My hubby and I have TOOOO many hilton points, need to spend them...Has anyone been to the Hilton Waikolai? it looks HUGE...I know its no goiing to be small romatic resort-more busy family resort-but I was wondering how you liked it?

If anyonne ou there used points, did you debate going ot any other hiltons instead (Jalouise hilton or other...with your points?)

thanks!

We stayed at the Waikoloa last October and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Great art throughout the property, nice grounds, good restaurants, DolphinQuest, fun pools for kids, etc.

Never at the height of school break vacation at any Hilton IMHO. They don't have enough staff, space, facility to accommodate all guests. A rip off IMHO if you are there during full house. This was my experience at HHV in Waikiki would not risk high season occupancy again at any Hilton. Great time during slower periods.

You pegged it jnae.
Large, impersonal, family oriented, mundane rooms, not what I'd call romantic...on the downside.
On the upside, plenty to do and see and plenty of available services. It is Hawaii, after all. The setting alone makes for a nice trip. And if it's free, you can't beat the price.
I also think that when people get something for free they tend to be less critical. When paying full rate, people expect more and are more critical.
Thus, I think you would likely enjoy a stay there since you seem to have a proper set of expectations and you wouldn't be paying much (meals, fees, etc)

We found ourselves in the same situation with too many Hilton Honors points and no idea where to spend them. We have been to Hawaii twice before and loved it both times. First visit was Wakikee, second to Konapali Beach area of Maui which was absolutely fabulous (the Westin Maui is the nicest hotel I have ever been to). May 18 we depart for 10 days at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. I am a little nervous as it has a bit of a "bigger is better" approach which doesn't always translate to nicer. Guess we will know soo enough. Now to drop that last 10 pounds...

I have to say that I like this hotel better than the Hyatt at Poipu. Although I have only ever stayed at HW with low occupancy. Also I have only visited the grounds of Hyatt never stayed.

Stayed there over Easter break on Hilton points. It is a VERY good use of Hilton points. Although it does have drawbacks (large and sprawling, rocky beach) it is a fabulous resort to stay at for FREE!!! At Easter I believe it was at or near capacity, but I never felt overwhelmed by crowds since it is so big. Never had to fight for lounge chairs or anything like that. Although the beach is rocky, it is actually very pretty with the waves crashing onto the rocks. They have those canopy covered cabanas for two that you just lie and watch the waves crash--very romantic!!) The Outrigger next door is a five minute walk along the beach trail and has a nice sandy beach. Never been to the Jalousie-but I think that the Waikoloa is an excellent way to use those Hilton points. Read the comments on the Flyertalk Hilton forum---

www.flyertalk.com
click Milesbuzz
then scroll down to Hilton.

Do a search on Waikoloa or HWV-there are tons of comments!!!

ooops--its

www.flyertalk.com
You will see Flyertalk Miles on right side--click there
Then scroll down until you get to the Hilton Honors forum.

We went to the Jalousie Hilton in Dec 2001 on hilton points. This was a fantastic resort. Secluded, private, upscale. The hotel consisted of villa's only. Each villa "building" contained 2 units, sort of L shaped. Each unit had it's own plunge pool and was arranged in such a manner that the other unit in the villa was not noticeable. The resort is sprawled out over 325 acres and starts at the water and goes up the hill from there. When you are in the water and look at the resort you cannot even see the villa's. We are Diamond level so we were upgraded to the largest units with water view. This is a secluded resort that is very quiet. If you like relaxation and privacy this is the place. If you want nite life I would suggest elsewhere. The food is expensive though. The spa was great also. We absolutely loved it. Any other questions let me know.