Congrats on your upcoming retirement
Yes, it’s true the one bedrooms @ Hokulani have a Juliet balcony (
link).
If you want a one bedroom with balcony seating then you’ll have to book one of the towers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (HHV). Just make sure you book your desired tower at the 9 month mark
There are lots of old threads regarding HHV. I think you’ll find the following two threads below helpful.
(1) From Booking HGVC Waikiki for February 2019 - https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/booking-hgvc-waikiki-for-february-2019.273218/
There are four timeshare towers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. All four towers are nice. The choice really depends on what’s more important to you in terms of view and amenities and the number of points you want to use. For example some folks simply don’t care about the view.
There are lots of old threads about each of the towers. You can locate them by simply searching by tower name - Lagoon, Kalia, Waikikian or Islander
Hilton.com provides detailed room descriptions , photos and 3D floor plans for each unit type.
Lagoon Tower was built back in 1965. Converted from Lagoon Tower apartments into timeshares in 2001.
Pros: Spacious living room with the largest lani, Lagoon tower is also closest to the ocean
Cons: Washer & dryer centrally located on each floor; older apartment style bathrooms with combined tub/shower; elevators shared by everyone (guests, housekeeping, bell services, etc) which means longer elevator wait times during peak times of the day.
The Hilton Hawaiian Village can be very noise due to the various events/live entertainment. The level of noise will range based on the location of the event/live entertainment. The Lagoon Tower is the oldest tower compared to the other three HHV towers that were newly built and offer better soundproofing. If you decide to choose the Lagoon Tower but don't like late evening noise, I suggest that you request a room on the marina side.
Kalia Tower is a combination hotel/timeshare tower. Kalia timeshare units are converted hotel rooms. The conversion was completed in December 2003. There are a total 72 timeshare units in the Kalia Tower. The rooms are located on 6 floors (floor # 12 through 18; there is no 13th floor)
Pros: Fancier; hardwood floors; separate service elevators and faster hotel elevators, better soundproofing.
Cons: Washer & dryer centrally located on each floor; hotel style bathrooms with combined tub/shower; smaller unit with smaller hotel size balconies
Grand Waikikian was built after Lagoon and Kalia towers and opened in December 2008. It was built as a timeshare (not a conversion) and therefore has some amenities the earlier two towers didn’t offer like in-room washer/dryer, separate tub/shower, etc. It's the fancier/luxury tower compared to Lagoon and Kalia but under the higher HGVC point structure.
The Grand Islander is the newest timeshare tower built (just opened May 2017) but it’s the furthest away from the ocean. The views can vary based on the floor you’re assigned. You’ll want to book a high floor to guarantee a great ocean view due to the location.
Older threads regarding the various towers at HHV
(
2)
From Hawaii Resorts Availability -
https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/hawaii-resorts-availability.275691/
Question: Which of the Oahu resorts and room types are most popular and why ?
For some folks, it’s all about the number of points required
- Lagoon and Kalia Towers are popular due to the lower point requirement
- Lagoon and Kalia Towers are the only towers that offer studio units (2200 Points for the week)
For some folks, it’s all about the view and the balcony
- no ocean view (aka standard view, Mountain View, resort view)
- partial ocean view
- ocean-view (some are better than others)
- oceanfront (only available in the Lagoon Tower - two bedroom premier)
- penthouse (two and three bedroom penthouse units in Lagoon, Waikikian and Islander)
For some folks, it’s all about the amenities such as in room washer/dryer, separate tub and shower, etc
- Grand Islander is the newest (opened in 2017) and will offer the latest and greatest
- Grand Waikikian (open ten years ago in 2008) offers more than the older two towers
- Kalia Tower is a hotel room conversion
- Lagoon Tower is an older apartment building conversion
