RCI Advice Wanted: Hawaii on Points?

[JulieWent]

I am thinking about offering to help my parents out with their 50th anniversary trip to Hawaii next year. (They were married in Hawaii 50 years ago -- the year Hawaii became a state. Hawaii will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, too!)

Anyway, I have just spent about an hour looking at RCI's holdings on Hawaii, and I can't figure out what looks good and what doesn't. Has anyone stayed at any of the RCI resorts in Hawaii? Any suggestions? I was looking at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village - The Lagoon Tower because I think Mom said they wanted to stay in that vicinity for a week and then move over to one of the other islands. (I am really not familiar with the geography of Hawaii. Mom and Dad lived there before I was born, unfortunately.)

Does anyone have any thoughts? My mother is fastidious and does like a quiet room. It looked like the HGV was right in the middle of EVERYTHING. On the other hand, she said that they were looking to stay in town when they were near Waikiki because they "get bored" easily.

All thoughts will be appreciated.

Julie

 

[farrell.johnt]

The Hilton is walking distance to Waikiki beach and everything in town

 

[Dean]

I am thinking about offering to help my parents out with their 50th anniversary trip to Hawaii next year. (They were married in Hawaii 50 years ago -- the year Hawaii became a state. Hawaii will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, too!)

Anyway, I have just spent about an hour looking at RCI's holdings on Hawaii, and I can't figure out what looks good and what doesn't. Has anyone stayed at any of the RCI resorts in Hawaii? Any suggestions? I was looking at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village - The Lagoon Tower because I think Mom said they wanted to stay in that vicinity for a week and then move over to one of the other islands. (I am really not familiar with the geography of Hawaii. Mom and Dad lived there before I was born, unfortunately.)

Does anyone have any thoughts? My mother is fastidious and does like a quiet room. It looked like the HGV was right in the middle of EVERYTHING. On the other hand, she said that they were looking to stay in town when they were near Waikiki because they "get bored" easily.

All thoughts will be appreciated.

Julie

I would list the Hilton and Wyndham for Oahu. While II is better for HI overall, they have nothing appropriate for Waikiki. The Hilton is better by far but the Wyndham is nice enough. Both are in good locations but the Wyndham will be closer to most things if they plan to do any walking and it will be far more likely to be available. If you're serious about getting something, I'd list both and start now. You may also want to consider a private exchange with a member of one of those resorts OR with a Shell or Bluegreen owners who can reserve the Ilikai which only has studios and is close to the Hilton. I've stayed at both the Hilton (pre timeshares there) and the Wyndham, each has their benefits. One thing to keep in mind is the Wyndham has those funky all in one W/D that take about 4-4.5 hours to complete a load of clothes.

 

[hockeyprincess]

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village 2 years ago and it was GREAT! We loved loved loved it, it's so beautiful there and right smack dab on the beach. We were in the Rainbow tower but had some friends in the Lagoon tower. We walked everywhere we went for shopping/food/drinks. There's a nice little restaurant directly across the street and it has far cheaper food, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, etc than at the resort itself. I was glad to see that resort on RCI list. That would be my suggesstion for stays in Waikiki.

There were no noise problems at all in our room or inside the resort, IMO it has something for everyone. I can't help out with other islands but hope to go to some of the others one day. Good luck!

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village 2 years ago and it was GREAT! We loved loved loved it, it's so beautiful there and right smack dab on the beach. We were in the Rainbow tower but had some friends in the Lagoon tower. We walked everywhere we went for shopping/food/drinks. There's a nice little restaurant directly across the street and it has far cheaper food, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, etc than at the resort itself. I was glad to see that resort on RCI list. That would be my suggesstion for stays in Waikiki.

There were no noise problems at all in our room or inside the resort, IMO it has something for everyone. I can't help out with other islands but hope to go to some of the others one day. Good luck!

Hey that's great to hear because we are staying there in May! (Not an exchange)...We will be in the lagoon tower. I would love to get the name of the restaurants you went to...thanks!

 

[tamclan]

The Hilton on the Big Island is a great place. This was originally built as a Hyatt. I stayed there about 10 years ago when it was just rebranded a Hilton.

