Orchid Island Hotel - Hilo, Hawaii

Ahhhh….The Big Island of Hawaii, my favorite of the Hawaiian islands. My wife and I spent a week on the Big Island back in 2000 visiting the waterfalls, rainforests, black sands beaches and the volcano. A fantastic place to visit.

We know that Polynesian Pop Culture was a unique culture almost exclusive the mainland United States. However, there are a few exceptions of tiki architecture that could be found in the Hawaiian islands, including the Orchid Island Hotel in Hilo, Hawaii.






The Hotel was located on Hilo Bay next to Coconut Island. The City of Hilo is on the wet side of the Big Island and can receive up to 200 inches of rain per year. All that rain produces incredible foliage, including the Banyan Tress that line Banyan Drive on the way to the hotel.



The hotel itself was a standard multi-story structure. But with the addition of the gorgeous ornamental 6 story A-frame entrance, the hotel took on an exotic flavor. The concept rendering shows exposed beams as part of the A-frame cover. I like the fact that the roof is not entirely covered.




However, once the entrance was constructed, it was not quite as elaborate as it was depicted in the original concept.