We are HGV Club members and originally wanted to go to Thailand but when we went to reserve, was told HGV pulled out because the standards were low, so the next best place was Hawaii!
After reading all the reviews here we decided to stay in Kings Land and are Very happy we did. What a BEAUTIFUL Resort! Best of the best! The staff are so willing to please and make guests happy, no phones balonies!
It’s a bit out of the way, you will definitely need a car to get around. The resort area itself has a shuttle bus that runs every half hour from each building that takes you to the large main Hilton and its pools and beach.
We were able to walk to the Kings Land main pool and 'restaurant' but needed a car to get everywhere else. There were people who were walking and we could have handled the walk, but it was hot and we just wanted to 'get there'.
A couple things to know: There is a food court located in the shopping area of the actual resort with a lot of different types of food to eat. There's a grocery store, ABC store, that sells food and great souvenirs! There's even a movie theater and ice cream shop. We didn't know about this until halfway through the trip.
Also connected to the resort area is Lava Lava beach and restaurant. We spent 4 nights dining at Lava Lava, it had delicious food and was a beautiful spot in paradise. I don't think the shuttle bus takes you there, but you can hop off the shuttle at the shopping area and walk over there.
There's a herd of goats on the property as well, cool, but I wouldn't chance getting too close lol
The main Hilton towers were a trip. You walk in and there's just a different kind of vibe there, really cool grounds with millions of dollars in Asian Pacific artwork.
The strange marble statues over by the big Buddha were just weird. The building that looks like an infinity symbol is being remodeled and many reviews advised against staying there while construction is on-going. While walking through that part of the resort, I am Sooo Happy we decided to not stay there, it was Very old and dated, smelled and looked like water damage everywhere.
Funny though because we wound up buying in that building lol we traded from HGV Club in Manhattan, don't know how we got suckered into that especially since we are New Yorkers. The maintenance fee was through the roof, so Ken, the salesman at Kings Land, got us a great deal with more points and less maintenance. We are now proud owners of Hilton Waikoloa Resort! Thanks, Ken!
The one thing that bothered me is this place is Soooo out of the way, it's in the middle of nowhere and to get to Ali'i Drive in Kona it takes around 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. We are not the type of vacationers to sit in the resort and hang out by the pool, we like to take advantage of the location we are visiting and tour around. Not one full day did we stick around in the resort. The day we had our owners upgrade with Ken, we did wind up sticking close by and hung out at the Lava Lava beach. We also got drinks and hung out by the pool late one afternoon. The pools are Gorgeous! Especially the main pool at Kings Land. We didn't bother with the pool at the Hilton tower hotel nor the beach.
The first thing we did after picking up the Jeep we rented was take a trip to Island Naturals grocery store in Kona just west of the airport - I was in Heaven! All the fresh fruits and vegetables Hawaii has to offer were there, along with all the organic/gluten free/vegan/dairy free etc. food you would need to stock up the resort room. Everyone here suggests it, and I am also giving it a big thumbs up.
We trekked around the whole island which was Awesome! The day after we checked out of this resort, we checked into an off-grid AirBnB on the old lava flow in Pahoa at the end of Pahoa Kalapana Road in Kalapana Gardens. THAT was an awesome night! The next morning we flew out of Hilo and spent a few days at Kalia Suites in Hiltons Hawaiian Village in Waikiki - a totally different experience!
