Hawaiitravel

Review: Hilton Hawaiian Village Full Resort and Rainbow Tower Room Tour

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Sharing resort and room tours can be very bittersweet to me. That probably sounds strange, but I often fall head over heels in love with the places we visit and when I write the full review posts, that is normally the last time I will be sharing about it, for a while at least. This is no exception. We absolutely loved the location and the full resort at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Thanks again to Hilton for hosting our stay. We hope you enjoy this full review of the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Rainbow Tower.

As I’ve shared before, this was my second time staying here, and the first for the rest of the family. I visited as a teen and it is still just as awesome as I remembered it.

When I was here before, we stayed in the Ali’i Tower and this time we stayed in connecting ocean front rooms. I’ll share more about the rooms below and I’ve broken down the other parts of the resorts that we experienced.

Starting with the beach…

The resort is on a beautiful beach. No walking miles for sand, no heavy waves, just a nice place to relax and enjoy the Hawaiian sunshine. There is a sidewalk that takes you all the way to the heart of Waikiki too. Here are some pictures!

There is also a lagoon!

This is right off the beach and something that is perfect for families.

It was one of the main memories that I had of the resort. My sister and I spent all day down at the lagoon and my girls did the same. We rented an umbrella for me to sit under, and then Pete and the girls rented all the water equipment and splashed around in the water. Emmy especially loved that there are fish in the lagoon!

There are so many shopping opportunities too.

I never used to be a vacation shopper, and now I live for it. Some of my favorite outfits for myself and the rest of the family have come from discovering cool new shops when we are visiting a new area.

The resort itself is almost like a contained city and you really never have to leave… but because it is so perfectly located, you totally can if you want to. We love Waikiki so we took strolls all around, but it was great letting the kids do their own thing all around the resort-like my sister and I did. Reminder, we have 8, 15 and 17 year old’s so we can do this. I wouldn’t let the 8-year-old set off alone anywhere, not just here, but with a big sister, it was perfect.

Aside from the awesome shops like Hawaiian cookies, high-end purses, and jewelry, the shopping area is gorgeous!

Tip: Go to the ice cream place below for coffee. I mean, yes, get ice cream here too… but for sure get a mug of pour-over coffee here. It was our favorite from our time on the islands.

Another tip: If your kids have always wanted to get a fresh pearl, this is the place to do it. I got my first one here as a kid and we continued the tradition with the girls.

The pools!

There are multiple pools on property and we loved the ones at the Rainbow Tower.

The accommodations.

We had connecting oceanfront rooms. One had a king bed and the other two queens. For us, it is all about the view and with a balcony and an oceanfront room, you can have this view too! As soon as we saw this view off our balconies, we didn’t even care about the actual rooms… but of course, those were nice too!

Friday night fireworks and dining.

One more tip- make sure you are staying over on a Friday night because they have fireworks right off the beach in front of the resort. It was amazing and not a quick show either! We had dinner reservations at Bali Steak & Seafood (they made us amazing vegan and vegetarian food) and then escorted us to the patio to watch the fireworks. Reservations fill up on Friday nights because of this, so book early!

The food was so delicious, flavorful and fresh.

When we were having dinner, there were hotel guests and locals alike in the restaurant which is the number one sign that the food is top-notch. Here are some pictures of how creative the dishes served here are…

Hop on over and see all the fun we had at Hilton Hawaiian Village here and be sure to watch our resort and room tour above.

Heather Reese
the authorHeather Reese
Heather Delaney Reese is the storyteller and photographer behind the lifestyle and family travel blog, It's a Lovely Life®! For the past decade, she has vacationed over 150 days a year with her family. She is a vegan, and loves being by the water, spending time with her children, husband, 2 Shih Tzus and Cat.

35 Comments

  • This place looks special Heather! Brilliant really. I cannot get over the shade of that water. Magical. Up my alley. We will lay over in Hawaii flying from NZ to NYC in a month but only for 4 hours. Which means not enough time to get out and around. Oh well. Maybe next time.

    Ryan

  • Wow, how beautiful! I went to Hawaii about 20 years ago and I would love to go back. It is such a special place-I’d like to stay at this place!

  • OMGoodness the Hilton Hawaiian Village looks absolutely beautiful from the beach to the huge swimming pool, to the room with its great amenities! The shops, I’d be in my glory shopping in those gorgeous little places!

  • Wow, such a detailed post that would be so helpful to plan a stay in Hilton.. Loving the pictures so much.

  • It’s been so long since I’ve been to Hawaii and want to go back so bad. Now we have to wait for the earth to stop shaking so we can go back!

  • I LOVE this resort. We’ve stayed there a couple of times, and it’s the best place on the island, in my opinion.

  • When we visited Hawaii a few years ago, we visited this hotel a few times just because it was SO amazing! They even had penguins!!

  • Wow what an absolutely beautiful looking place to stay. I would love to go to Hawaii one day and I’ll have to try and remember this hotel, mind you with that rainbow tower it’s hard to forget.

  • Every picture you shared about your stay in Hawaii at the Hilton Hawaiian Village only reiterates what I’ve said about Hawaii. Everything, inside and out, is so beautiful and well taken care of. Now I really want to go to Hawaii!

  • I think the waters and trees look so gorgeous!! I would love to visit Hawaii with my family and soak up all that beauty!

  • The beach …. the shopping area…the room! HOLY MOLY this is like a postcard vacation spot! It’s absolutely gorgeous and looks like there is a LOT to do!

  • Oh My that view!! I live in Florida so I am used to the beautiful weather but wow Hawaii definitely takes the cake! The beach, water, and views are incredible.

  • Each picture of the Hilton Hawaiian Village was more amazing than the one before. I can’t believe all the wonderful activities and gorgeous pools there are. If I ever make it to Hawaii this is the place we will be staying!

  • I’ve stayed here years ago and your post brought back so many memories. This is a great place to stay!

  • I would love to visit Hawaii some day. The Hilton Hawaii Village looks absolutely incredible. They certainly do have everything one needs to an unforgettable experience.

  • The Hilton Hawaiian Village looks like a fantastic place to stay. The view from your room is simply breathtaking. It makes me want to visit Hawaii even more.

  • Wow looks top notch in my book. I’ve beem to Hawaii a couple of times and hope to go back many more. Thanks for the tips and the beauty

  • Everything looks amazing. Hawaii has been on my bucket list at number one forever. Looks like you had a great time

  • What a beautiful resort. I love Hawaii and would love to go back with the kids. It really is a great family destination.

  • I’m so jealous! This literally looks like paradise! I can’t get over how blue that water is.

  • I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii! It looks so serene and beautiful. I love it.

  • Grand vacation you guys had! The hotel, the food, and the water activites are all perfect! I’ve got to do a lot of convincing for my husband to bump this up to the top spot on our bucket list!

  • You and your family sure had a really good time there. The lagoon looks really nice! Oh and the spacious hotel room is tops! Wish we could afford a family vacation there too. I have to start saving for it!

  • I certainly know where I am staying when I head back to Hawaii. Your room tour was very helpful in choosing. Hilton always does it right

  • Wow! I’m never been to Hawaii, and this post has made me think the time is soon. This looks like a beautiful place to stay and your photos of this resort are stunning.

  • My husband and I stayed here in 2013 for 6 nights. We enjoyed it and want to go back some day. It is a gorgeous hotel and the people are all very nice and friendly.

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