Pineapple Park Hostel

This is a large hostel a little south of Kona, great if you want to escape the touristy part of town. The price is great and the place is pretty clean. However, the «please don’t masturbate in the shower, put drains are getting clogged» gave me pause. The atmosphere here is nice, with people down to chill at night.

Please change management (Annie)!!! The hostel is actually beautiful and nicely located and would be a nice stay under any other circumstances. Couple of issues:
— contacted the hostel twice via email to confirm that we will check in around 10pm +/​-​due to late flight, even provided flight number and got the ok. Arrived 10.07pm and nobody could be found. After 15 mins waiting we called Annie to receive an angry response that she is in bed already, however rocked up after a few minutes to give us more angry attitude.
— Booked via
with a confirmation to pay the remaining USD72 at arrival, however Annie produced a bill for USD95 with all possible extras such as taxes, USD14 penalty for 1 night stay only. I was confused, but told by Annie that it’s
fault that they don’t advertise the pricing correctly. A lot of people have the same confusion and I should be happy she doesn’t charge me USD7 for 7mins late check in.
— Okay after Annie went back to bed, we learned from other guests that Annie looks the showers and kitchen after 10pm… so we had no option to shower or put our food in the fridge. Luckily she unlocks it after 6am each morning.
— Free WiFi, doesn’t work in your room, only on the terrace. However, if you have an apple device it might not work at all due to «i don’t know»
I guess if you don’t have to deal with that prison ward Annie, don’t care much about hygiene and food after 10pm and don’t need WiFi it should be a nice stay, but honestly there are better options down the road.

You get what you pay for. It’s cheap so keep low expectations. Co-​Ed bathrooms and shower area (bring flip-​flops), kitchen, and lounge areas are comfortable. Staff is helpful. Wifi a little rusty in some rooms but works well in lounge area.

Three stars is a little generous, but I’m trying to grade my hostel standards. American hostel standards.
Rooms: I spent one night in an $ 80 single room (only thing in all of Kona under $ 200 that night), and one night in a dorm for $ 30. Slept better in the later because the noise level is more about the people in the place than the room. Being in a room affords no protection from noise. The first night I was awakened by people going to bed or arriving back or something at several times through the night. The second night it was every time someone went into the outside fridge for a beer. The rooms themselves are rundown, but relatively spacious. Beds were reasonably comfortable and partially made (which is much appreciated).
Common areas: Beachside backpacker style. Nothing looks or feels new. There is a smoking area, a common shower and toilet area, and several sitting or dining areas. Kitchen has bad coffee in the morning with fake creamer (which they try to make a selling point?). There are several fridges, but only access to an outside sink and beer fridge after 10pm (which is, unfortunately for some, right next to a dorm room). The real kitchen had 1 spoon and no other utensils that I could find. Plenty of mugs, plates, etc. Never cooked there, so no idea how busy it gets at night if people are trying to use the kitchen.
Bathrooms: Yikes. Immediately grossed out by the sign in the shower that reprimanded guests to stop ejaculating in the shower and clogging up the pipes. Gross. Otherwise, things were, again, rundown but relatively clean. Warm water. Flushing toilets. One or two sinks, but didn’t seem to be a back-​up issue.
WIFI: Solid, no issues.
The crowd: A mix. Some older folks who felt like burned-​out hippy types wandering around the islands for the last decade or so. An occasional person seemed to be getting ready to go to work (?), and the young and dumb early-​20 backpacker crowd that likes to come in late, drink loudly, and go to bed noisily even later. Heard the best conversation at 11:30pm — «dude, picking up bar chicks is totally different than picking up hostel chicks…» You can hear the young minds coming into their own on their big international trips of discovery…
Value: The single room feels steep. Possibly why it was the last open room at the place. Dorm beds are standard for the area.
Location: Middle of nowhere? Technically it’s close to a «great» snorkeling place, but it’s a ways from town and not particularly close to anything for late night (i.e. 9:30pm or later) eating and drinking. Basically, like much of Kona, you really need a car to get around. There is enough parking in their lot or on the street nearby.
Overall: Generally, not a fan. Compared to hostels I’ve stayed in abroad, this place feels overpriced for what you get. But that generally summarizes Kona (and probably all of Hawaii) for me; for those who dig the island lifestyle, this might be right up your alley.

