The Bay Club at Waikoloa Beach

We used our 2-bedroom unit in August 2007. We own timeshares in 5 other companies and by far the Bay Club is one of the best for reservation service, friendliness, and best of all, the units are very large. We accomodated 11 family members for dinner in-room one evening and the living/dining area still felt large. The lanias are very large and give you a great outdoor experience. The resort feels a little dated to us and the landscaping needs more luscious plantings as was done at the newer Hilton Waikola units adjacent to the Bay Club. However, these things aside... this is a great place.

My husband, ten-month-old, and I spent a week at this resort and it was a perfect fit for our needs. We rented a two-bedroom, two- bath condo which was quite large. The master bedroom had a king bed, the guest bedroom had two full-size beds. Both bathrooms had a soaking tub and separate shower stall.

The kitchen was smaller and there were not many pots and pans, but enough to get by on. You will need to bring/buy spices, salt/pepper, etc. for cooking as none are provided in the condo. Washer/dryer in the unit are nice to have, but pretty small so plan on doing lots of tiny loads (two one-load boxes of laundry detergent are provided).

If you are traveling with an infant, cribs are provided upon request. The resort has standard cribs and pack n' plays; I would recommend the pack n' plays as the cribs are old and the mattresses are very, very soft. Both however are "hotel size" and smaller than what you're used to.

The condo was clean and furnishings appeared new. Maid service is provided once during your stay and all linens and towels are changed. Units have a very large lanai, perfect for meals outside. We had a nice view of the golf course, but watch out for errant balls!

There are two pools which are not huge, but not crowded either. Most of the time we had the pool to ourselves, or shared it with other families. Guests can also use the pool at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club next door. The public beach is just a short drive down the road; the water is calm and good for small children or floating on a raft.

One note: when you arrive, check-in is at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club. You will see signs for The Bay Club on the right, but the gates are closed and require a key card for entry. Keep driving to the top of the hill and you will see the entrance for the Hilton Grand Vacation Club on the right.

Overall, a nice quiet resort that we would definitely recommend and return to.

We, a family of 4, stayed at The Bay Club at Waikoloa Beach, Building 1, unit 125, from August 19-24, 2006, in a 2 bedroom unit. We were originally assigned a ground floor unit, and the resort kindly accommodated us when we requested a unit on an upper floor. The unit was spacious, well equipped, clean and very nicely decorated. We had a view of the golf course. Although the unit was beside the main road, Waikoloa Beach Drive, we couldn’t hear any cars. The balcony was very large and the closet/sink/cupboards on the balcony were very useful.

The Bay Club is managed by the Hilton Grand Vacation Club (HGVC) which is the adjacent resort. The check in for the Bay Club is at the HGVC front desk. The HGVC resort is separate from the Hilton Waikoloa Village which is the hotel across the street from the Bay Club. HGVC welcomed Bay Club guests to use its pool which was much bigger and nicer than the Bay Club pools.

We found the staff friendly and helpful. The Island Orientation was very well presented and informative and was well worth attending.

We attended a timeshare presentation at the HGVC. The units at HGVC, being brand new, were very nicely decorated and luxurious. But I found them to be less spacious than the ones at the Bay Club.

The Hilton Waikoloa Village hotel is a must see. You can’t tell from the street, but it is absolutely huge in there. The trams, boats, restaurants and shops (everything but the swimming) are open to the public. I was told by the front desk that during the less busy season, they do sell a limited number of family day passes for $85 which gives you access to the pools. Dolphin Quest is a swim with the dolphins program that is run independently and you have to book far in advance to get a spot. There is a waitlist for last minute cancellations if you didn’t book before your arrival.

The Kings Shops nearby has many art, clothing, and tourist stores, several restaurants, a food court, gas station and Whalers general store. The nearest grocery store is in Waikoloa Village, about 15 minutes drive inland. We were told that a new shopping center is being built at the entrance to the Waikoloa Beach area.

Staying in Waikoloa removed us from all the hustle and bustle of the Kailua-Kona area (where we stayed the previous week), but it situated us in close driving distances to all the beautiful beaches on the Kohala Coast. Having very young children, our favorite beach was Spencer’s beach about 15 minutes north of the resort. The sand was fine and the water calm. Hapuna beach which is on of the highly rated beaches may be suitable for older kids, but the blowing sand, strong under tow, and big waves didn’t work for us.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Bay Club and look forward to our next visit there.

Wow. I just read through the reviews of Bay Club, and just had to weigh in as an owner for the past 7 years. The Bay Club is one of the most beautiful, most friendly and most luxurious resorts that you will find in Hawaii (or in most resort areas). We have stayed three times, and each time we have thoroughly enjoyed the accomodations (the units are huge, colorful and extremely clean and comfortable), the surroundings (peaceful and gorgeous) and the programs provided. The staff have been enormously friendly and helpful. If you're looking for glitz, crowds and tiny hotel accomodations, by all means stay across the street at the Hilton Waikoloa. We would much rather stay in the peace and beauty at Bay Club and, when we feel like strolling through the Hilton, we merely have to walk across to the way to restaurants, shops, etc. To those few disgruntled reviewers, I suggest that you call beforehand to make sure that the unit that you have been assigned has been upgraded (there will always be some units that are in need of upgrade since all units are not upgraded in the same year.) We love the Bay Club!

