Big Island rancher W. H. “Willie” Shipman purchased this graceful, secluded Victorian high above Hilo Bay for the grand sum of $13,000 in 1901. The house has entertained marquee guests ever since. During a 1907 tour of the South Pacific, writer Jack London and his wife stayed for five weeks there. (Hilo lacked a single hotels at the time.) Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last monarch and a noted musician, tinkled the ivories on a 1912 Steinway at the Shipman House.  Shipman’s great-granddaughter Barbara Ann Andersen and her husband, Gary, restored the home and turned it into a five room inn, keeping up grand the tradition. Koa-wood cabinets, mantels, and bookshelves date to the original construction in 1899. Most of the furniture was bought by Mary Shipman. Vintage family photos mix with contemporary works by Hawaiian artists such as John Kelly and Dietrich Varez. Coffee and pineapples and other tropical fruits, all grown on the five-acre estate, dominate the breakfast table. For breathtaking views of Hilo Bay request Auntie Clara’s Shell Room.

Shipman House Bed & Breakfast Inn
131 Ka`iulani Street, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone/Fax: (808) 934-8002
Toll-free: (800) 627-8447
http://www.hilo-hawaii.com