Return to Aloha # 3: A Hike Around the Hawaiian Village

In my last post, I mentioned that some guests can probably spend a week at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and never go off the property (except, perhaps, onto the beach, which is of course a public beach and not private to the hotel). Some readers may think, "Isn't that kind of boring?" Well, it is and it isn't, and in this post I want to introduce you properly to this resort which is definitely like no other I've ever visited. For certain, I've never seen another resort hotel looking like this one!

To start yourself off right, you need a map. These maps appear on signboards in various places around the property, and always include a recommendation that you photograph it yourself to keep a copy. It's very good advice. (this map is a slightly outdated version, but close enough)

 

By the way, if you click on any photo in this blog, it will enlarge.

Calling this walking tour a "hike" is a slight exaggeration, but the distances involved are such that you can get in quite a bit of exercise just going from place to place on this property. As an example, just yesterday I went for a walk after breakfast from Tropics Restaurant at the base of the Ali'i Tower, along the beachfront, all around the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, back out to the beach and around to the side of the Rainbow Tower facing the Super Pool to go up to my room. Fifteen minutes.

Let's begin with that walk, which shows two of the three main private swimming venues in this resort village. The first is the Lagoon, which can be used for all kinds of watersports opportunities -- SUP boards, giant waterbikes, kayaks, and just plain swimming. This was an early morning walk; the lagoon will get much, much busier as the day goes on. Notice, too, that you are looking at one of the very few private beaches in Hawai'i. Because the lagoon and its beach are artificial, they don't fall under the state's jurisdiction.

 

Now, I ask you: is that a poetic view of the extinct volcano Diamond Head or what? And could there be a more lovely, evocative place to do morning yoga on a paddleboard?

On this walk, you also pass by the Paradise Pool which is fitted very creatively into the limited space between the Lagoon Tower and the edge of the property. It's actually a series of several pools of varying sizes, all edged with natural-looking volcanic rock formations, and with the upper and lower levels connected by a kid-sized waterslide. There are also two bigger waterslides which empty into the upper main pool, and are open at specified hours each day. The entire Paradise Pool is really a kid's paradise, and a must-visit for families with children.

Completing that walk around the lagoon, you come back to the beach front and pass by the Rainbow Tower to the Super Pool -- the heartpiece of the resort. It's actually two pools -- a huge main pool, and a smaller but still healthy-sized shallower pool for "keiki" -- children. This means, of course, that all of the kids are normally in the main pool. This is the pool that features in the view from my "lana'i" (balcony or terrace -- note that this is again a three-syllable word!).

 

It just looks like there are a lot of vacant lounge chairs. Vacant chairs are dark chocolate brown. The grey chairs have grey pool towels draped on them. Just like a cruise ship, the Hilton Hawaiian Village has an ongoing problem with greedy, selfish people who hog lounge chairs for hours on end without actually using them. The real problem, though, is that there just aren't anywhere near enough lounge chairs for the sheer size of the place.

 

Going around the far side of the Super Pool, you come to Tropics Restaurant, my personal favourite among the resort's food outlets. It has outdoor and indoor portions, both huge, and a regular army of servers who work very hard at seeing that their guests are happy at all mealtimes. The outdoor portion is draped with mesh nets to deter the many and aggressive pigeons and gulls which haunt the resort at all hours. Smaller birds have figured out how to get inside the nets and hop around after crumbs, but they do not harass diners as the pigeons and gulls would do if given half a chance.

 

The real delight of Tropics is that it has a number of tables-for-two arranged along the outer edge, with the best views of the beach, the beachfront walkway, and the endless array of people going by. 

 

 Turning inland at this point, you walk past the Ali'i Tower, the resort's most deluxe section. "Ali'i" is a word designating the traditional and hereditary nobility of the peoples of Hawai'i. The Ali'i Tower has its own concierge service, a private bar and food outlet, and a private pool.

 

You then walk into the Ali'i Plaza, between the Ali'i Tower and the Diamond Head Tower. This is the first of several collections of shops you'll encounter as you walk through the resort, although there are in fact shops in every tower of the complex. 

 

 The shops range from high-end clothing, perfume, and jewellery purveyors to ABC convenience stores, and all points in between. Passing through the Ali'i Plaza, bear to the left and you will come to the Village Green and the Akalā Chapel (formerly called the Ocean Crystal Chapel).

It's not hard to guess that this beautiful place is meant to host weddings. But, you may wonder, what about beach weddings? Remember, though, that here in Hawai'i every beach is public property. You can try to have a beach wedding, and the resort will help you to arrange it if you wish -- but there is no legal way to prevent the immediate world from dropping in and watching.

 

From the chapel, you pass by the Tapa Tower (tallest in the resort), cross the driveway, and enter the Rainbow Bazaar. You'll find a great deal crammed into a small space here, from architecture inspired by the traditions of Japan, China, and colonial America to shops and restaurants of all kinds. At one time, the Hawaiian Village was proposing to tear down the Bazaar and replace it with yet another high-rise tower. I hope they've abandoned that plan permanently, as the Rainbow Bazaar is truly one of the most unique features of the property.

 

Here in the Bazaar is where you will find many of the independent food outlets, including a pizza place, a deli, a seafood restaurant, an Italian restaurant, and more. When you've walked through the entire Bazaar, you come out onto the driveway and find yourself again facing the long, low building which houses the front desk, concierge, tour desk, and other such services. It's really a building in name only, for the most part, as so much of it is a roof covering an open-air space.

Turn right, away from the front desk building, pass the Rainbow Tower, and you come to the Great Lawn. In the past, this has been used for receptions and events of one sort or another. Now, it is the venue for the resort's "lu'au" -- a Hawaiian feast with singing and dancing, which is one of the better-known cultural features of Hawai'i. The name specifically refers to the hole in the ground, lined with lava rocks, which is first preheated with fire, then filled with food to be baked, and then covered over with palm leaves, rocks, and sand to trap all the heat and steam/smoke the food. 

 

In the Hawaiian Village's version, there is no lu'au oven -- but there is an excellent mixture of traditional and modern dishes, an ample supply of mai tais, wine, and other refreshments, and a spectacular post-dinner show. I did my best to get some pictures, but without a flash it was tough -- even though I paid a premium price to be seated in the front section.

 

The second picture shows the dancers wearing a traditional skirt made out of ti leaves. I particularly like the last picture because it captures something of the grace and beauty of the classic Hawaiian dance, the sacred hula -- a poem in music, movement, and gesture.