Island.

However it was still someone's house. I just wasn't quite comfortable settling down on the lanai to relax in the afternoon.

This place does not allow children (which is one of the reasons we picked it), smoking anywhere on the property, or the use of cell phones outside of your room. There's also no internet access, which was an inconvenience. We were inundated with so many different pieces of paper that it was difficult to extract any useful information. Additionally, the website is a little bit poorly laid out, it was hard to figure out just what all of the rules and regulations were at this place. It was also funny to get a check out letter explaining how to tip housekeeping. Do the type of people that go to B&Bs fail to tip the housekeepers? Last I checked, that was kind of a standard practice. Unfortunately some of the furnishings were showing wear, namely stains on the chairs (unsuccessful removal attempts had obviously been made) and a horribly squeaky bed.

There were a weird mix of other guests, we did get a few overgrown boy scout types eyeballing us at breakfast. We were by far the youngest people there.

I'm on the fence as to if I'd want to stay here again. It was nice, but also a little bit weird.

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Specialties

We are a luxurious B&B specializing in romance and the feel of "Old Hawaii." Listen to the waves crash and the native birds sing while eating a delicious breakfast each morning. Whales (late Nov. to early April) and Spinner dolphin (year round) will captivate your attention. With 8 comfortable rooms you are sure to find your stay relaxing. Conveniently located near Hilo, and easy driving to Volcano, Mauna Kea, and Waimea.

History

Established in 2000

John & Michele Gamble turned this single family home into an award winning B&B after seeing the property in 1999. Having fallen in love with the property themselves, they were sure others would want to experience the feel of this very special place. After doubling the size of the original home they opened their doors and welcomed their first guests in 2001. Since opening the inn the Gambles have hosted famous celebrities, honeymooners of all ages, adventure travelers and shopaholics. In 2004 both a song and a hula were written to honor both the Inn and the Gambles.

Meet the Business Owner: John and Michele G.

Michele grew up in rural Colorado, while John grew up near the shore of Lake Michigan. We both love the outdoors and try to enjoy it as often as being Innkeepers will allow. Some of our favorite adventures here in Hawaii have been camping/hiking Mauna Loa (Brrrrr), Hiking Mauna Kea and watching the sun rise. Did you know that if you stand on the summit at night there are stars above AND below you? What an experience! We love to "get Away" to a secret camping spot near South Point that takes a full day of 4-wheeling just to get to. And on a lazy day you will find us both enjoying a good book and the view from the Inn's lanai. We both feel so very lucky to be able to "Live Aloha."