milli

We were thinking to go to the Hilton Waikoloa since we have an 11 years old kid, but somebody told us there is no beach there and the hapuna Prince might be better, so noe we are totally confused. Are they far away from each other? Anyone who has been there can give us some hints? Also, would you do the helicopter ride to the volcano? Is it worthwile? And, moreover, is it safe?
Thanks
milli

crazy4Hawaii

We loved the Hapuna with our 12 year old daughter. The infinity pool is large and very nice, but no waterslides. The beach is the most beautiful I've seen in Hawaii. We needed something more tranquil than the Hilton this trip. - However, we DID stay at Grand Wailea on Maui, so we got our waterslide fix! I'm sure you'll love either place.

Helicopters are NOT safe. - You can check out the safety record... But it is quite an experience, and accidents are unlikely, but certainly not unheard of.

tiname

I haven't been to the Hapuna Beach, but have stayed at the Waikoloa and thought it was fantastic. I didn't miss the beach because the pools are so extensive. I was there with no kids, but it seems like a place kids would enjoy because of the pools and dolphin quest. Maybe the difference is how important having a beach at the resort is to you. We were planning on taking day trips to the beach, but never had too, we had too many other things to do.
We didn't do the helicopter ride at the volcano. We really enjoyed our day trip there, getting out and hiking the area is an amazing way to spend a day. Plus it's a heck of a lot cheaper than taking a helicopter. I think the helicopter would be helpful if you really wanted to see lava, but it is too far to hike too.

highflyer

Did you look at the Marriott Waikoloa?
It's probably between the two extremes of the hotels (in terms of kid friendliness) that you mentioned.

The Marriott has a pool with a waterslide and is on A bay, a lovely beach. It isn't huge and doesn't get the hoardes of kids that are attracted to the Hilton. The Hapuna has far fewer kids partly because the maximum no. of people per room is 3.

Of your choices I'd go with the Hapuna...you can visit the Waikoloa to see the dolphins or have lunch there, etc.

For me a good beach is an essential in Hawaii and the Hilton doesn't provide that.

crazy4Hawaii

Oh, I failed to mention that you can take an airplane tour over VNP and get the same lava views with much more safety and less expense. Hawaiidan over on the Tripadvisor forums has mentioned this option several times.

Ag3046

The Hapuna has one of the three great beaches on Hawaii. No matter how good the pools, a beach is always better. I stayed at the Grand Hyatt on Kauai, which has an extensive pool system, but a beach too rough for swimming. I wouldn't stay there again. Hawaii is all about the beach to me. You can always go to a mainland waterpark. You can't duplicate a heavenly beach.

curiousgeo

When my family and I stayed at the Hapuna Beach Prince, one of the first things we did was hit the pool. My son , 11 years old loved it and really enjoyed swimming there, he kept going back and forth between the pool and the hot tub.

Then we went down to the beach and that was it. For the rest of our stay he never went back to the pool, instead wanted to snorkel, boogie board and sand surf. A truly beautiful beach.

Bikom

Milli, we stayed at both, and loved them. Is there anyway you can split your trip in two? Both properties are great. the Hilton has a huge pool area, and man-made lagoon for snorkeling and kayaking, a dolphin experience, and a train and boat system to take you around.really fun. But no beach.but be sure to request the tower near the pool area, its a huge property.Can atke you forever to get around.That being said, Hapuna is one of our favorite places in Hawaii and the beach is terrific. Its a beautful place, pool is wonderful. Our kids, 10 and 13, really loved both places. If you can only stay in one, and you choose the Hilton, I would recommend spending a day at hapuna, have the breakfast buffet overlooking the ocean and spend the day swimming there. the beach is not to be missed. they are 20 minutes away from each other, i think. aloha

milli

I thank you all for your precious advices. One more thing: would you rent a car or is there a better way to go around places?
Milli

Grcxx3

I think I had a pretty extensive write-up of our stay at the Hilton Waikoloa. Let me find it and I'll do another post with the link.

highflyer

You will definitely need a car unless you want to spend all your time at the resort. The island is Big and things are spread out....to give you some idea we were there in Nov for 8nights and clocked up 600 miles!

busytravelor

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Devonmcj

We stayed at the Hapuna Prince last Thanksgiving. The beach was beautiful, but the waves were very big - too big to let our 8-yo son play in, and he's a very good swimmer. I wasn't comfortable either and I grew up playing in the waves on Oahu's windward side. From what I've heard, the water is usually only occasionally rough like that in the winter. I don't know when you're going, but you might want to keep that in mind.

Bikom

A car is a must, I think, unless you just plant yourself at one place.

Ag3046

You really need to rent a car

milli

Do you think I should book it in advance or is it quite easy to rent cars there? Thanks again
Milli

girlonthego

Hi Milli,
First check out the car prices now and book one. You can always cancel and rebook if better prices come up. I usually check once in a while to see if the prices have changed. Also, if you are a costco or sams club member, they offer good discounts on rentals.

Next, We loved the Hilton. It is big and crazy, but had everything. Our daughters were 11 and 13 and we just went over spring break. There are lots of kids and so if she is an only child, there will be someone else there looking for a friend. The lagoon was great and had turtles swimming by. The resort had great food and lots to do. I did not see the hotel the Hapuna Prince, but we did go to Hapuna beach for a day and it was a lot of fun. The waves were big and so I went in with my kids and rode the waves. It is a pretty beach, but I thought there were many pretty beaches in Hawaii. Hapuna Beach is about 10 minute drive north of the Hilton.
The Marriott is next door to the hilton and is under construction and does not have anything near the hilton's activities. The beach next to them is public and the the hilton will shuttle you down.
Volcano: We did a day trip and drove and it was okay. I would never go again. I liked snorkeling better and found the whole day long and boring. That is just me though. My husband said we could have seen it all in 15 minutes by helicopter and actually saw lava. We did not see any lava, just black rocks...miles and miles of black rocks. I do not know how safe the helicopters are, but people take them everyday and there is a company called blue hawaii that had a location near the Hilton.
We would definitely love to return to the hilton. It is a busy and large complex. You have to like that.
If you do decide to stay up in the Kohala area (Hilton and Hapuna), definitely take a day trip down to Kona and snorkel at the turtle beach. There is a formal name for it and someone else on here knows it, but it was great. Lots of turtles and beautiful colored fish.

Ag3046

You will get a much better deal on a car if you reserve one rather than try to get one at the airport. Also, look for hotel/car packages on Expedia,
www.expedia.com
www.kayak.com

milli

i thank you all very much, thanks to girlonthego for the precious hints and i'll let you know when I'm back how it's gone!
best
Milli

beachkomer

The Hilton is my favorite! We would try a different pool each day or the lagoon. I liked the vastness, it was a kids dream in terms of the boat ride or train. I went over to the Hapuna to use the beach and it was boring and dead compared to the Hilton.

The idea of splitting up the stay would give you a taste of each hotel.

Have fun!!!

We are planning our 5th trip to the b.i. this October!