Palace Tower at Waikōloa Resort — Hotel in Hawaii

This place is a resort type Hotel. VERY Large property. Depending at which tower you are assigned. It's a long 15 min. Walk to the other half. Each half has something you'll want to go to. We were in the Palace Tower. It had a 10 min. Walk to the nearest pool. The do have a Tram but that takes longer to wait for and go then walking.and a boat and that's twice as long as the tram. So Bring your walking shoes. The have a really nice hidden Cove from the ocean that has Turtles and fish of all types you can swim by. That was really nice no charge.. maybe 10 pools all nice and clean. We were having trouble getting beach access. Not many chairs, for total guest population. They keep up on the grounds and very lovely atmosphere. Not many dinner options , like 3 and evenLless Bar options. Not really close to towns or exceptions. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes away. Bed rooms were big and just ok. Our Matress was very old and had a worn out big dip in it. And water from tub/shower would not stop running. Very large walking closet. We have stayed at many different Resorts. I found the room 6.5 , outside atmospheres 9.5, closeness to anything 3.5 there is some type of mall within a mile of property's but didn't find us going there. We went out to local towns to be away from the crowds. The property was To expansive to walk comfortably for most people. We did it but used that as our time off the treadmill. They chatge I think it was 48 a night to park your car, which was another 1/4 to 1/2 mile or 64 to valet. We chose the Valet. The were a busy bunch of fellows! Did great job tho. Would I stay here again? I could but I would rather find a better location and maybe a bit smaller. Oh and they were building another giant wing to one of the towers so even more people in the area and more walking with less improvements in moving people around. They expect you once there to figure out your own plans. Overall rating a 7 but mostly because of the nice views and there...

This place has degraded into madness. When you walk in, you’ll be greeted with booths and vendors for the time share programs.

Then you’ll realize that every single restaurant and event at the resort is marked up to insane prices, with the only discounts available to those who attend multi-hour time share presentations, and effectively waste your vacation getting marketed.

Then you’ll realize there is literally no escape within the resort from prices that can make your blood run cold. There’s only 5ish restaurants open at a given point. The breakfast buffet is the only sit down place open in the morning and is absurdly expensive. There’s only one other $17+ açaí bowl coffee house available as an alternative.

The resort rooms were great to sleep in, other than the construction happening all around you, providing some much needed rest before the 20 minute excursion each time in and out to get the F out of there and explore the island.

I truly believe the timeshare aspect is a disease on what I remember being the happiest place in the world growing up.

Just one more thing: When I went here last, the big yard area in the photo (Ocean tower, but they’re all connected) used to be a giant, amazing buffet. It could seat 150 people and the food was crazy as you would sit down by the koi pond below and watch the fish. Now, it’s literally a booth with 6+ people permanently staffed to sell you the timeshares. The literal lobby of the building is marketing trap.

The grill outside where the boats drop you off. Well that’s closed and doesn’t look like it’s opening...

Few things ....

Overall, we enjoyed our stay here , but it is in real need of upgrades to the rooms, trams, and boat. Tram didn't work most of the time, and when it did the ac was out Boat ran only a few times I spent a large amount of loyalty points to be at this location , though I was happy about the upgrade for a partial ocean view , the room itself needs some serious updates. We were in the palace tower.The bed was so thin you could feel springs, no shower pressure, and just overall old decor. It was clean though and the cleaning staff were very nice The breakfast buffet was terribly overpriced .. since this is likely a large international destination, I would suggest looking at some of those buffets from Hilton.. thought there was varieties, but I would expect much more local fruits and foods, etc. 100+ for breakfast is a bit outrageous. Nui ..did room service the first night , got two sodas and two entrees to the tune of 125..food was cold and just nit good especially for the price. The lagoon and pools were amazing The dolphin information is awesome and loved to see them The place is kid freindly and enjoyable overall. I do understand Hawaii itself is expensive but for some of the prices I would expect more . It was a good experience overall except the aforementioned. The place though is quiet and away from hilo and kona where everyone seemed to be which we are glad we didn't book those locations The grounds are awesome and well kept with unique...