We have owned a timeshare at this property since 2001 and have only had the best, first-class experiences with the staff, service, and quality of furnishings and decor in our unit. The units are impeccably clean. We are so pleased to own a week at this resort and happy to be a part of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club family. :-)

Some units upgraded some show as dated and worn, upgrading is substandand over all ok at best

My brother and his girlfriend, my son and I all stayed over the President's Week 2005. The apartment is huge and we all had plenty of privacy. Being on the ground floor, we could simply walk out to the barbeques and enjoy the terrace. Everything is quite upscale and I've stayed at the best. It is great to be able to go to the Hilton and use their "stuff", the boat ride, play with Dolphins, snorkle with huge turtles, etc. So convenient to shop at Costco south of the airport and then just do as you please for meals. Wonderful to have the washer and dryer right at the kitchen. Location is great and close to helocopter rides for seeing the volcanos. I wish it were right on a beach, but the beaches are everywhere and easy access to some fabulous spots by car. Clean, good beds, roomy, nice furnishings, much like a real home. We didn't use the pool because we love to snorkel.

This resort is pure class. I had already bought a different Time Share until I stumbled on this one. I cancelled the other one and bought this one and have never regretted the decision. The setting is wonderful with great walking and exploring all around. The rooms are spacious and well decorated. It is really a step above anything else you will find. Great place for both kids and adults. There are some unbelievable beaches within a short drive.

This resort is in desperate need of refurbishing the units. The grounds are lovelly and the location is good (although it is not on the water), but the units are very tired looking. The decore is dark and outdated. The color scheme in the second bedroom of the unit we had, bright orange and green, was simply ghastly. Also, the carpet was worn and grungy looking. Finally, the kitchen cabinet handles were sticky. Overall,the atmosphere just didn't seem hawaiian to us. The photo of the unit on the website makes it look so much better than in real life. Having said that, we are used to a beautiful, non-timeshare, ocean view unit in Wailea, Maui. The Bay Club's pool setting was very pretty, but the pool is very small. The Wailea resort in general is delightful. The Hilton Waikoloa is a must to visit, and for $80 a day you can get a family of four pass to use the facilities (well worth it). The Marriott has a nice beach in front of it but not as spectacular as the one in front of the Mauna Kea Hotel, a resort about ten minutes up island from Waikoloa. It is probably the nicest beach I have ever seen on any of the Islands. In conclusion, I would not recommend the Bay Club unless they redo the units.

Stayed at Bay Club Jan 2005 and found our 2 bedroom lower very spacious, clean, and quiet. We ate in most breakfasts and some dinners and found kitchen facilities and BBQ great. Very nice having the on-site restaurant services for easy breakfast and snack when too exhausted from island activiites.

Lava spa was nice after a day out exploring the island. Golf was excellent and not crowded at Beach Course. A-bay was turned up due to recent high surf but still good swimming and acceptable snorkeling. I have enjoyed returning to this resort over the last several years. Staff is very friendly and helpful with activities. Only drawback is not being able to use the pools at Hilton across the street without extra charge.

The one derogatory review on this site was written by a visitor during a period of turmoil as this resort transitioned from developer management to current (Hilton Vacation Club) management. Hilton is develping a resort next door at double or triple the price for smaller units!

We just stayed here in end August to early September and loved the big island. There is so much to see and do there. The Bay Club is among the highest end condo/timeshares there and is like taking your home with you. We had a 2 bedroom with 2 double beds in the guest room and a king in master - 2 full baths with garden tubs. We went to the Costco and bought food and ate mainly at home - which was easy with a full kitchen. Beautiful apartment with washer/dryer and 3 TV/VCR's.

Only drawback was pools were pretty dinky and not too enticing to our 12 year olds. We don't golf but we overlooked the golf course and I assume it would be great for golfers.

Unit is very large (2000 square feet) and is truly luxurious. Two swimming pools, full kitchen, 2.5 baths, large bedrooms and huge living/dinig area. Fantastic resort.

I stayed at this resort in the year 1999 and it was the best. Rooms were spacious, close to the ocean. Nice golf course, great walking area and it had a small but very nice pool area. Don't miss staying here if you have a chance.

you couldn't ask for anything more.

The best timeshare on the Big Island. Beautiful rooms, excellent location, managed by Hilton. Highly recommended.

Poorly-managed and unresponsive to customer concerns.

This is a great resort. Large Units nicely decorated and laid out. Would highly recommend this. Hilton will take over management of this property Jan 2003 which means it will get even better.