I had the opportunity to spend 3 nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.
The Hawaiian Village by Hilton is one of the more famous/popular destinations at Waikiki Beach. I was curious as to how this “older” hotel stacks up.
- Hotel Information
- Here are 10 Thoughts on the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki
- Overall
- 5 Reasons to Stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
- 5 Reasons to Avoid the Hilton Hawaiian Village
- How to Get to the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Points
- Things to do on Oahu
- Other Hilton Reviews
Hotel Information
Price: $250 – $400 per night
Points Price: 70,000 Hilton Honours points/night
The hotel was initially built in the 1950s, and was purchased by Hilton in 1961, and has been one of Oahu’s more popular hotels for decades. The Hilton Hawaiian Village is the largest Hilton property in the world.
There are 3 types of rooms at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki:
- Resort Views
- Part Ocean Views
- Ocean Views
There are standard rooms, all the way up to 2 bedroom suites. Essentially, it is something for everybody.
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Here are 10 Thoughts on the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki
1. Great Location
The resort is located roughly ~20 minutes from Honolulu International Airport and is right in the heart of Waikiki. Waikiki Beach is on the property, and you are a ~10-minute walk away from downtown Waikiki.
Popular tourist destinations like Diamond Head & Pearl Harbour are all a 10-20 minute Uber away.
Waikiki is a popular place for tourists, and there are tons of hotels, restaurants, and shops within walking distance.
If you are looking to stay in Waikiki, this hotel should be considered based on location alone
2. It’s a Big Property
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki is a massive property, and unlike any hotel you’ll find in the United States.
The Property covers 22 acres and has ~3,000 rooms across 8 different towers. Suffice to say, there are always a lot of people here. If you want peace and tranquillity, I’d look elsewhere on the island of Oahu.
I felt very conflicted, as there was no way I’d be able to take in all the resort has to offer in addition to all the great things in Waikiki. You really don’t need to step foot outside the resort if you don’t want to.
If my goal was to spend the majority of my time doing excursions or traveling around Oahu, I may have looked into some of the more traditional hotels in the area.
3. There’s a lot to do on the property
The massive property offers guests a ton of amenities including:
- Health club
- Business centre
- Spa
- Coffee shops
- Concierge desk
- Exercise gym
- Internet services
- Beauty shop/salon
- Bicycle rentals
- Currency exchange
- 18 Restaurants
- 5 Pools
- 2 Outdoor Jacuzzi/Hot Tubs
- 1 Children’s pool
- 5 Lounges/bars
- Pool Bar
- Dry cleaning Services
- Safe deposit box
- Live entertainment
The resort’s daily activities include fitness classes & yoga. You can also participate in local cultural activities like lei-making & ukulele lessons
As is the case with most hotels on Waikiki, the Hilton Hawaiian Village offers several excursions as well, including:
- Helicopter tours of Oahu
- Submarine Adventures
- Snorkel & Kayak Excursions (for both adults & kids)
- Catamaran tours (with optional snorkel stops)
- Sunset cruises
- Surfing Lessons
- Beach Activities
- tours of Pearl Harbour
- Dolphin Swims
- Luau’s
- Tours of Oahu
4. Food Options a Plenty
The Hilton Hawaiian Village has 22 restaurants on the property. Needless to say, there is something for everyone. While that may sound great, the property is right on Waikiki, which has hundreds of restaurants, so you aren’t forced to use the restaurants offered at the resort.
During our 3 night stay, we had 2 breakfasts on the hotel grounds and chose to have our additional meals on the Waikiki strip.
5. Hilton Diamond Member Suite Upgrade
My wife is a Hilton Diamond member as a result of being a Hilton Aspire cardholder, and I was very curious as to how the complimentary room upgrade would work at such a busy hotel.
Lucky for us, we were upgraded to a one-bedroom suite in the Diamond Head Tower with a partial ocean view on the 17th floor.
Not a bad view…..
We were able to obtain a room upgrade by chatting directly with the hotel via the Hilton Honours app. We noted that we were traveling to Honolulu for our anniversary, and that “as a diamond member, we hope you can leverage our status to make our trip extra special”
I always encourage you to reach out to the hotel ~48 hours in advance of your trip. At that point, the hotel will have an idea as to suite availability at the property.
Note: We were also given a late checkout (1 PM) by being a diamond member. This also had to be requested.
6. No free Breakfast for Hilton Diamond Members
One of the benefits of holding the Hilton Honours Aspire Card is that cardholders are given a complimentary breakfast at Hilton properties.
Unfortunately, this is not the case at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Instead of the complimentary breakfast, Diamond members are given an $18 food credit which can be used daily at the hotel. There are ~7 restaurants where this credit can be applied. Simply charge the meal to your room, and the credit will automatically be deducted from the bill.
