dashark

According to the website, both pools are supposed to be open tomorrow (June 1). All construction is supposed to be complete by June 15th.

If anyone is staying there (or driving by) please advise.

Thanks.

bitachu

man...i'm thinking about making the stay...problem is for july rates the lowest rate(kaamaina) is about 160$..worth it??

southpaw1227

I made an awards reservation here for Jan. 2017 back in May, and when I booked it, there was zero mention of any extra "resort fees" on points stays (that's fairly typical, actually).

Just casually logged back in to my HHonors account and checked the reservation, and now this is at the top: "Daily Resort Charge will be added to the room rate and includes: Arrival Aloha shell lei greeting; Mai Tai or soft drink each evening (max 2 per day/rm); Hawaiian cultural sunrise ceremony (3 days wkly); 2 hr Ke Ala Hele Makalae bike ride (2 per stay); cooler & beach mat usage; local & 1-800 calls"

I'm going to show them my original email upon arrival and request this to be waived, but has anyone else had any experience doing so?

BrlDsguise

You prpbably won't need to do anything. HHonorsRepresentative recently confirmed there are no resort fees on award stays.

RogerD408

Yes, very typical. It seems like hotel reservations only keep a rate code in the record and then looks up the details when it's time to display. So when they choose to change the rate details any future lookups will show the current details. That is why it is important to keep your original confirmation to show what it was when you made the booking. The property should honor the original term.

BrlDsguise

The property should honor Hilton's policy of not charging resort fees on award stays.

Much simpler argument should they try to charge one.

flynavy99

Anyone have a breakfast update for Diamonds at HGI Wailua Bay? I read somewhere else that a Diamond got nothing.

tvelinsk

Not true. I stayed the first week of June (Mom is a diamond) and got two breakfasts per day. Buffet, and you can order hot dishes such as eggs, pancakes, french toast, and pancakes. The staff is very accommodating and will go out of the way for you.

Friendly Traveling Deathmerchant

Might pop in for a couple days. Anyone stay recently with scoop on how the updates went? Reviews on TA are all over the place, but with a few HH Diamonds saying this is best in class treatment and property, and a few people saying it sucks. Typical reviews!

I'm going to do Points & Cash and see how it all works out.

TDM

BlueZebra

Was just there a couple of weeks ago. It is in a good location, but otherwise a 3 star hotel, older, a bit dark. Its cleaned up, painted, but shiny looking isn't a description I would use. No balconies at all. The bathroom in our Junior Suite was a little oddly laid out, but the room was reasonable sized, and in pretty good condition. Beds were nice.

The staff was very outgoing, friendly, helpful. Perhaps a bit over cooked in the restaurant. Almost hovering in the restaurant.

The breakfast was pretty good for a Hilton Garden Inn, and available to Diamonds. The $22pp cost for purchase is a little high, but it is Hawaii. A couple more items than you would probably find in a mainland Garden Inn.

If on Kauai, I would stay again..but it isn't any sort of really fancy place to stay.

sshark

Going to stay here from Dec 21 on first ever trip to HI. Excited.

southpaw1227

Enjoy! I have a reservation in Jan. 2017 as a Diamond. Looking forward to your thoughts on the place.

zipadeedoodah

I stayed at this property back in Sept for 3 nights. My husband and I enjoyed the property and stay. Being Diamond, we received free breakfast and we also received a coupon for a free Mai Tai each evening. The resort fee is waived for Diamonds on a reward stay and the amenities included an Aloha shell greeting on arrival, the 2 Mai Tai's or soft drink voucher (already stated), use of bicycles for 2 hours to enjoy the Ke Ala Hele Makalea coastal ride/bike path, use of a cooler and beach mat, safety deposit box (located at front desk). You also get local calls and no access fees for toll-free and credit card calls (did not use this). We did rent the bikes and it was a fun ride north up thru Kapaa. The front desk and others working at the resort were very helpful and kind.

Carl Christensen

Thanks for the update. We will be spending two nights there (after spending a week at the Westin Princeville) prior to flying back. As Diamonds I'm hoping for a nice stay. Did you get any upgraded room?

