HHonors splurge at Hilton Waikoloa Resort on the Big Island

I thought I would share some photos from our amazing Nai’a Suite at the Hilton Waikoloa Village (HWV) which we booked using our Hilton HHonors points – http://www.flickr.com/photos/40089311@N05/sets/72157634277201888/show/

NOTE: This is a great option for those celebrating a special occasion or for those looking for a fantastic HHonors points deal

From the Hilton Waikoloa Village webpage - http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com/accommodations/suites.cfm
These two luxurious suites are located in the Lagoon Tower. The split-level suites on the first and second floor each encompass 1,680 square feet. Each has a large private lanai with outdoor dining and grill area overlooking the dolphin lagoon. Each suite offers one bedroom with one king bed and two full baths equipped with soaking tub, and standing showers. Please note that rollaway beds are not permitted in the suites. Each suite has a queen sofa sleeper. A second connecting bedroom is also available for each suite. For reservations please contact on site reservations at 808-886-1234, request on site reservations from the operator.

Click to expand...

WHY DID I BOOK THE SUITE?
I needed an extra bedroom for a few nights during our Waikoloa stay. I was originally planning to take advantage of HGVC open season rates at one of the three HGVC Waikoloa resorts. But I wanted to book backup hotel accommodations just in case I found no availability during the 30 day window for HGVC Open Season. I looked at both cash and HHonors availability at HWV and noticed the HHonors rates for the HWV suites. I few clicks later, I had the one bedroom suite reserved for three nights using my HHonors points. Since, my old sister and brother-in-law had a 25th wedding anniversary this year, we decided to surprise them with this suite for their anniversary. It was a great surprise and they loved it.

HOW MANY HHONORS POINTS DID THE SUITE COST?
Well, that was the strange thing… the number of HHonors points required (89,986 pts/night) was close to the same amount of HHonors points required for a room at the Alii Tower at HHV or Waldorf Cavalieri in Rome (see 2014 rate comparison below).
However the cash equivalent for the specialty suite at HWV was extreme high compare to the other two resorts. The fantastic HHonors suite rate and the fact that this particular suite at HWV was recently renovated, sealed the deal for me.
Article on 2011 Suite Renovation - http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.co...age/documents/NaupakaNaiaSuiteRenovations.pdf
NOTE: The HHonors point requirement is currently a little higher now due to latest point devaluation effective March 28, 2013 (see latest HHonors rate below).

HOW TO GET MORE HHONORS POINTS
For those interested, here are some recent HHonors devaluation articles that provide some good tips:
How to Top Up Your Hilton HHonors Account - http://thepointsguy.com/2013/02/tips-on-topping-up-your-hilton-hhonors-points-fast/
Top 10: Ways You Can Still Get Value Out of Hilton HHonors - http://thepointsguy.com/2013/04/tra...value-out-of-hilton-hhonors-post-devaluation/


2014 RATE COMPARISON
HERE ARE THE HHONORS RATES FOR A THREE NIGHT STAY FROM MAY 2, 2014 TO MAY 5, 2014

ROME CAVALIERI, WALDORF (Rome)
King Deluxe - Standard Room Reward 80,000 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $476 per night
King Deluxe Rome View - Premium Room Reward 118,052 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $595 per night
King Imperial - Premium Room Reward 127,234 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $641 per night

HILTON HAWAIIAN VILAGE (Oahu)
Alii Tower Ocean View - Premium Room Reward 97,719 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $349 per night
Alii Tower Ocean Front - Premium Room Reward 111,719 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $399 per night
Rainbow Tower Ocean Front - Premium Room Reward 94,919 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $339 per night
Rainbow Tower Ocean Front Corner - Premium Room REWARD 122,919 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $439 per night

HILTON WAIKOLOA VILAGE (Big Island)
Ocean View 1 Bedrm Ste - Premium Room Reward 77,274 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $729 per night
Deluxe Oceanview - Premium Room Reward 57,087 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $339 per night
2bedroom Presidential Ste - Premium Room Reward 98,205 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $1,479 per night
1bdrm Naia Or Naupaka Ste – Premium Room Reward 127,020 HHonors Points per night / Cash Rate $1,879 per night

NOTE: Only the Lagoon Tower rooms @ HWV have been recently renovations. Based on Tripadvisor reviews, the other towers (Ocean & Palace towers) are way over due for a renovation. So I only recommend staying in the Lagoon Tower for now.
Article on renovations at HWV – http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=26499

Nai’a Suite Photos

Wow! Amazing room! Great find.

