Habit Forming Hawaii
We are not fans of doing the same thing over and over (at least one of us isn’t.) One of the benefits of our roaming is discovering new places. That being said, Hawaii is different. We are back from our fourth trip and can’t wait to start planning the fifth. On our first trip, we island hopped. We spent 3 days on Oahu, home to Honolulu, and 3 days on the Big Island, the island of Hawaii. We LOVE the Big Island. Living in Florida, crowded beaches full of high rises are not our thing. The island of Hawaii is truly unique. Eleven of the thirteen climate zones found on earth can be found on this one island. The tops of the volcanoes are covered in snow most of the year. One side of the island is a dessert and the other a rain forest. Each day and each beach brings a different experience.
We stayed at the Bay Club operated by Hilton Grand Vacations Club. The Bay Club is located in Waikoloa Village about 30 minutes north of the airport in Kona. Hilton had four properties in Waikoloa Village. There are properties operated by other groups as well. Marriott and Wyndham both have properties there. Hilton’s vacation club properties are the Kohala Suites, Kingsland and the Bay Club. The Hilton Waikoloa Village is a massive resort located on the beach. The resort is so big it has its own monorail. But enough with the general information. Let me tell you why the Bay Club is so fantastic we find it hard to imagine going anywhere else.
The Bay Club has about 15 buildings containing one and two bedroom condos. There are several floor plans and even a few two story two bedroom villas. We have stayed in both the one and the two bedroom villas. They all have HUGE porches that either overlook the golf course with the volcanoes in the distance or look out over the lava fields. They have a full kitchen, living room, dining room as well as big bathrooms and bedrooms.
We like the Bay Club because it is like a home away from home. If you are looking for a luxury resort you may want to consider Kingsland or the Hilton Waikoloa Village. The Bay Club has a snack bar with drinks and snack food like hot dogs or grilled cheese by a small pool and hot tub. There is a second pool behind the lobby with a small bar. We saw a performance there by a local hula school on our last trip that was really enjoyable.
As you can see it is a casual, family atmosphere. There are grills scattered throughout the property. We did find them to be in less than optimal repair this time. We made the management aware and hope to find them in tip top shape on our next visit.