Resort Review: Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of #Hawaii & Dolphin Quest

This is part of a series of posts I am doing related to a summer trip we took to Hawaii this year. We traveled as two families four kids were with us, ages 9-13. Im bringing some of my experiences to you guys hoping that those of you traveling with families to Hawaii might get some recommendations of interest from us based on what we did. {Previous Posts: Oahu with Kids and the Big Island of Hawaii with Kids}

Aloha! Hopefully you checked out my other post about the Big Island – Big Island of Hawaii with Kids. We did and saw so much while we visited this island, I knew I wouldn’t do some of the activities and the hotel justice if I didn’t break it up into two posts. Today I wanted to tell you about the resort we stayed at while we were on the Big Island – the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

When I think of a tropical resort, I think: pool, beach, fun drinks. And this resort has all of that but it’s so much more. It’s a sprawling resort that spans so wide that there’s both a tram and a boat service you can take around the property.

There’s three towers that you an potentially stay in:

The Ocean Tower
The Hale ‘Ike Tower
The Lagoon Tower

We stayed at the Hale ‘Ike Tower which is the middle tower location wise. We were told the rooms were a bit newer here; this tower is set back a bit more from the water but our friends still had a water view (we had a view of the golf course). I liked the location of this tower! This seemed to be the smaller tower of the three, however. All activities we did were near the other towers.

Also: gorgeous Asian decor throughout the property added to the stay!:

Pools
The Ocean Tower was closer to us and had a quieter pool with two small slides. We spent much of our time at the Hilton by this pool.

There’s a second bigger pool near the Lagoon Tower that has a big slide – here’s a couple of shots of that pool that I snapped early in the morning when I was out on a run before anyone was in it:

There’s also a fresh water lagoon in the middle of the property that is awesome for water sports like snorkeling and paddle boarding.

Luau
You gotta do a luau when you’re visiting Hawaii. We did our luau at the Hilton – they have a fabulous one! It’s the Legends of Hawaii Luauand it was a fun night for all of us – kids and adults!

Of course the big adults had to try the Mai Tai, the signature drink of Hawaii:

Dining
The best worth mentioning was the Big Island Breakfast at Water’s Edge. This buffet breakfast was outstanding. Everything from the omelette station to the view made this one our favorite meals our entire time in Hawaii.

The dude who runs the omelette station is seriously one talented guy and has honor roll skills when it comes to multitasking. And all the kids were raving about the Hawaiian donuts, which seems to constantly go at the buffet.

Dolphin Quest
Independent of the Hilton but on property is Dolphin Quest, an interactive dolphin experience. I think the photos probably speak for themselves – my kids and my kids two friends spent twenty minutes in the water with a trainer and two dolphins. I you’re staying at the Hilton, this is such a wonderful experience to have for the family:

Many thanks to the Hilton and Dolphin Quest for helping my family have one of the most memorable family vacations we’ve ever had! We can’t wait to go back someday.

Disclaimer: The Hilton was generous enough to give us several nights comped & at a media rate during our stay on the Big Island. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.