Hilton Grand Vacations at Hilton Hawaiian Village

We have stayed all over the islands, and after paying $$$$ for hotels, we bought at the this HGVC. Hilton has a program unlike others. Booking for this property or other HGVC is much easier to do because it is online. Changing reservations on line greater than 30 days is free; and the program offers a cheap way of booking rooms if you are traveling in less than 30 days. When using your annual points, you are not tied to the unit and 7 nights. You can also bank your points and borrow against points of the following year for longer stay/second unit.

In my opinion this location is perfect for families. The beach is wide and the waves are calm. The surf is good for beginners. The property is only 20 minutes from Kailua where the windsurfing is awesome. The hotel site is set aside from the noise of "Waikiki". Even though the property shops and restaurants are expensive, there are numerous inexpensive restaurants within walking distance. ABC stores are always around the corner, and the Foodland at Ala Moana or Wal-mart close by is perfect for those who don't mind cooking in the 1- 2-BR condos. Many local restaurants offer early bird specials if you are seated by 6pm. Since we are from California, eating at 5-6pm works for us. Compare to prices in LA, most of the restaurants are inexpensive; some are even cheaper due to the early bird specials. The entertainment book offers many buy-one, get-one free deals at many of the finer as well as casual restaurants -even some on the Hilton property.

As for the staff, we have observed that the "UGLY AMERICAN" attitude does not go over well with the locals (including staff). We have always had great responses with early check-ins, and late check-outs because we were friendly and courteous to the staff. The courtesy room allows for 10 minutes per person, but it is tiny compare to the suites, and one should call about 24 hours in advance to secure your desired time of use. Finally, I think tipping the housekeepers helps. On one occasion, the housekeeper allowed us to use the unit to have lunch and shower while she cleaned. I think we left at about 1pm. Waikiki is definitely not for people who are "trying to get away from it all." It is however much cheaper to stay here than in Maui, Hawaii, Kauai, Manhattan, Cancun, Cabo (the most expensive city in my opinion) and especially Europe with the Euro trading at about 1 Euro for $1.54 this week.

Enjoy your stay and aloha.

We love the location of this property! Easy access to the beach, downtown Waikiki or a quick drive to the North Shore. Great for families with so many amenities on site.