So I booked two dorm beds in this hostel through hostelworld and we had a planned balance to pay for a total of 60 $. We ended up paying 82 $ total for 2 beds in a hostel in an 8 bed dorm! ! That’s crazy. And when we asked the woman told us it was some house keeping charges because we were staying here only one night. And that the prepayment we made was only going to hostelworld, which is a lie… When we asked people staying in the hostel, we actually paid more than people staying in a private room!
So even though the place is really nice, well located, that’s really unacceptable. I’ve never seen that in any hostel… I wouldn’t recommend anyone to stay here!

This hostel is a bit of paradise on the island. With character and kitsch its; clean, friendly and comfortable. The kitchen has what you need to prepare a meal and my bed was comfortable. The views are fantastic so plan on watching the sunset some night from the second floor.

I spent two nights in a private room and wasn’t very happy with it. The room itself wasn’t too bad, but the bed was pretty small and the walls were paper thin so we could hear the guy in the room next to us snoring all night long. The bathroom was the worst part. The toilet broke and when we told the owner she was pretty angry even though we had done nothing wrong. She acted as if we were asking a lot for the toilet to be fixed. The shower had the worst water pressure ever. The water barely dribbled out. Also the sink was right next to the bed and not in the bathroom, which was kind of strange. The people who were staying there were all pretty cool so it has that, but the location is bad. You MUST rent a car if you stay here, nothing is in walking distance. I understand it’s a hostel, but for $ 90 + fees a night we were expecting something a little better than this.

Had a great experience here, overall. Super clean place!
Annie was absolutely great in accommodating my requests. Long story short, was supposed to drive up to the northern part of the island for a meditation retreat, but plans for that were canceled, and I had already checked out of the hotel, which was sold out all weekend.
THANK YOU, Annie, for working with me on such short notice!
PROS:
— Annie is great, and takes good care of the property
— Met some great people out in the lodging area/​patio from all over the world
— Kitchen so you can do your own cooking
— Rooms are VERY clean! I loved it.
— Free Wi-​Fi + Fridge in the room
— The character of the place, once you are inside, is really inviting.
— Upstairs patio has gorgeous views of the ocean
— The private bathroom is also really well kept, nicely decorated, and super clean.
CONS:
— I had a private room, and even though «quiet hours» are after 10PM, I could still hear people talking really loudly just outside my window.
— Kept waking up in the morning because people were slamming doors and yelling. Maybe just a few bad apples, but still something to note.
— One of the windows didn’t have blinds. I like the room to be completely dark when I sleep.
Overall a great experience, and would definitely recommend this place.

Annie runs an incredible business she’s all about the Aloha Spirit! Doing business with her is a pleasure:))
We rented gear from her and she was most helpful about directions etc Mahalo Annie ~ Christine

Once you have your room booked this is a good hostel to stay at but while you are trying to reserve a bed be ready for a negotiation. The owner/​person who most often works the desk is definitely a business women and will seem very serious and stern. However, once you are past the money part she is very sweet and helpful.
For the most part I have had good experienced with other guest both being respectful and interesting. Kitchen and laundry are both available and you are fairly near a grocery store.
When staying on the Kona side of the island this is where I always stayed because it was in my price point but the reason it got a 3 star from me was because of location. You need a car if you want to go anywhere. Though that may seem normal on the Hilo side I got accustom to being able to go either to a bar or a beach on foot from hostels.
Overall, if you need a place to crash I would say this place is safe and comfortable and definitely set up for short term stay (week or less) and will save you major money if you are willing to stay a little outside of the city.

