TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

What a beautiful place with so much to see and do! The dolphin swim was great and watching them frolic and play was delightful. The art, statuary, and cultural exhibits are so intetesting, and the gardens, bridges, and pathways are so artfully arranged. The tram is fun to ride and gets you quickly to your stop. The boat rides, especially at night, are romantic and remind one of Venice. Paddle boats, kayaks, and water toys, make the water ways fun for all. Whether alone, a couple, or a family with small children, there is so much to see and do. This is a great place to visit on the big island.

The grounds are beautiful. The transportation is very challenging. The pools are great. Not sure we would stay here again due to the issues of getting from place to place. Anytime we want to leave the grounds, we have given up on the tram and walked. It takes about 20 minutes to get to our car. If you are young, this works. Elderly people would struggle. The food and drink are astronomical in price and limited service. We brought our own alcohol. Thank heavens. The dolphins are a huge positive experience.

Pros The lagoon. You can see fish and turtles and manta rays…very cool. Logan is concierge extraordinaire- talk to him if you want to visit the volcanoes or anything off property. Cons. Where should we begin. Most people here probably come on some kind of package. It seems like a great deal. Dolphins, water slides, etc. Then the pain begins. They nickel and dime you for EVERYTHING. Food is outrageously expensive. $53 buffet breakfast. $36 burgers. $20 cocktails, $9 lattes. I can’t imagine not having a car and being able to go off property. But then parking is $48 a day. We spent a lovely day at the Westin property 6 mins away. Amazing beach, $10 grab and go sandwiches and $10 daily cocktail specials. They validate your parking as well. Meanwhile back at the Price Gouge…$100 a day to sit in a shaded cabana by the pool. That’s $200 for my family or sunburns for all. We are staying in the Palace tower which is in need of an update. Do yourself a favor and ask for daily service or they only come every 5th day. We went to the Ocean tower to do laundry- hard to get to…no direct elevator access. Be prepared to carry laundry down stairs. Laundry room had standing water in it and our machine broke half through. Note - the bag we used to transport went missing, good thing we had an air tag in it and were able to retrieve. Moné, the security guard, was very helpful. We are here for 2 more days. Feels better to spend our $$ at the Westin or at the shops in Queens village.

The resort is gorgeous. We stayed for 5 days before heading to another island and it didn't feel like enough to do everything we wanted in the area. Every where we went had impeccable views, was so clean, and everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

We took a chance on this resort considering all the negative reviews, but we had an enjoyable stay. We booked a room in the Makai tower which is centrally located. As others have noted, it is a massive resort that uses a tram and boat system to get you around. We never used them, and enjoyed walking all around the property. There are a number of pros and cons. Overall the grounds are beautiful, but if you are looking for miles of sandy beach, this is not the place. Instead they have created a beach along a lagoon, which is filled with turtles, rays and other sea life and is incredible to snorkel in. They also have Dolphin Quest here, and I have mixed feelings about that. While it was great to see dolphins from our window, it just feels wrong to me. The room itself is clean and comfortable. Oddly housekeeping is offered only if you call the day before each day of your stay. This pandemic behavior should be eliminated. The resort attracts many families with children, but that was mostly at the pool. A short 10 minute walk away can bring you to areas of the resort with quiet chairs far apart from anybody else to enjoy stunning views. Resorts are expensive, but Hilton has gotten out of control. Expect high nightly rates, resort fees, high parking fees and don't even think about buying any food on the property. Breakfast buffet is $55pp plus tax and tip, ala carte options are so high priced it is unaffordable to order a plate, coffee and juice, The prices are insulting. There are two shopping areas on property and about a mile walk from the lobby. You will find more reasonably priced food and stores there. Hilton runs a shuttle, but charges $5 per person each way. There are also great dining options at the other resorts a few miles away, but you would need to drive or take an uber. I can't recommend any of the food options on the property due to the outlandish prices. While this worked out for us, I think you need to research carefully to be sure it will work for you