On a recent trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, I wanted take advantage of the hundreds of thousands of sign-up points I recently earned with the American Express Hilton Honors card and the American Express Hilton Ascend card, and the perfect spot to do so was the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.
Review: Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort (Honolulu, Hawaii)
The Location
In terms of Oahu’s most famous beach, Waikiki, the location of this Hilton is perfect. Located about 30 minutes from the Honolulu International Airport (HNL), the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is truly located in the “middle of everything” on the western edge of Waikiki beach.
The location provides easy walks to Waikiki, Ala Moana, Magic Island, etc. It is also conveniently located near public transportation lines and bike rental hubs. By car, this part of the island is also near Diamond Head State Monument, the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Aquarium, and the beloved Hanauma Bay.
Parking
Hotel parking is a steep $43 a night for self-parking, and $50 per night by valet.
If you self-park, you’ll likely find yourself parking in a massive parking garage that I found to be a bit confusing as the floors were not well marked, and finding the exits was always an exercise in anger management.
Additionally, and quite frustratingly, the floor numbers in the parking garage did not correspond to the floors numbers at the various connecting towers, so taking a connecting “bridge shortcut” tended to get me even more lost.
Overview
Let me start off by saying, aside from the parking garage, the overall Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is a picture perfect, stunningly beautiful property located in a special spot on the island of Oahu. More than a few times did I hear guests passing by utter the words “this is paradise”.
The most recognizable landmark at this resort is the famed “Rainbow Tower” which features the largest mosaic art panel in the world.
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is also giant property. At times, it can feel more like a theme park than a hotel. There are multiple towers, restaurants, shops, pools, bars, concierge desks (depending on language), conference halls, and even a giant lagoon. Much like a theme park or Las Vegas casino, the property is basically a self-contained city.
Did I mention this place is huge?
They give you this official map, but it drove me nuts due to its “non-North” orientation
This map is a little easier to read due to its “North” orientation
The Hilton Honors Points Redemption
As you probably already know, Hawaii is expensive – damn expensive, and point redemptions are usually no exception. In fact, many Hawaiian point redemption prices are borderline criminal.
At Hilton properties alone, it can easily cost upwards of 100,000 points a night – with some properties costing even 680,000+ a night! Which is why, when I found the reasonable rate of 60,000 points a night [below], I jumped at it.
Was this a good redemption? Yes! I usually value Hilton Honors points at .40 PPC, so anything above that is a win – especially at Hilton or DoubleTree properties where my automatic Gold Status (courtesy of the Hilton Honors Ascend card) gets me free breakfast.
As you can see below, three nights at 60,000 points per night (or 180,000 points total) was really worth $1,358.83, or .75 PPC! Not too shabby for sure.
The Check-In
Before I arrived at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, I started receiving a series of official emails informing me of what to expect on my upcoming stay, including this video:
I also received an email with this potentially ominous warning as a Gold Status member:
Take a closer look…yes, that is the check-in line
When I arrived for check-in, it was a mad house. The regular check-in line was insane (see below)!
The line went on almost as far as the eye could see, and there appeared to be only 2-3 people working this desk, meaning a lot of people would be waiting a very long time to check-in.
The “regular” check-in line!
Luckily (for me) I held the Hilton Honors Ascend card, and this is where having Gold Status came in handy – several times over. As you can see below, there was literally no line at the Hilton Honors Check-In (the Digital Check-In was pretty empty as well).
No line for Hilton Honors members!
When I checked-in, I was immediately warmly welcomed, recognized for my status, and thanked for my loyalty.
Then came the big surprise; the [very attractive] front desk attendant leaned over and said she would give me an upgrade as Gold Status member. I said, “great, I’ll take it – just curious though, I got an email stating there were no upgrades in Hawaii due to the popularity”.
She responded with, “it’s true, in fact the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is actually the most popular Hilton resort in the world, averaging 98-99% capacity per night, but nevertheless, this hotel likes to honor its members when possible”.
The upgraded view!
