01. Introduction: San Diego to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines
02. Hawaiian Airlines A330-200 first class San Diego to Honolulu
03. Hanging out in Waikiki for the weekend
04. Hilton Waikiki Beach
05. Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club, Honolulu
06. Hawaiian Airlines A330-200 first class Honolulu to San Diego
I’ve mentioned before about how I’m (un)naturally drawn to Hilton and Hyatt hotels, so it shouldn’t be any great surprise that I chose the Hilton Waikiki Beach as my home away from home for this quick trip to Hawaii. Actually, I would have preferred to stay at the Hyatt that was just a few blocks away, but I decided against it since I recently stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong. I’m honestly trying to keep my hotel choices varied for the purpose of keeping these trip reports interesting, but somehow I find it hard to break free of the stranglehold that Hilton and Hyatt have on me! I promise I’ll choose a different hotel brand for my next trip just to keep sanspotter.com as varied as can be…
All in all, I found the Hilton Waikiki Beach to be a great place to stay while in Waikiki. It’s centrally located and just two blocks from the beach – but then again, what hotel in Waikiki isn’t? You really can’t go wrong with any hotel in this area, but this Hilton was the nicest property I’ve ever stayed at while in Hawaii. No, it’s not super luxurious. It is really nice, but keep in mind that I’ve never cared to spend a lot of money on a fancy hotel on my trips to the islands over the years. Maybe I’m just getting older and softer, but I’m definitely starting to prefer the nicer hotels these days. The Hilton Waikiki Beach did not disappoint.
I knew I was in for a great stay as soon as I approached the check in desk. The agent who checked me in was super helpful and very polite, and she did her best to make me feel welcome. Turns out she was a San Diego native, so we had lots to talk about as she prepared the paperwork. All in all, I wouldn’t consider her professionalism to be on par with the staff at the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong (for example), but she was friendly and helpful nonetheless and had me on my way in just minutes.
I booked a high-floor room with a view, and I knew it was well worth the slight surcharge as soon as I stepped inside. The view was incredible, with a nearly unblocked view of Waikiki beach. It was exactly what I was hoping for, and I was not disappointed at all.
In summary, I thought the room was ok. The style seemed to be “identity crisis” more than anything else, with clean and modern furniture mixed with loud and tropical materials. It wasn’t ugly, but it seems to me it would have been better if they would have chosen to go all-tropical or all modern instead of an awkward mix of the two. But an interior designer I am not, so I didn’t dwell on in much since I knew I’d be spending most of my time outside on the patio anyway. And hey – at least the decor wasn’t as bad what you’d find in a typical airport Marriott.
Would I stay here again? Absolutely. It was a very quiet and comfortable property with super-friendly and helpful staff, and the location was pretty much perfect. The only thing that would make me think twice about staying here again is my need to break away from Hilton and Hyatt in order to try different brands.
