# Photo's from our HHV vacation



## dougp26364 (Jan 11, 2009)

I have begun to upload photo's from our HHV vacation. Right now I have the photo's of our 1 bedroom ocean view uploaded and a few of the grounds. I'll be adding additional photo's of the grounds throughout this week as time permits. I thought I'd go ahead an post the link since the unit photo's are up and those seem to be the most popular photo's viewed. 

Here's the direct link to our Webshots page. You should only have to click on the photo of my room key. If that fails, you can access our Webshots page using the link in my signature below.


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## alwysonvac (Jan 11, 2009)

Thanks for sharing your photos.


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## kool_kat (Jan 11, 2009)

Those are great pictures of the room!


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## Aptman (Jan 11, 2009)

*How's the pool situation?*

We are going with the family for the first week of April, and are curious about how the new Grand Waikikian pool looks.  Is it open yet?  Is it kid friendly?  Is it crowded?  How big is it, and do you need to be staying at HGVC to use it?  I know these questions have been asked in the abstract before - ie - before it opened, but I'm wondering if it's closer to completion yet, and what the word is on it.


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## Sunshine Wanted (Jan 11, 2009)

Thanks for sharing your photos.  The room looks great!


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## dougp26364 (Jan 12, 2009)

Aptman said:


> We are going with the family for the first week of April, and are curious about how the new Grand Waikikian pool looks.  Is it open yet?  Is it kid friendly?  Is it crowded?  How big is it, and do you need to be staying at HGVC to use it?  I know these questions have been asked in the abstract before - ie - before it opened, but I'm wondering if it's closer to completion yet, and what the word is on it.



We haven't been towards the Waikikian yet. The super pool is open but the pool for the Lagoon tower is under construction and is closed (ie: it's a mess right now). Sometime this week I'll swing by and see if I can take a few pictures of the Grand Waikikian's pool, whatever state it's in. As far as having to be staying at HHV to use it, I would just assume that you would but, I've never bothered to try to use a pool where I'm an owner unless we were staying on the property anyway. So I suppose that it would be possible for HHV owners to get a day pass but really don't have a clue.

I have several more photo's to wade through as time allows and add to the Webshots page. But, the connection here doesn't move as fast as my cable connection at home and it takes to much time to upload more than 6 -10 pics at a time.


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## Aptman (Jan 12, 2009)

dougp26364 said:


> As far as having to be staying at HHV to use it, I would just assume that you would but, I've never bothered to try to use a pool where I'm an owner unless we were staying on the property anyway. So I suppose that it would be possible for HHV owners to get a day pass but really don't have a clue.



I think I worded my question poorly and wasn't specific enough.  In addition to getting details about the physical layout and amenities of the pool, I was trying to gauge how crowded it will be and whether usage is restricted to just people staying at the Waikikian, or people staying there and the Lagoon Tower (where we'll be staying), or to residents of any of the HGVC resorts (as opposed to HHV resorts).  I'd imagine that if the pool is all it's hyped to be, it will be rather crowded all of the time, especially if it's open to all occupants at HHV.

Your info has been great.  Thanks so much for this report, and keep the photos coming.


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## linsj (Jan 12, 2009)

Aptman said:


> I was trying to gauge how crowded it will be and whether usage is restricted to just people staying at the Waikikian, or people staying there and the Lagoon Tower (where we'll be staying), or to residents of any of the HGVC resorts (as opposed to HHV resorts).  I'd imagine that if the pool is all it's hyped to be, it will be rather crowded all of the time, especially if it's open to all occupants at HHV.



The new pool will be open to everyone at HHV, not just those staying in HGVC towers. There's another thread here with an official quote on this.


