Volcano House

Recent Reviews: 1440

• User:Noe C

  Trip type: Couples

  Best place to stay when visiting Volcano

  22 May 2026

  We spent 2 nights here over Memorial Day weekend. Located in Hawaii Volcanos National Park, you’re on the crater rim and so close to all the trails. The pros: 1) staying in the park means you can easily walk steam vent bluffs or sulfur banks before breakfast and have the trail mostly to yourself. 2) The breakfast buffet is delicious, affordable and view of the crater is amazing!! 3) you’ll definitely see native birds zipping by as you’re enjoying you’re omelet.4) there is complimentary coffee in the mornings in the lobby5) the sitting area overlooking the crater is the perfect place to enjoy your complementary coffee Cons:1) parking can be hard to find at peak times and during eruptions2) the daytime front desk woman is very unfriendly to locals (we thought she might be having a bad week, until we saw her being so nice to tourists- yikes!)3) the room we had was pretty dusty and could use a deep cleaning. HANS PETERSEN, General Manager at Volcano House, responded to this review Thank you so much for taking the time to share your review! We're thrilled you loved the location, the breakfast buffet, and those magical crater views with the native birds flying by.We're sorry to hear about the dusty room and the parking challenges; we'll pass that feedback along to housekeeping and operations. As for the front desk experience, that's definitely not the welcome we want anyone to have, and we'll address it right away.We really appreciate you staying with us and hope to welcome you back soon for another beautiful visit! Mahalo,Hans J Petersen

  Read more

• User:Relax802879

  Trip type: Couples

  Enjoyed our stay!

  27 Apr 2026

  I'm originally from Hawaii and have been to the Volcano Park several times over the years. We decided to stay in Volcano during our last trip to the Big Island in late March 2026 and spent 2 nights at the Volcano House. All in all, we enjoyed our stay very much. Ambience: We've stayed in NPS accommodations before and the Volcano House had the same nostalgic, mid-century feel, which we enjoyed. The registration, restaurant and cleaning staff were all friendly and efficient. Room: Our room was large and sunny, with a lanai area and a super convenient refrigerator, where we stored fruit and lunch supplies we brought with us. WIFI was fine. Food options: We ate dinner at both the restaurant and bar, and had the restaurant breakfast buffet and they were all fine. The restaurant in particular is pricey but there are no other restaurant options in the park and they were very busy in the evenings. Convenience: Staying in the park allowed us to explore areas early and late in the day without the tourist hordes.Things to note:• There are no TVs anywhere except the bar, which doesn’t open until lunch. This usually isn’t a problem for us, but the college basketball playoffs were on when we were there and my husband wanted to watch an early game. (WIFI was strong enough in our room to watch on his phone.)• It got jeans and sweatshirt cold at night while we were there, though the room had pretty adequate heating. Bring a rain jacket, as it gets foggy/rainy, particularly in the morning.• As others have mentioned, the NPS visitor center, located across the street from the hotel, is currently closed, with some parking blocked off. Because the hotel doesn't reserve parking for hotel guests, it's extremely hard to find parking during the day. The hotel recommended at check-in that we leave our car in the lot during the day. We did see that parking was challenging at many of the popular areas, especially at the lava tube. • The hotel is clearly a tour bus stop, and during the day buses are lined up disgorging tourists to use the restrooms and stretch their legs. The lobby area and restrooms are not large (women's lobby restroom has few stalls), resulting in long lines and hordes of people from morning through dinner. Make dinner reservations at the restaurant when you check in (the bar doesn’t take reservations), and stop by a grocery store on the way to the park.

  Read more

• User:B5141JFdavidw

  Trip type: Family

  Volcano House

  21 Apr 2026

  Very nice place. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Breakfast buffet is delicious thanks you Chef Daniel. Saw a little volcano activity but not the big eruptions. I would highly recommend staying at least 1 night

• User:PrairiePaddler

  Trip type: Couples

  Outstanding Staff Deserves Great Credit

  20 Mar 2026

  We arrived for a one-night stay in the midst of a severe storm. Power was out through the duration of our stay, the park was closed, the crater was invisible due to dense fog, the floor of our room was wet, the shower was cold, and the bar and dining room were closed. The property appeared to have no back-up plan for communicating with guests in a power outage and so emails and phone calls went unanswered when we tried to ascertain whether they were open on the day of our scheduled arrival. The 20% discount seemed more a weak gratuitous gesture than a real acknowledgment of the shortcomings. In spite of this the front desk, housekeeping, and dining room staff were cheerful, upbeat, and did their professional best to ease guests through the ordeal. The kitchen managed to produce a makeshift buffet of sorts for dinner and breakfast which we appreciated. It was a night in a shelter, no more.We have stayed in nearly all of the National Park lodges and I am sure Volcano House ranks high among them under normal conditions. Management appeared to be utterly unprepared for severe weather and as climate change worsens, this is a planning exercise they would be wise to undertake (and foolish not to). In the meanwhile all credit goes to the extraordinary frontline staff for holding the operation afloat during this instance.

  Read more

• User:Journey818920

  Trip type: Friends getaway

  This is the place to be to watch steam and lava!

  21 Feb 2026

  I loved the view here. Owned and operated by a man who loved to watch and tell stories of Pele, beginning in 1904. Large sitting chairs, large walkway viewing area. My room had private seats outside for viewing. Besides this was the restaurant and viewing room with food, two gift shops and the amazing all day coffee stand.Unfortunately it is not quiet and restful. The small buses and vans emptying outside the front door. No parking all day as a hotel guest. The masses of tourists coming and going and shopping and viewing, and taking up every chair in the restaurants etc. Very difficult to sleep in the annex with doors slamming, footfalls, hair dryers, people talking on phones outside etc. HANS PETERSEN, General Manager at Volcano House, responded to this review Thank you for your thoughtful review, we really appreciate you sharing your experience!We're so glad you loved the stunning views, the Pele stories, comfy seating, private outdoor spots, restaurant, gift shops, and all-day coffee stand. Those are the special touches we’re proud of!We completely understand the noise and busyness can detract from the peace. Being the only hotel in the national park means lively crowds and tour groups around eruptions, which unfortunately can affect quiet and sleep. Your feedback helps us keep improving.Mahalo nui for staying with us and for the honest thoughts! We’d love to welcome you back someday, perhaps in a quieter spot.Aloha,Hans J Petersen

  Read more