I'm thinking your co-worker is jealous because you're planning a trip to Hawaii and he isn't.



And btw, I've been to both Hilton locations you are headed to, and my 3 kids loved them. Don't miss the penguin feeding at the HHV (our favorite penguin is Icarus; they are all tagged and named); there are fireworks there over the Hilton beach on Fridays. My kids loved the North Shore beaches (huge waves, huge sea turtles) and the Dole Plantation with the worlds largest labyrinth. If your budget allows a dolphin encounter you can do it on either island (on Oahu its at the Kahala Mandarin).

The kids love, love, LOVE the HWV and you will have the advantage of the large pool area construction being completed (they were just finishing it up on our last visit in Feb so my kids were a bit disappointed). We had a great snorkel/whale watch adventure from Red Sail sports that we booked from HWV. Even if you don't partake in the dolphin encounter, your kids can easily see the dolphins at the hotel. We also love the black sand beach at Punalu'u with their green sea turtles.

You've made great choices. Don't let anyone else try and rain on your vacation. My kids (all teens now) have been there 5x and cannot wait for our next trip.

Have a great time.