Today’s Aloha Friday Photo was taken by Bruce Allie from the Waikiki Prince Hotel. Bruce tells me that he took this photo while staying there in 2008. Then a few months later he moved to Hawaii permanently.

Mahalo to Bruce for sharing his sunset photo with us.

Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island is a massive resort.  How big is it? The resort sprawls over 62 beautiful oceanfront acres. That’s big!

Some folks describe the Hilton Waikoloa Village as Disney-esque with the tram and boat rides that transport guests throughout the resort. Though we found it fairly walkable from one end to the other. Of course the tropical landscaping and corridors of artwork and artifacts certainly provide eye candy as you move about.

Location

This Hilton resort is located about 30 minutes north of Kona airport in Waikoloa Beach Resort. We really love this spot on Hawaii Island and highly recommend it as a great place to stay on the Big Island. The shops, free entertainment, great restaurants and Hawaiian history are some of the reasons that Waikoloa Beach Resort is an excellent base for a Hawaii vacation.

Amenities

Hilton Waikoloa Village’s large area lends space for all sorts of water sports. One natural feature is the large salt water lagoon at the heart of the resort. The lagoon water is quite calm, making it a sheltered spot for kids to play. The lagoon is a great place to try kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and snorkeling. (One recommendation to share that we learned the hard way is that snorkeling visibility is best in the morning.)

Water fun at the Hilton Waikoloa Village salt water lagoon

On the southern end of the lagoon, you’ll find the Dolphin Learning Center where you can watch them swim and play. If you really want to get close to the dolphins you can book an experience with Dolphin Quest. We didn’t have the time to experience Dolphin Quest here, but we have enjoyed swimming with dolphins on Oahu with Dolphin Quest.

There’s pools around every corner at Hilton Waikoloa Village. Some pools have waterslides and one has a lazy river attached. (Another recommendation is to make sure you get a wristband so that you can use all the pool amenities. We learned this the hard way, too. No one explained the wristband requirement or how to get one. We literally only had enough time for one chance for a run down the waterslide, but the pool attendant rudely refused to let us go down, even though we could show her our room key.)

Kona Pool at the Hilton Waikoloa Village

Lounge chairs were easy to find throughout the resort. We liked the fact that beach cabanas for two were available to guests at no additional charge. The cabanas are available on a first come, first served basis so if you see one open, snag it.

Other nice amenities in this village are a spa, wedding chapel, tennis courts, shops, convention space and loads of restaurants including one of our Big Island favorites, Kamuela Provision Company.

Rooms

The rooms were spacious with a sitting area, desk space, lanai (balcony) and a walk-in closet. Some of the in-room amenities include a small refrigerator, coffee maker and tropical toiletries created by the spa.

Our room in the Lagoon Tower of Hilton Waikoloa Village

The bed was very comfortable and the linens seemed fresh and luxurious.

I don’t know if we were unlucky with our room or not, but we felt like our room needed refurbishing. The sofa and carpet were noticeably soiled and stained.

Our room was located in the Lagoon Tower with a view of the lagoon. On the way to our room we could tell that sections of the Lagoon Tower had ah-mazing ocean views. From the looks of it, parts of the Ocean Tower have excellent ocean views, too.

Luau

The onsite luau, Legends of the Pacific, is excellent. The food and entertainment are very high quality. Some things I look for in a luau are traditional Hawaiian foods, imu ceremony and a fire knife dancer. Legends of the Pacific definitely ticked all those boxes.

We thought the luau staff was particularly friendly and helpful even though gratuity is included in the price.

Legends of the Pacific offers guests the option to upgrade to Ali’i seating for $26 more. We think this option is worth doing for the relaxed table service and better seating near the stage.

Fireknife Dancer at Hilton Waikoloa Village Legends of the Pacific Luau

See all our photos from the Legends of the Pacific luau.

Video Tour

Andy captured some excellent video to tour you around the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

(Email subscribers: click here to watch this Hilton Waikoloa Village video tour.)

Final Bits and Pieces

- We only stayed at Hilton Waikoloa Village for two nights, which really didn’t do it justice. We barely got to scrape the surface of the resort amenities.

- With rates starting at $199, this resort offers pretty good value for money.

- I think families traveling with kids would particularly enjoy this resort. That being said, there’s enough relaxation and romance for adult guests.

- For more photos, see our collection from our stay at Hilton Waikoloa Village.

Mahalo to Hilton Waikoloa Village for hosting our stay.

Have you stayed at Hilton Waikoloa Village? How was your stay?

A short drive to Keanae Peninsula is definitely worth the diversion off the Road to Hana. The paved drive down to this peninsula leads you to the ocean’s edge for amazing views of the Hana coast.

You’ll find the turn to Keanae Peninsula on the ocean (makai) side of the Road to Hana between mile markers 16 and 17. (It’s closest to mile marker). The turn is at a the bend of a hair pin curve, so drive slowly so you don’t miss the turn.