Gorgeous! I'll bet you really enjoyed your stay there.

89,000 HH points would require spending $4,450 at Hilton with points + points as your MyWay earning style, only using the Hilton Surpass Card with an online booking bonus, and only as a Diamond status member. Any of those elements missing and the price goes up to get those points.

4 nights, would mean spending just under $18,000 at Hilton Hotels to achieve this stay as a reward (again only as a Surpass card holder, as Diamond, booking online). Not spending $18k at Hilton? Then get ready to spend far more on your Surpass card and begin churning Citi cards to get that award. The sign-up bonus on the Citi Hilton card will get you half of a night.

thepointsguy is great, met Brian several times (and my god is he tall). But his advice on transfers is in a worst-case scenario for someone who can't avoid Hilton Hotels. Much of his advice is "book before the devaluation", but that already occurred, so you can dump that advice. The other available uses of Membership Rewards points are of far greater value than HHonors points. Transfers to and through Virgin still don't make sense value-wise after the category expansion and point increase. AXON awards are largely not more valuable than the 5th night free. The removal of VIP in exchange for 5th night free is a major devaluation, etc. etc.

I would absolutely not advise anyone to waste time racking up HH points off of credit card spending and churning. There are too many more valuable opportunities with your good credit and your spending. I use my Chase Sapphire Preferred when I stay at hotels. The 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar are more valuable to me with Hyatt, United and Southwest (and Amtrak when I get adventurous). I use my Ink Plus for gas, telecom bills and office supplies. If you're interested in racking up valuable points, the CSP has a 40k bonus and the Ink Plus and Bold have a 60k bonus ending today (June 23, 2013). Together, that's easily and conservatively $2,000 in sign up bonus for two cards. 50,000 HHonors points? I wouldn't price that at over $300 on their best day.

Wow. Just spectacular and very good value for the points redeemed. I remember redeeming almost as much points for a stay at the Grand Wailea but that was for a standard room. After seeing this thread, I wish I had saved my HHonors points to redeem for the NAIA suite at HWV. I don't see us ever being able to stay in a suite like that based on the cash rate and since I moved all my spending to our SPG Amex card I will never have enough HHonors points.

As cool as it is seeing the dolphins in the man made lagoon I hate the idea that these great animals live their whole life in such a small confined space. Same reason I don't like zoos.

When we were at kings land a few weeks ago we rented a boat through Kona Boat Rentals and took it to Captain Cooks Monument in Kealakekua Bay and were surrounded by dozens of spinner dolphins. We all jumped in the water with them and it was an experience we will never forget and can't wait to do it again.

Remy said:

89,000 HH points would require spending $4,450 at Hilton with points + points as your MyWay earning style, only using the Hilton Surpass Card with an online booking bonus, and only as a Diamond status member. Any of those elements missing and the price goes up to get those points.

4 nights, would mean spending just under $18,000 at Hilton Hotels to achieve this stay as a reward (again only as a Surpass card holder, as Diamond, booking online). Not spending $18k at Hilton? Then get ready to spend far more on your Surpass card and begin churning Citi cards to get that award. The sign-up bonus on the Citi Hilton card will get you half of a night.

thepointsguy is great, met Brian several times (and my god is he tall). But his advice on transfers is in a worst-case scenario for someone who can't avoid Hilton Hotels. Much of his advice is "book before the devaluation", but that already occurred, so you can dump that advice. The other available uses of Membership Rewards points are of far greater value than HHonors points. Transfers to and through Virgin still don't make sense value-wise after the category expansion and point increase. AXON awards are largely not more valuable than the 5th night free. The removal of VIP in exchange for 5th night free is a major devaluation, etc. etc.

I would absolutely not advise anyone to waste time racking up HH points off of credit card spending and churning. There are too many more valuable opportunities with your good credit and your spending. I use my Chase Sapphire Preferred when I stay at hotels. The 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar are more valuable to me with Hyatt, United and Southwest (and Amtrak when I get adventurous). I use my Ink Plus for gas, telecom bills and office supplies. If you're interested in racking up valuable points, the CSP has a 40k bonus and the Ink Plus and Bold have a 60k bonus ending today (June 23, 2013). Together, that's easily and conservatively $2,000 in sign up bonus for two cards. 50,000 HHonors points? I wouldn't price that at over $300 on their best day.

