Hilton HHonors - Hilton Diamond Member - Grand Wailea or Waikoloa Village

I have read this site for many trips and finally signed up (this is my first post)...thanks!

As a Hilton Honors Diamond Member, I am planning a surprise trip for my wife who is turning 30 in August. We are very active and love to explore.

I can either stay at the Grand Wailea for 3 nights (Ocean View King) for 217k points or The Waikoloa Village for 4 nights (King Lanai Deluxe Ocean View) for 172k points.

We do not have kids, we are looking for a quick romantic get-away and my wife has never been to Hawaii. So my questions are:

It looks like the GW is much better, but...
Is the GW worth the extra 45k points and one less night?
Does the GW upgrade Diamond members (like the Hilton's so awesomely do?)
Overall which place would be best for someone who has never been to Hawaii and is the GW worth it for one less night.

We are flying from Cali, so it is not that bad of a flight.

Thanks so much for any feedback you have.
Greg

Welcome to FT!

This question belongs in the Hilton Honors forum, not here. I'm sure a mod will move it over there shortly. Also, FYI, they also frown upon posting the same topic in 2 different forums, so don't be surprised if one or the other gets locked.

No big deal. Good luck with your trip!

BTW, I've only stayed at the Waikaloa, but I would not describe it as romantic. All of Hawaii is beautiful, but the Waikaloa is certainly extremely family-oriented. With the train rides and boat rides and waterslides, it's more like Disneyland than the romantic Hawaiian feel it seems like you're looking for.

my first response would be - do both.

Both are great properties although you may want to get the Napua rooms on Grand Wailea if you want the perks - free breakfast, cocktails etc.

sorry...I will move it to Hilton Honors, thanks!
How do I shut this one down?

I would vote for GW. Overall I would say it is more romantic and I personally prefer Maui to Kona. Much easier to get around etc.... Stay longer and make a trip out of it, 3 days at GW and then check out another hotel on the other side of the island, Kanapali is nice:)

Well you are choosing between Big Island or Maui, so this is a great first start either is good for a Romantic Trip

BUT Having stayed at Waikoloa twice I would agree it is a little more Family Orientated, you could do romantic, but I would stay at the Ocean Tower - which is furthest from the Reception and a bit of a Haul, early morning it is GREAT to stroll around, but as the day goes on and Families Wake up, it gets busier, and I will say the Child meltdowns tend to be Stronger.

Guess I am saying for for GW :-)

Does the GW upgrade Diamond members (like the Hilton's so awesomely do?)


We stayed there in Sept 2011 on free night certs and the diamond upgrade was from terrace to ocean view. Same sized room, but slightly newer and the opposite side of the building. It's an awesome hotel with a nice beach and a huge pool.

As far as diamond perks, we got a cert ($40 I think?) for Humu restaurant which was really good, 2 free cocktails at Humu, and spa discount. Be careful with the spa one if you book a couples package- they try to apply the discount just to one of you!

We had a great time at the GW, but it got expensive- we had come from the ES Waikiki Beachwalk for 6 nights on points and our 3 "free" nights at GW ended up costing more than the ES.

The GW is spectacular, although there is no lounge, no suite upgrade, no breakfast...

The HWV is as others have described, but you mentioned you are active. The Big Island is awesome for things to do, Maui is laid back.

Hard to go wrong either way, I'll go back to both.

GW is much more romantic!

Your vacation should be about a lot more than the hotel. Pick the island you want to be on and go from there.

Your vacation should be about a lot more than the hotel. Pick the island you want to be on and go from there.

+1

If you plan to do much more than veg on the beach, then Maui / GW is a MUCH better option.

We like to scuba dive, prefer Kona over Maui, but avoid Waikoloa as it is out of the way, min 30 minute drive to most anything.

There is also not much of a beach in Waikoloa, the attendants at the adult pool tend to do a good job keeping kids away.

We had a great time at the GW, but it got expensive- we had come from the ES Waikiki Beachwalk for 6 nights on points and our 3 "free" nights at GW ended up costing more than the ES.

This is why we don't redeem points on Maui; instead, we rent condos in South Maui, in the general vicinity of GW (Makena, Kihei). Starting at ~$100 per night, nice 1 br/1ba units on / near the beach can be had on vrbo.
Same goes for the Big Island - lots of decent rental condos in the Kona area, walking distance to restaurants, shopping, clubs, activities.

I have done both multiple times. I agree with the posters who have stated the differences in the islands and some of your decision depending on what you want to do at the property and on the island itself.
If you want to compare simply the two properties, this is a landslide win for the Grand Wailea in my opinion. The property is simply magnificent. Very luxurious, the spa is amazing. The beach is close, the pool/waterpark is very fun and there is also an adult only pool area. You can have a private dinner and menu prepared for you on the beach. There is a beautiful chapel if you wanted to renew vows etc.
Waikoloa Village has been remodeled and the rooms are nicer than before. It is VERY, VERY spread out, expect to walk some distance for the pools, especially the main pool and to get out of the hotel to go anywhere.

If you get to a tiebreaker situation, remember, Maui has Momma's Fish House, which is one of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at.

I can either stay at the Grand Wailea for 3 nights (Ocean View King) for 217k points

Really curious how you're getting an Ocean View for 217k for three nights. That's less than a standard night at GW, which is 80k. If this is a premium award, that suggests the cash cost for the room is very very low -- about $230 a night. That's really low for an ocean view at GW. If that's the cost, I'd give serious thought to adding a fourth night for cash. Three nights is very short hop, even from the west coast, particularly when you take into account the drive to and from the airport, which is on the other side of the island. The difference between 3 and 4 nights is pretty significant IMHO, and if the rooms are that inexpensive, I would give it some thought.