View Larger Map

I’ve been to Keanae Peninsula in both morning and afternoon sun. I think it’s particularly beautiful during afternoon sun, but stop when ever you can – especially if the weather is sunny.

I’d also like to note that there’s a banana bread stand, Aunty Sandy’s,  in Keanae that’s known for serving some of the best banana bread on the island. I wish I could speak from experience about how good it tastes, however it’s always been closed when I’ve been there. I guess I’ll have to keep returning in the hopes that the banana bread stand is open.

Have you been to Keanae Peninsula? How was your experience.

Vanilla (orchid) growing on a hapu'u fern

Vanilla has the reputation for being, well, somewhat bland, but did you know that vanilla is quite a fascinating plant? Vanilla is actually an orchid that only blooms for one day. If the orchid is to produce a vanilla bean, it must very carefully hand pollenated on that one day of blooming.  I learned these interesting facts while visiting the Hawaiian Vanilla Company for lunch and a tour.

Though learning about vanilla is interesting in itself, the owner Jim Reddekopp weaves a family love story into his presentation about vanilla and how he came to farm it.  Jim and his wife Tracey were living on Oahu with their first two children when they decided that before they had more kids, they wanted to raise their children on a farm. Soon after, they decided to more to Hawaii Island’s verdant Hamakua Coast to start the US’s first (and I believe only) vanilla farm. Jim and Tracey now have five children that he jokes are on a work to eat program.

Jim Reddekopp prepares a vanilla-infused appetizer.

Jim Reddekopp does not hied his passion for his family and vanilla. The two are clearly intertwined. It was inspirational to hear how the Reddekopps grew their farm dream into a viable small business that currently employees nine people. How inspirational was it? Well, on the drive back to Waikoloa, Andy and I started daydreaming and brainstorming what sort of farm we could start in Hawaii.

We enjoyed a very tasty vanilla-infused, three-course lunch as part of the Hawaiian Vanilla Experience ($39/adult and $15/child ages 4 to 12) followed by a tour of the farm. Almost every part of the lunch incorporated vanilla in creative and unusual ways. For example, the roasted potatoes were seasoned in a vanilla southwest spice. I certainly learned by tasting that vanilla is not just for desserts.

Vanilla was added to each part of this savory lunch.

After lunch, we took a tour of a vanilla farm “field”. There, we looked closer at the type of environment and tender loving care that vanilla farming requires.

Vanilla Plant

The Hawaiian Vanilla Company  is located in lovely old timber building that originally housed a coffee mill in the 1920s. It’s roughly half way between Hilo and Kona. We drove there from Waikoloa Beach Resort in about an hour. It’s quite a scenic drive, too. (See this map for directions.) If you’re in this area, you might want to consider also visiting Akaka Falls, Waipio Valley lookout and if time permits, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.

Hawaiian Vanilla Company offers other tours and tastings in addition to this lunch tour we enjoyed. Tour reservations are strongly recommended. You can book by calling 1-877-771-1771.

Having lunch and farm touring at Hawaiian Vanilla Company was far more than a vanilla experience.

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Mahalo to the Hawaiian Vanilla Company for hosting our tour.

Mahalo to Lisa Eichinger for sharing her photo of Ehukai Beach Park. This North Shore Oahu spot is where the famous Banzai Pipeline surfing spot is.

For such a popular beach park, notice how pristine and peaceful this beach looks. Lisa definitely found a beautiful scene to share with us.

*  Congratulations to Four Seasons Resort Lanai Lodge at Koele for making the top 10 list of US hotels by U.S. News & World Report. The Lodge secured the second highest ranking. We at Go Visit Hawaii love the Lodge at Koele as you can see from our review. Pssst! Here’s a secret – it’s one of the top luxury values in all of Hawaii. With their third night free offer, rates start at just $207 per night!

*  Do you have a favorite Hawaiian Island, beach, hotel, luau or activity that you think is tops? GoHawaii.About.com wants your nominations!

*  By popular demand, the folks at JetLev Hawaii contacted me to let me know they’re extending the special $199 rate for a limited time. So, if you didn’t get a chance to take advantage of the JetLev Groupon we mentioned, you can call Eric at 808-393-0153 and ask for the $199 rate.

*  United Continental plans to launch nonstop service between Washington Dulles (IAD) and Honolulu (HNL) in June per this report.

*  Ala Moana Hotel near Waikiki is getting into Super Bowl 46 spirit with a special offer. After the game, the folks at Ala Moana Hotel will offer a special rate that’s the combined score. That’ll make you cheer for a defensive struggle. This special rate will be valid for stays between March 1 and April 15, 2012.  Read more about this special offer at www.AlaMoanaHotel.com/46.

*  Aqua Aloha Surf & Spa in Waikiki is offering a great rate of $85 per night plus free daily continental breakfast. For this Book Now Save Later deal, you must book by February 16 for stays between March 12 and June 21, 2012. Note that this deal is not available between April 30 and May 4.