Set in 22 acres of lush tropical gardens and sweeping lawns, the Hilton Hawaiian Village is one of Hawaii's top resorts.  Located on the widest stretch of Waikiki beach, the hotel is surrounded by palm trees, tropical plants, open green lawns and waterfalls, but is still only a 15 minute walk to the hustle and bustle of Waikiki town centre, with its shops, bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

Accommodation is in one of the hotel's five towers - Rainbow Tower, Ali'i Tower, and the 3 Village Towers - Kalia, Tapa and Diamond Head towers.

The Rainbow Tower is located right on the beach front, and is between the 2-level super pool and the beautiful man-made 5 acre Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, and all but a few rooms (on the backside of the building) have stunning ocean and lagoon views. Rooms and suites in the Rainbow Tower, as well as some of the public areas and restaurants, were completely renovated in 2011-2012 as part of their 50th anniversary year, and $45 million was spent with completely refitted bathrooms, new flooring, furniture, bedding, decoration and electricals.

The Ali'i Tower is also right on the beachfront and next to the super-pool.  The rooms and suites have also been completely refurbished, with new bathrooms, furnishings and finishes.  They updated the public areas and added a new guest library and guest lounge.  This tower is the more luxurious and exclusive, with complimentary fruit baskets in guest rooms, a private guest pool and jacuzzi and even has its own dedicated concierge.

The 3 Village Towers are located at the rear of the property but are still only a short stroll to the beach, lagoon or any of the 5 swimming pools.  Some rooms have ocean or partial ocean views, some have garden/resort views or city/mountain views.

Each one of the 2,860 rooms or suites across the 5 towers have air conditioning, colour TV, telephone, ensuite bathroom with bath/shower and complimentary toiletries, 1 King or 2 Double Hilton Serenity Collection beds, in-room security safe, refrigerator and mini-bar, work desk and chair,  easy chair or sofa (sofa in some room catagories only), iron and ironing board, hairdryer, wired internet access (fee) and a private balcony with spectacular views of the city, mountains, pools, gardens or the ocean.

Suites offer extra space, with 1 or 2 separate bedrooms and separate living/dining room, 1 or 2 ensuite bathrooms, kitchenette area, and 3 separate balconies. Junior Suites and Family Rooms have the extra space, without having the separated bedrooms, just 1 very large room with 1 King or 2 Double beds, but they are very light, airy and spacious, and well appointed. Most of these rooms are located on the corners of the towers, giving you double aspect windows with expansive views.

Within the 'Village' you will find ten restaurants each with its own distinctive flavour from the freshest seafood to homemade fresh pasta, more than 100 speciality shops and a vast range of entertainment oppourtunities from Hawaiian Luau evenings to weekly firework displays.

The Bali Steak & Seafood offers USDA prime steaks and fresh seafood with indoor or outdoor dining with views of the beach and sea. The Rainbow Lanai is the main restaurant, popular with family guests, due to its extensive daily breakfast buffet, casual classic American menu and lovely open air dining.  The Tropics Bar & Grill is open for a la carte breakfast, lunch of salads, sandwiches and pizza, and dinner menu with soups, salads, steaks and pizza, and has a Drinks Happy Hour from 3-5pm.  Benihana is a Japanese-inspired restaurant, where your chef prepares your dinner of steak, chicken, seafood and fresh vegetables right infront of you. Fresco Italian Restaurant serves Italian cuisine with an island twist. CJ's New York Deli offers grilled sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts.  Hanajuban offers fresh noodles, ramen (noodle soup), gyoza (potsticker/steamed dumplings) and curry.  Hatsujana offers unique Japanese daily delicacies.  Round Table Pizza, freshly made pizzas.  Pronto Pickle is a grab 'n' go cafe with sandwiches, salads, hamburgers and drinks.  Fresh Connection offers cooked-to-order take-aways or delivery of light breakfast bites, and salads, sandwiches, hot dogs and pizza for lunch and dinner.  There is also a Starbucks coffee Shop, Lapperts Ice Cream Parlour and a Dairy Queen/Orange Julius at the Beach, offering hot and cold drinks and smoothies, hot and cold snacks, and lovely ice creams.

And if you don't want to eat within the Resort, the bars and restaurants of Honolulu, as well as all the other nearby hotels and resorts, are available to choose from, though this maybe a difficult choice!

Another dining and entertainment option is the Waikiki Starlight Luau, which happens Sunday - Thursday (weather permitting) on the rooftop patio of the Conference Centre.  Here you can experience traditional Hawaiian crafts and activites, an extensive traditional buffet of Kalua pig, local fish, Huli Huli chicken, sweet potatoes and Hawaiian fried rice, followed by the colourful show with live music, drums and traditional Hawaiian, Tahitian and Samoan song and dance.

There are 5 swimming pools in the Resort, each with furnished pool decks and patios, so your choice is huge.  The Super Pool is right on the beach and is built on two tiers, with the lower tier being a shallow children's pool, and covering a full acre, The Paradise Pool covers 5,000sqft of slides, bridges, waterfalls, lavarock formations, meandering streams surrounded by palm trees and tropical gardens.  There is a private pool for guests staying in the Ali'i Tower, the Tapa Pool between the Tapa and Diamond Head Tower and the Kalia Tower infinity pool, located on the 4th floor with a quiet pool deck. There is also the private man-made 5 acre lagoon where you can snorkel or swim, without being in open ocean, or surf, swim, snorkel or paddle an outrigger canoe directly off Waikiki beach.  Rainbow 1, the Resorts' own catamaran, is available from the beachfront dock for daytime and evening cruises.

Friday nights are party nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  Around the Super-Pool there is music and dancing, with torch lights, drums, and culminating in a fantastic fireworks show over the beach.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is an ideal property for families, and they have the Camp Penguin kids club, with lots of activites specialy designed for kids 5-12 years, as well as kid-friendly pools, loads of different watersports, including the Atlantis Submarine trip, Aqua Cycles and surfing lessons, and the beach to enjoy.  There is lots of wildlife to see as well, including 60 species of exotic birds, turtles and fish, and even penguins in their own pool, near the Ali'i Tower.  And if you are travelling without children, there are more adventurous experiences and watersports, including jetskiing, helmet diving and high-speed boat rides to experience as well.

And when you want to relax and wind down after all that excitement, the Mandara Spa can offer a range of spa treatments the incorporate Pacific, Western and European influences.  There is also a well equipped fitness center there, as well.

This "super" hotel is in a perfect location, only 20 minutes from Honolulu Airport, but right on Waikiki Beach front.  With everything to do and everything you need in the resort, more than we can list here, (even though we have listed quite a lot!), you would never have to leave to find anything you would want on a Hawaiian holiday.

However, this is a very big resort, and at peak holiday times, can be very full, and consequently very busy in places, something to consider when looking at your dates of travel.

Click HERE to visit the hotel's own website