Volcano House

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

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 amaz… more

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.

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“A good option to explore the volcano”

A good hotel, not outstanding but the only option in the national park. I was left with a bad taste because the hosts was not so kind.

“Location location location”

Can’t beat staying right on crater rim! We had a “deluxe crater view” room which was in the newer section of the lodging (newer being relative) of the ground floor (although you need to climb up and down and few stairs). It was a comfortable room but the carpet should be replaced (or thoroughly cle… more

Can’t beat staying right on crater rim! We had a “deluxe crater view” room which was in the newer section of the lodging (newer being relative) of the ground floor (although you need to climb up and down and few stairs). It was a comfortable room but the carpet should be replaced (or thoroughly cleaned) as there are obvious stains. I liked having outside patio access as well as inside corridor access. All staff were friendly and helpful.

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“Outstanding Staff Deserves Great Credit”

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 hav… more

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.

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