17Dec 2023 by Doug Arnott

Christmas 2023

affordable, Budget, Business, Camping, Hawaii, Hilo, Ocean, Outdoors, Travel, Traveling, Volcano
Here we are at Christmas time 2023. Today we had our staff Christmas party, which was marked by two things. Our fantastic staff and lodge friends: Mahana, Makana, Siobhan, Andras, Nanae, Lauren, Mike, Jenny, Donna, Mark, and Sarah One was the amazing cake and chocolate strawberries provided by Mauna Kea Guide Andras and his wife. The other was a very clever game facilitated by Lauren involving a tightly wound ball of Saran Wrap that was hundreds of layers deep and shed all kinds of goodies as it was unwound on the roll of a dice. As we approach the winter season for Mauna Kea we have yet to have a full sub-zero night, as the same conditions that have provided drought for much of the Island are keeping the Summit warm.…
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21Nov 2023 by Doug Arnott

Happy Thanksgiving from Arnott’s Lodge

Adventure, affordable, Budget, Business, Camping, Hawaii, Hilo, Nature, Ocean, Travel, Traveling, Volcano, Wifi
Aloha to all prospective and past guests. As we approach Thanksgiving 2023 we are truly blessed to be here in Hilo Hawaii in such a beautiful area and having had enough recent rain to keep all the vegetation green while most of the State is experiencing drought. This past year has seen ongoing changes and evolution in furnishings in our open areas as well as major changes in Landscaping and beautification of neighboring areas under our care. New guests will experience the beauty of our area and proximity of nearby Beach Parks while our many repeat guests and Educational Groups will still experience the Home away from Home that brings them back year after year. The County has steadily improved the Hele On Bus system and we now have nearby reliable…
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03Feb 2023 by Doug Arnott

Blog on Late Check-ins

Adventure, affordable, Budget, Business, Camping, Hawaii, Hilo, safety, Travel, Traveling
You have probably found Arnott's as you are looking for a good price, and we are often the lowest of the well-rated Hotels in Hilo. There is a reason for this, as we are a small operation two miles from the nearest "Big Hotel" in an uncrowded coastal area and residential neighborhood, away from the center of town, and we do not charge "Resort Fees" nor do we charge for parking, so right there you are saving money. Another important saving that we pass on to you is that, like the rest of America, it is hard to find staff, especially for late hours. As security is more important after 9pm than check-ins, we focus on a Security Person rather than a Front Desk clerk with computer skills, so you can…
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21Mar 2021 by Doug Arnott

Doug’s Blog on Visiting the Big Island during COVID

Adventure, affordable, Budget, Business, Camping, Conservation, COVID, distance work, Environment, Environmental, Geology, Hawaii, Hilo, History, Nature, Ocean, Outdoors, safety, Travel, Traveling, Volcano, Volcanoes, Volcanology, Wifi
Aloha All Visitors reading my Blog.The problem for any destination that has a Main Feature is how to draw visitors to come when that feature is not doing its thing.The burning question is whether the destination has other charms for Visitors besides its main feature.Paris without the Eiffel Tower is still amazing Paris, Japan without Mt Fuji is still rich in culture and scenery.Many have visited Italy many times without seeing Rome or the Volcanoes.And so it is with the Big Island, or as our Visitor Bureau likes to call it, "Island of Hawaii".For a start this is a BIG Island with three Huge Mountains: two over 13,000ft above sea level. One is Mauna Kea, which you can drive (4x4) or take a tourto the top, the other is Mauna Loa,…
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24Jan 2021 by Doug Arnott

Mr. Arnott’s January Blog

Adventure, affordable, Budget, Business, Camping, COVID, distance work, Environment, Hawaii, Hilo, Nature, Ocean, Outdoors, safety, Travel, Traveling, Wifi
Aloha to those joining my blog..... There is a move afoot on Oahu to encourage mainlanders who want to (individually or with family) come to Hawaii for remote work, to fulfill their dream by offering good rates for longer stays into months for qualified applicants.We recently had an experience with 30 college-age students who would have gone on overseas trips but, because of Covid, had to stay in the US. This group stayed with us for 3 months, from Sept. through Nov. last year and taught us a great deal about longer-term stays, which we have never entertained before. One of the things we had to provide was really fast Internet for them, and after a new contract with Spectrum and about $4000 to a local Tech company, we had…
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