kevdog77

I spent last week at the HWV on my honeymoon. I'm a diamond, and I booked the trip using points.

We checked in and self-parked. Had the bellman take our bags to the room while I checked in. I was given an ocean view room in the Ocean Tower with executive lounge access, two water coupons out of the minibar, and was told that we'd have free access to the workout facilities at the Kohlala Spa, by showing my membership card at the desk.

Got to the room, everything looked good, the view was pretty nice. I called the desk and asked if they could send up a dorm fridge. They agreed, and we went out to explore the hotel. The place is huge, so plan on walking a LOT. From our room to the front desk is a 10 minute walk. The tram is only marginally faster. I don't mind walking, and I think almost all of us could use more exercise. When we got back to the room, the fridge was there, along with a fresh fruit plate and a welcome letter from the hotel.

We planned on a lot of activities and day trips, so we went grocery shopping to stock the fridge with lunch and snack foods. The KTA in Waimea is about 15-20 minutes away, and they had everything we needed, including beer. NOTE---You will look out of place taking groceries/cases of beer into this hotel. If you choose to go this route, bring an empty bag to put the goods in.

The executive lounge was well stocked for breakfast and cocktail hours. Breakfast had fresh fruit, bagels, cereal, croissants, muffins, pastries, and yogurt. Cocktail hour had beer and wine for sale, veggie trays, hot snacks, and pop. I was never there for lunch. We never had a problem finding a seat, inside or out.

The parking lot filled up early in the evening, and there were several times that I had to valet park. I politely told the front desk that the lot was full, and they comped my valet charges every time.

The only disappointment I had was with the restaurants. I found the food to be average at best, and ridiculously overpriced. If you want to eat locally, go to the Kings Shops, and eat at any of the restaurants there. Roy's, the steak house, and the chinese restaurant there are all pretty good. The best meal we had was at Huggo's in downtown Kona. Definitely make a reservation, and ask for a table by the ocean.

This is unrelated to the Hilton, but the only other problem we had was with the local trash that hangs out in downtown Kona around Ali'i Drive. It seemed like we couldn't walk a block without dealing with locals leering at and making comments to my new wife or hitting us up for money. The junk in the Kona shops isn't worth the hassle; you can buy most of it at the airport gift shops. I'd shop somewhere else.

On check-out, we were never charged for valet parking, the fridge, or the in-room safe (the instructions state that there is a daily fee, but it doesn't say what it is.). We were very happy with our experience, and wouldn't hesitate to come back.

There is a lot to do at the hotel. So much so, that you could spend a week there, never leave the hotel, and have a good time. Don't do this. The island is huge, and there's a lot to see and do and learn. Get out and do things on the island, then come back when you're tired and enjoy the hotel. You'll have a great time.