I'm planning our honeymoon and I need everyone's help. I have to stay at a Hilton but don't know which Hilton in Oahu is better - Hawaiian Village or Turtle Bay on the North Shore?

I've stayed at both (but a couple of years ago)...

They are VERY different places so it depends on what you want...

The Village is in downtown Honolulu, on the beach...it is a very nice, very, very big place...lots going on, very urban...lots of shops and restaurants and the entire city is within walking distance...the beach is great and very scenic, but it is very busy...not exactly crowded, but you definately do not get that private beach in paradise thing either...if you like to be where the action is you will be happy here.

The Turtle Bay property on the north shore is much smaller and much more isolated...the north shore is a much more rural and laid back place...if the surf is up (winter) there will be lots of surfers on the north shore...it is very casual (for some too casual)...it is very dark at night and there are not too many places to go out outside of the hotel grounds...but it is very very beautiful up there...(no matter which hotel you stay at, you should visit the other to see all the sights the island has to offer).

The Turtle Bay hotel was in need of a big dose of updating when I was there a couple of years ago...it is old and it shows...I have read that there is a makover in progress but I have not seen it nor do I know what exactly they are doing or when it will be done...when I was there, the whole place was very dated...the rooms were clean, but not in the luxury category and the restaurants were not top notch...

I expect that with a makeover it will be nice...the setting is spectacular...there is a very small beach.

So, to sum up a long message, it depends on whether you want to be in the city or not...perhaps you could split your time? (It takes about 1.5 hours to drive between the 2 properties and depending on the time of day, there is a lot of traffic)...

I hope this helps a little.

Rob has given you some good advice. Unless your intention is to be away from it all, as it is your honeymoon, you might want to consider the Hawaiian Village. The north shore has very limited options for restaurants, shopping and nightlife. You can rent a car and easily visit and enjoy the north shore during the day while having more choices during the evenings. The Hawaiian Village is quite nice.

Both of the previous posters to your question are correct with their observations. I returned from Oahu last month. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We drove to the Turtle Bay Hilton to show some friends how "beautiful" the resort was. Boy what a disappointment. We were there 5 years ago. The resort is badly in need of remodeling. The outside of the bungalows and other buildings are an eyesore. As of last month, no remodeling has been done.
You can still have a wonderful honeymoon at the Hawaiian Village.It too is undergoing remodeling. A new Tower is under construction. The complex is not hampered by the remodeling.

My boyfriend and I are our going to Hawaii in May and decided to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village after much research about the hotels on Oahu. This is our first time to Hawaii and we decided to stay exclusively on Oahu for nine days. We are very active and enjoy lots of sightseeing, restaurants and nightlife and felt that Oahu offered it all, including the relaxed feel and scenery of the North Shore. We can always visit the other islands on a future trip, or if we really want to we will go to Kauai for a daytrip.

If you do stay in Honolulu, I would recommend staying in the Alii Tower at the Hilton, because it does provide a cut above in service. I has its own private pool and concierge, but you can still enjoy all the restaurants, lounges, pools and activities of the main hotel. The hotel is quite large but I've read that its on a "quiet" end of Waikiki Beach that it might not be so crowded. Good luck with your decision!