Friendly Traveling Deathmerchant

Just arrived home (to snow!) after a two-night stay here.

Bottom line up front: Good deal for the area, normal HGI, not a resort, but suitable to base out of for Kauai exploring. A few times where it seemed a little off-brand, but all in all, decent and satisfied with the stay.


Diamond Treatment/Check-In: I checked via the app to see if I'd been pre-upgraded, but no - however, I *did* book literally as I was taxiing from LAX to LIH, right before flying down. At the desk, I asked for a different room that what I booked (King instead of 2Q), and they offered a cottage. I figured why not give that a try - sounds like an upgrade to me. No one thanked me for D-status, except a woman at the desk upon check out. I waited quite a bit each time I went to the front desk for various things - they seemed a tad understaffed. Upon check in you get a coupon for a softdrink or Mai Tai each night, shell lei, water bottles.


Rooms: Cottages are kind of by themselves, quiet, separate living room and bedroom. Not oceanfront, they're sort of on the border of a public park that is on the ocean. Overall feel like a starter condo. Property is older, but buffed up a bit. Clean, but plain. Normal toiletries, bedsheets, etc. Vinyl wood floors make sense for a sandy flipflop property.

Aside from the cottages, there are two buildings or wings. Each has a pool, one also has a small hot tub. The far one (Maile) has the only rooms that are really "oceanview", and the hot tub area. The "balcony" ground floor rooms are really a little gravel pad barely big enough for two little chairs. Seems to me most of the rooms are the same, so get whatever. This isn't a resort you'll be spending much time at, it's best as a base to go explore.

Food: I took the Breakfast option instead of points, and at $22 bucks a person, this is a good value. A few local items (portuguese sausage, taro pancakes, local juices, fresh papaya, etc.) in addition to normal HGI fare. Good stuff. There's a bar right at the common lobby/breakfast area. Didn't seem particularly hopping, it's a quiet property.


Check out / issue: Since late night flights out are the norm in Hawaii (the only Delta flight is at 1030pm each night), I inquired about a hospitality suite where one might grab a quick shower and tidy up before the flight. They'd never heard of such a thing. A few of the HNL properties have this, and personally, it's a great thing I've used often on Oahu and Maui. Too bad. So I asked about late check out. "1pm." Well, that's not particularly late when your flight is at 1030pm, so I took another swing "Can you do any better for a Diamond guest?" To which the response was an odd prideful "Oh, we treat everyone the same! 1pm." The homogenized fairness might appeal to, say, a Southwest airlines client, but perhaps smiling that response at a Diamond guest isn't the best way to word it.

Either way, I asked if the fitness center had a shower, or bathroom - the desk said the pool restrooms had plugs for a hair dryer and there's an outdoor rinse-shower by the pool. Mmm. Okay.

(Based on this advice, the last day there, I went out, hiked around, and planned on hitting a quick hot tub and rinse off... and the pool bathrooms were locked and lights all turned out there... communication issue, I s'pose....)

Switching to the good: they have loaner bikes you may use to ride up the multi-mile coastal trail. We did this, great fun, enjoyed. Helmets, locks, and a little basket-bag included. They'll even loan you out beach mats, towels, and a cooler for the day. This was a nice benefit. Plenty of bikes from what I saw - they never were out. You can go north a couple miles to some restaurants and beaches, or south just a little bit along a golf course/beach park strip.

Had a great time hiking down to some secret beach near the lighthouse on the north shore, did a few miles of the Na Pali train at the end of that shore, Waimea Canyon was breathtaking, ate at a nice Thai foodtruck (Thai Cravings), wandered by the blowhole down at Poipu, had the best hole-in-wall ahi plate lunch at Mark's Place (middle of nowhere, industrial area near Costco), went to some farmer's markets, snorkled a little bit, hit Tunnels Beach and the caves, good times were had. We worked in a lot in two days, and HGI made that possible (because I'm a HH pointslut and probably wouldn't have gone to Kauai if it wasn't for the availability, sad but true.

Any questions, hit me up, I'll take a stab at them.


PS: Chickens. If you've been, you know. But there's no avoiding chickens and their country wakeup song anywhere on this island.