Before visiting the Big Island, I purchased a book from a well-known Hawaiian author, Zack Royer called, Hawai'i Vortex Field Guide. I read up on it over and over and over and made it a point to visit as many vortex sites as we could. The vortices are located at sacred sites all around the island. The feeling of Peace is Amazing! These are healing vortexes that instill calm and peace. We were unable to visit the top of Mauna Loa because of the protesters shutting down the road to get up there, but we got as close as possible, pulled over on the side of the road, got out, found a spot and relaxed for a bit. We visited the Kilauea Vortex while at Volcanoes National Park; the Punalu'u Vortex is located on a black sand beach where we swam with so many sea turtles, a couple even swam onto the beach and hung out on the warm sand. The Place of Refuge Vortex located at Pu'uhonua o honaunau National Historic Park was AMAZING! While walking toward the lagoon, right in front of us a vortex of yellow butterflies formed out of nowhere! I never saw anything like it! I removed my shoes to ground and sat in the middle of where the mini-tornado had formed, and butterflies were all around me, attracted to that spot. Afterwards, we walked over to the free "beach" (boat launch, old lava flow area you can swim off) and just hung out and soaked all the positive energy in while floating in the water. There was also a man dressed at the National Park with nothing but a loin cloth carving tikis. He said he restores old churches for a living, which is what he was doing in the park. His work was amazing, but he doesn't sell it. The Park itself, a recreation of an old Hawaiian Village, was just stunning. One of our Favorite vortices was located at Paleaku Gardens. My God, the energy there was the best we felt anywhere on the island and were upset we only got to spend an hour there, but absolutely grateful for that hour! It had just started to rain and the woman in charge handed us umbrellas and sent us on our way. We traveled through the galaxy garden together, then me and my husband went our separate ways to explore. He was pulled one way and I pulled another. I can't describe our experience, only that it was just absolutely magical and peaceful and we didn't want to leave. At one point when we met up, my husband asked me if I saw something over in a certain area, which I didn't. He said he did and so he took a photo with his Galaxy Edge phone. There on the photo to the left was an area of "fog", we later determined it to be energy. Then we were walking to our left and there was a tree that pulled us both. It was a pretty tree, but there wasn't any special, beautiful flowers or waterfall or anything special in it, just a sign that said Hindu Garden and a small Buddha head. We totally both felt the energy and my husband pulled out his camera. The photos were amazing and you can SEE the pillars of Energy in that area! We both hung out for a few minutes and meditated, soaked up that energy and parted ways again to explore. I then came upon a labyrinth and I HAD to walk it, and as I did, the sky opened up and it started to pour, but I didn't mind. I was so entranced in the labyrinth, just so wonderful. Before we left on the trip I decided to bring a little amulet, I guess you can call it, a friend had given it to me during a rough time. It was a Rosary amulet with the cross and beads on the outside of a circle, I just so happened to have it with me and I decided to leave it at the end of my journey in the labyrinth, along with all the other little gems and trinkets others had left before me. I'll post the pics of the energy...
Another sacred site we visited was Hikiau Heiau at Kealakekua Bay a location settled over a thousand years ago. It is located across the small bay from the Captain Cook monument. The area is just so cool, the dolphins were jumping the whole time we were there (it's a protected area for them) and while there an older couple were reading the history and I let them know this was a healing vortex. They were getting ready to leave, but after I told them that, they walked over and sat under a beautiful tree for a bit.
If you're looking for a New Age, spiritual, mystical experience, check out Zach Royer's books. Also, check out Magics Beach Grill and Magics Beach on Ali'i Drive; Big Island Yoga Center in Kealakekua has an Awesome view of the ocean and I took a great class there one day; the little gift shops on the main Belt road are Super Cute; Tie Dye Hobo in Kealakekua has super cool stuff at Amazing prices; the antique stores located throughout the island are a great place to get souvenirs; Mahai'ula Beach in Puako is super cool because the incoming planes to Kona Airport fly right over you - it's a bumpy ride getting down to the beach but totally worth it! Lots of trees to sit under if it's a hot day.
Me and my husband each brought a carry-on piece of luggage and a personal item sized bag. Even though I took half the stuff out of my luggage before we left, I could have downsized even more! I brought three bathing suits, three cover ups, three pairs of shorts, four shirts, a dress, a pair of heels, a pair of hiking sandles, two pairs of flip flops. On my next trip I'm bringing bathing suits and cover ups, the two pairs of flip flops (one for the beach, one for dinners) one pair of shorts, two shirts, no dress and no heels. I did laundry every night in the room. The island vibe is Totally casual. We went to dinner with our bathing suits and cover ups on. There's no need to over pack! Nobody cares what you look like, and everyone is in an Island state of mind!
The closest place I can equate Big Island to are the Florida Keys and Key West before the expensive chain stores moved in, only much better.
We will definitely do this trip again, such a magical and low-key island!
