Hilton Hawaiian Village??? Will my family (Mum, dad, 14, 12, 9 & 6 year old) enjoy it?

Question

They are going to Honolulu, Hawaii in November, and it will be their first overseas holiday (all the way from Australia). As they are a family with more then one child, it has been hard trying to find accomadation to fit them all. They have however found luck with the Hilton Hawaiian Village, they are able to fit them all. Is this a nice place to stay, close to the centre of town? They like the resort style pools (love swimming), which is why they've been looking at this hotel. Will they need to hire a car to get around? Is it easy to figure out the whole 'driving on the other side of the road' thing? Where are the best places to visit, especially in early November? Where are affordable, good breakfast joints? They are big foodies, so what else do you recommend? They dont really know anything about Hawaii, so any help is appreciated. Thanks!!

Answer 1

I can reccomend a realtor who rents fully furnished condos of 2 or 3 bedroom size in Waikiki.
These are comparable in price to HHV but allows families to save money on dining out all the time.These units have full kitchens for meal prep, laundry facilities (self service) right in the room sometimes.
If they arrive early in the month,buy bus passes for everyone.
$40.00 for adults, $20.00 under 17.These offer unlimited rides on a pretty good bus system. They do not pro-rate for middle of the month purchases however so not such a good investment at he end of the month. Near the end of your stay,you can look for newcomers to sell the pass to at a discount price and get some of your money back.
Only rent a car for a day or two to see the things a bus cant get you too easily.

Bring lots of money.I would think a family of 6 needs to budget at least $1,000.00 a day for a frugal vacation if you eat normal meals daily and see 2 attractions a day.
The beach is free but you can do that at home.
There is a dollar theater in Restaurant Row,free movies on the beach in Waikiki 2 nights a month, and usually about 60 parades a year thru Waikiki.Parades are free too. Thats about it for freebies tho.
Normal bus fare is $2.00 adult / $1.00 under 17 and a transfer good for a couple of hours of continued travel on another bus.

Mopeds are about $1.00 per hour rental.

Snacks and liquids are expensive.

Answer 2

Hilton Hawaiian Village (HHV) is a great place for people like your family. They offer all the luxuries of a Hilton such as the nice pools, spa, and restaurants all on the property.

HHV is located on the edge of Waikiki so it's near to the Ala Moana Shopping Center (largest open air shopping center) while being near to the "action" of Waikiki. HHV is also located right on the beach so they'll get plenty of beach time too.

If they're going to be sightseeing, they'll need a car. I would suggest renting one. It shouldn't be that hard to figure out the driving on the opposite side of the road bit (people do it all the time!). If they don't want to do that, there are a number of tour type activities that they can sign up for but it's not going to be cheap. They can check with the activities desk when they get there. I would highly recommend the car though so that they can control their activities.

There are several restaurants on property at HHV so they should have no problem finding something to eat there. There is a great restaurant near to HHV called Wailana Coffee House. They make some great food but breakfast is their specialty. I would highly recommend they check it out.

Since they'll be in Waikiki there are many, many restaurants within walking distance that are good eating places. I would suggest they take a walk (or drive) around. They're bound to find something! Some of the options are Dennys, Cheesecake Factory, Planet Hollywood just to name a few.

Good luck......hope they have a great trip!

Answer 3

Yes you will need a car to get around.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is at the end of Waikiki closest to downtown, but not within walking distance. However you are still in Waikiki so just about everything is close by. The Hilton is very nice, large but nice and you should be very happy there.

Be sure to drive around the island, get in the water and get out of the city. See the USS Arizona (early), hike up diamond head, and visit the north shore. Remember, Oahu is the main island with most of the tourists. Honolulu is a real city and quite large. However if you get out of the city you will see the real Hawaii.

Answer 4

My 12-year-old loves to read. Her tastes have changed quite a bit between ages 9 and 12, so you may not want to assume that your 9-year-old would enjoy the same things as an older girl, even if she's an excellent reader. My daughter LOVED the "Little House" books when she was nine. She also would read anything by Roald Dahl, including "Matilda," "The BFG," and "The Witches." As she turned 10, she moved on to the Gail Carson Levine books ("Ella Enchanted," "Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep," etc.). Now that she is 12, she is very much into Holocaust literature such as "The Cage," "The Diary of Anne Frank," and "The Devil's Arithmetic." She also just recently read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and "To Kill A Mockingbird."

Answer 5

ya'll will have a great time