By Emma Krasov. Photography by Yuri Krasov
Hilton Waikoloa Village is a sprawling, palm tree-lined hospitality estate on the calm and sunny Kohala Coast of the Hawai’i, or the Big Island, as it’s popularly known. Finding a better place for a family vacation, a relaxing getaway for busy professionals, or a wedding celebration with throngs of guests, would be hard if not impossible. Due to its sheer size, and the highest standards of all hotel services this place is ready to meet any demand, and satisfy any request.
Add to it a sandy beach by a salt water lagoon, naturally connected to the ocean, with a sparkling waterfall on its far side; a network of swimming pools of all sizes; an array of various restaurants; a luau stage, and the most striking, enormous collection of art, scattered throughout the property, and neatly displayed in a walk-through museum.
And I don’t even mention a built-in convention center with large regal ballrooms and beautifully decorated hallways. I don’t know who must be those lucky conventioneers that call this place home for the time of their gatherings, but I sincerely and openly envy them.
Different buildings and venues on the hotel grounds can be reached on foot through the walkways, populated by the precious paintings, sculptures, and tapestries. Museum Walkway houses 1,800 unique art pieces. There are also two comfortable means of “public” transportation—an air-conditioned train, and a spacious boat that slides through a winding shallow canal teaming with fish.
This fall, the hotel implemented a feature that made a stay here even more enticing. The Inclusive Sale, extended from September 16 through December 18, allowed vacationers, who booked rooms in MAKAI and Palace Tower by a particular deadline, to enjoy daily breakfast and dinner and all-day drinks at the hotel restaurants, one-hour lagoon water toy rentals (kayak, stand up paddle board, water tricycle or pedal boat), self-parking, and a resort fee—all for their nightly rate.
Breakfasts at Nui Restaurant, and dinners at the casual Nui Italian, craft beer-centered Kona Tap Room, and an upscale Kamuela Provision Company (KPC) with fine dining and Pacific sunset views; drinks at Kona and Kohala Pool Bars or Lagoon Grill Bar, and even an unforgettable night of the Legends of Hawaii Luau are all a part of this amazing deal.
Other benefits include internet access, fitness and yoga classes at Kohala Spa, and cultural classes, like lei-making, kukui nut bracelet making, and ukulele playing.
One of the most interesting places on the hotel grounds is a delphinarium tended by a team of marine mammal specialists. Dolphin Quest at Hilton Waikoloa Village, the only dolphin interaction attraction of its kind on the Big Island, offers a rare opportunity for an entire family to watch dolphin feedings, their daily exercises under the trainers’ instruction, and even communicate up close and personal with the gorgeous and intelligent animals at their own lagoon.
Hilton Waikoloa Village is located at 69-425 Waikōloa Beach Dr, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738; (808) 886-1234. Find out more at https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/koahwhh-hilton-waikoloa-village.
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