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing.

The intent of my post was simply to share this great deal and offer some suggestions to folks that might be looking for ways to top off their existing HHonors account.

I'm sorry, if my post came across as promoting the accumulation of Hilton HHonors point. That wasn't my intent. Earning Hilton Hhonors points hasn't been a goal of mine for years. I have less than 30K HHonors points left in my HHonors account.

We've been using our Chase Sapphire credit card for United miles too since Continental Airlines left AMEX with the United merger.

Thanks for sharing those pictures. We were standing on the opposite side of the dolphin's lagoon looking up at those buildings when we stayed at Hilton Waikoloa timeshare last July and I would've never guessed they weren't ordinary hotel rooms there. If I had that room I'd have never left that balcony when in the room! LOL the view and a soaking tub!?

So that kind of room/tower is never available for any kind of exchange, right? Those towers are all only bookable thru the hotel side?

alwysonvac said:

Thanks for sharing.

The intent of my post was simply to share this great deal and offer some suggestions to folks that might be looking for ways to top off their existing HHonors account.

I'm sorry, if my post came across as promoting the accumulation of Hilton HHonors point. That wasn't my intent. Earning Hilton Hhonors points hasn't been a goal of mine for years. I have less than 30K HHonors points left in my HHonors account.

We've been using our Chase Sapphire credit card for United miles too since Continental Airlines left AMEX with the United merger.

Click to expand...

I love to see people get great value out of points. And I'm glad you did. I'd just hate to see someone go credit card crazy expecting this great redemption to ever happen to them.

Cheers to joining the under 30k HH Club!

Is that a private grill and hot tub on the lanai? WOW! I know what I'm saving up my Hilton Points for now!

mrsmusic said:

Thanks for sharing those pictures. We were standing on the opposite side of the dolphin's lagoon looking up at those buildings when we stayed at Hilton Waikoloa timeshare last July and I would've never guessed they weren't ordinary hotel rooms there. If I had that room I'd have never left that balcony when in the room! LOL the view and a soaking tub!?

So that kind of room/tower is never available for any kind of exchange, right? Those towers are all only bookable thru the hotel side?

Click to expand...

Yes, needless to say, we didn't wander too far from the Waikoloa Resort area

Yes, all of the Hilton Waikoloa Village towers (Lagoon, Ocean and Palace) are bookable thru the hotel side. Cash or Hilton HHonors point reservations only.

MichaelColey said:

Is that a private grill and hot tub on the lanai? WOW! I know what I'm saving up my Hilton Points for now!

Click to expand...

Yep and there was a switch on the wall to activate the jets in the hot tub :whoopie:

I'm hoping folks with lots of HHonor points to burn, take advantage of this great opportunity. But do it sooner rather than later since we all know Hilton HHonors point requirements are a moving target.

This would also be a perfect opportunity for HGVC owners who missed their rescind opportunity and have lots of bonus points to burn

I'm staying about 70 nights in Hilton hotels (and about 75 in Marriott) this year, so I have plenty of points to burn. Especially for a private grill and hot tub!

Our 2013 Hawaii trip is already planned. I guess it's time to start planning our 2014 one...

Wow, I had been searching for reviews of these suites for a while, and stumbled across this. Well done. We are sitting on a bunch of Hilton points and are hitting Waikoloa next summer. We are debating between the suite options in the Lagoon Tower as well. They have the standard 1BR, the 2BR presidential, and these two special Nai'a and Naupaka suites. Since we feel the Hilton Points are a very poor currency to save for future uses, we might just blow them all by staying in the nicest rooms for our trip.

I have a couple follow up questions about these rooms. I like the grill idea, especially since I prefer to save money by eating in sometimes. I saw a couple of the kitchen pics you had, but I wasn't sure about all the details. It looked like a microwave, small cooktop, sink and coffee maker. Was the fridge an under counter model? How much could it hold? Any pots/pans/silverware?

