Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kohala Suites Waikoloa

It is a busy season at Waikoloa. There are much more people than during Covid. At the resort, all health rules are still in place. This time we got a ground level unit and added a bonus: small animals can come to our doors, interesting!

Location, well maintained property, beautiful spacious room, friendly staff, ability to visit the other properties, proximity to the shops.

The floor was quite dirty as I assumed previous guest wear their shoes inside. The hot tub’s hot water wasn’t working so we couldn’t use it in the room. The hot tub at the pool also wasn’t working. The internet & service in the area was quite slow. When reaching out to the front desk of a missing item, they were not able to locate it, pointing to the fact this may be typical behavior for housekeeping staff.

Property needs upgrade, the appliance and everything else are all dated!

Great

Everything

Your experience here will mostly depend on what your travel preferences are. There are definitely upsides to this property. The two bedroom suite was very spacious and had been recently updated. The full kitchen and laundry facilities are great. I wish the second bedroom had queens instead of doubles or a two-king option though. The only place that ever felt crowded was the gym. We actually preferred the vibe to the kohala suites pool vs the hassle of going to the main resorts. Plus there was shade and poolside drinks were $4 cheaper. There were a couple major downsides that would keep me from staying here again: -There are 8 Atlantic bottlenose dolphins kept captive in the lagoon for your entertainment. Their ponds are small and shallow and just wow. I did not expect this and found it extremely upsetting. - There are limited food options nearby and nothing is walkable. What is nearby is pretty mediocre. -There is no beach here. Unless you count the lagoon. During our stay some food stations were closed so no poolside dining services were available. - We found ourselves driving a lot every day to snorkel or visit the beach or to eat. Kona is 30-40 minutes in one direction and waimea is 30+in the other. The last time we visited the big island we stayed in an airbnb in Kona. We preferred the convenience of having lots of walkable dinner, coffee, and breakfast options. On our next trip we will do that again. I think resort life isn't for us!