I’m doing this for some friends who visited here from across the Atlantic. And based on other reviews, which are either very high or very low, it seems to depend on «What is Annie (the manager) feeling like» on that day.
My friends have stayed at many hostels around the world. They told me they would NOT stay here again. They are somewhat more mature than many of the residents, and wanted quiet place. And in Captain Cook. They found that this place actually worked for them, as there was refrig. And places to cook, surf web, etc.
Annie put them in a «better» location, meaning private bedroom and bath, so that was very good. Apparently, though, she also came around to everyone and told them the rules about stating up after 10 PM, being quiet, etc. but that’s not too bad to me.
Their accommodations were very basic. And facing the road. When I asked Annie over the phone if they could just SEE the other room available, she said what a pain in the ass these two were and if they didn’t like the room she’d given them, they could LEAVE. Finally Isaac showed us the other room and the two agreed that the room Annie had chosen for them was better. For them.
But Annie did NOT have to treat them like bothersome tourists. Annie would NOT get a high rating on «Hotel Impossible».
BUT…
My friends enjoyed the short walking distance (less than 1mile) to numerous cafés shopping, and other stores, even Greenwell Farms coffee farm. And Kona Coffee History museum.
I, personally, would probably like it there. Many young people stay there, and like it.
It is a LOCAL Hawaii place. Not a 5-​star hotel. It’s local.
So if you want to experience a LOCAL style Big Island place, stay here. If not, maybe try Manago Hotel just down the road, or Kona Islander Inn, or Uncle Billy’s, in town.

We didn’t stay here, but we rented some snorkel gear and a kayak. Annie was extremely helpful and kind. She gave us great tips to save money yet not compromise our sightseeing.

Not a good place. Don’t refund our snorkel gear after giving us wrong information about the sunset

I called and she gave me a reasonable rate but when we arrived she tried to hike it up to $ 125 a night. Ridiculous price for a hostel. Go to manago, they keep their prices honest.

A great comfortable, clean, and relaxing hostel. Annie the owner is a great character, she works hard to keep this place running tight! She will be the first one to tell you, that english is her second language and that if she comes off rude, its just her accent. My girlfriend and I love her! There is plenty of space here to find your own little nook, and take a load off. If you feel like cooking there is a nice, clean, and accommodating kitchen. Wanna get down on some BBQ, feast your eyes on the bad ass grill! The room was super private and totally worth the value! Would def stay here again! Enjoy!

Great service for snorkel gear rental. High quality snorkel and mask, great directions to two step. Clean and hot showers at return.

Nice hostel! Great location, close to Kona airport and it’s quiet!
Why stay at a hotel when you can pay half the price! It is also clean! The room is spacious enough with a mini tv. Plus Annie got a playful dog, too! What could you ask for more?

Loved this hostel! I made my reservations online, got a response from Annie and she even gave me tips for hostel options on Maui. Once there I found the rooms, bathrooms & showers clean and the linens washed. No bug problems for me. And the outside area was fantastic and really encourage people to meet and chat. Overall, a great hostel experience with no problems!

My husband and I stopped here to check out the rooms because we stay in hostels all over. We did not know that there was a hostel somewhat close to Kailua-​Kona. So we stopped by, and asked for prices and if possible to see a room. At any and every hostel and or hotel (high end or low end) we have been able to do so. She said they were all occupied. That is fine, no biggy. Then we asked how many rooms were there. In case we needed to call in advance. She said she could not tell us that information. Ummm. Alright. She gave us a card and said everything we needed to know was on the website. Then my husband said that was strange and that at least most people give rates or amount of room numbers. She just said everything you need to know is on the website. My husband asked why couldn’t she just give us information. Then she said «We don’t give out information» and he asked «well what kind of information is there» (on the website) and she said «everything that needs to be there. It was such a strange, unwelcome, experience. If someone won’t even talk about prices or any general information that’s a bad sign. She said «I don’t want anyone talking about the hostel.»
HORRIBLE PLACE

It was a last minute planning and I didn’t want to waste $ 200 on hotels in Kona.
The location is about 10 miles south of heart of Kona Town Center where all the shops, bars, restaurants are located. 10 miles in Kona means about 25 minutes of driving, so go figure.
This place isn’t hard to miss. It has big KAYAK FOR RENT sign and small Rooms for Rent sign next to it.
The owner, a bit creepy looking old dude, will greet you and charge you about $ 30 for one-​night coed-​room, which I think is a steal. The rooms are okay, but I’ve stayed in better hostel with cleaner and roomier for under $ 30.
The two star is because this place does poor job on maintenance. It’s a bug central. Bring your bug spray and repellent otherwise you’re in for a treat. I stayed here for one night and got raped by mosquitoes.
That being said, it’s serviceable place to stay on your vacation to Kona. The kayak & snorkel rent is a must to Kealakekua Bay and Captain Cook Monument. It’s unreal.