Hilton Waikoloa Village

We are still currently staying in the ocean tower and are on day 4 of no hot water. We have spoke with the front desk every single day we have been here and have been given a number of excuses. System needs to be purged…. We will have someone from maintenance fix it today and still have cold water. We can’t shower, which is frustrating. Well, we can shower just in freezing water. The best part about this stay, is when I can check out tomorrow. We hate this place and the lack of help or even care about our issue. We are currently looking to get a condo somewhere else for our last night so we can at least take our first hot shower in a week. This place sucks and so does the staff.

What a beautiful resort! If I had been there for a vacation, I would have LOVED it! However, I was there for a 3-day ballroom competition held in the King's ballroom, and it was very difficult getting back and forth between my room and the ballroom for our meals and for dancing. I'd love to come back for a leisurely vacation, but not for a ballroom competition.

I have mixed feelings about this resort. On one hand the resort is so large and palace-like. There’s dolphins, right on the cliff edge, huge pools and a saltwater lagoon you could snorkel in. It requires a 10 minute tram ride to get from the entrance to the farthest tower. It literally feels like walking through some king’s summer palace. On the other hand, rooms are dated with small bathrooms. Glass had weird hazy film over it. Food all quite expensive with few other options available in the area. It was a good experience but probably wouldn’t book again.

- they get low stars on the room category because of one our beds it looked like the sheets didn’t get changed before we checked in. We called the front desk and they were quick to get it resolved for us. The new bed set they brought was nice and warm even.

+ besides the above this resort was very nice to stay at! Any and everything you need in there. Coffee, shopping, many pools, walking paths, views of the ocean etc. They even have transportation to get around the resort (listed in my photo). It is even wheelchair friendly.

+ their breakfast buffet is delicious! But be aware it is costly. It was about $50 a person. They provided so many food options so we felt it was worth it.

I would stay here again!

We didn't stay here but we stopped in to enjoy all that they had to offer. There is a dolphin encounter where you can swim with the Dolphins. They also have a lagoon where you can swim, paddleboat, paddleboard, snorkle, see turtles and just lay in the sun. There are great views overlooking the ocean. The cafe near the lagoon served really good food and drinks and the pricing was reasonable.

Only stayed one night, to attend the luau. Very nice hotel with lots to do. I made a lei and a kukui nut bracelet in the time we were there.

They do not value Diamond members (won’t give you an upgrade, but try to sell you one)! Do not stay here! All this hotel is concerned about is making money and want to nickel-and-dime you for everything. The rooms are extremely far away from the parking and they don’t even let you use the luggage carts. They want you to pay for a bellman (another way to make money)! Super disappointed! Also, all of the pools are cold, especially for children. All of the food options are extremely overpriced and mediocre. Self parking is $48 a day and not close to the hotel. The resort is very spread out so they have a tram you can take, but it is slow and comes like every 17 minutes (if you’re lucky). Hotel is very outdated as well. I have stayed at a lot of Hiltons, but can say I was definitely treated the worst at this location. They flat out lie to you and say they are fully booked, so they can try and sell you an upgrade but still have plenty of availability for purchase online.

This is one stop resort, they have everything. Restaurants, shopping, grocery stores, pools and beach access. They every a dolphin pool. Trams and a boats ride too.

I spent 3 nights in Makai Tower and one night in the adjacent Ocean Tower. The rooms are nearly identical and share amenities, with the Makai room being a bit nicer. The compound is on a beautiful location and we had great service everywhere we went. Except for the ocean tower check in, that person seemed like she didn't know how to use the computer. The rooms are a bit run down, in need of a refresh. The beds were quite uncomfortable. Room temp runs warm as the AC struggled on hot days. The lagoon and beach area are fantastic, lots of fun things to do and decent snorkeling. The restaurants are all decent to great. Everything closed pretty early though, they definitely don't encourage partying later into the night. Be prepared to do lots of walking, this place is huge. There's a tram if you need it, it's just very slow. The dolphins are a blast to watch. They seem happy, though I'd love to see a bigger pool for them

Great place to relax. So much to do such beautiful scenery. My only complaint is how crazy the prices are.

Such nice staff. Mr. Sheldon operating the boat was very kind to my 3 yo nephew. Taught him how to do aloha sign and let him sit on his chair. Thank you so much!

Overpriced outdated hotel. Felt like we checked into Disney land 25 years ago. Everything is aged and out of date. 45$ for 2 coffees and a pastry for breakfast. $100 for a steak, that was overcooked and bland. The Italian resultant you pay 52$ for a 12 inch pizza that was mediocre at best. The rooms look like they were updated in 1982. We struggled to get the room cleaned even after making several requests each day.

