New 36-Story Tower At Hilton Hawaiian Village

[Luanne]

The most important question of all is what will happen to Goofys? Its the best breakfast on Oahu imo. Was so nice to have it close like that to the GW tower.

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Off topic, but a million years ago the best breakfast in Honolulu was at the counter at Woolworth's. And if it wasn't a Woolworth's it was a drugstore. I was there in 1970 with my best friend. After we discovered it we ate breakfast there every morning of our visit. I fell in love with their French toast with coconut syrup.

 

[rjp123]

Wailana Coffee House RIP. Loved that place.

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[csodjd]

Wailana Coffee House RIP. Loved that place.

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I was told later this year it will become an ABC Market. Basically a large ABC store with a smallish market and deli inside.

I own in the Canterbury building across the street from it and the entrance to HHV. The first two floors of our building are commercial space that's in the midst of remodeling construction. Later this summer (best guess) it will open as a large "high end" food-court type location with 12-14 individual "restaurants." I don't have many details. My understanding is that the owner/developer is a very successful Korean restaurant developer that is bringing his concept to Hawaii.

I expect that will be very popular with HHV visitors.

 

[linsj]

Wailana Coffee House RIP. Loved that place.

Ate there only once. Worst breakfast I ever had.

 

[rjp123]

Ate there only once. Worst breakfast I ever had.

Must have ordered the wrong thing.

The little bar there was pretty cool as well.

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[Tamaradarann]

I tried to get lunch at Goofys in Dec when we were there, was told they did not serve a Poke bowl, even though it was on the web site menu listed as limited number. The host and chef were not welcoming at all so I left.

Honestly, I think that was probably our last trip to HHV, as stated the pools were overcrowded and no seating available. Dining choices very limited on site, best lunch was the shrimp plate from the truck in the marina parking lot.

We first stayed there in 2001, parking was $10 a night and the Lagoon tower had a private pool deck and hot tub. The super pool is not so super when you throw all the people from the new towers in there.

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If your plans are go to the Honolulu and stay at the HHV and limit yourself to the pools and restaurants of the village and park a car at the village for $50/night I agree with you that that should be your last stay at the village. We have stayed at the HHV for over 1000 nights since 2009 and love it. We have never parked a car in the garage.(We don't get a car) We have eaten at most of the restaurants only once or twice each over those years particularly in the early years. We have used the paradise pool and hot tubs a few times.

However, while we have stayed at the HHV we mostly enjoy things outside of the village. We don't rent a car; we walk or take the BUS to get all around Honolulu. There is a great beach right outside the village and Waikiki Beach is within walking distance.(Ocassionally we do rent a car for a day to go to the North Shore beaches and things that take a long inconvenient bus ride.) There are almost limitless restaurants of all kinds in Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kakaako, Downtown Honolulu, Manoa that are easy walking or bus rides. Before Covid we enjoyed a great deal of live music and shows all over Honolulu. The Blue Note, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu Symphony, and Live Theaters all over provide many days and nights of things to do. To summarize if you are limiting your Honolulu stay to the HHV you are missing the best parts of Honolulu and you will be stuggling to enjoy your stay in an overcrowded over priced venue.

 

[letsgobobby]

If your plans are go to the Honolulu and stay at the HHV and limit yourself to the pools and restaurants of the village and park a car at the village for $50/night I agree with you that that should be your last stay at the village. We have stayed at the HHV for over 1000 nights since 2009 and love it. We have never parked a car in the garage.(We don't get a car) We have eaten at most of the restaurants only once or twice each over those years particularly in the early years. We have used the paradise pool and hot tubs a few times.

However, while we have stayed at the HHV we mostly enjoy things outside of the village. We don't rent a car; we walk or take the BUS to get all around Honolulu. There is a great beach right outside the village and Waikiki Beach is within walking distance.(Ocassionally we do rent a car for a day to go to the North Shore beaches and things that take a long inconvenient bus ride.) There are almost limitless restaurants of all kinds in Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kakaako, Downtown Honolulu, Manoa that are easy walking or bus rides. Before Covid we enjoyed a great deal of live music and shows all over Honolulu. The Blue Note, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu Symphony, and Live Theaters all over provide many days and nights of things to do. To summarize if you are limiting your Honolulu stay to the HHV you are missing the best parts of Honolulu and you will be stuggling to enjoy your stay in an overcrowded over priced venue.

Exactly! Double like!

 

[Nowaker]

We don't rent a car; we walk or take the BUS to get all around Honolulu

Another option is an electric scooter. It can work fine for couples without kids. $1 unlock + $0.49-$.89/minute, depending on what scooter you unlock.. (It appears the price is based on the location where it's parked. They're always parked on private property, not in the sidewalks, as Honolulu seems to be too backwards to enact some good scooter-friendly legislation.)

