TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I came in expecting to dislike this resort based on online complaints. Instead, it turned out to be very well designed. The property is large, but not confusing. Ignore the online comments about getting lost—if you can walk normally, everything is easy to find. The trams are slow and only useful if you have accessibility needs. Just walk. The resort was originally built to move guests by boat, which would’ve been amazing. Those boats are gone now, likely due to cost and staffing, but their removal creates a few odd walkways. For example, staying in Makai Tower (Room 2304), we had to walk past our room and loop back around because of the lagoon design. Not a major issue, just quirky. The property is nearly 40 years old and oceanfront, so yes, there are routine maintenance needs. Nothing severe. Our room was clean, comfortable, and well maintained. Complaints about age feel exaggerated—this is normal for tropical resorts. The biggest downside is pricing: • $48/night to self-park ($55 for valet) • $30 hamburgers FOR LUNCH • $52 breakfast buffet For comparison, Westin Hapuna parking is $32/night. Some pricing feels like unnecessary gouging. Even with status credits, breakfast isn’t reasonable. Thankfully, Starbucks is a short distance away. The positives easily outweigh the negatives. On-site dolphins (free to watch), sea turtles in the lagoon (I swam within 5 feet of them), great snorkeling with tons of fish and eels, multiple pools and slides, shopping, restaurants, and a luau several nights a week. Don’t listen to the loud “it was better 20 years ago” complaints. Even without the boats, this is a unique, family-friendly resort with a lot to offer. But to be clear removing the boats is a poor decision to guest experience regardless of the cost savings to the resort!

I have been at the resort for a few days and had a generally pleasant experience so far. However, this evening I experienced a phenomenal employee in Vladamir a bartender at the Kona Tap Room. I watched him meticulously craft some fancy cocktails and have great conversations with everyone, including me. He is a great representative of the Hilton Waikoloa.

See photos. I don’t normally leave reviews, but the condition of the hotel rooms was so shockingly bad that I feel obligated to warn others. The first room has an awful, musty odor that only got worse the longer we stayed. The room was filthy. We requested a different room and it was just as bad but had a better view. The carpet is heavily stained and reeked of urine by the entry door. We kept our socks on to avoid touching the floor, only to discover later that our socks had picked up other people’s pubic hair. That was the moment we realized we had no choice but to stand on a white towel while getting dressed so the hair wouldn’t get inside our clothes. The HVAC system blew air that smelled like mold and mildew, and when we inspected it, we could actually see mold growing inside. The duvet cover had visible blood stains, the fridge leaked some sort of unknown fluid onto the already-disgusting carpet, and the walls were marked up and stained like they hadn’t been cleaned or repainted in years. there were insects inside the room, which made it impossible to feel comfortable or clean. We came to this property with the intention of buying. The rooms and stay was absolutely unacceptable. The room needs a complete deep cleaning at minimum, and realistically a full renovation. I would never stay here again and strongly recommend that others look elsewhere. This was hands-down the most unsanitary hotel stay in 50 years of travel. These rooms are gross.

The worst planned resort ever! Everything is far away. Way too much walking from lagoon to pool to wherever! No service to swim areas with food. Plus they buckle and time you got EVERYTHING!!! Thus “resort” is just too big and they did not plan for amenities that guests would want. VERY DISAPPOINTING!

Used to be a wonderful 5 star resort.... Been coming here for years. Past few years..... Boats non existent but still advertised, running one tram is stupid... Just fix them! It's a long hike from your 50$ parking spot to ocean towers. We have been waiting 15 minutes for tram and it's only half way here. We have never had to wait this long when both teams are running. The grounds are not clean and kept up as they once were. It's really sad to see garbage, dead palm trees, bird droppings and debris in water way, wear and tear on buildings and outside furniture. Get a general manager in here to run the hotel in the right direction!