Hilton Waikoloa Village in Waikoloa Village, HI

There are better options than this outdated resort. We stayed at Ocean Tower. Negatives Long tram ride to parking lot, cannot park anywhere near property Hotel is charging $48 per night for the privilege of self parking a half hour from your car. Very few food options on site, necessitating the long trek to the car. Insufficient electrical plugs for modern travel. Old, outdated property not well maintained. Mattress in our room past it’s useful life, caused back pain. Tram a/c drips condensation onto tram seats. Long line for two coffee shops if you want coffee before 10 am. Housekeeping only once every five days.

We stayed here on points over New Year’s Eve and are Diamond members. It’s a beautiful resort, but I'm not sure I would stay again for one main reason: poor overall management. This includes lack of staff training and the decision to charge exorbitant prices for basic amenities that should be included in the stay. It seems management has decided to take as much money from guests as possible while delivering little value. The pricing on items is astronomical, even for Hawai’i. As other reviewers have said, you’re better off going to local restaurants for better prices and food. I believe a resort should be inclusive of the things you need; I shouldn’t have to leave the property for breakfast because of exorbitant pricing. If I wanted to do that, I would’ve just stayed somewhere else. The Issues: The Room: We were in the Palace Tower in a connecting room and could hear EVERYTHING the people next to us did and said. My profile says "no connecting rooms," but they didn't care about honoring that. While I understand the resort was fully booked, it was a major disruption. Staff Communication: Before arriving, the Hilton app chat person told me to call the concierge to book a luau. It took three tries to get a human to answer (it just rang and rang with no voicemail). When I finally got someone, they were overtly rude and told me I had to book online. Why is basic info so hard to relay? Dining: The breakfast buffet was $55/pp for cold (once hot) food, dirty plates, dirty chairs, and dirty floors. It is the only breakfast option on-site, and even for Hawai’i, these prices are astronomical. We went to A Bay's and spent half that and it was significantly better quality. I'm fairly certain this resort gets all their food from Sysco, which is unfortunate since there is local food to be bought. Nickel and Diming: Even as a guest, I had to pay $15/hour for a snorkel and mask. Most decent resorts offer this gratis. They also charge a $5/pp shuttle fee to the shops less than a mile away. Why not included? Greed. Fitness Center: Super small for a resort of this size. If there are more than 5 people, there’s no room to work out, and it’s poorly temperature controlled. There is apparently a separate fitness center that is only accessible to spa guests. It's not any bigger, but better layout and more room. The 6:30 AM Wake-up: We were woken up by a staff member banging like ICE on the door to deliver a coffee maker we didn’t ask for. The staff member swore we ordered it and didn’t believe me when I said we’d been asleep. Turns out they just had the wrong room number. Simple mistake, but rough pill to swallow when you're woken up from a deep sleep. Diamond Benefit Issues: We had a 1 PM late checkout and were told we could use the spa locker room to shower before our flight. We were not told this was a diamond member benefit. And apparently the spa desk clerk didn't know that either. So we were upset when we were told we had to pay $25/pp. We did not pay that. Service Recovery: We brought these three communication issues to the front desk, and they did provide two drink and two meal vouchers for the Tap Room. While appreciated, it didn't change the overall feel of the stay. The Highlights: Floating Cabana: At $300 for the day, this was totally worth it and included a paddleboard or kayak. The staff there, Trey and Maui, were awesome. The Lagoon: It is amazing and a great natural habitat where you can swim with tropical fish, sea turtles, and more. Dolphin Quest: I could spend all day watching the dolphins. Grounds: Beautiful grounds and artwork; probably my favorite part of the resort. Travel Tips: Take a late-night walk (after 11 PM) when it’s quiet and peaceful to watch the waves or dolphins. Go to the local market and buy what you need for your stay. The room fridge is small but decent, and there are microwaves on some floors. We walked there (took about 15 minutes) because its not worth paying $20 to ride a cramped shuttle.

This hotel is massive and was once a star. Now it’s old and dirty. Price is cheaper than newer places. Probably good for a family but not a top notch resort. The gym is shameful—old and hot.

Very disappointing stay and would not recommend this property. I was given incorrect information on three separate occasions about my accommodation, which directly influenced my decision to book. The room was substandard and did not resemble the photographs used to advertise. I would caution anyone about paying extra to 'upgrade' to the Makai building. I would specifically avoid the Lanai rooms in the Makai building, as these rooms are permanently shaded, the floor and room smell damp, and the overall condition of the room and its furnishings are in serious need of refurbishment. Hallways and common areas were also dirty and visibly in need of maintenance and fresh paint. Value for money is poor. Overall, this property lacks transparency and fails to meet basic standards advertised on the website. Based on this experience, I would not recommend this property to anyone (there are way better in the area) and am seriously reconsidering staying at any Hilton property in the future.

We (family of four with kids ages 10 and 13) are staying at this resort currently. We decided to return after a great experience at this resort in 2023. What a difference two years makes. This property is very run down compared to two years ago. This time, we were met with stagnant ponds of water, moldy HVAC vents, a leaky shower and stale smelling bath and bed linens. We asked for daily housekeeping at check in, but rooms were not cleaned until after 3 pm and sometimes only after we asked for it. We saw staff sleeping on the job or sitting and scrolling on phones while out for early morning workouts. The lagoon is still very nice but you don’t have to stay here to use that. Overall very disappointing and we would definitely not return or recommend it to anyone else.