 

[mjm1]

If your plans are go to the Honolulu and stay at the HHV and limit yourself to the pools and restaurants of the village and park a car at the village for $50/night I agree with you that that should be your last stay at the village. We have stayed at the HHV for over 1000 nights since 2009 and love it. We have never parked a car in the garage.(We don't get a car) We have eaten at most of the restaurants only once or twice each over those years particularly in the early years. We have used the paradise pool and hot tubs a few times.

However, while we have stayed at the HHV we mostly enjoy things outside of the village. We don't rent a car; we walk or take the BUS to get all around Honolulu. There is a great beach right outside the village and Waikiki Beach is within walking distance.(Ocassionally we do rent a car for a day to go to the North Shore beaches and things that take a long inconvenient bus ride.) There are almost limitless restaurants of all kinds in Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kakaako, Downtown Honolulu, Manoa that are easy walking or bus rides. Before Covid we enjoyed a great deal of live music and shows all over Honolulu. The Blue Note, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu Symphony, and Live Theaters all over provide many days and nights of things to do. To summarize if you are limiting your Honolulu stay to the HHV you are missing the best parts of Honolulu and you will be stuggling to enjoy your stay in an overcrowded over priced venue.

We are doing exactly that this June. It will be our first stay HHV and in the Lagoon Towers. We have visited the resort before but never stayed there, so this will be an experience. We have four nights there without a car and then seven nights at Marriott’s Ko Olina with a car. Looking forward to a great time.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[csodjd]

We are doing exactly that this June. It will be our first stay HHV and in the Lagoon Towers. We have visited the resort before but never stayed there, so this will be an experience. We have four nights there without a car and then seven nights at Marriott’s Ko Olina with a car. Looking forward to a great time.

Best regards.

Mike

I’d suggest you look now for your dinner reservations. You can always cancel. Check out Google for when it is sunset, and make reservations accordingly, at least for the nicer “in demand” restaurants. With restrictions disappearing I expect Oahu and Hawaii more generally to be hopping come summer.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Another option is an electric scooter. It can work fine for couples without kids. $1 unlock + $0.49-$.89/minute, depending on what scooter you unlock.. (It appears the price is based on the location where it's parked. They're always parked on private property, not in the sidewalks, as Honolulu seems to be too backwards to enact some good scooter-friendly legislation.)

While I see scooters and bikes being used to get around they do have drawbacks. They do go faster than walking but they are more dangerous than either walking, busing or a car. They are NOT supposed to be on the sidewalks and while there are some bike lanes on some roads other don't have them. On roads you are competing with cars and in an accident you are going to lose. You can get a ticket in certain areas like Waikiki for riding on the sidewalk. Also, as a walker you are endangering me when I am walking and you are coming up behind me and I can't see you passing me. Also, while I see them during the day and I don't see them at night. Many of the activities that we enjoy do go into the night. Furthermore, while some of the locations have places to store or return the scooter or bike others don't. So I don't know what you do with the bike or scooter if you want to go to an area without storing capability. We have been Walking and Busing it for over 1000 nights since 2009 and have always been able to complete our trips without a problem all over Oahu from 6:00 AM to as late as 11 PM at night.

 

[DazedandConfused]

We have stayed at the HHV for over 1000 nights since 2009 and love it.

To summarize if you are limiting your Honolulu stay to the HHV you are missing the best parts of Honolulu and you will be stuggling to enjoy your stay in an overcrowded over priced venue.

Wow, that is averaging 3 months per year at ONE location, do you stay at HGVC HHV for 9 weeks per year?

I personally love Ko'Olina and even the North Shore much better than Waikiki, and actually love visiting the other islands even better. A car definitely helps get around the island, but the HHV area seems more like Miami Beach or mainland USA than Hawaii. The best parts of Hawaii are not located at HHV and if you are walking or riding a bus, that limits exploring.

 

[csodjd]

Wow, that is averaging 3 months per year at ONE location, do you stay at HGVC HHV for 9 weeks per year?

I personally love Ko'Olina and even the North Shore much better than Waikiki, and actually love visiting the other islands even better. A car definitely helps get around the island, but the HHV area seems more like Miami Beach or mainland USA than Hawaii. The best parts of Hawaii are not located at HHV and if you are walking or riding a bus, that limits exploring.

I think you misconstrue the allure of Hawaii a bit. A big part of the beauty and allure is that Hawaii offers so much. If you WANT the busy bustling Waikiki, with its beaches and restaurants, you can have it. To some (many?) THAT is the Hawaii they are looking for, and people come from around the world to be in the middle of that. If you’re looking for something very different, well, there is Maui, the lava and volcano and resorts of the Big Island, the Garden Isle of Kauai, not to mention the North Shore of Oahu or Ko Alina. To some, HHV and Waikiki ARE the “best parts” of Hawaii. To others it is the lush rainforests of Kauai. My favorite part of Hawaii is relaxing in Maui or golf on the Big Island. But my wife wants nothing to do with either and loves Waikiki. THAT is what makes Hawaii special. You can have any of it, and pretty much anyone can find what they like (unless downhill skiing is your thing I guess).

