Let me start by saying that we have stayed at this property probably between 8 and 10 times. I will start with why we select this hotel. Honolulu is a concrete jungle and although there are palm trees everywhere, you never feel like you are in the tropics until you come to the Hilton. The entire property is Hawaii at its best, palm trees swaying, tropical fish and birds, and beautiful florals. The beach is huge and uncrowded. On a busy day, you can still find plenty of sand space and room in the ocean. The hotel has very calm waves that are great if you are a non-swimmer or have small children. We always stay in the Rainbow Tower because of the proximity to the shoreline. The odd number rooms all face Diamond Head and are preferred over the marina view rooms (although those rooms get the sunset). You really can't lose if you are in the Rainbow Tower. Rooms also have refrigerators which is a huge plus. You can stock up on your favorite items and avoid the high prices at the bar and convenience stores. The location of the Hilton is perfect for us. There is the village that is nice to stroll through and of course there is an ABC store for necessities. Additionally, it is an easy walk to the heart of Waikiki, yet you are a world away from the hustle and bustle of Kalakaua Ave. Shuttle buses are available to the Ala Moana Mall and Waikiki. You can easily stay at the Hilton and not need a car.

Now for the things that the Hilton can improve on. The property is getting old and beginning to show wear and tear in the rooms. The carpets aren't as fresh as they used to be, the furniture is dated and worn and the bathroom fixtures need updating. New management has taken over the property and they are really pushing the time share aspect. It used to be that you got two waters per day in your room. Now you get two waters per stay and you need to collect them from the time share (oh excuse me, vacation ownership) desk. If you are annoyed by time share pitches, skip the two 8 oz. water bottles. You won't even miss them. I really think the hotel needs a face lift. The other major properties in Waikiki are renovating (Moana Surfrider, The Royal Hawaiian, The Outrigger Reef, and the Sheraton to name a few) and if the Hilton wants to remain a premier property, they should follow suit. Eventually, it will hurt their return business.

I have stayed at other properties on Oahu, but we keep coming back to the Hilton. For the most part, the property is great and the positives out weigh the negatives. If you are in Honolulu and want peace and quiet, this is the place to be. If you can overlook the wear in the rooms, you will not be disappointed.

FYI, I cannot speak to the food at the hotel as we have only eaten breakfast at the Rainbow Lanai. It is an excellent buffet and has a large assortment of food. We get the meal included with our room, so I am not sure if it would be worth the full cost everyday. Unfortunately, I have an aversion to hotel food when it comes to dinners and opt for other favorites such as Duke's, Hula Grill, Chart House and the Yard House.

We stayed here one night on our way to Australia.
The hotel is lovely with beautiful grounds. It is large!! It takes you quite a while to get from place to place!
We booked a corner oceanfront room in the Rainbow Tower which
had a lovely view. The room was good size but the bathroom was very small. It was nice but nothing out of the ordinary except for the view.
The hotel is in a nice location if you want to stay in Waikiki. You can walk along the ocean to the other hotels and restaurants.
We had a very nice breakfast in Tapa Cafe which was the only full restaurant open early.
It was a perfect choice for a stop over!

Hilton Hawaiian Village is size/capacity of some towns, but yet it manages to be personal and efficient! Want to first thank HHV for making our 30th wedding anv'y/family reunion a memorable week by upgrading us to beautiful suite in Tapa Tower and promptly taking care of every request! We were greeted with congratulations note and fruit platter in our room.

Upon arrival bell staff asked if we were checking in, which tower and would we like baggage service and parking. Quickly emptied our vehicle and gave us ticket explaining to give to front desk, they would handle the rest. Luggage was immediately waiting for us with very friendly bellman by time we reached our room! By way, open air check-in foyer is large with sweeping views of Super Pool onto Waikiki Beach, with lush gardens, waterfall, koi river, huge fresh floral arrangements (found all around resort), couches and chairs, bar to right and tropical birds, welcome to Hawaii and Hilton Hawaiian Village!!!

Highly recommend anyone staying at HHV to join the Hilton Honors Program which provides many benefits for their members. Some immediate benefits for HHonors members is their own check-in line upon arrival! Honors front desk knows exactly what complimentary items members should receive ie breakfast coupons, upgrades, coupon booklet, etc. and moves their line quickly and efficiently. Do recommend contacting HHV at least week prior to arrival to request specific tower and/or upgrade.

There are 5 towers (6th being finished), Rainbow Tower and Ali'i Tower (has it's own fitness center and private pool only accessed by Ali'i guests) are directly on Waikiki Beach with fabulous views down beach to Diamond Head, Super Pool or harbor/lagoon side. Lagoon Tower which is all timeshare placed other side of Rainbow Tower (toward harbor) right behind the newly redone lagoon area with views of lagoon, harbor, Waikiki Beach and resort. Hilton is building Waikikian Tower which will be all timeshare as well, placed back from Lagoon Tower (toward harbor). Diamond Head Tower is behind Ali'i Tower, with Tapa Tower back further with views inbetween Rainbow and Ali'i Tower to beach/ocean, Super Pool, resort, harbor and moutain/city. Back further from Tapa Tower is Kalia Tower with views between Rainbow and Lagoon Tower. Kalia Tower is part timeshare, but has resort fitness center and Mandara Spa. Hilton has very cleverly spread placement of their towers with their individual pools and restaurants, within their meticulously manicured gardens, flowing koi river, waterfalls, penquin habitat, shopping areas, restaurants, entertainment/bars, beach and lagoon to optimise every possible view from room's balconies and windows! HHV never seems to be overcrowded because of it's spreadout layout and so many varied areas.

