At the end of September, we took a twelve-day trip to Hawaii to see three islands. Our first stop was the Big Island, Waikoloa Beach. Our trip was booked through the timeshare we own, Hilton Grand Vacations. More about that later, but first, let me talk about our flight. We took Hawaiian Airlines out of JFK. JFK was doing some major renovations, so there was a lot of traffic. They had to bus us to the airplane when it was time to board.

The flight was better than I had anticipated, and it was a ten-hour flight. We booked our seats for business comfort. The food was excellent, and the crew was polite. My husband slept on and off throughout the flight; I watched movies. Overall, the flight was good. Of course, I would have loved first class, but I can't justify those prices now. We left at 10:00 am and landed in Hawaii at 3:00 pm. We then had to take another Hawaiian airline flight to The Big Island. People call them puddle jumpers, so I imagined them to be small, but no. Again, the flight was alright. We book our transportation through the Big Island Transportation. They picked us up at the airport, and it took us about 45 minutes to get to the Hilton.

Once there, we had to take a monorail to get to the hotel we were staying at, which was the Grand Islander. We finally got into our room at 6:45. When we stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Resorts, we generally had a full kitchen, washer, dryer, living room, and bathroom, but we had a hotel this time. They are renovating, so we have got an older but more colossal hotel room. We immediately went to the balcony, taking our breath away to the most awe-inspiring ocean view. The winds were mild, the air was warm, the sun had just set down, and the night sky was incredible. 

The bed faced the ocean view, and we could leave the door open, feel the breeze, and listen to the ocean. We were hungry when we got in, so we ordered pizza from room service. It was $75.00 for a medium pizza with two iced teas. Over the next few days, we both were sticker-shocked as we learned the food prices within the resort were a bit high, but the food was very good.

We did not rent a car because we were only there for four days, and one of those days, we had a portfolio review. A review is when we meet with staff to discuss what we own, if we have any questions, and if we want to upgrade. We have had at least six meetings with HGV staff to learn what we own and all the benefits. We knew our third experience with a woman representative told us things that weren't true, but our latest representative set things straight and was terrific. He upgraded our room to the side that was renovated recently, and the room was incredible. This one had a living room, small kitchen, beautiful bathroom, and bedroom (open concept style - see the photos below.)

The Grand Islander is significant; there is much to see without a vehicle. Plus, you have all the restaurants you need right there, which is why we like to stay at resorts. It wasn't overcrowded, and there weren't many kids, making the pool experience pleasant. We were able to talk with other couples and share our experiences. We are not people who make crazy plans and try to do all the touristy things. We are the opposite. We like to talk to the locals and learn more about the island.

Overall, The Big Island was our favorite. Below are the photos from that experience.

Our second island was Maui. It took twenty minutes with Hawaiian Airlines. Once we landed, we called an Uber, and it took about 30 minutes to get to the Hilton on Kaanapali Beach. The drive-in was less pretty than The Big Island. The homeless community and the aftermath of the fires were a bit depressing. Once we got to our hotel, we were given the most beautiful view on the 12th floor (I think it was my husband's birthday.)  This hotel is enormous, with thirty-seven floors. This time, we had a typical suite (minus the washer and dryer), but there were units on every floor.
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The balcony extended from the living room area all around to the bedroom. We had two sliding glass doors, and the breeze would pick up when it got around 1:00 pm. It was terrific sleeping with both doors open, the breeze, and the sound of the ocean. From the view, you could look right down into the sea. We got to seals, turtles, sting rays, and fish. And again, because we didn't rent a car, we stayed and enjoyed the view and food. There was a restaurant in the hotel where the food was good, and another restaurant a quick walk down at another hotel called the Beach Club was even better. We walked to a surrounding shopping center to shop, get shaved ice, and have breakfast at Slappy Cakes. My husband didn't like it because it was more like a restaurant chain than unique, but I enjoyed the food. We couldn't get over the views and spent hours watching the sea life. We ventured down to the beach and enjoyed the ocean. The waves kicked our ass and tossed us like a salad. It was so much fun. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. The wind whipped sand everywhere, and it took me two days to get it out of my hair. This resort was a lot busier and had a lot of kids. Our server told us that many of the rooms were being rented by people displaced by the fire, which is so sad. The views were incredible, along with the food, but we agree that The Big Island is our favorite.

Our last island was Honolulu, and this was the most populated of all the islands. We grabbed an Uber, and it took about 40 minutes to get to the Hilton. We learned the Hilton staff was on strike, which concerned me a bit. We arrived before our check-in time, so we checked our bags and went to find something to eat at the resort. Once we got into our hotel room, it was beautiful. The hotel room included a kitchen, bath, washer and dryer, living room, and bedroom. This time, to save a bit of money, we went to the local grocery store called ABC store to purchase eggs, bacon, snacks, etc. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep the slider open because of the strikers below yelling. 

The resort was beautiful. There are a lot of stores, restaurants, and access to the beach. You could even venture out to the city and explore, which we did a bit. My husband purchased me a Louis Vuitton wallet to add to my small LV collection. Yes, I am spoiled and extremely grateful. We spent much more time relaxing and enjoying the space in the hotel room. Every time you ventured out, the people on strike wanted to talk and tell you why they were striking. Even though I truly understand their situation, I don't particularly appreciate experiencing it. But overall, the staff there was friendly. 

In closing, overall it was a great experience. Our favorite is The Big Island which we plan on visiting again perhaps as early as next year!