 

[Tamaradarann]

Wow, that is averaging 3 months per year at ONE location, do you stay at HGVC HHV for 9 weeks per year?

I personally love Ko'Olina and even the North Shore much better than Waikiki, and actually love visiting the other islands even better. A car definitely helps get around the island, but the HHV area seems more like Miami Beach or mainland USA than Hawaii. The best parts of Hawaii are not located at HHV and if you are walking or riding a bus, that limits exploring.

We went to Honolulu for the first time in 2007 for 2 weeks at the HHV and that made our decision on moving for an early retirement at the end of 2008 and spending alot of time in Honolulu.

In the winter of 2009 my husband and I retired. We took what some people might say is the trip of a lifetime. We started off with 3 nights in the Gaslamp District of San Diego, then a week in Kauai, then 5 weeks in Honolulu at the HHV, then eight nights in Maui, then a week in Waikaloa, then 4 more weeks in Honolulu at the HHV, finally 2 weeks in Miami South Beach at the Winter Music Conference. We loved all of it but loved Honolulu the most. We always say that we love all the islands of Hawaii and if we were going to get a car we would stay on any of the islands but not in Honolulu. However, we love vacationing without a car for economic reasons, drinking and not driving reasons, as well as moving toward our older years and driving much less or not at all.

From 2010 until now we started to spend more and more time in Honolulu mostly at the HHV. We started spending 3 months, then 4 months, then 18 weeks in 2019. Each year we would spend some time in another island Maui(2 weeks), Kauai(4 weeks), Hawaii Island(4 weeks), Molokai(3 nights), or Lanai(4 nights) and we love all of the islands. But we never tire of Honolulu.

 

[DazedandConfused]

From 2010 until now we started to spend more and more time in Honolulu mostly at the HHV. We started spending 3 months, then 4 months, then 18 weeks in 2019. Each year we would spend some time in another island Maui(2 weeks), Kauai(4 weeks), Hawaii Island(4 weeks), Molokai(3 nights), or Lanai(4 nights) and we love all of the islands. But we never tire of Honolulu.

Very impressive!!!!!

Congrats on a well thought out retirement plan.

 

[jestme]

We ate at Goofy's yesterday. Really good food. But I'm not surprised these buildings will be gone. Compared to its surroundings, these buildings look like slums, especially the courtyard at Goofy's and the rental car parking lot.


Yeah, one concern is the beach, but also the pools. As we took a walk through the whole property yesterday (Thursday around 4pm), all ground-level pools were packed. Still, the pool at HGVC Kalia Suites wasn't busy - as seen from my unit at HGVC Grand Waikikian.

Overall, after staying at multiple Vegas properties (Paradise, Boulevard, Elara) and MarBrisa, I'm surprised how tiny the pools at HHV are. I guess the real reason is the cost of real estate needed for big ass pools at a location like this.

The pool at the Kalia is rarely busy. It's adult only, and the water in the pool is always really cold. Ther3 is akso a lot of traffic noise from Ala Moana.
A thought on your comment on small pools. Pools are non-revenue areas. The chairs around them are, but not the pools themselves. They don't really want you in the pools when you could be spending money somewhere.

 

[MikeinSoCal]

We are staying at the Kalia next month for personal reasons. We visit Maui and the Big Island every other year. First time visiting Oahu in over 20 years. I use to stay on the north shore at Turtle Bay Hilton. Never stayed in Honolulu. Trying to figure out the pool situation. My wife loves pools. I know we can use the pool at Kalia, but can we use the pools throughout the immediate Hilton area? Sounds like we may not want to. Honolulu is sounding scary to me, while we the other islands.

 

[linsj]

We are staying at the Kalia next month for personal reasons. We visit Maui and the Big Island every other year. First time visiting Oahu in over 20 years. I use to stay on the north shore at Turtle Bay Hilton. Never stayed in Honolulu. Trying to figure out the pool situation. My wife loves pools. I know we can use the pool at Kalia, but can we use the pools throughout the immediate Hilton area? Sounds like we may not want to. Honolulu is sounding scary to me, while we ❤ the other islands.

You may use any of the pools at the Hilton. I don't know why you wouldn't want to. The Kalia pool is the least crowded but cold.

I've stayed at HHV more times than I can remember and never felt scared on Oahu. I've walked all over Waikiki, taken TheBus to other places, and rented a car one day at a time (to avoid the parking charge at HHV) to drive around the island. Yes, there are sketchy areas on the island, but there's no reason to go to them.

