I read a lot of reviews of the Hilton Waikoloa Village and the Ocean Tower (where we stayed) before this trip, so I pretty much knew what to expect. My boyfriend is a Hilton Grand Vacations member and we stayed in room 5073 in the Ocean Tower. So let me start with the positive. Room: Our room was lovely and spacious, all updated and stunning. Initially, the floors could have been cleaner, it was like someone forgot to sweep/vacuum or better yet mop the floors before we checked in. Lots of dust and some crumbs and spots around the edges. We stayed Wednesday to Wednesday and housekeeping came once, on Saturday. They are good about responding to their text messaging system at the resort, but it would have been nice to know what day the room would be cleaned without having to ask, and if we were entitled to have it cleaned more than once. My boyfriend was under the impression there would be a charge for cleaning, otherwise we would have requested it right away after checking in. As it was, I swept the room the first day (there is a broom and dustpan in the laundry closet). Second bedroom does not have windows, but my young adult sons didn't seem to mind as they either watched the TV or played on their Nintendo Switch consoles when they were in the room. There are two balconies, one for the living room and one for the master bedroom, each with 2 chairs. It would have been nicer to have it be one larger balcony so all 4 of us could sit together. The way it is built, there is a dividing wall between them on the outside. A lounge chair would have been nice out there, if there had been space for it. Lighting in the master bedroom is a little dim. Second bedroom has plenty of light. Master bathroom has an automated toilet, which lights up and the seat opens when you enter the toilet area. It also has a bidet feature and a built-in dryer. Initially, I thought it was a little overkill but I grew to like it. It was nice to walk in there during the night and have the toilet light up and greet me (in a manner of speaking). My BF and I are both frequent nighttime bathroom users, so it was nice. Water pressure in the shower is good, the handheld nozzle is great for getting sand out of anywhere you can't quite reach. :) Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion are all provided, all Crabtree & Evelyn products. Our view from the room was spectacular. A/C was good, it can be a little noisy so I occasionally turned it off or just turned the fan level to low. Room stayed reasonably cool for a few hours if it wasn't running. A/C will not run if either balcony door is open, keep that in mind. Kitchen was well stocked. Coffeemaker uses pouches of coffee that make a full pot. It brews into the machine and you have to press a dispenser on the front to get the coffee out (took me awhile to figure this out). We bought some ground coffee and asked for filters at the Ocean Tower front desk, which they provided. The oven has an air fryer feature which we probably would have tried out, but weren't sure what to use in it to put food on. There are a couple of Pyrex casserole dishes and a baking sheet available, they are stored in the oven, as well as plates, cups, dishes, pots, silverware. There is a stacked washer/dryer and they do provide a packet of dry powdered detergent, you can also ask housekeeping for more. I had brought a couple of Tide Pods with me which I think were more effective cleaning, and I'd suggest bringing dryer sheets with you. Capacity is what you would expect for a stacked unit, so for 4 of us, we ended up washing clothes 4 times so that we didn't have to go home with a big pile of laundry. There are a lot of birds around in the early morning and they are quite noisy in the inner areas of the Ocean Tower (I noticed other reviews complaining about this). However, the rooms are well insulated and with the A/C or fan running, we really didn't notice a noise issue. Our end of the Ocean Tower was the furthest one out and had a nice inner lagoon with tons of fish swimming in it. We left our room at 4:30 am on the last day so we got to hear plenty of birds then. Lots of birds and geese on the grounds, a few geckos and my son even saw a mongoose. Now the nitpicking stuff that you've seen in hundreds of other reviews...it is VERY expensive and the Hilton charges for everything. The shuttle to the two marketplace areas, Queen's Marketplace and King's Shops, is $5 per person each way. It should be free (I guess it used to be). With what the Hilton saves on not doing daily housekeeping, they could easily afford to pay a shuttle driver. $100 to rent a two-person covered cabana is excessive, especially given that very few people rented one for a whole day. $10 an hour would be much more reasonable. Likewise with $60 for a paddleboard rental (two hours). Breakfast buffet at Water's Edge had great food but we only went once, at $55 per person it's hard to eat that much food. We did valet parking, $55 per day - worth it compared to $48 for self-park, given how much walking you have to do just between the main lobby and the Ocean Tower - self park was even further away. I heard a rumor that Hilton might be building a secondary parking area for the Ocean Tower, which would be a fantastic idea. I don't know if Hilton reads these reviews, but hopefully they take that as a hint. And to re-open the Ocean Tower bar. Getting Around: Trams are mind-bogglingly slow and at least one of them (Magic Fire Stick or a similar name) either drives with the brakes on or needs a good dose of WD-40, it squeaked dreadfully for most of the ride. The tram gets to each end and sits there for a good 5 minutes before taking off again. Since we were at one end, we usually gave up and walked. It is a hike to the lobby - fine if you're in sneakers but not great if you're a woman and wearing heels or uncomfortable sandals, so allow plenty of time to get wherever you're going. The boat ran only on the day we got there and the day before we left, so we never rode on it. It seems like it would be fairly easy to speed up the tram by 25% and not have it sit at either end, but just stop and go each time, so they would run more frequently. Just a suggestion to management. Food/Dining: The Ocean Tower used to have a bar which really should be re-opened. For a resort this size, there are really only two dinner restaurant options (Nui Italian and Kamuela Provision Company), neither of which is close to the Ocean Tower. Food from both places was good - our Mother's Day dinner at KPC was outstanding - but like everything else, really overpriced. There is a Lagoon Grill, my sons got lunch there twice. $23 for a small portion of fish and chips and I think sodas were $4 or $5. Sitting outside, you can see dolphins, so that's a plus. Lagoon Grill is only open until 5 on weekdays (7 pm weekends), so it wasn't a viable dinner option for us. We went to Island Gourmet Marketplace in the Queen's Marketplace on our first day and stocked up with lunchmeat, bread, booze, condiments and snacks - their prices were quite reasonable for Hawaii, and they also have a deli that offers sandwiches, burgers, pizza, etc. - we got dinner to go from here on our last evening. Highly recommend shopping for food essentials here, especially for breakfast or lunch, as dining at the resort adds up quickly. We got room service from Nui Italian our first night - great pizza, decent fettuccine alfredo although heavy on the bacon - but delivery fees are steep. We had dinner in the restaurant another night and found out they offer focaccia bread with marinara dipping sauce, which isn't listed on the menu. Recommended as a starter, since garlic bread didn't seem to be offered. To sum up, I think if prices had been about 25-30% less and if there were more dining options and benefits for Hilton members, this would have been a 5-star trip. I know there are some freebies like cultural classes and pool toy inflating offered, none of which we used. My sons have stayed at all-inclusive resorts with their Dad and were surprised this resort wasn't all-inclusive given the size and price per night. There is definitely a nickel-and-diming feel here which overshadows everything. There is a recent review on HGV's website by Ben Higgens that basically shows what our room looks like and I won't deny that everything here is as stunning as the reviewer makes it sound...just that the pricing and lack of dining and shopping (at the resort itself) knocks it off one star for me.