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## jestme (Jan 12, 2009)

I'm also here now. In discussion with one of the reps, tho pool won't be open until end of March. The entrance to the Lagoon and Waikikian are open but to get there from the HHV side, you have to walk around construction via a board fence and pathway next to the lagoon lawn. 
I'm in Kalia right now, and I'm in the Waikikian next week, so I'll try to post some pics from there when I get there.
The Tropics Bar is also closed, with construction. It is supposed to re-open in April. 
Great pics of the Lagoon room and details Doug.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 12, 2009)

jestme said:


> I'm also here now. In discussion with one of the reps, tho pool won't be open until end of March. The entrance to the Lagoon and Waikikian are open but to get there from the HHV side, you have to walk around construction via a board fence and pathway next to the lagoon lawn.
> I'm in Kalia right now, and I'm in the Waikikian next week, so I'll try to post some pics from there when I get there.
> The Tropics Bar is also closed, with construction. It is supposed to re-open in April.
> Great pics of the Lagoon room and details Doug.



This is a great resort and location you own at. If it weren't so expensive to get here from the midwest, I'd rather this be our home resort than Vegas, even if the MF's are higher. As it is the cost to get here from Wichita, KS is almost the same as flying to Europe and those flight times are about as long. Not to mention we'd prefer to be here in the winter when it's cold back home but, flying out of the midwest in the winter can be risky for making connections or having a flight canceled. As it was, we spent 2 hours sitting on the tarmac at ORD waiting for them to reclear the runway from that 6 inches of "snow flurries" they received that day.


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## Kildahl (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks for the pics, Doug. As to those looking toward the ocean, can you tell me where the Rainbow Towers is? We stayed there in the 80's and lucked out with a unit on the 16th floor with a view looking up the beach, toward the dormant volcano. 
Enjoy. Blizzard warnings here today.:  Kildahl


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## jestme (Jan 12, 2009)

This picture in Dougs set  http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2872395400056845759WdQYyl shows a tiny bit of the Illiki, then the edge of the Waikikian, the Lagoon Tower, the Kalia Tower, then the Tapa tower, followed by the Rainbow. Diamond head would be to the right hand side of this picture, down the beach a ways.


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## Kildahl (Jan 12, 2009)

jestme said:


> This picture in Dougs set  http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2872395400056845759WdQYyl shows a tiny bit of the Illiki, then the edge of the Waikikian, the Lagoon Tower, the Kalia Tower, then the Tapa tower, followed by the Rainbow. Diamond head would be to the right hand side of this picture, down the beach a ways.



Thank you. Nicely done! 
Does the Rainbow Tower block the view of the beach going toward Diamond Head?


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## Sandy VDH (Jan 12, 2009)

jestme said:


> I'm also here now. In discussion with one of the reps, tho pool won't be open until end of March. The entrance to the Lagoon and Waikikian are open but to get there from the HHV side, you have to walk around construction via a board fence and pathway next to the lagoon lawn.
> I'm in Kalia right now, and I'm in the Waikikian next week, so I'll try to post some pics from there when I get there.
> The Tropics Bar is also closed, with construction. It is supposed to re-open in April.
> Great pics of the Lagoon room and details Doug.




End of march, that sucks.


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## jestme (Jan 12, 2009)

I agree it sucks. However, we walked around over there today. To me, they are doing landscaping and final touch ups. The water is all in, warming up, but not re-circulating. There is certainly not 11 weeks of work left, even at "island time". I'd think it will open sooner.


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## pianodinosaur (Jan 12, 2009)

dougp26364:  Your photos are excellent.  Thanks for sharing them with us. Our last stay at the Lagoon Tower was in 2004. We had a fabulous time.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 13, 2009)

Kildahl said:


> Thank you. Nicely done!
> Does the Rainbow Tower block the view of the beach going toward Diamond Head?




From my unit I can not see Diamond Head. I do have a great view of the lagoon and a very nice view of the ocean beyond that.

This is a photo of the view from my unit. The Rainbow tower is what's blocking the view up the beach.