They had a (by lottery) swim with Dolphin program. Had their own lagoon to snorkel etc.

 

[homedad]

loved the HHV, right by beach....

 

[disneymom8589]

We've stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and it was wonderful...so much to do right on property! It's right on the beach and has a great pool. When we were there 5 years ago, they even had fireworks on a Friday night.

 

[hockeyprincess]

I can't remember the restaurant's name we ate at, but if you walk directly out the front entrance of the HHV and turn to the left, cross the street and it's right there! Cheap but good MaiTai's also! And there was a Cheeseburger in Waikiki or something to that effect within walking distance also, and they serve GREAT breakfast, it's an all open air restaurant. Themed like the Jimmy Buffett style restaurants, Margaritaville, etc. Anything and everything you need is at an ABC store, and they are all over the place. Also within walking distance of the best shopping ever, International Marketplace. Any other questions let me know! I'll see if I can upload some of our pics to photobucket and link them here for you.

 

[phyllisnnj]

I can't remember the restaurant's name we ate at, but if you walk directly out the front entrance of the HHV and turn to the left, cross the street and it's right there! Cheap but good MaiTai's also!

I think you're talking about the Wailana Coffee House and Cocktail lounge at
1860 Ala Moana Blvd., (corner of Ena Road and Ala Moana)

See Ben's Tours of the Wailana Coffee House, Honolulu at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiH-TqGFDds

 

[phyllisnnj]

There are some recent photos of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Lagoon Tower posted on TUG - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88884

 

[phyllisnnj]

Hey that's great to hear because we are staying there in May! (Not an exchange)...We will be in the lagoon tower. I would love to get the name of the restaurants you went to...thanks!

We're staying at the Lagoon Tower this summer. Finding places to eat offsite won't be hard.

Here's a sample list of several nearby National Chains within walking distance of the Hilton Hawaiian Village (less than a mile).

 There are several McDonalds, Starbucks (onsite & offsite), Subways in the area
 Benihana - 2005 Kalia Rd
 Outback Steakhouse - 1765 Ala Moana Blvd
 Red Lobster - 1765 Ala Moana Blvd
 Tony Roma's - 1860 Ala Moana Blvd
 Todai - 1910 Ala Moana Blvd
 Hard Rock Cafe - (Moving to 209 Beachwalk Ave in Waikiki in the Spring of 2009)
 Planet Hollywood - located on Kalakaua Avenue between BeachWalk and Lewers (2155 Kalakaua Ave)
 Denny's - 205 Lewers St
 Nobu Waikiki - located at the Waikiki Parc Hotel (2233 Helumoa Rd)

 At the Ala Moana Mall (1450 Ala Moana Boulevard) - http://alamoanacenter.com/diningdirec.htm

o Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
o California Pizza Kitchen
o Morton's The Steakhouse
o Romano's Macaroni Grill
o Ruby Tuesday
o Panda Express
o Sbarro Italian Eatery
o Steak & Fish Company
o Tony Roma's Express
o Arby's
o Dairy Queen / Orange Julius
o McDonald's
o Pizza Hut Express / Taco Bell Express
o Quizno Subs
o Subway​

 At Waikiki Beachwalk (226 Lewers St) - http://www.waikikibeachwalk.com/dine.aspx

o Cheeseburger Beachwalk
o Roy's Waikiki
o Yard House
o Ruth's Chris Steak House​

 At the Royal Hawaiian Center (2201 Kalakaua Avenue) - http://www.royalhawaiiancenter.com/dining/dining-directory

o Baskin-Robbins
o Maui Tacos
o P.F. Chang's
o Panda Express
o Sbarro
o Señor Frog's Restaurant & Bar
o Starbucks Coffee
o The Cheesecake Factory
o Wolfgang's Steakhouse​

 At the Waiklki Shopping Plaza (2250 Kalakaua Avenue) - http://www.waikikishoppingplaza.com/directory.html

o Taco Bell
o Subway
o Pizza Hut
o Starbucks
o Subway
o Church's Chicken​

Here's a Waikiki Area Map - http://www.driveguidemagazines.com/oahu_waikiki.html (the Hilton Hawaiian Village is in the lower left corner of the page; The Lagoon tower (not shown on the map) is behind the Hilton Lagoon and across from the street from the “Y” shaped Ilikai Waikiki hotel)

