Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in Honolulu

The hotel is right on Waikiki Beach 🏖️, offering beautiful views and perfect for swimming and strolls. It's also super convenient with plenty of great food options and shops located right within the hotel. Plus, there are fireworks 🧨 every weekend!

The Rainbow Tower is perfect for a family of four, with two spacious queen-sized beds (1.5 meters wide). This tower is one of the newer buildings within the Hilton property. A higher floor offers better views. We were on the 30th floor (upgrading to an ocean view room costs an additional $65 per day, which we didn't do). Facing directly towards the Reef Island, and with half the ocean visible, it’s a 'semi-ocean view' and still offers excellent vistas.

On the day we checked in, there was some small trash left in the toilet that hadn't been cleaned. We were too late and tired to call the front desk, but when we returned from our outing the next day, it had been thoroughly cleaned, and the beds were made (we left a dollar tip each day we went out).

There's no kettle in the room, nor is drinking water provided. Bring a cup, and you can get water from the purifiers downstairs. There's a coffee machine, but the water inlet had a lot of scale, so it didn't look very clean, and we didn't use it.

**Convenience:** The beach is right downstairs, along with several swimming pools. It's super convenient to be able to get back to the room for a shower within 5 minutes after playing in the water.

**Dining:** Across from the Rainbow Tower is Tropics Bar & Grill, which serves breakfast and lunch. It's a bit more expensive than outside the hotel, but the food is good. Coffee here is $6 with unlimited refills, and you can even take a cup to go when you leave. For kids who don't like meat, I recommend the pancakes. For meat-lovers, try the Sunrise Sando. Their signature Tropical Acai Bowl is a smoothie made from blended berries and ice, topped with granola, banana, and strawberries. It tastes a bit like ice cream and is great for cooling down after sun exposure.

There's also an excellent ice cream shop in the hotel; the line starts forming around 5 PM, and one scoop costs $7.99.

**Shopping:** There's an ABC Store right in the hotel, where you can buy just about anything. I compared prices, and they weren't much different from outside the hotel. There's also a cookie shop where you can sample before buying. They offer local specialties, perfect for souvenirs.

**Friday Fireworks:** There are fireworks on Friday night. While simple and short, watching them from the beach is still very enjoyable. They start at 7:45 PM, so go early to the beach by the lagoon island to get a front-row spot for a clearer view.

**Tips:** Keep the small card you receive at check-in handy; you can use it to get free towels on the beach.

If you have kids, definitely take them to the children's pool next to the Rainbow Tower. It has three waterslides and two small hot spring pools – kids can play there all day.

Stayed in the Tapa Tower with a partial ocean view. The hotel feels like a big park, very suitable for families with kids. Hotels in Hawaii are generally a bit older, and this one has been renovated. The front desk service was just okay. The hotel has everything, including two Starbucks, so it's quite decent overall.

I paid an extra $150 to upgrade to an Alii Tower ocean view room, but the floor was too low, so the view wasn't ideal. Room 427's advantage was its view of the beach fireworks show, but they were canceled due to rain. There weren't many options when we tried to switch rooms. I'd recommend trying to get a higher floor; the view from the upper floors of the same building is much better – we specifically went to check it out.

Hotel is excellent for families given everything is onsite with multiple pools and right on the beach. Room is a bit outdated, although enough to sleep and shower

The facilities are quite old, not even comparable to some budget chains back home. But its location and the view are unbeatable. It's just a 10-minute walk to the Alamo, and there's parking nearby if you're renting a car.

The hotel lobby already has a Christmas vibe. The room views are great, and it's convenient for getting around. It's a huge resort with its own private beach. The hotel was very busy; we arrived at 3 PM and still had to wait an hour to get our room.