We recently stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Village (as well as Kings' Land by Hilton Grand Vacations) and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed our visit. I usually don't like high rise, massive resorts, but the Hilton Waikoloa proved to
more +be the perfect place for our 5 yr. old son.
The Highlights:
The Pools are fabulous. Multiple water slides, grottos, waterfalls, our son did not want to leave the pool to do anything else. The Kona Pool was the best - the steps up the water slide entry were safe, the pool at the end was small enough for him to swim around, and there was plenty of seating for parents. The waiters came around every 15 minutes for drink/food orders, and the view of the waterfalls and beautiful gardens made it enjoyable for those parents stuck there for hours. The Kohala Pool, at the base of the Ocean Tower, was nice as well, but we found that the "river" portion of the pool was deep, with few areas to enter and exit, and the steps up to the water slide here were very steep and slippery. We had a moment of panic when our son almost fell backwards, and quickly returned to the Kona Pool.
Dolphins: At the center of this resort, there is a large salt water lagoon that houses the "Dolphin Quest" dolphin experience. You can pay a hefty fee to swim with the dolphins, or you can watch them for free, from either the side of the lagoon, the bridge that crosses over it, or even right from your room. When we checked in we requested a room that faced the dolphin area, and we were placed directly above them on the ground floor. Each morning when we woke up, we ate breakfast on our lanai and watched the dolphins playing in the water - it was like having our own private show. Each room comes with a stuffed dolphin on the bed - be prepared to purchase it! Our son pounced on it when we entered the room, and carried it around with him for 5 days.
Nature: This resort had so many learning opportunities for a young child that it was fantastic. Just getting around the resort, we usually took the free boat ride, which was great. But even better was the water the boat was in - they pump sea water up into the resort, and the area the boat rides through is filled with fish. There are also birds that live on the little islands, Parrots in the lobby, and basically something for kids to look at everywhere. Also, if you go towards the ocean just past the Kona pool, there is a walkway down to the tide pools that is made of crushed coral and lava. Walk a bit, and you can explore the tidepools for hours. We also rented a kayak for 1/2 hour, and explored the lagoon, which was great. We also used this "beach" instead of going to the beaches outside the resort, because we knew our son could play in the sand and run around without worrying about sea urchins or sharp coral.
Food: Dining at the Hilton Waikoloa can be very pricey. What we discovered was that near the dolphin lagoon, there is a "cereal" bar that serves a ton of cereals, plus "malasadas" little breakfast sandwiches, that are very affordable. At lunch time, they offer great sandwiches and you can view the water sports are in the lagoon. There is also a coffee bar in the lagoon tower that makes great kids smoothies and good coffees. At the same location by the dolphin lagoon, they have a dinner special or italian buffet every night, which is also much more affordable than the regular restaurants. For a nice dinner out, go to the Kings' Shops up the street, and have dinner at Roy's. They treat kids like gold, Quesadillas appear as soon as you sit down, with crayons and coloring books, and they will cater their kids menu to match what your kids will actually eat.
The Rooms: This was really the only downsides to this resort for us. Most rooms here come with a pull out couch, which is good and worked fine for us. We like the location over the dolphin lagoon, but the room was very musty and just worn looking. It is time for this resort to put some money into updating their rooms! We were really happy that for half of our trip, we had upgraded to a 2 bedroom condo unit at the Kings' Land timeshares - it was well worth the additional money to have the space (we also saved a ton of money by making our own breakfast and snacks each day there).
We plan on going back every year!
Date of Stay: 10/21/2009
Children in Party: 1
Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Pool & Water Fun Staff
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Hilton Waikoloa Village