 

[MikeinSoCal]

You may use any of the pools at the Hilton. I don't know why you wouldn't want to. The Kalia pool is the least crowded but cold.

I've stayed at HHV more times than I can remember and never felt scared on Oahu. I've walked all over Waikiki, taken TheBus to other places, and rented a car one day at a time (to avoid the parking charge at HHV) to drive around the island. Yes, there are sketchy areas on the island, but there's no reason to go to them.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I need to clarify. I'm not literally scared of the area, just the crowds at the pools. The crowds at the Grand Wailea are bad enough and I have visions of the crowds at HHV as being horrific. Are the other pools far from the Kalia? Do you have to wear a wristband or something?
Thanks.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Very legitimate concern/observation. In my (biased) opinion the answer is definitely not. Certainly the dining is grossly inadequate for another 1000 people, none of whom will have kitchens. I suspect the beach at HHV and the Lagoon will also suffer, and parking will be a nightmare. I also have concerns about traffic on Ala Moana with the hotel ingress/egress right at a crowded curve between the Iliani Hotel and Ena Rd.

The parking could be a problem if people continue to get cars and park them at the HHV for over $50/night. The dining should not be a problem since I believe guests, particularly at the new building, but also for the entire HHV will be patronizing the 2 new projects right across Ala Moana. The food court at the Gormet Food Court at the Caterbury and the ABC Country Market at the Wailana. Both will provide dining opportunities that the HHV doesn't have and perhaps at somewhat lower prices.

 

[PigsDad]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I need to clarify. I'm not literally scared of the area, just the crowds at the pools. The crowds at the Grand Wailea are bad enough and I have visions of the crowds at HHV as being horrific. Are the other pools far from the Kalia? Do you have to wear a wristband or something?
Thanks.

We just returned from HHV (stayed in the Grand Waikikian). If you go to the pools before 10, there usually was not an issue finding chairs. Then by around 1-1:30 chairs started opening up again. Oh, and if you prefer to have the shade of an umbrella, there are none -- you need to rent a cabana for an outrageous price. Huge money grab, IMO.

Kurt

 

[csodjd]

The parking could be a problem if people continue to get cars and park them at the HHV for over $50/night. The dining should not be a problem since I believe guests, particularly at the new building, but also for the entire HHV will be patronizing the 2 new projects right across Ala Moana. The food court at the Gormet Food Court at the Caterbury and the ABC Country Market at the Wailana. Both will provide dining opportunities that the HHV doesn't have and perhaps at somewhat lower prices.

I think it’s a bit premature to reach any conclusions about either of those. The ABC store is not/won’t be a “dining facility“ in any sense of the word. It will be a place where you can pick up a sandwich.

Almost nothing is known about the soon-to-come food facility at Canterbury. I live there and don’t know anything. But whatever it turns out to be, the new building will house 1000+ people. I doubt a “food court” across the street in a private condo complex will address the dining needs.

 

[MikeinSoCal]

We just returned from HHV (stayed in the Grand Waikikian). If you go to the pools before 10, there usually was not an issue finding chairs. Then by around 1-1:30 chairs started opening up again. Oh, and if you prefer to have the shade of an umbrella, there are none -- you need to rent a cabana for an outrageous price. Huge money grab, IMO.

Kurt

Wow! No umbrellas? We just returned from the Grand Wailea and they even had free umbrellas. They also had those $600 - $3,000 a day cabanas too. They've built so many more that they're an eye sore and block views.

 

[alwysonvac]

We are staying at the Kalia next month for personal reasons. We visit Maui and the Big Island every other year. First time visiting Oahu in over 20 years. I use to stay on the north shore at Turtle Bay Hilton. Never stayed in Honolulu. Trying to figure out the pool situation. My wife loves pools. I know we can use the pool at Kalia, but can we use the pools throughout the immediate Hilton area? Sounds like we may not want to. Honolulu is sounding scary to me, while we ❤ the other islands.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I need to clarify. I'm not literally scared of the area, just the crowds at the pools. The crowds at the Grand Wailea are bad enough and I have visions of the crowds at HHV as being horrific. Are the other pools far from the Kalia? Do you have to wear a wristband or something?
Thanks.

July is peak summer at a high demand dense resort. Expect crowds at the pools.
Maybe Grand Islander’s pool would be less crowded but I think it’s only available to guest staying in that tower.

 

[PigsDad]

Maybe Grand Islander’s pool would be less crowded but I think it’s only available to guest staying in that tower.

When I was at HHV a couple of weeks ago staying at the Grand Waikikian, I walked in and used the GI pool and no one said anything (presented my towel card to the attendant). Maybe it was because I had my Elite wristband on? Don't know.

But still no frickin' umbrellas at that pool!

Kurt