Timeshare Resort, Eating, and Luau in Paradise: Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu

My expanded hotel review include a breakdown by the following topics. Feel free to skip to whichever section you find most interesting.

• Highlights
• Lobby & Check-in
• Room
• Hotel Space / Ambiance
• Food & Drink
• Fitness
• Luau(!)
• Timeshare(!)
• Miscellaneous 

Highlights: Hilton Hawaiian Village

This review of the Hilton Hawaiian Village is like seven months late. But, it was an epic experience on a timeshare presentation deal, especially in conjunction with my American Express Hilton Aspire card. Five nights, 10,000 Hilton HHonors points, and free luau dinner for two for $800. Resort fees included too. And, the $250 resort credit from my Aspire meant that we ate so very much. Additionally, we got a $200 Hilton Spend A Night On Us certificate that we used for a different stay. Hilton Diamond status – from the card – granted $100 food and beverage credit at specific locations ($10 per person per day), and we also secured another $40 Make It Right credits for other issues. Thankfully they have an ABC store where you can buy anything and everything! Timeshare presentation was easy and quick as well – the people here know the drill.

LOBBY & CHECK-IN

A car from the airport to the Hilton Hawaiian Village took about 20 minutes, and dropped us off right at their open air lobby. This complex was massive, and we were directed to the front desk – a very, very long check-in counter. There were several different lines but a kind rep asked about status and directed me to a shorter HHonors line. I confirmed there were no additional charges (taxes/resort fees) attached to my room, and was unable to secure any upgrades. They provided me with a litany of literature on the property – maps, information, perks, etc., as well as the towel cards necessary for the pool. Then, they directed me to my tower. You’re also given a coupon booklet for on-property shops and dining, for small discounts and perks.

ROOM

First to notice – these hotels have smart elevators! Something I noticed at a previous workplace, where you type in your floor and they direct you to a particular elevator, grouping people with similar destinations to maximize efficiency. Room was a basic King, but with a nice view of the water! Diamond does come with a bevy of benefits, listed in a photo below.

HOTEL SPACE / AMBIANCE

This place was packed. Mostly adults and families. Great relaxing vibe – it is Hawaii after all! Everyone is so nice and friendly, it was a pleasure to be here. Service is great as well. They cater very strongly (as the state does) to Asian tourists, specifically those from Korea or Japan. There are specific hosts for Korean and Japanese tourists and their questions, located at a row of tables next to the check in desk. As mentioned there is an ABC store where you can buy anything – so I purchased some snacks and water shoes to make my ocean-going time more pleasant.

FOOD & DRINK

We also ate at the many options on property, to get a full sampling of resort food. Granted, it was doubly expensive – touristy resort tax and general Hawaii paradise tax – but with the roughly $400 in credit it wasn’t as much of a problem. The burger at Tropics Bar was a standout – at a $20 base price it is expensive, but so very, very good.

We started off with Bluewater Shrimp the first day – your standard seafood / shrimp fare with meats, rice, mac salad, corn. This was decent.

Major highlight was the delicious burger at Tropics as mentioned – this one we got more than once! Service here was okay however, you may have to flag them down more than once. Additionally they forgot avocado on my burger and had to bring it separately.

We also enjoyed Round Table Pizza – my childhood’s pizza, as delicious as I remember. Granted it’s above $30 for this pizza, but well worth it especially through credit. It was an ordeal to finish but I managed to make it work. You also get a free side of garlic twists with a hotel coupon.

They also have an Italian restaurant called Fresco on property with a decent happy hour. Carbonara and Gelato were my favorites. It’s on the second floor of their shopping area, and is a nicer sit down place.

FITNESS

The property has several pools, and a fitness center and Mandara spa in the Kalia tower. We used the fitness center a couple times, as it was a bit of a walk from our Rainbow tower.

Luau

Part of our timeshare package was two tickets to the Luau, with retail price of $111 per person. This includes a cultural dance/performance show, dinner, and one complimentary beverage. Of course, on the way to seating, they have you walk past a long line of merchants hawking their touristy trinkets, and a photobooth where they try to sell you on photos with locals. It’s such a moneygrab, but if you avoid it it’s not bad. Food was adequate, but nothing amazing. There is also a cash bar during the performance. Definitely not worth the retail price, but a fun experience.

Timeshare

Because we came on a specialty timeshare package, we had to attend a two-hour presentation, which was quick and easy. We told them why we’re there, and they let us go without too much trouble. I’d definitely purchase this package again ($800 for 5 nights in Hawaii is a crazy deal when rooms are $300+ per night). Note that while the date says 0515 you can call the # and try to extract as much as you can out of the Hilton Grand Vacation people (which I certainly did) to make it worth your while.

MISCELLANEOUS

We took some tours around the island and ate at other places as well, as the Hilton Hawaiian Village is a short walk to the shopping areas and downtown Waikiki. It’s a wonderful place, rife with overpriced shops and dining and tourists, but a great getaway. Besides, if you come on such a deal on the hotel, you’ll have more to spend elsewhere. We traveled the island and ate at Nobu in Ala Moana as well, which was amazing.

I cannot wait to come back to the Hilton Hawaiian Village on another timeshare deal. Or perhaps I’ll go to Maui next time! Lastly, I did have some checking out issues with them not properly applying credits and charging me for pool cards even though I returned them. However, they promptly addressed these issues and fixed them.

Featured Image is the view in our room. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which, should you click through and/or make a purchase, grant me a commission. Also, I only post in the best interest of my readers. Lastly, thank you for supporting my blog and my travels. 

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