After 1+ year of no travel (except a weekend trip to the mountains), we were fortunate to be able to pack up our suitcases and head to Hawaii for a week of relaxation. My parents have a timeshare and scored a week for our family at the Grand Waikikian by Hilton Grand Vacations in Honolulu. I am hoping I have enough time (aka motivation) over the next few weeks to do a mini travel series and post reviews on the things we did and places we visited in Hawaii. In today’s post, I wanted to kick off the series and share a review on where we stayed.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Hawaii 4 times now including, Kauai, Maui, Kona and Oahu. I definitely have my favorites and what I love most about previous trips is the relaxation the comes along with sitting on the beach or laying by the pool. I had a feeling that Honolulu would have a lot more hustle and bustle being the capital and a large city… and I was right. The Grand Waikikian by Hilton is about 20 minutes from the airport and nestled along you guessed it, Waikiki Beach. The first thing I noticed is how many resorts are in the area and how huge the Hilton property is. There are timeshare towers (where we stayed), regular hotel towers, 4+ pools, a huge lagoon, and of course, the beach. We stayed in the Grand Waikikian tower, which was beautiful… and crowded. As COVID-restrictions lift, Hawaii has been a very popular destination for travelers. In order to be allowed on a majority of the islands, you have to get a negative COVID test with 72 hours of your departure AND it has to be through a State of Hawaii-approved facility. I personally think the protocols are great and had no issue adhering to them. The Hilton also had a lot of COVID-measures in place, which leads me to what I want to highlight first. Lines.
Be prepared to wait in a lot of lines:
With COVID-restrictions and social distancing protocols in place, lines are going to be your new norm. At times the line to get on the elevator was 30 people deep because only 4 people were allowed at once or additional if part of the same household. My parents arrived earlier than me and Paul so they got to endure the check-in line, which took close to an hour. I have a feeling that the Hilton properties may be understaffed due to the Pandemic so I think that is a major culprit of the long waits. But regardless, people waiting in lines across the resort were not 6-feet apart so social distancing was out the window. In addition to elevator and check-in lines, there are a handful of restaurants and food options on the property to choose from. Once again with COVID, a lot was still closed. However, the resort was operating close to full capacity so by minimizing the number of options where people could get food and drink, it caused more people congregating to the few eateries This obviously led to long lines and less social distancing. That part was quite bizarre to me.
Crowded pools and beach
On the very last day we found the adult pool and I am so sad we didn’t venture there sooner! We only had 2 pool days due to other activities on the island and spending time at the beach, which actually was perfectly fine. We went to the Paradise Pool first and had to be strategic. With limited chairs (due to COVID) you have to be creative and act fast. All of the pools open at 9am, but you can likely disregard. People sneak in early to grab chairs and the resort does nothing about it. I’m not saying it is good to break the rules, but it seemed like the staff was overwhelmed and honestly did not care to enforce anything. We were lucky enough to camp out 15-20 minutes before it opened and snagged 5 chairs in a row for the day. By 9:04am, the pool was packed and every chair was accounted for. People were even posted up on the small patch of grass in the back corner or sitting on the hot pavement. It was a crazy day at the pool filled with screaming kids and a group of young adults blasting their club music next to us. We also noticed a lot of locals enjoying the Hilton pools, which only added to the capacity issues. Anyone and everyone can walk right off Waikiki Beach and enjoy the Super pool, no questions asked. I won’t lie, a busy day at the pool is better than sitting back at home working.
If we would have known about the Kalia Pool and what a national treasure it was, we wouldn’t have even tried to score a spot at the Paradise or Super pools. The night before our last day, Paul called the Hilton spa, which is where the Kalia pool was located. For some reason we were under the impression that tower was restricted to other Hilton guests, but sure enough, the pool is open to all Hilton guests 18 and older. On our last day, we had to check out at 11am and our flight home was not until 8:30pm so we headed to the Kalia pool for the day. There are an abundance of chairs and towels galore (I’m talking one to lay on, one to rest your head on and another to cover yourself when you get too hot). And if relaxing by a quiet pool without people eying you for your chair and kids screaming is your thing, the Kalia pool is where it is at. One final note I want to mention is due to COVID, locker room showers are closed at the pools and other amenities. We were worried about baking in the sun all day and getting smelly before our red-eye flight, so we stopped by a beach outdoor shower to at least get the chlorine and sunscreen off #classy.
Finally, Waikiki Beach is beautiful. There is a view of Diamond Head in the background and the water is turquoise blue in some areas, which is perfect for snorkeling. It is worth noting though, that Waikiki Beach is obviously a public beach AND there are a lot of hotels and resorts within just a 1-mile radius. This means the beach will be very crowded. Be sure to get there early if you want to score a prime spot or want to rent a chair and umbrella from the local vendors.
The Condo
Overall we were very pleased with the timeshare condo in the Waikikian Tower. Minus the sometimes 15-minute journey to take the elevator to the 22nd floor, the accommodations were great. We had a full size kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and a pull out couch. Plus an amazing balcony overlooking the rainbow tower with partial views of the ocean and lagoon. Our stay came with housekeeping on Tuesday, but it was relatively easy to get additional towels, extra toilet paper, and dishwasher detergent. The condo was quiet except for a few early morning noises from our upstairs neighbors re-arranging their furniture.
Overall we are just lucky to be in a beautiful place like Hawaii! My parents got a good deal getting the Hilton condo through their timeshare. I know this review isn’t 100% positive, but I did want to share our honest experience and hopefully provide insight on what to expect traveling to this hotel/area during this uncertain time. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
My mom organized our Hawaii vacation and planned our daily adventures to beaches around the island as well as other activities. She also helped us navigate the Hawaii State requirements. If you’re thinking about booking a vacation in 2021, reach out to Lisa with Lisa’s Dream Destinations. Working with a Professional Travel Agent can save you both time and money and in turn, reduce stress that comes along with travel planning.
Lisa: Destinationsbylisa@gmail.com
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xoxo Olivia
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