What Our Guests Are Saying
We consider the discovery of Shipman House our Great Find of this trip! Naturally our stay was too short...--M.R., Cedar Rapids, IA
Shipman House is a not so hidden treasure.
The minute you cross the bridge you become breathless with the beauty
and charm of the home and stay that way during your whole visit.
Barbara and Gary are superb hosts and are a wealth of
information. You are well advised to take their advice as every word is
of value. We stayed in Auntie Clara's Shell room on the second
floor; slept with the windows open all night; in the morning took
advantage of the claw foot bathtub in our private bath (not ensuite
but who cares!); then downstairs to the breakfast veranda for a
wonderful breakfast with our hosts and other interesting guests which
always included Barbara's home made granola. Maybe one day we will be
able to order it online.
If you love wonderful people; great hospitality; old world charm in
architecture and furniture you must stay here. We think we left a
part of our hearts here and will return to recover just a small piece
as we might need to come back again after that ....
Susan and Peter
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
From the moment we stepped from our car, we knew this was it! Transported to our first "jungle" experience, we soon found our cares transported away as well. And the breakfasts were always looked forward to - amazing that fruit can taste like flowers smell! -C., Seattle
OK. The Shipman house defies normal description. If it were just a beautiful house, it would be overwhelming, but coupled with the wonderful people who inhabit it, it becomes the sweetest of dreams. WE LOVE THIS PLACE! Thank you for bringing it back to life with your sweat, blood and love. You have really created something special here. --MCK, Minnesota
Your warmth and welcoming hospitality, talk story and sight-seeing advice make staying in Hawaii an experience and memory to excel all others....We agree with many of your other guests: once here is definitely NOT enough. We wonder can there ever be "enough" of this magical paradise you've created for us? After no debate at all, we declare unanimously--absolutely NOT!--C.R., Waipahu, Hawaii
...my wife and I spent our honeymoon at the Shipman House and it was magical! We just celebrated our 10th anniversary ...and we love that our first trip together was to Hilo. Thank you so much for making our first week of forever such a wonderful experience....--A.P., Citrus Heights, CA
The breakfasts were delicious with a greater variety of fresh fruit than I have ever seen. It was wonderful to be on the "green side" of the Orchid Isle. I could definitely get used to the pace. --D.H.
In many years of B&B experience in many countries, this is the first we found with a Steinway piano, which made me feel at home. It is in excellent tune, and has that lovely Steinway singing tone. --T.M., Toronto
Your pictures don't begin to do it justice.--K.H., Orlando, FL