larojg4

I'm staying at the Hilton Waikoloa Village in June - I've heard "don't stay here" 2x on this thread. We're NOT looking for romantic.. just a fun time - is it otherwise a good hotel/resort?

pallensf

this is my all time fave...

http://www.konavillage.com/

bocastephen

I've stayed at the HWV plenty of times - I would never say "don't stay here" (except during busy family seasons), but there are nicer places to stay, and this property recently begun a series of service cutbacks coupled with nickel and dime initiatives, which is usually the kiss of death for a business relationship with me.

If you stay in the Lagoon Tower (call ahead to request this), it's a fairly easy walk or tram ride to the main building. If you stay at either of the other towers, you're risking a long walk or ride to and from your car, so it's not a good idea if you plan on going in and out frequently. Dining at the HWV? Forget it about. Too expensive and the quality is nothing special.

There is no swim or tan beach at the hotel, but there is an artificial lagoon/beach which does flow to/from the bay and has a nice collection of fish and the odd turtle.

If you want the coastal beach experience, I'd suggest the Prince, the Fairmont Orchid or the Mana Lani - of course only the Prince is priced similar to the Hilton. If you want to budget bust, try the Four Seasons Hualalai (at least schedule one dinner there).

If you don't need a beach and want to be closer to town, my new BI base of operations is the Sheraton Keahou - often sub-200 during the slow season or with a valid corporate code, the hotel is decent, close to town, easy access to the Volcano and a decent drive to the Kamuela area via Mamaloahoa Hwy.

rockdoc

My point about HWV was not to ever not stay there, just don't stay there on your Honeymoon. If you are with kids/family and are OK with Disney-like atmosphere then go for it. It is a fine place to stay just not a place where I would want to Honeymoon.

larojg4

k, thanks for that. My parents swapped their Florida timeshare for one at HWV. It's our first time to HI so it'll be fun regardless!

dtphonehome

Thanks for the great replies, everyone. I did look into the Sheraton, but unfortunately they are booked. I would have liked to stay there as I am Starwood. As for the Hilton, it does look like fun, but I definitely want romantic on this trip. Maybe one day we'll go back with kids and stay there. So it does look like I'll be staying at the Prince as planned. I think it's the best option for me, even with the renovation going on. Maybe they'll move me to a room really far from the noise.

TelevisionTdTina

The below quote is from the Expedia website..... for the Hapuna Beach Prince

"Renovation Notice
This hotel is renovating its lobby and adjoining corridors May 1 - July 31, 2008 (completion date subject to change). During this time, the Ocean Terrace restaurant and Reef lounge will be closed, though the other on-site restaurants will remain open.

The hotel will be providing guests with a resort credit. It also assures that it will make every effort to minimize construction noise and related disturbance.

This renovation information supersedes all other information in this hotel’s description that relates to these hotel amenities."


I called Expedia, and even though my stay dates are before the offical start of renovations, they offered to change my hotel without incurring fees. All without pressure from me. I just called to find out the extend of renovations, and options. After I called Expedia, I called the Prince reservations system. The agent said the renovations were suppose to start April 1, but postponed to May 1, and reiterated the above information.

dtphonehome

Wow, that place looks AMAZING...unfortunately too expensive for me, and I have to rely on them for food (and again, I'm kosher, so that won't work for me). I think the level of seclusion (no TV, phones) might be a little TOO much for me...I am a NYer!

#10

You're on your honeymoon!!! Suck it up, dtphonehome, and have the one honeymoon of your life. Kona Village is truly amazing and worth some debt/overtime to pay off. Call them to determine if your dietary needs are addressable. (I expect that you would not be the first kosher guest at KV.) For one/two weeks of your life, abandon any frugality and celebrate your new union.

Are there any more seasoned members here (still with their original partner) that would not counsel going into debt for a KV-like honeymoon?

Happy Honeymoon, dtphonehome!

stewlevine

It's going to depend on how observant you are going to be on kashruth. Your best bet is to order food from http://www.oahukosher.com/ if you are going to do anything besides self-catering.
You may want to check out http://home.att.net/~keith.martin/zjHawaii.html or http://www.konabethshalom.org/ for more information on how to get kosher food. Otherwise, your best bets will be to load up on food at the Costco in Kailua-Kona, or supermarkets in Kailua-Kona or Waikoloa.

sbae

FYI, I was able to get Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort May 17-19 for $120/night on priceline. Note that with priceline you cannot select the specific resort.

Here's the forum link for the resort. I've never been and am looking forward to it.

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...=sheraton+kona

Kagehitokiri

four seasons hualalai is one of the best regarded properties in the luxury hotels forum. (in the world)

kona village (which has beachfront rooms) and fairmont also get good reports.

flylinda

The Mauna Lani resort is very nice and not huge. Excellent service. The do have bungalows to rent but are verrrrrry expensive. The hotel is classy.

bocastephen

The FS Hualalai is a great hotel, but having visited the property numerous times, I am hard pressed to rank it as high as the trade publications seem to lavish such praise on it.

It is a great hotel, a truly luxurious experience, but lacking a certain service edge which would justify its consistent top ranking and stratospheric prices.

I haven't slept there, so perhaps I'm missing something, but the time I've spent on the property and the service teams I've interacted with indicate there are a few lapses which could need either correction or enhancement.

kk-l

While I think the FS Hualalai is fine... I have to agree with Stephen. Nice...but without the FS brand...would we really be all that impressed?
It's all a matter of opinion and taste...there's something for everyone along this coast. We've stayed in them all...pretty much...while "he" works...I play and form my opinion. Pretty expensive piece of "real estate" in this neck of the woods.
Between curtailed flights to leisure markets and the apparent collapse of the financial markets (whose brilliant idea was the 1999 deregulation?)...it will be interesting to see what happens.