.png)
The Big Island Kona Hotels can be intimidating to pick, as the island has so much to offer. Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kings’ Land Waikoloa is located on the Big Island of Hawaii and features condo-like rooms with functional kitchens, washing machines, and free parking. The resort has a small bistro/bar, multiple pools, and a shuttle service that takes you to a local shopping center, and the Hilton Waikoloa Village just down the road. Included in your stay at Hilton Kings' Land is access to the Waikoloa resort's pools and saltwater lagoon! We paid $1,320.67 in total for four nights in a Bedroom Deluxe King Resort View Suite.
Getting To Big Island Kona Hotel Kings’ Land Waikoloa by Hilton:
Hilton Kings’ Land is about a 30-minute drive from the Kona International Airport (KOA) airport. If you plan on going straight to the hotel and not straying too far from the pool, we recommend taking a ride-share or taxi. If you plan on doing some island exploring on your own, we recommend getting a rental car.
While visiting the Big Island we like to rent a car. The island gets its name for a reason, and a vacation here can be very driving intensive! From Kings' Land to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is about a two-hour drive! Getting there without a car can be expensive!! We rented a compact car with full insurance and paid $420.27 in total for four days. Consider checking Turo (an app-based rental car service) for competitive pricing!
In the past, we have also used ride-share, and it was easy to get a ride from the airport! The average price for a ride from the Kona International Airport (KOA) to Hilton Kings' Land is about $80-$100.
Public transportation routes are available via the Hele-on bus, but per the KOA website they offer "very limited service between the airport and Kailua-Kona." To find a route that may work for you, check out the Hele-On website here!
Check-in:
The check-in process had a few bumps, but nothing major. The standard time for check-in at Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kings’ Land is 4:00 PM. We arrived early and were unable to do an early check-in (even as Hilton Diamond members), but the front desk was kind and offered to hold our luggage and refrigerate our food items. They gave us towel cards and two pool cards to access the resort while we waited. We chose not to swim, but the front desk informed us there were lockers available for us to change if we needed to. We chose to relax poolside at the hotel's restaurant and bar, Bistro Lounge.
The restaurant was covered and had outdoor fans that created some much-appreciated airflow. There were drinks, food, and live music for everyone to enjoy while relaxing by the pool. Our room still was not ready by 4:00 pm, but the front desk was apologetic and gave us $25 each for the bar to enjoy while we waited! We enjoyed our drinks and waited in the bar until about 5:00 pm when the front desk called to let us know the room was ready. We drove to our building, but there were golf cart shuttles available for those without cars!
Room details:
We booked a ‘One Bedroom Deluxe King Resort View Suite’ for four nights and paid $1,563.21! The room was huge, essentially a one-bedroom apartment, and came with a full living room, dining area, kitchen, washer/dryer, and furnished lanai.
The kitchen had a small electric stove top with two burners, a microwave/toaster oven combo, a large refrigerator with a water and ice dispenser, and a dishwasher. Our room had no oven, but we cooked small portions in the toaster oven or on the stove! The room also had small appliances like a coffee maker, a toaster, and a rice cooker. There were also some plates, glasses, and silverware available for use. It also came with a few small pots and pans. This setup worked well for our short stay!
One of the things we noticed missing was basic seasonings, like salt and pepper. We made do without since we didn't want to buy bottles of seasoning for a few meals, but keep this in mind when planning! To our surprise underneath the sink, we found a roll of paper towels, dish soap, a sponge, and a few dishwasher tablets! We were super thankful to have found these. They made it easier for us to cook and clean (and saved us some money).
The room also came equipped with a washer and dryer in the unit! The washer/dryer came with a complimentary pack of detergent. It was so nice to be able to do laundry in our room! We were able to wash all our clothes the night before our flight home, and avoided putting wet soggy clothes into our suitcases!
The living room had a small sofa, coffee table, and smart TV. We had access to our streaming services, YouTube, and cable. Next to the living room was the lanai, which had a bistro dining set with two chairs, a table, and a chaise lounge. We enjoyed sitting on the patio in the evening to watch the sunset!