Will definitely NOT visit this resort again

Pros:
1. Beautiful environment with picturesque scenery. The pool is enjoyable, and the hotel offers numerous free activities like paddleboard yoga, crafts, dolphin shows, and more. The beach is also stunning.

2. Sightseeing options include a small train and boat rides.

Cons:
1. Hilton's design lacks cultural sensitivity. The hotel features iconic cultural statues worldwide, including many Buddha statues, seemingly attempting a global-friendly vibe. However, the haphazard placement of these statues disrespects both the statues and Asian culture. Mixing art from various countries without understanding their cultural significance feels ostentatious and fails to show genuine respect or curiosity about other cultures.

2. Numerous cockroaches in the hotel rooms, and the hotel provided no response when reported.

3. The carpets in the hotel rooms are extremely dirty, giving the impression they have never been cleaned. The once-white carpets now appear black.

4. Food prices within the hotel are excessively high. Recommend buying necessities from Walmart, Target, or other supermarkets before entering to save on expenses.

Just attended a conference at this location. The front desk people and staff across the resort are very pleasant. Annie at the front desk needs a special shout out as she was lovely and was nice enough to waive my resort and parking fees due to some issues I had with rooms. I had to change my room twice, because the first room was too close to the elevator, which had a bell that rang- late at night and early in the morning- every time someone opened the elevator door. My second room was really disgusting as it was overrun with an infestation of baby cockroaches. I heard that several people had this issue over the time I was there, but when I spoke to the manager and staff, they seem shocked to hear this, like it was the first time they ever heard it. In both cases, I had to wait at least one day to get a room change, which means trying to sleep under these conditions, which was impossible. The third room was fine but by then, I was exhausted. The resort is beautiful but the food is absolutely out of price for the average person. Other than breakfast, we did not eat any other meals or go to any of the bars, etc.so I cannot speak to the quality of those. However, the breakfast buffet was disgusting in my view. I did not pick this place, but was forced to stay here because my conference in which I was presenting, decided to choose this location. Hotels in the near vicinity are just as pricey. This hotel is very remote and so I strongly suggest that you listen to the reviews and get a rental car because that's the only way you'll get reasonably priced food and get out and enjoy other venues and locations. Like everyone else when you arrive at Kona or Hilo, make sure you go to Costco or the Walmart to get additional food to get your family through because breakfast alone is $50 or more for one individual. The fridge though small was able to handle enough perishable items for two of us. The beds are comfortable. The view is beautiful and the sunrises/sets are pretty. The pool water was very cold, but the one hot tub we tried was nice. Be very careful with your outside footing as my daughter, while walking normally down a flight of outdoor steps, slipped, fell to the bottom and hurt herself. Once the water from the various pools hit the flag stones, they get very greasy. She was lucky she didn't hit her head. And everyone is correct, you have to walk very far distance to get anywhere, including from the parking areas. Macai is the closest to the lobby and conference area, and is more central. It was true that the lagoon had a variety of sea creatures so the snorkelling was pretty good as mentioned by the reviews but the visibility is not great because you have so many other people kicking up sand, etc. It's very hard to get a lounger or chair as well cause like other resorts, people put their towels on them for the whole day and if you're not out early, you don't get one. You can pay a lot extra to get private spaces though if you have the money. I felt so sorry for all of the Dolphins enclosed in these tiny little spaces. I think that keeping dolphins in private resort enclosures for human entertainment is obscene, disgusting, and so, on that general principle alone, I would strongly suggest you avoid supporting this resort, and I would advise everyone to put a lot of pressure on the Hilton chain to stop this gross and unnecessary practice.

It's a long walk everywhere. Rooms were "ok" but not a good value anywhere on the property.

