Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa

06/23/2008 Posted by andy1954

Dont Come Here! I've been to Hawaii a total of 10 times over the past 20 years, and this place is by far the worst place I've ever been to--anywhere. This place is awful. First, it is 5 huge towers. Only one is on the beach. They claim to have "ocean views", but you really have views of other towers. If you stick your neck out far enough from the balcony, you get a glimmer of the ocean. The four towers completely shadow the pool The service is arrogant. The hostess in the restaurants couldn't care less if you are there. The beach attendants are worse. I asked for a beach towel and the attendent wouldn't give it to me, claiming they weren't open yet (even though the towels were there, attendants were there, and it was nearly 9 AM, when they are supposed to open at 8:30; the attendant told me they were on "Hilton time", which meant that they would open when they felt like it). I went to the men’s room one afternoon and the Janitor was in there cleaning. After washing my hands, I noticed that there weren't any hand towels. I asked him for some, and he told me "they were out". This is a 2000 room hotel and they are out of hand towels? I called up house keeping to send me some pillows, and it took 3 hours. They arrived at midnight, after I was asleep for an hour. I put a "do not disturb" sign on my door, and so, they called my telephone to ask if they can come in (after all---they wouldn't want to "knock" on my door, since I had the sign up! Instead, they figured that they could telephone me and that somehow wouldn't "disturb" me!) I get the impression that the employees truly don't care about working there. They have no pride in their work whatsoever. The location doesn't help. The hotel is near downtown Waikiki and the traffic in and around the place is awful. It takes 30 minutes to get away from the hotel to drive anywhere. Unless you have a strong desire to spend a lot of money and get frustrated, I'd recommend staying away from this place.

Pros: Not much

Cons: Too Big; Too congested; Can't get around; Too noisy

11/20/2006 Posted by nono08

this place had an awesome buffet. everything was great. didn't taste like buffet food. awesome view!

11/13/2006 Posted by ambrosgela

First off..I didn't pay for this trip! But if I had the money I'd go back time and again. The rooms had wonderful balconies overlooking the water, the ambiance and attention to detail was amazing. I wish I were rich...

05/09/2005 Posted by jasminecisk

Ali'i Tower had wonderful amenities - doorman, spacious room, daily newspaper, private swimming pool & terrace for Ali'i Tower guests, and free appetizers during happy hour. Nice central location in Waikiki. Plenty of beach space. Hilton Hawaiian Village grounds offered plenty of restaurants & shops within as well. America Express Excursions Desk - very helpful. Take a 15min walk or hop on the Pink Line Trolley to go to the Ala Moana Shopping Center - reasonably-priced & tasty dishes at the Food Court!

08/04/2004 Posted by shayacarritz

We stayed in a 1 bedroom ocean front suite and couldnt have been more pleased with the room. The staff were helpful and always willing to do anything and everything to make things more pleasant and easier on us. The shops, though some were expensive, had alot of interesting items and had about everything you would need. We didnt eat here much ,so cant really say alot about the dining prices, but Round Table Pizza was the best pizza ever, and the ice cream shop was Heaven!! There is so much to see and do on the property that we could have spent the whole 2 weeks just looking around at the hotel! If you're up early enough the beach is almost completely empty and the temp. is low. We spent our mornings and evenings alone walking on the beach. We couldn't have chosen a more wonderful place to stay.

Pros: get what you pay for, beautiful views, friendly staff

08/11/2003 Posted by madmax

Very disappointing experience. We were so excited to finally stay at a Hilton hotel and we had saved for almost 2 years for this trip. The property is beautiful, well maintained and practically a shopping destination itself. However, every single amenity was at an added cost. These were outrageously expensive! From dinner in the restaurants to water in the room. The concierge and bellmen were helpful and friendly. The rest of the staff was not (we seemed to be in their way as if they had something better to do). The friendly inviting people of Hawaii made us feel welcome once we left the Hilton Village. It is a shame the Hilton doesn't incorporate a bit of this Aloha feeling.

Pros: penguins, views

Cons: bad service, expensive amenities, arrogance

05/21/2002 Posted by tmiller

While there are a lot of better places to be in Hawaii than Honolulu, if you're going to be in Honolulu, then the Hilton Hawaiian Village is a great choice. As long as you're on the grounds, you feel like you're in a resort paradise. Yes -- pretty crowded with buildings; NOT a natural resort. But if you want good food, lots of pools, the beach, shopping, massage, and nice rooms, this is a great pick. The kids will have a great time too. And the submarine ride just off the beach is fun. Nothing much to see while Snorkeling on Waikiki (a "dead reef") -- you'll have to drive 45 minutes to Hanauma(?) Bay for that.

Pros: Lots of pools, service, decor/atmosphere

Cons: concrete jungle