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## annenp (Jan 13, 2009)

dougp26364 said:


> I have begun to upload photo's from our HHV vacation. Right now I have the photo's of our 1 bedroom ocean view uploaded and a few of the grounds. I'll be adding additional photo's of the grounds throughout this week as time permits. I thought I'd go ahead an post the link since the unit photo's are up and those seem to be the most popular photo's viewed.
> 
> Here's the direct link to our Webshots page. You should only have to click on the photo of my room key. If that fails, you can access our Webshots page using the link in my signature below.



what Horizon by Marriott location was this???


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## ricoba (Jan 13, 2009)

annenp said:


> what Horizon by Marriott location was this???



This is the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu.

Thanks for sharing the pics.  If we are ever so lucky to get back to HHV, I want that view instead of the mountain, city and view of the marina that we had.


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## Blues (Jan 13, 2009)

dougp26364 said:


> From my unit I can not see Diamond Head. I do have a great view of the lagoon and a very nice view of the ocean beyond that.



Thanks for the pics!  Going to the Lagoon Towers in a few weeks, and can hardly wait.

It's almost time to call them with a room request.  I have a 2BR+, so my "partial ocean view" should be similar to yours.  Which side of the building do you think is best to request?  Since you can't see Diamond Head, might it be better to request a harbor view (Ala Moana side of the building)?  Or do you think your view of the pool is a better choice?

Thanks.

-Bob


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## ricoba (Jan 13, 2009)

Blues said:


> Thanks for the pics!  Going to the Lagoon Towers in a few weeks, and can hardly wait.
> 
> It's almost time to call them with a room request.  I have a 2BR+, so my "partial ocean view" should be similar to yours.  Which side of the building do you think is best to request?  Since you can't see Diamond Head, might it be better to request a harbor view (Ala Moana side of the building)?  Or do you think your view of the pool is a better choice?
> 
> ...



If I were you I would request the same side of the building that is pictured.  We stayed in the marina view side, towards the back side of the building overlooking the parking structure and towards the city/mountains.  I think the pictures show a much nicer view than we had.


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## sparkysparky (Jan 13, 2009)

Thanks for the pictures!!  I will be there in April so I really, really hope the new pool will be finished at the end of March.


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## sparkysparky (Jan 13, 2009)

Also, since you are there now, how crowded is it?  Does it seem unusually more crowded or less crowded?  I imagine this time of year will be different from April due to Spring Break but I just want to get a general feel.  Thanks!


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## Aptman (Jan 13, 2009)

Bob
We were at the Lagoon tower last year in a 1 bd, so I think we were defaulted to the west side of the tower (ie - the side that faces the harbor).  I would go for the other side of the tower, the same side as pictured above.  Perhaps it's a little noisier, although I doubt it, but it looks out on a nicer area.  The harbor is not particularly nice to look at, although you do have the ocean beyond it.  

We were closer to the elevators, which the end of the tower farthest from  the lagoon.  I would think that the rooms farther down the hall and closer to the lagoon are better, regardless of whether they're lagoon or marina facing, although I'd prefer to look out on the lagoon and ocean beyond.  I can't sayall of this for sure, but this is my inclination.  This is especially true because the further down the hall you are, the less the Rainbow Tower blocks your view of the beach.

I'm going to ask to get on the west side when we go in April, but since we're in a regular 1 BD, I think that we're out of luck and are stuck on the Marina facing, not lagoon facing, side of the building.  I'd also like to be higher up, but again, I think it's only 1 Bd "plus" units that are on the lagoon side or higher up (beyond the 8th floor, I think).  If anyone knows for sure, or has ever had any luck calling up and getting a different unit than what I stayed in last time while only in a 1 BD unit, please let me know.

Thanks for all the great info.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 13, 2009)

Blues said:


> Thanks for the pics!  Going to the Lagoon Towers in a few weeks, and can hardly wait.
> 
> It's almost time to call them with a room request.  I have a 2BR+, so my "partial ocean view" should be similar to yours.  Which side of the building do you think is best to request?  Since you can't see Diamond Head, might it be better to request a harbor view (Ala Moana side of the building)?  Or do you think your view of the pool is a better choice?
> 
> ...