Here's a link to Zagat's Hawaii Restaurant List - http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/bestof/bestof/hawaii.html
Our favorite Fine Dining Restaurant is Alan Wongs - http://www.alanwongs.com/kingstreet/king_street.html (reservations required; we love their tasting menu)

We also like the Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar located at the Waikiki Beach Marriot Resort and Spa (2552 Kalakaua Avenue) - http://www.sanseihawaii.com/index.html and the dinner buffet at the Plumeria Beach House Restaurant located outside of Waikiki at the Kahala Hotel (reserve an outside table) - http://www.kahalaresort.com/dining/plumeria-beach-house.cfm

Other Restaurant Lists
Hale Aina Dining Award Winners - http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Hale-Aina/
‘ILIMA Dining Award Winners - http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/specials/bestrestaurants08/
"Five Hawaii restaurants that will wow foodies" from the San Francisco Chronicle - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/01/30/alohafriday013009.DTL

Have a wonderful time

Ooops forgot to mention... for an excellent guidebook get "Oahu Revealed" - http://www.wizardpub.com/oahu/oahu.html

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Wow, phyllisnj, thanks for all the info! I am sure any of us on this thread appreciate getting those details as we plan our trips!

 

[Dean]

There are a million places to eat but I'll add in a few you might not choose on your own. The Ocean Terrace at the Outrigger reef just down the street from the Hilton toward Waikiki was wonderful with great views, great food and reasonable prices. IMO, the Spaghetti Factory at Ward Warehouse is an absolute must. And if you like Steak and Fine Dining, Hy's Steakhouse is an absolute experience that puts Ruth's Chris and similar places to shame, worth eating PBJ another day just to afford to go though it's not that expensive. Make reservations for when Audy Kimura is playing and ask to be seated in the bar area (they have some of the regular tables) or just go and sit in the bar itself and get an appy or similar. Audy is a James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg type of singer. Ask him to play some of his original work, especially "Lovers & Friends". Do make reservations when possible and expect long waits if you don't/can't such as 1.5 - 2 hours on weekdays at Cheesecake Factory. Duke's Canoe Club is also very nice but on most of the recommended lists. For the ultimate in Fine Dining, Le Mer at the Halekulani is the ultimate in both dining experience and price. There are some locations that require jackets or at least long sleeves with button up shirts so be careful. Buzz's Steakhouse on the Windward side is a nice treat as well.

 

[jaurban]

We stayed at HHV Rainbow tower (top floor Diamond Head view - lucky room assignment) two years ago and had a great time. Does anyone have an idea as to how difficult it would be to get this exchange. We may purchase BLT and would have to use the DP for RCI.

 

[Dean]

We stayed at HHV Rainbow tower (top floor Diamond Head view - lucky room assignment) two years ago and had a great time. Does anyone have an idea as to how difficult it would be to get this exchange. We may purchase BLT and would have to use the DP for RCI.

Given the way Hilton operates their system, I would expect it to be almost impossible to get the Rainbow Hilton during anything but May, Sept and early Dec and even then, not likely. I had a search in 2 years ago for last year that never matched for Jan.

 

[phyllisnnj]

The Hilton Hawaiian Village has multiple towers however only three towers have timeshares villas.
- Lagoon Tower (RCI # 5996)
- Kalia Tower (RCI # 7499) (mixed tower of timeshare villas and hotel rooms)
- Grand Waikikian Tower (The Grand Waikikian opened December 2008 and doesn't appear in the RCI directory yet)

Just like DVC, HGVC controls which weeks are deposited into RCI. Since HGVC has villas to sell in Hawaii, I believe HGVC is depositing more of their Hawaii villas with RCI. So this may be a good time to try to get a RCI exchange. In the fall of 2007, HGVC did a bulk HHV deposit for April thru December 2008 which was never seen before. Since then Hawaii weeks have been seen in RCI from time to time. You may have a chance to get an exchange if you make your request early and you are very flexible with your dates (requesting multiple months if possible).

If you like the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu, then you may also like the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island.
- HGVC at Waikoloa Beach Resort (RCI # 8599)
- HGVC at Kings Land (The Kings Land section just opened in October 2008 and doesn't appear in the RCI directory yet.)

