beachgirl86

Hi everyone,

DH and I are planning our 4th trip to Hawaii this summer, and we may be headed to BI and Maui. I'm pregnant, so this may be our last alone trip for awhile

We have stayed at both the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort and the Marriott Waikoloa in the past, and enjoyed them both for different reasons. Hapuna is booked for part of our stay, so I am looking into the Marriott and the Hilton as other possibilities. They are about the same price for oceanview rooms. I like that the Marriott is brand new, but we've walked through the Hilton and liked it also.

Has anyone been to the Marriott recently that can comment on the construction? We will be there in early August, so I'd like it to be finished by then. Otherwise, the Hilton looks fun in its own way! I'd love to hear any recent experiences...

What about rooms? Marriott's will be newer, I know that, but which hotel has the better ocean views?

beachgirl86

Anyone?

JoniC

I just got back from the area. Did not stay at the Marriott but drove by there and it still looked like a real mess. The entry way, lobby and parking lot are under massive construction. I did not check out the hotel itself but I called the hotel directly and asked them if there was any construction going on around the pool or beach or the rest of the grounds, for that matter, and they admitted there were. In fact, one of the pools was closed and you didn't even have beach access because of the mounds of debris from the construction (this was as of April 07).

I attended a conference at the Hilton. It is quite large but has something for everyone. I myself would not stay there as I prefer smaller hotels with a more romantic (and less kids) feel. I would recommend the Mauna Lani if you can get in. Beautiful place; very peaceful. We stayed at the Fairmont Orchid and were very disappointed due to the disgruntled staff and poor upkeep of the hotel, especially at the prices they charged. I should have listened to some of the other fodorite posts about that one; wish I had stayed at the Mauna Lani but unfortunately they did not have any rooms available. We went to dinner there though and it was worlds apart from these other hotels.

Hope this helps some,
JoniC

karameli

Haven't stayed at the Marriott, but my husband and I stayed at the Hilton in August and LOVED it. It definitely could never be described as "cozy" but we liked the wide choice of restaurants, bars, pools, lagoons, etc. Our room was spotless and the service was friendly. Check-in was a breeze. Their buffet breakfast was fantastic too, and they often run specials where you can get breakfast included in your room rate. If you decide against the Marriott, we were definitely happy with the Hilton! Hope that helps.

tropicaltraveler

Was on the big island in September and stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa. The Marriott was a construction mess then. The Hilton is beautiful, with many 'pros' and a few 'cons'. I love dolphins, and my room overlooked a pool of them. I got to hug them and hang out with them for a bit in the Dolphin Quest program. That was great. The pool area and grounds are absolutely lovely, the restaurants delicious, the rooms are nice but I didn't spend too much time in them! They also have a great bar/lounge with a lovely patio area that is open pretty late. Now, for the "cons". There is no actual beach by the Hilton, you need to take a walk to (can't spell this) Aneahomolo Bay, about a half mile or so away. I love walking so I didn't mind. Secondly, the hotel is HUGE and is very different from your typical Hawaiian Islands resort layout (big lobby atrium which leads out to restaurant overlooking the pool and ocean). It's more like a little city. Finally, my last 'con' may be a 'pro' for some people, depending on your opinions of children. My sweetie and I go away often for tons of activities AND romantic times alone. We do not like everywhere we go at the hotel to be surrounded by overwhelming numbers of screaming children. Even though we were careful to go during the school year at a time where there were no school vacations, the Hilton was FILLED with them, and there was no escape. We had a few dinners at the Hyatt's most upscale restaurants ruined by parents' bringing in young children at the restaurants' last seating of the night and refusing to take them outside when they screamed constantly. So, yeah--if you have a high tolerance for hordes of ill-mannered children, if you WANT an intergenerational vacation, or if, like us, the other great things about the Hyatt outweighed this negative, you'll have a lot of fun.

beachgirl86

We would consider the Hilton, but the most recent reviews from Trip Advisor members have said that most of the big construction is done, and that there are just small details being hashed out now. Hopefully it will all be set by August. The pictures of the new rooms and pool look great! I think for now, we'll go with the Marriott as I got a good deal for 5 nights with breakfast in an ocean view room. If something happens, we'll head to the Hilton or Hapuna. Thanks for the responses! We've been to the BI twice before, and love it.