Wow, that was unexpectedly refreshing and amazingly awesome at the same time. She upgraded me to a top floor with the ocean view (above).
She then handed me a map of the [vast] property as well as a small packet with the following items:
A Note Here On The “Free” Breakfast For Gold Status Members
Per the below picture: As a Gold Status member, there were actually 2 different options available for the “free” breakfast benefit.
“Option 1” was the incompletely-worded “1,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points per stay,” which actually included the free breakfast (this was confusingly unlisted for some reason), and “Option 2” which was a $10 daily dining credit, per person, that could be used at the any of the establishments listed under Participating Restaurants and Bars (see below).
Flying High On Points Tip: If you feel like sitting through a Hilton time share presentation, you can earn 40,000 Hilton Honors points! See the concierge for more information and to sign up.
The Room
As mentioned earlier, I was upgraded from the ALII Resort View King room to the Ocean View Double room in the Kalia Tower.
I’d say the decorum was “quintessential Waikiki” – with wood accents abound played against warm whites, beiges, and blues for an early 80’s maritime feel (just as you’d expect). It was clean and comfortable, but was perhaps in need of a slight “refresh” (I’m looking at you wallpaper and carpet).
Your eyes do not deceive you, this is a Playstation 3, for use with the Redbox-like DVD Now rentals machines downstairs
The Coffee Station
The Bathroom
Well this was weird, the mini fridge in the bathroom? And no, the beer did not come with the room.
The Balcony And Room View
This is what is known in Hawaii as “a perfect afternoon”
Walking The Hotel Property
This resort property is huge. Huge. The list of amenities found on the property is formidable:
The Conference Hall (& shortcut to the parking garage)
The Beach – Waikiki Beach
Perhaps the very best part of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort is the beach. Let’s be honest, this view is what you think about when you think of Hawaii.
The infamous view of Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head crater in the background
View of Waikiki Beach from the Lagoon. How many water sports can you spot in this picture?
The Pool(s)
There are several mega-pools on the property, as well as several semi-private pools (depending on the tower you are staying in).
All are nice, but get there early if you want a good spot.
The Restaurants
There are a wealth of choices when it comes to everything at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, and dining is no exception.
There are over 20 different dining options, including a Starbucks, Benihana, and Ice Cream Parlor, and the famous Tropics Bar and Grill (as featured in countless Hawaiian shows and movies).
Flatbread shrimp pizza at Tropics Bar and Grill
Flying High On Points Tip:Â If you want even more options, try the “off property” restaurants of Kobe Japanese Steak House or the cost-effective and highly rated Goofy Cafe & Dine (a cool spot run by Japanese surfers) on Ala Moana Blvd.
Walking The Village
There is a great little Japanese Temple replica near the center of the resort where you’ll find a small mall of sorts with several shops and restaurants.
The centerpiece of the Japanese Temple is this wonderful Banyan Tree where people like to come and read, relax, people watch, or just chill.
She has a “Mona Lisa” smile
The obligatory ABC store (They sell everything. Everything.)
Kona Mountain Coffee…
…and the wedding chapel (of course)
The Bottom Line Review:Â Review: Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
On my previous stays in Oahu, I’ve always chosen smaller boutique hotels because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of big crowds, parking nightmares, and long lines. But, I’ll be honest, those smaller hotels just didn’t have the arctypical “Waikiki beach” feel that I had expected to find.
Enter the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. While it may have been the points that brought me there, I was glad I tried something different and stayed there. To be clear, this is a mega-resort, so know what you are getting into before you go.
The pluses were the location, service, value of Gold Hilton Honors status (no line check-in, room upgrade, and free breakfast!) and breadth of options for everything. The negatives were the parking, slightly dated rooms, and the crowds at the pool and popular restaurants.
Nevertheless, Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort was the complete Honolulu experience. With so many things to do and see, it is perfect (and highly recommended) for families and large groups. There were also Honeymooners galore. Even if you are not staying there, this Hilton resort is worth a stop to check out.
If this is the kind of resort you are looking for, the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort delivers.
Cheers!
