When I come home, I prefer staying in residential areas over hotels. My hosts were friendly and accommodating, and provided what I feel was a pretty true Hilo experience. That being said, there are a few pros and cons.
-PRO good location that’s close to the 24 hour Longs Drugs (technically cvs), which is good because things close early.
-PRO (for me) perfect living area for a solo trip. I think a couple would be ok, but I’d say make sure you’re cool with close quarters.
-CON the room gets hot (again, for me) around 8 or 9 in the morning (later if it’s overcast).
-PRO it gets cold at night, so if you’re literally just in town with things to do and need a place to crash at night, it’s perfect.
-(Could be) CON noises. You’re in a neighborhood where people are living their every day lives. Chicken noise (including some traffic, dogs, and coqui frogs) is a thing, and if you’re not used to it, this is a heads up. Personally, it’s the sounds of home, so I dug it.