stellar
Level 2 Member
During our stay we experienced all 3 towers: Ocean Tower, Lagoon Tower, and Palace Tower.
We stayed 2 nights in the Ocean Tower as award redemptions and the room was decent. THe hotel is large as has been described before, but it's definitely walkable (w/out luggage) and the tram was running frequently although the boats were not while I was there.
The power went out in the entire hotel one morning and that made the coffee bar in the Ocean Tower unable to serve breakfast so I ended up going to Waters Edge, the breakfast buffet. Breakfast is $25 but I used my $10 certificate from being a Hilton Gold member. THey tried their best, but the food was lackluster due to the lack of power. Power came back on within 2 hours but the price of breakfast was not adjusted. I ended up writing Hilton a letter and they compensated me for that morning's breakfast. Good form!
The Ocean Tower is a bit far away from main areas but it's fine. The rooms seemed to be undergoing renovation on the higher floors while I was there. I was on floor 6.
I had a paid stay on one night and booked a Makai room in the Lagoon Tower. You get a bracelet that designates that you are a Makai guest which allows you access to the spa and a reserved area of the pool. The Makai room in the Lagoon Tower was renovated and new and had robes for us. The room was actually smaller than the Ocean Tower room but felt more plush due to the finishes and updated touches in the bathroom and the linens.
On our last day we checked out early due to a scheduled snorkeling tour. While we already checked out, we returned to the hotel after snorkeling and we were able to use a changing room (in the Palace tower) to take a shower and change clothes. This is offered to all guests.
You should know that items are pricey here. My margarita was $15 and as I mentioned, breakfast was $25. Overall, this is a large hotel, but we didn't experience any negative problems and I would stay here again. The location is a bit far from the town - about 30 min. The Marriott Waikoloa is next door. There are other hotels that are closer to the city center: Sheraton Kona for example.
The King Shoppes and the Queen Shoppes are within walking distances and have grocery stores and souvenirs.
We stayed 2 nights in the Ocean Tower as award redemptions and the room was decent. THe hotel is large as has been described before, but it's definitely walkable (w/out luggage) and the tram was running frequently although the boats were not while I was there.
The power went out in the entire hotel one morning and that made the coffee bar in the Ocean Tower unable to serve breakfast so I ended up going to Waters Edge, the breakfast buffet. Breakfast is $25 but I used my $10 certificate from being a Hilton Gold member. THey tried their best, but the food was lackluster due to the lack of power. Power came back on within 2 hours but the price of breakfast was not adjusted. I ended up writing Hilton a letter and they compensated me for that morning's breakfast. Good form!
The Ocean Tower is a bit far away from main areas but it's fine. The rooms seemed to be undergoing renovation on the higher floors while I was there. I was on floor 6.
I had a paid stay on one night and booked a Makai room in the Lagoon Tower. You get a bracelet that designates that you are a Makai guest which allows you access to the spa and a reserved area of the pool. The Makai room in the Lagoon Tower was renovated and new and had robes for us. The room was actually smaller than the Ocean Tower room but felt more plush due to the finishes and updated touches in the bathroom and the linens.
On our last day we checked out early due to a scheduled snorkeling tour. While we already checked out, we returned to the hotel after snorkeling and we were able to use a changing room (in the Palace tower) to take a shower and change clothes. This is offered to all guests.
You should know that items are pricey here. My margarita was $15 and as I mentioned, breakfast was $25. Overall, this is a large hotel, but we didn't experience any negative problems and I would stay here again. The location is a bit far from the town - about 30 min. The Marriott Waikoloa is next door. There are other hotels that are closer to the city center: Sheraton Kona for example.
The King Shoppes and the Queen Shoppes are within walking distances and have grocery stores and souvenirs.