Em Rabelais

Review of Hilton Waikoloa Village

[updated] This is generally a nice place. Definite...

[updated] This is generally a nice place. Definitely in need of upgrading (which is ongoing). Only two stars because of the first con listed.

Pros:
-Great staff, very customer-focused
-The food is good
-great snorkeling in the swim-at-your-own risk area
-wonderful ocean sounds and sunsets
-sea turtles everywhere
-we had a few issues in the room that maintenance resolved exceptionally quickly
-every time we asked for additional room coffee or other items they arrived within ten minutes

Cons:
-NO UMBRELLAS. Some staff didn't realize this was a problem for guests. The first person I brought this up to kept suggesting I carry an umbella everywhere. The few shaded spots are either right by a pool where children are playing (we were there for quiet) or fought over by the many guests hoping to enjoy the ocean and warmth while reducing skin cancer risk. The lack of umbrellas is a deal-breaker for me.
-you'll need a car if you want to escape the incredibly high food and beverage prices.
-NO UMBRLLAS. Whoever made that decision needs to do some serious reconsideration. This alone means we'll not come back until it's resolved (and, of course, when we can afford the airfare again).

Edit after resort response: the umbrellas they mention were "offered" at $100/day (at least, might have been more) and in a really noisy area. The resort response remains ignorant of my review (and quite a few others here).