We are on the side facing the lagoon. The pool, which is in front of the building, is under heavy construction right now and is not a pretty sight IMO. On the other side of the building is a large, older condo building. It's not horribly ugly but, personally, I'd rather have the view we're enjoying now rather than the condo building, the harbor, parking and ongoing construction.


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## dougp26364 (Jan 13, 2009)

sparkysparky said:


> Also, since you are there now, how crowded is it?  Does it seem unusually more crowded or less crowded?  I imagine this time of year will be different from April due to Spring Break but I just want to get a general feel.  Thanks!




Crowded is such a subjective matter. IMO, it's busy but not overly crowded. There does appear to be a convention that hit the Rainbow Tower either yesterday or today and traffic around that particular check in seems rather brisk. Still, it's been easy to get around, I haven't felt like I was in a huge crowd and we haven't had an issue getting a table for any meals we've eaten on the grounds.


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## nonutrix (Jan 14, 2009)

Blues said:


> Thanks for the pics!  Going to the Lagoon Towers in a few weeks, and can hardly wait.
> 
> It's almost time to call them with a room request.  I have a 2BR+, so my "partial ocean view" should be similar to yours.  Which side of the building do you think is best to request?  Since you can't see Diamond Head, might it be better to request a harbor view (Ala Moana side of the building)?  Or do you think your view of the pool is a better choice?
> 
> ...



Blues, 

My favorite 2 bedroom plus at the Lagoon Tower is 1960.  It is a corner unit with two lanais - one off the dining room and the other off the living area.  It has a good view of the ocean, the lagoon and Diamond Head.  We've also enjoyed the fireworks and the luau from the lanai.

nonutrix


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## Blues (Jan 14, 2009)

nonutrix said:


> My favorite 2 bedroom plus at the Lagoon Tower is 1960.  It is a corner unit with two lanais - one off the dining room and the other off the living area.  It has a good view of the ocean, the lagoon and Diamond Head.  We've also enjoyed the fireworks and the luau from the lanai.



Thanks!  And thanks to dougp26364 and everyone else for the replies.

So, for room 1960, what's the configuration of the 2nd bedroom?  We're going with another couple, and I want them to have a double, queen, or king bed; not a pair of twin beds.

-Bob


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## HatTrick (Jan 14, 2009)

Although there's at least one convention at HHV right now, and the Sony Open (golf) is going on, it's definitely less crowded here than it's been in January for quite some time. There's ample parking, even with the new GW tower.

Speaking of parking, a little has been added to floors 2-5 of the existing garage. About 30 stalls have been added to each floor on the Ala Moana Blvd. side of garage. These stalls are adjacent to an elevator that takes you down to the GW entrance, which is off of Ala Moana (Hobron Lane).

This is useful because the concrete staircases on the village side of the garage are rather "low rent" for a place like this. And with the lawn of the Lagoon tower being partially blocked by construction, there's a long and narrow path from the garage to the tower.  (The elevated walkway that once took you from the parking garage directly into the Lagoon lobby no longer exists.)

Taking the elevator brings you to either (2nd floor) the GW's outer lobby or (1st floor) out to the GW's storefront (currently unoccupied) on Hobron Lane. If you take the 1st floor, you walk to the left and up some stairs to the GW outer lobby. Then it's across the new GW/Lagoon check-in area, and down some stairs (where the old Lagoon check-in was) or down the handicap-access/luggage ramp to Lagoon's elevators. 

(FYI, we were told by a bell captain that Grand Waikikian's sales have stalled at about 35%.)

There's construction on both sides of Lagoon (pool on one side, replacement of the parking circle on the Lagoon green side) but the pool construction seems to be noisier.