I stayed at the Waikoloa Village as a child and was excited to return as an adult on my honeymoon. Let's cover the good first: The location is amazing, this part of the island doesn't get rain as frequently due to the wind pushing it away. The resort really feels like a resort not a hotel, with expansive well cared for grounds, multiple pools, modes of transportation within the resort (boat & tram), restaurants and the lagoon. The rooms were nice enough (we stayed in the Makai building, it was a standard room nothing amazing, it was nice to see that the bathroom had been somewhat recently updated with a nice walk-in shower & double sink vanity. The view we had was absolutely amazing looking out to the ocean, close to the pool & could see the dolphins. The art at this property is stunning. The service is top notch, everyone from valet, front desk, servers & housekeeping were so kind. We were greeted with flower leis and then another set of leis in our room which was a nice touch. Swimming in the lagoon was perfect for my husband and I because we have a fear of the open ocean and this allowed us to get that ocean feel without the anxiety. Now the negatives: Back in the day there was definitely more restaurant variety. There isn't much restaurant variety. The Italian restaurant is so so over priced (I know Hawaii has higher prices) but $38 for chicken parmesan is a bit extreme. At a resort like this more restaurants would be appreciated so we didn't have to leave so frequently (not that we minded much) they have some open spaces for restaurants so hopefully they can fill them. Also the pool isn't heated and I know that might not seem like a big deal but in January it is nice enough to lay out (80 degrees F) but the pool was so cold! We checked and it was 68, felt like a cold plunge. Luckily the lagoon was warmer. Lastly, the cost for parking is so high $48 for self (which is a hike) and $55 for valet. I wish it was just included in the up front price or an option to pre-pay for it. Rather than a hefty bill for parking at the end. It was worth it to just valet so we didn't have to drive around looking for a spot. Overall though this was such a special trip for us.and we look forward to one day bringing our daughter back when she is a bit older. Hopefully by then they have been able to get some more restaurants.

Unbelievable location, literally the world's best pool with a lagoon, sand beach, snorkeling, fish, turtles, rays. Just an amazing location with ocean view.

Run down, service acts entitled or is non-existent. Our bed is indented due to too much use, sheets are cheap / thin. To top it off, self parking is $48 per night! The place is sad, compared to Pre-covid. Look at pool: no umbrellas. I asked and was told they get stolen, so they don't have them anymore.

We booked through Great value vacations who failed to offer vehicle rental, which is actually really important and necessary on the big island. However you will pay premium to park it at the Hilton. Which unfortunately was sort of the beginning of the nickel and
dimming.
The agency also failed to provide transfers or to disclose that they were not providing transfers. Their website incorrectly indicated that there was an airport shuttle from Hilton, there is not.

They sold me an upgrade to an ocean view room, which lacked a king bed, and more importantly was partially blocked view… meanwhile you couldn’t use the deck anyway because there was construction in the building next-door all week.

We were in the Palace tower at the Hilton, and there was almost no maintenance being performed, doors barely fitting in frames, damaged walls. The list goes on, and on, we are also sporting some nice bug bites from the room. You had to call a day in advance, get the room clean. Which was done so poorly we had to have it redone three times and finally my wife simply did it.
For a Suppose four or five star hotel, there were almost 0 amenities. So, bad in fact, that even the toilet paper was single ply. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed at a hotel that’s supposed to be so nice. It was so absolutely cheap in every possible way.

The Hilton had almost no guest activities, and almost no excursions. They have tour booth set up every 10 feet practically, but they’re only purposes is to sell you the luau or the sunset cruise… but that’s not really their purpose at al, l their actual purposes is to sell you the Hilton points, timeshare scheme, and try and lock you into a two hour tour for that. They will Give away the luau or the sunset boat to get you locked into that tour, heck they are so incentivized to push that it’s your only chance to not get screwed over on the cost of stuff.
The 62 acres are basically a giant scam. Everything is marked up 300%. Even at villages millionth road. You won’t find a single meal for less than about 30 bucks. A croissant at the coffee shop was $18. This wasn’t just Hawaii being expensive. This was Hilton, knowing that they have a locked in captive audience and charging them whatever they want.
There’s really no centralized services. Everything is 10 minutes from everything else. My wife is handicapped. This became a real burden. There is a tram there are elevators, but getting to them and getting around the facility is tough if you have any kind of mobility challenge and there’s a lot of areas that are simply out of reach.

If you stay on site, you will be held hostage for nickel and dime fees for a local shuttle, five dollars per person each way to even leave the Hilton property. Uber/lfte, are are few and inexpensive.

The entire place is man-made, and has pretty much nothing to do with actual Hawaii. It is pretty, and there is some some fun to be had. But I think it’s pretty tough to argue. It’s a good value proposition.
One fun on site activity is the dolphin encounter but that’s $289 per adult and you’re then stuffed in a group of six for a 30 minute interaction. The folks at the center were great, but this is just a mind-boggling boondoggle for what it is.
Sadly, we had some bad weather, and couldn’t go on the Manta dive/snorkel, which we heard was fantastic, but again was not coordinated through the Hilton at all.
I would categorize this whole thing as a weird, almost post apocalyptic cityscape held to a dystopian capitalism ideal, go stay, near Kona, and find some real Hawaii, not this monstrosity.

We made the best of it, but we’re never doing it like this again ever I can’t honestly recommend between the poor amenities poor service (there’s some individual people were, of course wonderful) extreme price, gouging and complete lack of actual things to go do. If you just want to sit around a pool and buy $12-$18 drinks, maybe it’s for you.