Were you able to reserve the suite by name, or by class. I think the Naia and Naupaka suites are identical so I am not sure about how you make the reservation. The main reason I ask is they have five 2BR presidential suites, but only 1 is located in the Lagoon Tower. I have no desire to be in the Palace or Ocean tower for our trip.

Any downsides to this suite, other than the current points cost?

Thanks in advance. It looked like an awesome stay.

I'm curious about how to book it, too.

eltex said:

Wow, I had been searching for reviews of these suites for a while, and stumbled across this. Well done. We are sitting on a bunch of Hilton points and are hitting Waikoloa next summer. We are debating between the suite options in the Lagoon Tower as well. They have the standard 1BR, the 2BR presidential, and these two special Nai'a and Naupaka suites. Since we feel the Hilton Points are a very poor currency to save for future uses, we might just blow them all by staying in the nicest rooms for our trip.

I have a couple follow up questions about these rooms. I like the grill idea, especially since I prefer to save money by eating in sometimes. I saw a couple of the kitchen pics you had, but I wasn't sure about all the details. It looked like a microwave, small cooktop, sink and coffee maker. Was the fridge an under counter model? How much could it hold? Any pots/pans/silverware?

Click to expand...

Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. I searched all over looking for details on the Nai'a and Naupaka. I'm sorry we didn't capture more photos of the kitchen area.

The Hilton link I provided in the first post stated "Additionally, the suites now feature a fully equipped kitchen with a stove, microwave, refrigerator and the latest kitchen accessories." I honestly expected a full kitchen in the one bedroom suite. I was envisioning everyone enjoying breakfast on the lanai in the morning and perhaps spending one evening grilling. When we arrived and saw the kitchenette, we changed our plans. We didn't do any cooking in the suite therefore I don't recall what they had. I'll have to follow up with my sister and brother-in-law who actually stayed in the unit. We stayed at HGVC at Kings' Land where we had a full kitchen. They came over each morning and had breakfast with us at Kings Land. Even the grills at the HGVC at Kings Land were in better condition (newer & cleaner) than the grill in the one bedroom suite.

The sink was more like a wet bar sink. There was no stove (just a cooktop). There was a hotel size refrigerator under the counter (see photo below with microwave and coffee maker, it's under the cabinet in the middle). My sister and brother-in-law had sodas & beers and snacks in the room. I remember them commenting that the refrigerator wasn't that cold.

I'll try to provide an update once I hear back from them.

Were you able to reserve the suite by name, or by class. I think the Naia and Naupaka suites are identical so I am not sure about how you make the reservation. The main reason I ask is they have five 2BR presidential suites, but only 1 is located in the Lagoon Tower. I have no desire to be in the Palace or Ocean tower for our trip.

Any downsides to this suite, other than the current points cost?

Thanks in advance. It looked like an awesome stay.

Click to expand...

Downsides? Well, of course I would have loved a full kitchen and housekeeping could have kept the outside a little cleaner but heck it was a great value overall and a great place to stay.

Yes, based on everything I've read the Nai'a and Naupaka suite are identical.
When you make the online reservation, select HHonors points and you'll see "1BDRM NAIA OR NAUPAKA STE-1KNG-1QN SOFABED" as one of the options if it's available.

For example, I just tried the following dates: 05 May 2014 - 09 May 2014, 1 room for 2 adults using HHonors points and I received the following:

1BDRM NAIA OR NAUPAKA STE-1KNG-1QN SOFABED
The Nai'a and Naupaka suites are located in the Lagoon Tower. ... Room Details

RATE PLAN
Best Available Rate $1,799
PREMIUM ROOM REWARDS 121,612 HHonors Points

eltex,

Here are some of our 2013 Hilton Waikoloa Village Pools & Lagoon photos - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194066

There are several places to eat offsite within Waikoloa Village.
NOTE: The Hilton restaurants receive mixed reviews on Tripadvisor.