Benihana in village is both delicious and entertaining, also found prices reasonable based on other restaurant tabs in downtown area. Bali By The Sea is magical evening with sunset and exceptional pacific rim food. Rainbow breakfast every morning with omelet station and variety of food was excellent. We upgraded our HHonors free breakfast coupons to hot breakfast late morning, for more of brunch, skipping lunch. Open air beach restaurant at Ali'i Tower was quick good food with great tropical drinks and relaxing beach/ocean views with tropcial breezes. Don't miss treating yourself to ice cream store on corner across from foyer/check-in lobby! ABC store near Benihana is great for stocking up your room's refrig and inexpensive quick snacks. In the evening there is free live entertainment to be found at inviting bar areas. Don't miss the Hula show and fireworks every Friday night around the Super Pool! Romantic walks around the grounds, lagoon and Waikiki Beach in evening with torches glowing make for perfect end of each vacation day.

Beachwalk shopping area has great shopping, restaurants and bars with entertainment. Ala Moana Shopping Ctr is unbelievable shopping and dining experience.

Don't forget to rent vehicle and tour the island of Oahu with it's historical area of Pearl Harbor. Drive East (Leeward Side): hike up Diamond Head (paved/stairs, bring water, sunscreen & camera), snorkel at Hanauma Bay, visit Sandy Beach and if you would like some hiking on paved path with more spectacular views hike up to Makapu'u Lighthouse (again bring water etc). Can drive around top island to North Shore with countless beaches and views. Or drive directly to North shore to Turtle Bay and Waimea Falls Park area another day. The manmade Ko Olina lagoons and beaches on West (Wai'anae Side) are good for families as well as couples. The island of Oahu is rich with natural beauty as well as city life!

Highly recommend purchase and use of Oahu Revealed/The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond guidebook. We found it to be accurate and essential with directions, reviews and suggestions!

HHV is very centrally located for touring Oahu and enjoying downtown areas. It's also very convenient from Honolulu Airport. We hope you try HHV and find it as unforgettable of a vacation experience as we did.

My parents, a friend and I stayed at the Hilton for a weekend in May. We had a fantastic time overall! We were very pleased to learn that we got an upgrade to sea view rooms in the Rainbow Tower upon checking in. The rooms were spacious and nice, though (of course) very Hiltonesque. Loved the refrigerator. The view was amazing... like a postcard.

The grounds were beautiful... lush without being tourist-tacky. We tried the pool/bar area on the first day which was very nice, great service. We ate that evening at the Rainbow Lanai. Once again, great service. I looked the buffé over and wasn't really impressed. We chose the from the menu instead and the food was wonderful.

I can't really comment on the concierge service since we explored the island on our own... however, looking around I would guess that the hotel is very adept at it. There is a concierge office in each tower as well as a large concierge desk near the central reception as well as a separate office for tour booking.

We had breakfast in the room (on the balcony) on the third day... once again: great service and the food was wonderful. The staff was very attentive and removed the trolley immediately after we were finished. There were small lines when we checked in and checked out... but the wait was minimal and everything went smoothly.

A couple of small misses: we wanted to visit the Mandara Spa one afternoon. They have a small office in the shopping complex (Rainbow Bazar) where you can make the booking. The spa itself is in Kalia Tower. The guy that took our booking was quite clueless on what the spa offered... besides what he could read in their pamphlet. So it was useless asking him about the different treatments. He had to call up to the spa a couple of times to ask them the answers. And we are talking about easy questions: "what's the difference between massage #1 and massage #2?". That being said... the spa was wonderful and the treatments were amazing!

On our first night we noticed, on our way back from dinner, that our neighbours in the next room were having a little party. Teenagers were going in and out of the room. I'm not an old fuddy-duddy so I figured "let them have fun" and hoped that it would die down by midnight. No such luck! We could hear music, laughter and every conversation. I finally called the front desk and they connected me to security. Security informed me that they had already received a complaint and they were on their way up to the room. I heard when security arrived and talked to the occupant(you could hear everything!). The kid promised to keep it down and the guard told him that it helped to keep the balcony doors closed. An hour later... the noise was worse than ever. Impossible to sleep! So I called again. Security came up... asked to talk to the occupant and it turned out that he wasn't even there anymore! They told the partygoers that everyone had to leave... and then counted out as 25(!!!!) people left the room(not an adult among them). The next afternoon I went to the manager and told her what had happened and told her that I was mainly concerned if they were going to be occupying the room that evening as well. I received a mumbled apology and was told that they had checked out. Nothing else was forthcoming. Now, I work in the tourist/service industry. I realize a hotel, especially of that size, can't avoid such guests from time to time(especially during prom/graduation season). I'm also not looking to be compensated with free things... however, I would hope that security would have notified the management/reception of our troubles in advance and that they would have contacted us first to apologize, or maybe remove a token breakfast from our bill when we checked out. It would have been a nice touch.

All in all is was a small blight on an otherwise wonderful stay!