On a past trip to the beautiful Island of Hawaii, we stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa. My husband previously stayed here as a teenager after his mother won an all-expenses-paid giveaway from Sargento Cheese. Yes, people really win those things – who knew? His memories as a young adult were so fond, he wanted to bring Lucy and I back to the Hilton Waikoloa so that we could see just how great this property was for our family trip.
I expect that my husband will review this property more thoroughly in an upcoming post and his focus will not be on the family aspect of this stay. Watch for his full report.
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Getting Around The Vast Property
The resort stretches over 62 acres of oceanfront property. The Hilton Waikoloa boasts 1,113 rooms divided up between three separate towers. Getting from the main building where the lobby is located to any of these three towers can be a bit of a trek. Air-conditioned trams run from 6 am until 2 am and take guests from one end of the property to the other. You could also cruise by boat from tower-to-tower along a canal running parallel to the tram from 2 pm to 10 pm. After checkin, we waited for a tram to take us to Palace Tower where our room was located. We quickly realized that we would spend a lot of time waiting for these modes of transportation and that even though it was a bit of a hike, it usually made more sense to walk the distance.
Each tower has tour booking agents (disguised as an informal, tower-specific concierge), movie rental kiosks (and PlayStation 3) and a stop outside for the trams and boats. Lucy enjoyed picking out a different movie to watch before bed each night. We did not use an agent for booking any of the activities we enjoyed during our stay, but I can see where this would be convenient.
The Room
Our room was standard. It was no more or no less of what we needed. We spent most of our time outside of the room (as should you). The beds were comfortable and the bathroom was clean. We had a beautiful partial ocean view and enjoyed many sunsets from our balcony. As I mentioned, my husband will likely review this in the future, so I won’t focus on it here, with the exception of this balcony view.
Eating around the resort
The star of the show here is the wonderful breakfast. As Diamond members, we received the complimentary breakfast at the buffet since there is no lounge on the property. The selection here was wonderful with local Hawaiian dishes, Asian offerings, and typical western options as well. Every morning there was a wait to be seated. We found that either going very early in the morning (which was not going to happen) or later in the morning there was less of a wait. The busiest hours being from 8-9: 30 am. Eating a full breakfast later in the morning also kept us quite full and most days we did not find ourselves hungry again until closer to the early dinner hours.
We ate at other restaurants on the property a couple of times. The Lagoon Grill was great for late afternoon, poolside eats. The best part about this was the portions were large and kids meals were free with regular meal purchase. There is a marketplace cafe great for quick bites, a spot for Mexican cuisine and another for pizza. We also enjoyed the local Kona coffee and an Acai bowl from Waikoloa Coffee.
Amenities
The star of the show for our family were the amenities. There are three different pools to choose from (one of which is an adult pool). Waterslides, hot tubs, waterfalls, and pool bars can also be found in these areas. An ocean-fed lagoon with a white sand beach is where we spent a good portion of our days. The water was calm and full of tropical fish and sea turtles.
We enjoyed snorkeling, paddle boating, swimming and lounging at the lagoon. We even saw a pregnant sea-lion during our stay. Once the sea-lion was spotted, trained staff asked guests to get out of the water while other trained staff on paddle boards followed the animal in the lagoon until it left the area. The property is very aware of conservation efforts and alerts guests to observe the wildlife from a distance and not disrupt the animals.
Other activities include a Luau, Dolphin Quest and a spa. There are so many activities to fill your time in Hawaii that one might argue you don’t even need to leave the resort, and that is true, but you should leave the resort away.
“Included” in your daily resort charge are cultural classes that consist of Hula, lei making, and ukulele lessons. I was interested in trying one of these classes, but the times were never convenient. If the cultural classes aren’t your thing or the times don’t work out, there is also a daily fitness class or the Big Island bird talk with a local wildlife specialist.
Can’t wait to return
If you find yourself on the Big Island, The Hilton Waikoloa is a perfect destination for families without feeling like it is only for families. The grounds are picturesque and the property filled with plenty to do. During our visit the average nightly rate was about $250 or 25-50,000 points per night, good value for money. We loved our time here and are currently planning our return.
Do you have any family favorite hotels in Hawaii that give the Hilton Waikoloa a run for its money?
Since you “can’t wait to return” (I know, we’ve been making an annual pilgrimage to the Islands since 1985), I STRONGLY suggest considering the very nearby Hilton Waikola Kings’ Land property a try. While it’s a Hilton Grand Vacation timeshare property, you can easily book it through Hilton.com (http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/hawaii/kings-land-by-hilton-grand-vacations-KOAKLGV/index.html). While it’s further from the ocean, it’s consistently cheaper, includes kitchen facilities, has some great pools too, and includes free access to Hilton Waikoloa Resort via a free shuttle bus. More info here: https://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/hawaii/kings-land-hgvc/
Great recommendation! We actually toured that property and thought those apartment-style rooms were awesome.
We were bumped from the Marriot for 2 nights st the Hilton. If you like a room facing a very daytime noisey construction zone as you leave your front door, I heartedly recommend the Hilton Waikoloa.
Rent at Halii Kai. A beautiful property for a better price. You won’t have to look at the poor dolphins
We enjoyed the Hapuna Prince Hotel. The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.
We’ll have to check that out Tammy
Very nice place me and my girlfriend loved it was there for 7 days wasnt long anuff though
It depends a lot on what you want. I pretty strongly disliked Waikoloa – but possibly for many of the reasons you loved it. I don’t have any kids – but I’ll give my combination of observations of families plus my impressions. I’m not a huge fan of huge resorts – the loss of service quality and self-contained artificiality of most larger resorts is a bit of a turn off.
When my wife and I visited, it took over an hour to get our bags delivered, and multiple calls to check on them resulted in conflicting answers (and deliberate misinformation). Following up with management took days to get a response. Getting off-site takes half an hour or more to get from room to car…and I visit Hawaii to experience Hawaii.
Along those lines as well – the lack of any natural beach is a downer. The artificial lagoon is great I guess, and maybe a benefit for smooth and supervised swimming and play. The impression that I got was of a fake and slightly worse “Disney” version of Hawaii instead of Hawaii itself. It felt like a theme park insulated from Hawaii (and I go to Hawaii to experience Hawaii).
We had a much better experience at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Smaller, more manageable size. Beautiful beach with ample activities available. Families exploring the beach, playing together, etc. Easy access in and out to explore outside the resort, and taking advantage of the natural beauty and serenity of Hawaii. Waikoloa could have been built anywhere warm.
There was certainly a very large resort feel to the property, however, that also afforded our daughter a ton of things to do and see.
I agree that the most important thing about visiting Hawaii is seeing Hawaii, which is why I wrote this post (http://bit.ly/Hawaii-Big-Island-Fun) about how important it is to leave the resort.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I will look into your recommendation of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.
Is the breakfast buffet they give Diamond members the full buffet or, similar to most mainland properties, just a scaled down continental breakfast version?
Full, and it’s amazing.