In case you’re wondering, most breakfasts cost above $18 per person (there are takeout options like Starbucks where you’ll be able to keep it <$18). For example, my wife and I ate breakfast at the Trips Bar and Grill, and the bill for 2 meals was $70.
Honolulu can be an expensive place.
7. The Lobby Can Get CROWDED
My wife and I checked in around 9 PM, and we were pleased to find the lobby empty.
However, throughout our 3-day stay, I walked by the main lobby ~7 more times. Every time, this lobby was jam-packed with people. There is an expedited check-in line for Hilton Gold & Diamond members, and even that line looked like it would be a 30+ minute wait to check-in.
I’m not sure if the property is understaffed, or if Revenge Travel is sending people to the hotel in droves, but regardless, you will most likely be greeted with a massive wait upon check-in.
8. Beware of the Extra Fees
As with most resorts in Hawaii, there are extra costs to be aware of in the form of parking fees and resort fees
The Hilton Hawaiian Village provides a six-level parking garage, conveniently accessible from all towers at the resort. Self-parking and valet parking are both available.
Parking Fees:
- Daily Self-Parking Charge for registered hotel guests: $57/night, motorcycle/moped: $10/night
- Daily Valet Parking Charge for registered hotel guests: $67/night
- Daily Valet Parking Charge for oversize vehicles: $95/night
- Validated Self-Parking Charge: $10.00 (For event functions only. Not valid for overnight function parking.)
- Validated Valet Parking Charge: $15.00 (For event functions only. Not valid for overnight function parking.)
A Daily Resort Charge of $35 (plus tax) is assessed per room, per night. This is waived if you are staying on points.
Included in our Daily Resort Charge:
- Unlimited Blu-Ray DVD Movies (available for rental at the DVD Now Machines)
- Complimentary WiFI
- Local toll-free Calls
- Daily rental of one of the following: beach chair, soft-top surfboard, or boogie board
- Daily activity (including yoga, lei-making, culinary demos. See Guest Activities Calendar for Schedule)
- Shopping Passport (see front desk for your passport to exclusive savings and discounts at International Marketplace and Ala Moana Shopping Centre)
9. Rooms are slightly dated
The rooms are slightly dated compared to modern hotel rooms, but the room we stayed in (one bedroom suite in the Diamond Head Tower) was perfectly equipped for our needs. There was a mini fridge and a DVD player to play rented DVDs (which can be purchased on-site).
One common thing you see in hotel rooms is a USB port, but unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found in this one-bedroom suite.
We spent most of our time sitting either on the balcony or out in Waikiki, so all we were looking for was a clean room with a nice view. The room more than satisfied our needs.
10. Wikiki is Crowded
If you think of Hawaii as this peaceful, tranquil place, you’re not really thinking of Waikiki. Waikiki is an extremely popular destination for tourists, and the Hilton Hawaiian Village of Waikiki reflects that. Nearly 2,000 rooms means there are a lot of people, everywhere. If you choose to go to the beach, it will be crowded. If you walk the strip at night, it will be crowded.
It’s not New York City, but if you want peace and tranquillity, look at some of the other islands.
Overall
If you’re going to Waikiki, and are looking for a more “resort” type vibe, the Hilton Hawaiian Village can be a great option for you. This hotel can be especially helpful if you have kids, as there are a ton of amenities on the property that are kid-friendly.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of people at this resort, so if you’re looking for a hotel with more privacy, it may be in your best interest to look elsewhere:
Note: This hotel is regularly discounted on hiltongrandvacation.com. If you don’t mind a very aggressive sales pitch, that could be an option for you to consider. Don’t buy a timeshare though 🙂
5 Reasons to Stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
- Beautiful Property
- Great for Kids
- Close to the Honolulu airport
- Plenty of stuff to do on the resort
- Walking distance to Waikiki
5 Reasons to Avoid the Hilton Hawaiian Village
- Doesn’t have the peace and tranquility associated with Hawaii
- Parking is pricey
- Not the best perks for diamond members
- Rooms are slightly dated
- Expensive food options
How to Get to the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Points
Option #1: Fly with Air Canada
Cards You’ll Need
Option #2: Fly with WestJet
Cards You’ll Need
- RBC WestJet World Elite Mastercard
- RBC Avion Visa Infinite
Hotel Points
- American Express Hilton Aspire Card (US)
- American Express Hilton Surpass Card (US)
Things to do on Oahu
There are several amazing things to do on the island of Oahu including:
- Hiking Diamond Head
- Seeing Pearl Harbour
- Golfing
- Visiting the Waikiki strip
- Go to Turtle Beach
Other Hilton Reviews
Hilton Garden Inn St. Pete’s Beach
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