The bedroom has a king bed, closet, dresser, and TV on the wall at the foot of the bed. The TV in the bedroom is not a smart TV. We were a little disappointed we could not watch our shows in bed. However, we did like that the bedroom had a direct door to the bathroom, so we did not have to walk through the entire apartment. The bathroom was a standard hotel bathroom, except for an additional bidet.
Parking:
One of the enjoyable aspects of the Kings’ Land is complimentary parking! The parking lot for the building we were staying in (building 25) was very close to the main entrance of the building. All spots were a short distance from the entry. We never got a bad spot, even after returning late at night.
Property:
On the Hilton Kings’ Land property, there are a few things to enjoy without having to stray too far from your room! Outside our building was a small pool with a water slide, barbecue grills, a small picnic area, and a golf course! Around the rest of the property there are other pools; including a large one with a water slide and waterfalls, and an adults-only pool.
The resort, along with its sister property (Hilton Waikoloa), has a shuttle bus that will take you to the surrounding Hilton properties and nearby shopping centers. There is a grocery store, some shops, food, and a gas station in the shopping center, with a few bus stops throughout. On Tuesdays, you can even find a small farmer's market!
One of our favorite places the shuttle drops you off is Hiltons Waikoloa Village, which Kings’ Land guests get access to for free! If you choose to drive to the resort instead of taking the shuttle, you can also get the price of parking validated with the hotel's valet team! The resort offers multiple pools and a large saltwater lagoon perfect for snorkeling! (Stay tuned for our post breaking down our stay at Waikoloa Village!)
Big Island Activities:
When visiting a new or familiar place we always like to find something new and exciting to do! On the Big Island of Hawaii, we have tried a few excursions, you can read about them here: Manta Ray Night Snorkel, Star Gazing Tour, and Waterfall Tour.
Check out:
Check out for us is always a last-minute scramble to clean and pack! This time was no different, especially considering we had dishes to do! The check-out time for Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kings’ Land is 10:00 AM, but we were able to snag an additional hour the night before by calling the front desk.
We were thankful for the extra hour because we had 10 hours before our flight took off. Check-out went smoothly at the front desk when we handed our keys in, and the remainder of the day we spent relaxing beachfront at the Waikoloa Village.
Wallet-Friendly Tips:
When booking, check the Hilton website for promotions! They have a 2x the points promotion, and Waikoloa Village has an all-inclusive stay for specific dates! Also, consider signing up for the Hilton Honors Program to enjoy free perks and collect points for future visits. We have diamond status with Hilton (through the credit card) and often enjoy free upgrades, complimentary breakfast, and late checkouts!
Since our hotel room had a kitchen, and we were trying to keep costs down, we decided to cook most of our meals instead of going out. Our first stop after picking our car up was Costco, which is only about 10 miles down the road from the KOA airport. Costco’s prices in Hawaii are the same as on the mainland. Other grocery stores can be more expensive, especially the ones near the resort, so stocking up here can save money!
When we travel to places like Hawaii we like to bring our snorkel gear, (not Sponsored) since it can be expensive to rent/buy at the resort! We found a full set with fins that works pretty well for us and it fits inside our carry-ons. (They tend to fog up, but work for about an hour with anit-fog) It can cost the same price to rent gear for a few days as the gear is priced online.
Summary:
Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kings’ Land Waikoloa cost us $1,320.67 in total for four nights in a Bedroom Deluxe King Resort View Suite. We enjoyed free parking right outside our building, a kitchen, a washer and dryer in the unit, and a large furnished lanai.
Our room was not quite ready at the 4:00 PM check-in time, but the staff were very apologetic and got us $50 of bar credit to use while we waited. We loved that there was a free shuttle service to take you to nearby shops and restaurants and that we had access to the Waikoloa Village pools and lagoon! Do you think a stay at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kings' Land Waikoloa is Worth Your Wallet? Let us know below!
Comments