We loved our vacation on Kauai and loved staying at the Hilton. We have 2 young boys (4 and 8) and this property fit our needs perfectly in every way. The convenient location is equidistance from the north part (a 1-hour drive north to Ka'a Beach - highly recommended) and west part of the island/Waimea Canyon, and just a 5-minute drive from Lydgate beach. Wal-mart, Safeway is also just a short drive away. There are 4 pools, each with its own theme. The shallow sandy one for young children, and right next to it, a bigger pool with an amazing slide. The 3rd pool has a volleyball net, and the last one is the deepest, and the furthest away from the sandy pool - ostensibly for those that prefer a quieter environment. We found Nadia, a swim instructor, by posting on Craigslist and had her come to the hotel a couple of mornings to teach the boys - pool was perfect - not a soul around. Mike was there almost every day handing out towels and dispensing excellent island tips. The room is equipped with a small EMPTY fridge, a nice surprise. The room was big enough for us, very clean, with a great view of the ocean (we were in building 4 - the furthest building away from the main lobby.) Beds are super comfortable. Everyone from the front desk to the bellhop was friendly and helpful. We were also able to check out late, which was a godsend. Our flight did not leave until 9 pm, but given that our room was available, we were able to stay for $10/hour after the check out time of 12 noon. The fallback would have been a courtesy room that they provide for 1/2 hour, with a reservation. I was looking for the negatives read here from some reviewers and honestly saw none of it: no trash on the beach, no cockroaches, no musty room smell. Yes, the beach that fronts this property is not swimable - but we loved exploring and discovering different beaches every day. The snorkeling at some is out of this world. Lots of exotic multi colored fish and sea turtles! It was great to come back to the pool at the end of a beach day. During our stay, parking was never a problem for us. Upon arrival they did want to charge us $10 for self parking but it was waived without incident when we politely objected. (On Wednesdays they have a performance of South Pacific - parking was tight then.) We checked out the Marriott out of curiosity and I was very surprised at the size of it. It's enormous. Vegas-style huge. According to this website it only has 232 rooms to the Hilton's 345. I find that very hard to believe. Their pool is surrounded by lounge chairs 3 chairs deep, and spills out to the beach. The entrance, lush landscaping, and property is over-the-top opulent. It really reminded me of Vegas and a convention-sized hotel.
We would return to the Hilton Hotel without hesitation!









