Oahu Revealed - Hilton Hawaiian Village

3,386 rooms, 5 pools, spa, 2 fitness rooms, 14 restaurants, 90 or so shops, 100,000 sq. ft. of conference rooms, 24-hour business center, room service, day spa, WebTV and hi-speed Internet access in rooms, Wi-Fi in some public areas, Nintendo, lanais (on most), child care program, free room safes, wedding chapel. Where do we start? We've reviewed every resort in Hawai'i, and this is the biggest kahuna of them all. On a typical day they'll have 5,000 guests serviced by 1,800 employees, which practically qualifies it as a small town. If you're looking for a pulsating, always-moving resort, this place hums. If you're looking for peace and quiet, you've definitely come to the wrong place. It can get very crowded at the pools. Six massive towers (the tallest is 35 stories) with the Rainbow Tower being the closest to the water and the Alii Tower having the highest services. The grounds are strewn with tropical plants, flowing ponds, swimming pools, some exotic birds and lots of palm trees.

In some ways they seem to nickel and dime you here. They charge a whopping $15 per day to use the in-room hi-speed Internet access, and coffee for your coffee maker is extra. (They make a tidy $30,000 a year just selling you coffee for that little machine.) The fitness room is $12.50. There’s no coin-op laundry. You’ll have to valet it. Parking is $20 per day and valet is $26. They do give you an option to pay for their Paradise Pass at $17, which gives you free Internet access and usage of the fitness center.

The Alii Tower is the nicest tower. It's the best furnished, there are more services there, and they throw in some extras like the above-mentioned coffee, free fitness room and pupus by the pool nightly. (Alii rooms ending in -05 are particularly nice.) They have their own front desks here and in the Kalia Tower, so you can check in directly there and avoid the often busier main lobby.

The Diamond Head Tower is our least favorite, and the Lagoon Tower is completely timeshare. The Tapa Tower will undergo room renovations in 2007. Another 301-room timeshare tower was in the works at press time. All the rooms were clean with a Hawaiiana theme, which varies from tower to tower.

Rooms are simple and comfortable. The oceanfront category rooms on the Rainbow Tower--especially those on the Diamond Head side--have smashing views down the beach.

They have aded a stunning new wedding chapel with an on-site wedding coordinator who can help plan events there or on the beach.

The beach in front of the Hilton defines the northwestern edge of Waikiki and has the calmest waters. If the prices of the restaurants here scare you off, the Hale Koa's simple food next door is considerably cheaper and, although it's a military hotel, you can use their beachside snack bar, but not the other restaurants.

The resort is well known for their fire-works every Friday night.

Rooms (300-540 sq. ft.) are $229-$629, suites (488-2,345 sq. ft.) are $399-$4,900.