At the Hilton, we only ate lunch onsite twice and both times at the Lagoon Grill which was fine - http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com/dining/lagoon_grill.cfm
Within Waikoloa Village we ate at Sansei, Roy's, Charley’s Thai Cuisine and Macaroni Grill. We enjoyed Sansei and Roy's. Charley's was good. Macaroni Grill was just ok.
NOTE: Sansei has an early bird special Sunday & Monday (50% OFF Food & Sushi from 5:00pm-6:00pm)
Here are my reviews - http://www.tripadvisor.com/members-reviews/Alwysonvac_NJ

Kings Shops - http://www.kingsshops.com/index.php/
Queens Marketplace - http://www.queensmarketplace.net/
Waikoloa Beach Resort - http://www.waikoloabeachresort.com/

From - http://www.kingsshops.com/index.php/info/visitor_information
There is a shuttle service within Waikoloa Beach Resort. Operates daily from 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Rates vary: Children under 4 are FREE, children 5-12 are $1 and $2 for Adults. Stops at Kings' Shops, Queens' MarketPlace, Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and Hilton Waikoloa Village lower lobby.

Fantastic photos!!!

Excellent educational demonstration on how HHonors may be used. Thanks.

eltex,

Sorry, I suggest calling the hotel for more details about the kitchen. My sister doesn't remember much about the kitchen since we did all of our cooking at Kings' Land. She said there was glasses, plates, silverware and a pot or two. She doesn't remember the quantity. We both don't recall if there were utensils for the grill.

If a full kitchen is an important feature, you can also booked HGVC at Kings' Land using HHonors points but it's not anything like the one bedroom suite which has a fantastic oceanfront lanai facing the dolphin lagoon at the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

Kings Land has several nice hot tubs and grills on site but it won't be your own private one on a great big lanai. Kings Land guests also have access and privileges to the amenities at the nearby Hilton Waikoloa Village hotel, including pools, lagoon beach, restaurants, boutiques, spa and recreation. Complimentary shuttle service is available between the resort, the Hilton Waikoloa Village and area shops.

For more info on Kings Land - http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/hawaii/kings-land-by-hilton-grand-vacations-club-KOAKLGV/index.html
Here's my photos of the two bedroom at Kings Land Phase 1 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/40089311@N05/sets/72157634257790374/show/with/9102904779/

NOTEL Kings Land is also located inland (no ocean views). See Waikoloa Area map - http://www.waikoloabeachresort.com/files/map2012.pdf

Thanks for the follow up. I will likely call them this week. I am pretty confident the Lagoon Tower is where we want to stay, so I just need to pick the suite. The dolphin lagoon out the back door is a pretty big selling point, especially with two young daughters. I can see using that grill to cook steaks or burgers a couple nights, so it is pretty tempting.

Thanks again for the help. Your review is just about the only review I have seen for this suite class at HWV. You figure with the way this interwebz thing is growing, I could find a few more.

I don't know how young your girls are but there isn't a barrier that prevents anyone from walking down the stairs and falling into the water with the dolphins (see picture below). There is only a sign at the top of the staircase stating that guests are not allowed in the area (a little section of the sign is shown in the picture below).

Premium award gone

so I was about to book the Nai or presidential suite for the 100-130k points per night and the next day I realized the increased the points. It seems now it's 250k point per night for the Nai suite. Very saddened...

If anyone has any news regarding this or finds otherwise please speak!

They went through a point devaluation last year. It probably happened then. Not a surprise to me. You have to go by the Hilton website for the latest point values and don't rely on posts.

I know because I booked the Maldives for a February stay because they announced the point devaluation. They gave about 3-4 months notice before it came into effect. You could book a future stay at the current rate, but if you changed your dates you would be forced into the new rates.

My Maldives room was 36K before the devaluation and it became 95K after the devaluation.

So to clarify, last Thursday it was ~80-90k per night for Presidential. I could have booked it online for that. Some time between then and Saturday it went up to 200k. The Nai Suite was ~130k and now is 350k. So this changed happened in the last 4 days before my eyes so to speak.

Braswch said:

So to clarify, last Thursday it was ~80-90k per night for Presidential. I could have booked it online for that. Some time between then and Saturday it went up to 200k. The Nai Suite was ~130k and now is 350k. So this changed happened in the last 4 days before my eyes so to speak.

Click to expand...

That seems to be common with high-end properties. Months ago I booked a week at the Grand Wailea on Maui in September at 59,400 pts/night, then watched the number climb and drop but never get that low again and sometimes nothing was available for points for that week. Sometimes it's because the room I booked was no longer available, and a more deluxe room always costs more points.

Moral of the story: If you see a good points rate, book it. You can always cancel later or rebook if the points drop.