If it's not a premium award, I'm curious how you're seeing a 217k rate on an ocean view. That's really strange. Reductions for elites at these premium properties are supposedly only supposed to start at 4-night stays.

Is it possible that you're looking at a $700 room and so the 217,000 points you're seeing is per night?

I just went to Waikoloa last month, and Wailea the year before. I've just re-booked Wailea for next year if that says anything.

Both were fun, and there were a lot more room options (with points) at Waikoloa at a decent rate. However, when I think back to the vacation, three things strike me: 1) the room was great (1 br suite with living room in Ocean Tower) 2) the pool was cold - so cold that the kids were reluctant to get in it by the end of the trip 3) no beach - but the lagoon was nice.

Reading various boards before we went, the cold pool complaint had been a theme for years, so it wasn't a heater issue - other than the lack of one. The Mariott next door had a perfectly warm pool - and a beach to boot.

I had already rebooked Waikoloa when it struck me - why aren't we going back to Wailea? The only drawback was the rooms are more expensive, and the points rooms are limited to normal suites - or insanely priced ones. The pool complex is incredible, the restauarants are better quality, and (sorry for the snob factor) the clientele generally is a little more upscale. And the beach is incredible.

So we cancelled the tickets and the room, and now are headed a little further NW for next spring.

If the Wailea were not available, I'd probably be happy going back to the Waikoloa. I'll report back next spring if I made the right choice.

Also, you may see a lot of complaints about the size and spread out nature of the Waikoloa and the trams and shuttle boats being slow. If you don't mind walking the resort is a big "U" shape, and the walk from end to end, if you cut across the central paths, is not too long and very nice.

Mahalo!

Really curious how you're getting an Ocean View for 217k for three nights. That's less than a standard night at GW, which is 80k. If this is a premium award, that suggests the cash cost for the room is very very low -- about $230 a night. That's really low for an ocean view at GW. If that's the cost, I'd give serious thought to adding a fourth night for cash. Three nights is very short hop, even from the west coast, particularly when you take into account the drive to and from the airport, which is on the other side of the island. The difference between 3 and 4 nights is pretty significant IMHO, and if the rooms are that inexpensive, I would give it some thought.

If it's not a premium award, I'm curious how you're seeing a 217k rate on an ocean view. That's really strange. Reductions for elites at these premium properties are supposedly only supposed to start at 4-night stays.

Is it possible that you're looking at a $700 room and so the 217,000 points you're seeing is per night?

FWIW, I stayed at the Grand Wailea for 6 nights recently (and, on topic of this thread, hated every minute of it), and there was a premium room rate of 63k per night for garden rooms and 71k for ocean views (vs about $450 cash rate). Ime, when looking at that property, the premium rates often seem to be below the 80k peak rate for standard rooms, especially when looking at periods with lighter occupancy. Not sure what triggers the generous discount, but it certainly isn't a horrible HHonors redemption right now given the current 30% pointsback promo.

FWIW, I stayed at the Grand Wailea for 6 nights recently (and, on topic of this thread, hated every minute of it), and there was a premium room rate of 63k per night for garden rooms and 71k for ocean views (vs about $450 cash rate). Ime, when looking at that property, the premium rates often seem to be below the 80k peak rate for standard rooms, especially when looking at periods with lighter occupancy. Not sure what triggers the generous discount, but it certainly isn't a horrible HHonors redemption right now given the current 30% pointsback promo.

Thanks. Great info. I had thought premium awards were fixed at .333 cents per point.

FWIW, I stayed at the Grand Wailea for 6 nights recently (and, on topic of this thread, hated every minute of it), and there was a premium room rate of 63k per night for garden rooms and 71k for ocean views (vs about $450 cash rate). Ime, when looking at that property, the premium rates often seem to be below the 80k peak rate for standard rooms, especially when looking at periods with lighter occupancy. Not sure what triggers the generous discount, but it certainly isn't a horrible HHonors redemption right now given the current 30% pointsback promo.

May I know why you dislike W=A GW?

May I know why you dislike W=A GW?

A very severe issue that's particular to my stay. For the average traveler the resort may be fine, although I didn't like the crowding in the pool area and general Vegas-style atmosphere.

A very severe issue that's particular to my stay. For the average traveler the resort may be fine, although I didn't like the crowding in the pool area and general Vegas-style atmosphere.

Could you please be a little bit more specific? I am planning to trip to GW but based on GW's thread on this board I didn't find anything about the crowdedness of pools. Thanks!

Could you please be a little bit more specific? I am planning to trip to GW but based on GW's thread on this board I didn't find anything about the crowdedness of pools. Thanks!

I found the main pool area to be very claustrophobic. Adjacent to the pool, the loungers sit side-by-side with not even an inch in between them. Not sure how elderly guests get on them. When you happen to move at the same time as your neighbor, there's probably skin contact. It's a little better at the lawn area near the adult pool, where there's more space to spread out. There aren't too many resorts where I encountered similar problems (even places like the Royal Hawaiian or Hyatt in Waikiki aren't this bad). I'm sure there are people who love this, but I found it rather annoying.

I found the main pool area to be very claustrophobic. Adjacent to the pool, the loungers sit side-by-side with not even an inch in between them. Not sure how elderly guests get on them. When you happen to move at the same time as your neighbor, there's probably skin contact. It's a little better at the lawn area near the adult pool, where there's more space to spread out. There aren't too many resorts where I encountered similar problems (even places like the Royal Hawaiian or Hyatt in Waikiki aren't this bad). I'm sure there are people who love this, but I found it rather annoying.

Got it, thanks!