birdiedouble

That is a great picture that shows how massive this resort is. My wife and I were staying at Hilton GVC Kings' Land late last April/early May and had some privileges here. We went over one day and I did self parking and was a) surprised how little parking there seemed to be relative to the size of the resort and (Is that an overflow lot in the upper right hand corner or just lava?) b) how long of a walk it was to the resort esp if you forgot something in your room or car and had to go back to either.

That being said we did enjoy some "free" access to an outdoor day bed that had an awesome view of the ocean. This resort wouldn't be for us because we like to get out and explore, not sit around the pool.

aww3583

We were on the top floor of the Ocean Tower facing Buddah Point. Fantastic room.

It was literally a 0.55-mile walk from our room to the front desk. It was another 0.1-0.15-mile walk to the car buried deep in the lot.

We were quickly made aware of this upon arrival.

Woke up at 6AM on the east coast to fly RDU-ATL. Took ATL-HNL. Five-hour layover in HNL. Fly HNL-ITO. Make the 80-minute drive from ITO-Waikoloa Village. Check-in around 8:00PM local time. The gondola boat wasn't running, so we had a half-mile walk to the room with luggage. May have been the longest day of my life.

birdiedouble

Wow. That's a pretty crappy start to a nice trip. We have flown to HI from the east coast 3x. Each time seems to get easier, but I also came to realize why you meet so many people from the west coast there. On this last trip we flew YOW/ORD/HNL/KOA and arrived in KOA at 3:30 local time. Departed YOW at 6:05am, so I know about a long first day, but I don't think I would have been able to make the walk to the room you did. Aloha

Need

Is the tram still running? It seems like no one mentioning the tram. We walked maybe 1 or 2 times when we just missed the tram, but the rest of the week, we mostly took the tram. The boat is more like an amusement ride than transportation. The running hours are so short. We stayed at the Ocean Tower right where the letter "a" is. I think it was an upgrade from resort view to partial ocean view.

The Lagoon tower if really at a much better location with access to the cool pools. The pool that's somewhere between Ocean the Palace towers is not that great.

aww3583

Tram was running when we stayed. Downside is that it moves slightly faster than walking speed and sits for 10 minutes at each end of the line. It's a novelty similar to the boat.

aww3583

You're quite right. Ugly start to an awesome vacation. We would have landed on the big island much earlier, but the airline we were booked on from HNL to KOA went out of business two weeks before our trip, so we were stuck trying to find a way to get to the big island on very short notice.

Weatherboy

In case you don't know/didn't see, the Hilton Waikoloa Village resort is in the middle of a 72 hour flash sale in which they're selling an all-inclusive package for $159/night/person.

The rate includes Ocean Tower room, full breakfast, 3-course dinner, and most drinks/liquor throughout the day ...plus resort-fee and self-parking.

http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com...oloaVillageWeb

The rate jumps up $20/person in peak summer months and also jumps up for room upgrades into other towers/views. You need to book a minimum of 5 days.

I did this flash sale last year and found it to be an INCREDIBLE deal --I was actually shocked they brought it back this year.

We would have hefty meals at KPC for example and run-up food/liquor tabs of $300+/person, but only be on the hook for 15% gratuity. Plus spend your day enjoying $15 cocktails at the beach/pools all afternoon on the house and the food/beverage value easily exceeds what's normally a decent rate on the room.

"All-inclusive" and "Hawaii" usually don't go together. And a value of this scale is unheard of in Hawaii.

BrlDsguise

We've missed the tram and caught up to it at the next stop.

pokee

I would've done that trip to get a room with a view of Buddha point...that's one of the best ocean views I've ever seen! We got a mountain view room in the Lagoon tower, but near the end facing the ocean so the views were still beautiful. I have to admit that being in the Lagoon tower is much more convenient than anywhere else on the property, but I felt like the ocean tower atmosphere was better and there were better restaurants and shops right there. The best I have is the Waikoloa Coffee shop on the main level where muffins cost $6.50. Good Lord...

pokee

I'm staying here now and this is a pretty incredible deal for Hawaii, but I think you have to eat and drink a lot to make it worthwhile. I have a feeling that people go overboard with the food and drink when prices are "all inclusive" just so they feel they are getting their money's worth (and I've witnessed this phenomenon while cruising and staying at a Sandals resort).

I ran the numbers, and for our family of 4, it was cheaper for us to book separately (I got a great rate for the Lagoon Tower booking many months in advance). Having said that, we didn't eat the buffet breakfast or at KPC every day, and we did eat off property a few times. We also bought food at the Marketplace and ate some meals in our room while enjoying our view from the lanai. We're also not big drinkers or pool loungers, so that value is wasted on us, too.

What I do find amazing about this rate is that it appears that there is no deposit required and it is cancellable within 72 hours! If I'd had the option at the time (but I probably wouldn't have been able to since I'm here during spring break) I would've went for it and probably eaten and drank more than humanly possible. Fortunately my waistline thanks me!

Need

I priced a week in July and the price difference is about $120 per night per room. Now if you take out the parking and resort fee.. it is like $78 extra. So it is like $39 per person per day for all your can eat/drink. Last time I was there at CPK, I paid about $150 + tip for 2 having just 1 entree and 1 desert per person... and we don't drink. Even at the pizza place it is probably about $50 for 2 + tip without drinks. Now I did get a spam sandwich out in the Queen's market for breakfast for $2.50.... because I don't want to pay like $35 for the breakfast buffet and my $10 Diamond breakfast coupon is only enough to get a coffee and nothing much else.

ksyrah

Stayed in a Hale Ike' room a couple of weeks ago. The palace tower is totally revamped. They have moved a coffee cart there that opens at 6. (Still like the morning walk to Starbucks) The rooms are nice but the view(s) in the Makai (Lagoon) tower are probably better. If you don't mind the walk or the slightly dated room, see if you can get an ocean front upgrade overlooking Buddah point in the ocean tower.

loomis

Has anyone figured out what benefits are received from the Hale Ike rooms?

The Makai concept is spelled out pretty well on the HWV's website, but I could not find anything about Hale Ike.

Eddie98

Wish I could've seen this flash sale. We really want to go to Maui but this would have been worth it.

ksyrah

Nothing special - Just updated rooms. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, even the Makai seating area around the Kona pool seemed to have disappeared. It was abused anyway.......