See this TUG thread for a comparison of the Hilton Hawaiian Village vs the Hilton Waikoloa Village - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85126

NOTE: Various hotel deals are available due to the reduction of visitors to the islands. Nearly all of the major hotel chains in Hawaii have lowered their rates or offer some type of package.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

We are going to the HHV in May. Do any of you experts know what kind of coffee maker there is in the grand vacation clubs at HHV? Also, would it be worth it to ship some beach chairs, I am assuming they charge?

 

[phyllisnnj]

Also, would it be worth it to ship some beach chairs, I am assuming they charge?

From Tripadvisor

We were able to book a 1BR condo thru the hilton.com website, for the same price as many of the regular hotel rooms at HHV.

Pros of staying in Lagoon Tower that differed from what I read about staying in the non-"vacation club" towers:
1- each floor has free laundry facilities and they provide detergent
2 - in room internet and wireless are free
3 - no charge for coffee
4 - no charge for safe
5 - we were here for a week; having a full kitchen, seperate bedroom (so we could stay up while our 3yr old slept), and large LR/DR area was very comfortable.
6 - service was excellent: we requested a rollaway bed at check-in, and it was delivered within 5 min of us walking in our door. We requested extra blankets later in the stay - again delivered fast.
7 - free DVD rentals and a "book exchange" available through the concierge
8 - tower is closest to Ala Moana mall (easy walk even for my 3yr old), where there is a Foodland supermarket for mainland priced groceries, and plenty of shopping. Since we had a full kitchen we saved tons by having breakfast on our own balcony and picnic lunches by the lagoon or beach, and could spend more on dinners. If it's too far for you to walk there are ABCs all over or you can take the trolley or bus.
9 - We never got grief about pool/beach towels: just walked up and asked for as many as we needed.
10 - 42" LCD tv in the living room! it's bigger than ours at home! DVD player too.
11 - No line-up at check-in, complimentary macadamia nut chocolates, and fresh flower leis.

Cons: none that I can mention specific to the Lagoon Tower.

Some comments in general about the hotel property:
- it's HUGE. If you want private quiet seclusion, go somewhere else.
- restaurants are pricey, but we only ate on property once (the Rainbow Sat night buffet) and it was worth it. $29 ocean front dinner buffet (with coupon they give you at check-in), with lots of seafood, fresh fruits and local cuisine, desserts, even a chocolate fountain for making your own smores or choc dipped strawberries. Plus our 3yr old ate for free That's a pretty good deal for anywhere in Hawaii where dining is always pricey.
- grounds are beautiful and have lots of nature to entertain the kids: penguin/turtle feeding every morning, flamingos, koi ponds, ibis, maccaws.
- Lagoon is excellent for younger kids as the water is wave-free. If you prefer the ocean it's just past the lagoon. Plenty of pools if you prefer that.
- beach chairs and umbrellas are rent/day: $15 and $30 each per day! Just go to Walmart (across from Ala Moana mall), and buy your own for the week at $10 and $9 each.
- Free fireworks every Friday night - excellent display - made even better by how close you are to the actual launch site.
- Wed/Sun luaus on property: based on guide recces we bussed out to Germaine's luau (well worth it), but we did picnic take-out dinners on the lagoon beach to enjoy the music and show of the hotel luau. Much better than sharing a table with 10 strangers and paying $90/head to do so (plus we heard the hotel luau food was mediocre).
-parking is expensive, $24/nt. We cabbed from the airport ($35 for a limo), and rented a car for a couple days thru National (used Costco discount and car class upgrades) for $28/day. The National lot is less than 1/4 mile walk from the lagoon tower and open 7am-8pm, so we just returned the car to them at the end of the day instead of paying for Hilton's parking lot.

 

[phyllisnnj]

We are going to the HHV in May. Do any of you experts know what kind of coffee maker there is in the grand vacation clubs at HHV?

It's a Cuisinart - see photo #30 from the 1st post in the thread below. If it's a timeshare exchange, you'll get two starter packages (see photo #24)

There are some recent photos of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Lagoon Tower posted on TUG - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88884