I loved ever about my stay here. Everyone at the resort was fantastic and accommodating and the grounds are gorgeous food was outstanding. The hotel has a sent that I googled and found now my house smells like this hotel year round. The pool was the perfect temperature and the sunsets at this resort are to die for. We did the luau and 5 stars we loved it.

I recently retired, brought my wife to honor her for Mother's Day! Love the stay and beautiful Island 🌺🏝🌊🌋🌅💞🤙Great vacation and wonderful place to stay. Very clean and beautiful with lots of great things to see and do. Highly recommend for any couple or family vacation

We stayed at the Ocean Towers. It had all the amenities you would expect. I just don’t like resorts. The Towers were at the back of the property and we had to walk or ride the tram through the rest of the resort to get to our car. It felt like I was being held captive.

My go to. Kona is deep within my soul. Every time I come here I feel t peace and renewed. The lagoon is an experience like no other. It is a highway for sea turtles. Shallow enough in some areas that small children can see the turtles. Go to deeper areas to see fish and eels. the Lagoon restaurant has amazing food (try the ahi nachos -world class!) and views of the dolphins. Do the dolphin quest. It is worth it. Personalized encounters with he dolphins. the Italian place is to die for. Pizza will knock your socks off and try the lemon drop martini, one of the best I have ever had. Rooms all have great views and you can chose what kind of view you want when you book. Concierge services for outings. We used them and all details were attended to and all plans unfolded exactly as planned. We went during whale watching season. You could so easily see whales from many places at the resort. The grounds are beautifully maintained and very peaceful. No problems with the room at all. Clean, comfortable. room had a fridge and blow dryer. The pools were a bit too cold for me but my husband thought they were perfect. Go to the coffee shop, but get there early. Everything they have is delicious and craft made. I will be back!