Also new at HHV is a luau on Sunday and Wednesday nights, on the Lagoon green (the part that isn't under construction). Looks like it's taking the place of the Royal Hawaiian luau, since RH has been closed for renovation. Don't know if the luau will return to RH or stay here; it's been at HHV since last July. $95 per person, but that should be no surprise! :annoyed: 

*Update:* We met Gloria Estefan at last night's luau. She has an unexpectedly strong handshake!

Roger


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## alwysonvac (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanks for the update.  

Any info on the new Grand Waikikian prestige room category?
I'm assuming plus and premier means oceanview and oceanfront (just like Lagoon Tower) but what is prestige for the Grand Waikikian?

We now have the following additional room categories for the Grand Waikikian:
1 BR PRESTIGE
1 BR PRESTIGE +
1 BR PRESTIGE PREMIER
2 BR PRESTIGE
2 BR PRESTIGE +
2 BR PRESTIGE PREMIER


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## alwysonvac (Jan 14, 2009)

*Saw your latest photos*

dougp26364,

Wow, were your pictures of the seal and turtle taken from the beach in front of HHV?


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## Sandy VDH (Jan 14, 2009)

alwysonvac said:


> Thanks for the update.
> 
> Any info on the new Grand Waikikian prestige room category?
> I'm assuming plus and premier means oceanview and oceanfront (just like Lagoon Tower) but what is prestige for the Grand Waikikian?
> ...



You must have missed this link being posted earlier.  It shows exactly where those units are located in the tower.
http://www.grandwaikikian.com/021_viewtype_T_E.php


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## alwysonvac (Jan 14, 2009)

Sandy Lovell said:


> You must have missed this link being posted earlier.  It shows exactly where those units are located in the tower.
> http://www.grandwaikikian.com/021_viewtype_T_E.php



I'm not following you. Where does the link show the difference between a prestige room and non prestige room?


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## dougp26364 (Jan 15, 2009)

alwysonvac said:


> dougp26364,
> 
> Wow, were your pictures of the seal and turtle taken from the beach in front of HHV?




No, those were on a beach on north shore. I just haven't had time to label all the photo's yet. The birds and most of the flowers are on HHV grounds.


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## Sandy VDH (Jan 15, 2009)

alwysonvac said:


> I'm not following you. Where does the link show the difference between a prestige room and non prestige room?




I thought that site had the difference, my bad.  

I would have to guess, based on the description, these are extraordinary view or location, might translate to the higher floors in there building.  So not all oceanviews in that picture are the same point categories.  The higher the floor the higher the point value, or perhaps some of them are corner units.

Does anyone who owns or has toured GW got any information on this, so it can be a definitive answer and NOT a guess.


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## HatTrick (Jan 15, 2009)

[Deleted.]


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## nonutrix (Jan 15, 2009)

Blues said:


> Thanks!  And thanks to dougp26364 and everyone else for the replies.
> 
> So, for room 1960, what's the configuration of the 2nd bedroom?  We're going with another couple, and I want them to have a double, queen, or king bed; not a pair of twin beds.
> 
> -Bob



Blues,

The 1960 unit might not work for you if you will be traveling with another couple.  The extra bedroom has two twins.  Aside from that, I find it to be very large and well laid out.  It is the ocean side corner unit, thus the two lanais.

Hope this helps!

nonutrix


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## HatTrick (Jan 16, 2009)

FWIW, I asked at the front desk and was told that the 2BR-LO on the marina side of the Lagoon tower has a king in the guest (studio) room, and the 2BR-LO on the Diamond Head side has two doubles.

Roger


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## dougp26364 (Jan 19, 2009)

HatTrick said:


> FWIW, I asked at the front desk and was told that the 2BR-LO on the marina side of the Lagoon tower has a king in the guest (studio) room, and the 2BR-LO on the Diamond Head side has two doubles.
> 
> Roger




This is something I'll keep in mind if we ever request to exchange back into this resort and I can spy a 2 bedroom unit. Under normal circumstances, I'd go for the king size bed but, after having been there, I'm sure we'd really prefer the Lagoon side of the building. We felt fortunate to have been placed on that side this past trip.


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