Stayed here last week (as well as in Kona and Hilo on the big Island) , and thanks for all the advice on this forum prior to arriving. Our expectations were pretty low. First time Hawaii visitors, with lots of experience in Asia and Oceania in many Hilton properties.

The Good, bad, and the ugly:

Ugly was not the hotel's fault at all. We arrived the night of December 6th to a torrential rainstorm - so a bit difficult to navigate getting to the hotel and once there to find the the Ali'i tower. (GPS takes you to the back road of the tower, but there is no way to get to a door from the street) but..

Good: booked a resort view room and upgraded to ocean view as diamond. We didn't ask for a corner room so dont know if that would have been available. Even in the pouring rain, we had two housekeeping requests that were completed in less than 5 minutes. The tropics bar and grill tried their best to get people in and out on this rainy night without reservations and with long lines, and service was really good. We had no reservation and were in the restaurant in less than 15 minutes at 7:30 at night. All of the staff at front desks, restaurants and around the resort were very service (friendly, attentive, and efficient) oriented, and cheerful. Bathroom design was good with separate toilet area , and large closet (especially compared to later stay at Waikoloa where rooms were awful). I know others have a lot of complaints about the parking fee, but I think it exists in every city hotel - paid more for overnight parking in Nashville a month ago, so not really a complaint there. The beach was nicer than I had expected and perfect for a sunrise morning walk.

Bad: room decor is definitely dated and tired. Food and beverage credit did not cover even a continental breakfast. The hotel doesnt make it clear that restaurants in the rainbow village cant be charged to your room and are separate entities. Would have liked those costs to be on the folio for points.

Would I stay here again? We were in Honolulu more for the cultural sights than the pool and beach, and did Iolani palace, bishop museum and a full day at pearl harbor; - We prefered the wide open spaces of the big island to the city, but hotel was not a bad value overall. We paid here, and used points for big island where prices were much higher and we thought points a better value there.