Visit Hawaii: Hilton Hawaiian Village

1. Location

Hilton Hawaiian Village is made up of 5 towers located right on Waikiki Beach. The grounds take up about 20 acres, so you'll find plenty to see and do during your stay. As you walk around, you will see flamingoes, tropical penguins, and beautiful ponds filled with koi and turtles. There are vibrant tropical plants and flowers everywhere, plus some interesting pieces of art. If you want to learn more about the wildlife and the resort's history, you can take a free tour offered by the hotel.

Hilton Hawaiian Village is 20 minutes away from Honolulu Airport, and a 7-minute walk from the Hawaii Convention Center.

2. Rooms

Each room is very well designed. The bed is covered with attractive tropical floral quilted bedspread. Desk and upholstered chair are perfect for eating snacks, writing postcards or dropping off shopping bags.

A beautiful glitzy bar area has a safe, honor bar, small fridge, tray with ice bucket and glassware, and coffee maker with supplies. You will find iron and board, extra pillows and plenty of hangers in the mirrored closet. Wall-to-wall carpeting and art prints complete the room decor.

If you want the best view, book a Rainbow Tower deluxe ocean view or deluxe ocean front room. You will enjoy a striking view of beautiful wide white-sand beach fringed with gently swaying palm trees against the dramatic backdrop of Diamond Head crater.

Each room has:

Beds: 1 king or 2 doubles
Air-conditioning
Private lanai
Desk with lamp
Direct-dial telephone
Large entertainment center with color TV
Refrigerator
Mini-bar
Coffee maker
Iron and board
Safe (fee)
Hair dryer
Daily maid service and extensive room service
Extra amenities in Ali'i Tower and Executive Floor of Kalia Tower
Non-smoking rooms are available

There are over 2,000 rooms located in 5 hotel towers:

1) Tapa Tower - offers fabulous ocean, mountain, city and garden views. Conveniently located next to Tapa Pool and great shopping, restaurants and bars.

2) Rainbow Tower - prime beach front location with majestic views of the Pacific Ocean, Diamond Head and Honolulu coastline. Ideally located next to the Super Pool.

3) Diamond Head Tower - offers scenic ocean and garden views. Located next to Tapa Pool, with easy access to ocean sports, shopping, and 24-hour business center.

4) Ali'i Tower - the most luxurious tower, where many celebrities, including Ronald Reagan and Michael Jackson, have stayed. Exclusive amenities include:

Private pool, sun terrace and whirlpool
Private Fitness Center with massage treatment rooms and sauna
Separate check-in desk
Complimentary fresh tropical fruit when you arrive
Complimentary hors d'oeuvres served at the private Oceanview Terrace from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Nightly turndown service with chocolates
Maid service 3 times a day
Upgraded dressing area amenities: TV, magnifying mirror and plush bath sheets
"USA Today" newspaper delivery Mon-Fri
Designer yukata bathrobes for use during stay

5) Kalia Tower - executive tower with lounge, business center, Mandara Spa and Holistica Health center. Opened in May 2001.

3. Restaurants

Last time we counted, there were 22 restaurants to choose from (the number is always changing!), including:

1) Bali By the Sea - Fine dining in oceanfront setting where you can feel sea breezes on your skin. Euro-Asian cuisine, romantic atmosphere and award-winning selection of wine.

2) Golden Dragon - Rated one of the best Chinese restaurants by Honolulu Magazine, this place offers over 65 Cantonese and Szechuan delicacies. You will enjoy stunning view of the Hilton Lagoon, Chinese-style gardens and, on Friday nights, the fireworks show. The restaurant's dramatic décor is inspired by traditional Asian accents - suited for a dynasty!

3) Rainbow Bazaar - 8 international restaurants and cafes, including the famous Benihana of Tokyo.

4) Tapa Cafe and Pasta Festival - casual open-air cafe fronting the Tapa Pool, best place for a peaceful poolside breakfast or authentic pasta dinner. The menu also features fresh appetizers, soups and salads.

5) Rainbow Lanai - extensive breakfast buffet, offering fresh fruit, pastries and breads as well as classic hot breakfast items such as eggs, potatoes and sausage. A la carte items and a lighter continental breakfast buffet featuring healthy, low cholesterol selections, are also available. For dinner, this restaurants offers international theme buffets that range from Hawaiian to Asian, Mediterranean and Southern barbecue menus.

6) Tropics Bar & Beach Cafe - prime oceanfront location makes this place very popular! Enjoy a smoothie and a burger, live music and gentle trade winds.

7) Village Steak & Seafood - Classic steak house that also has a cocktail corner with international beers, wine and tropical drinks. Most popular dishes are Black Angus steaks, prime rib and live Maine lobster. There is also an extensive island-style salad bar.

Lounges - Dance the night away, or just relax and enjoy live music at one of the resort's 5 lounges. On Fridays and Saturday nights, make sure to stop at stop at Paradise Lounge to listen to Olomana, one of Hawaii's top local bands. They make terrific tropical drinks there!

4. Things to do

Pools
You will probably spend a lot of time by the beautiful pools. The main one, known as the "Super Pool", is the largest swimming pool in Waikiki. It is surrounded by palm trees and waterfalls. On Friday evenings, you can see a Hawaiian show and fireworks presentation.
Mandara Spa
Everyone is raving about this recent addition to the resort. It offers exquisite Balinese-style service, as well as Asian spices and oils for masques, scrubs, wraps and other treatments. You can get any massage from Swedish to Hawaiian lomi lomi as well as signature Mandara Massage that features two therapists working at the same time (that's the ultimate pampering experience!).
You can take free fitness class (aerobics, aquacize, tai chi). There is a sauna, steam rooms, and indoor whirlpool, as well as full-service salon and Ola Pono Spa Cafe.
Free resort activities
Every day, there are 6 hours of free activities, ranging from Hula Lessons to Aquacize and Lei Making Classes. You can learn about Polynesian arts firsthand from Hawaiian artists, dancers and musicians. There is a beachfront activities hut where you can rent snorkeling gear, arrange surfing or scuba diving.
Shopping
The resort has 90 stores where you can get everything from Hawaiian musical instruments to designer clothing, authentic Aloha attire to fine jewelry and original works of art. Some of the fine boutiques are Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Maui Divers, Esprit and LeSportsac.
Children's Program
Hilton Hawaiian Village's year-round children's program, Rainbow Express, is offered every day to keiki ages 5 to 12. Once children register and receive their "Rainbow Express Passport," they can experience educational and recreational activities, all with a Hawaiian focus. Activities include arts and crafts, nature walks and wildlife feeding, fishing, visits to Bishop Museum at Kalia, Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu Zoo and more. Rainbow Express half-day program rates start at $25 and the full-day program at $50 per child.