10 things to do near Hilton Hawaiian Village (walking, food, snorkeling)

ALOHA!

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is the biggest hotel in Waikiki and it’s known for being one of the best family friendly resorts in Hawaii.

It’s located on the far end of Waikiki, so if you want to do a walk from one end of Waikiki to another, it can make for a good starting point too!

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is in a pretty public area, so even if you’re not staying at the resort, there are some things that you may want to go to the area for.

 

There are affiliate links included on this blog. I may earn a commission. Also, I am an Amazon Associate.

 

 

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is where you’ll find the iconic Rainbow Tower.

You don’t even need to go far from the Hilton Hawaiian Village to do some fun activities in Hawaii.

Along with walking, snorkeling, and food, there’s a Hawaiian luau with a fire show right on the grounds of the resort and you can do a submarine tour right from the Hilton pier.

 

📌 Save this post for later! Save on Pinterest! 👈📌

 

 

I’ve gone walking, swimming, and snorkeling on this side of Waikiki, and here’s what you need to know!

 

 

1. Rainbow Tower

Rainbow Tower is one of the most recognizable parts of Waikiki.

If you’ve watched Hawaii TV shows like Hawaii Five-0 or Magnum PI, then you have seen Rainbow Tower.

 

📌 Save this post for later! Save on Pinterest! 👈📌

 

 

Rainbow Tower is a part of Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Even if you’re not staying at the resort, you can go and see it for yourself!

For another iconic landmark you’ve seen on Hawaii Five-0, you can go and see the King Kamehameha Statue in downtown Honolulu.

If you want to see even more filming locations, there is even a Hawaii Five-0 TV tour.

 

 

Compare Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel room prices:

• all hotel rooms: on expedia
  • 2 bedroom at Hilton Lagoon Tower
• all hotel rooms: on hotels.com
  • Hilton Grand Vacations Club

 

 

2. Duke Kahanamoku lagoon

Another very recognizable spot that you’ve probably seen is an aerial view of the Duke Kahanamoku lagoon.

This is the Hilton Hawaiian Village lagoon. It’s a swimming spot and play area with the main beach on the other side.

 

 

🌺

 

 

3. Duke Kahanamoku lagoon boardwalk

The lagoon isn’t super big or anything, but there is a walking path that goes around it.

 

 

This can be a perfect spot to start your morning walk and/or a starting point for your Waikiki walk to the other end of Waikiki!

It’s around 2 miles to get to the other end. It’s not a single paved path along Waikiki Beach, but you can mostly walk along the shore line in one way or another. There may be a spot or 2 where you’ll be forced “inland” but you’ll figure it out! I’ve walked the length of Waikiki.

 

 

4. Duke Kahanamoku Beach

The beach of the Hilton Hawaiian Village is the Duke Kahanamoku Beach which is just out front.

You can get views of the iconic Diamond Head from this beach.

 

 

You can also go snorkeling from the Hilton Hawaiian Village beach.

I saw some bright yellow fish I like to see.

I also saw a humuhumunukunukuapuaa when snorkeling at Duke Kahanamoku Beach! I am always happy to see this fish when I’m snorkeling because I am proud to be able to know the name of it! 🤣

Or, in more plain English, it’s the Hawaii state fish aka reef triggerfish. 😆

See more about specific snorkeling spots in Waikiki.

 

👆 I had fun snorkeling from the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach! (video)

 

 

You can get on a submarine from the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Right at the beach is also where you’ll find the Hilton Pier where boat tours leave from.

The Atlantis submarine tour starts from here.

 

 

5. Friday night fireworks

If you’re in Waikiki on a Friday night, then you can see fireworks!

The fireworks go off from near the Hilton Hawaiian Village, but there are a few spots around Waikiki that you can get a good view of them.

I thought the Fort DeRussy Beach at the Outrigger Reef hotel was a pretty great spot to watch the fireworks! I watched fireworks from in front of the Outrigger Reef hotel (video).

This is like a 10 minute walk from the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

You can also get out on the water to see the fireworks through a fireworks sunset sail.

The time of the fireworks will change based on the time of year. You can expect the Hawaii tourism website to have the updated time.

 

 

6. Luau

Another evening activity at the Hilton Hawaiian Village is a Hawaiian luau.

The luau that you would go to in Hawaii is a completely touristy experience, but it’s a fun way to have a uniquely Hawaiian experience and getting an introduction to the Polynesian influence that Hawaii has had.

You’ll get Hawaiian food at a luau, and you’ll get some sort of Hawaiian entertainment performance.

The best kind is a luau with a fire show!

If you are staying at or near the Hilton Hawaiian Village, there is a luau you can go to right at the resort. That’s the Waikiki starlight luau.

 

For more Polynesian fun for kids and adults, you’ll want to leave Waikiki to go to the island villages at the Polynesian Cultural Center!

 

 

7. ABC Stores

ABC Stores are all over Waikiki, and there’s also one at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The size of stores can vary, and the one at the resort is a pretty big one. Along with the beach essentials (and other travel essentials) that you can get, the Hilton Hawaiian Village ABC Store is a good place to look for a wide range of Hawaii souvenirs.

You can find souvenirs at even the smallest ABC Stores, but the Hilton Hawaiian Village one has a big variety!

 

 

 

8. Banyan tree

There are many banyan trees in Waikiki, and you can also see one walking through the Hilton Hawaiian Village!

 

 

 

9. Fort DeRussy beach + park

The beach next to the Hilton Hawaiian Village beach is the Fort DeRussy Beach.

Just as there’s the Duke Kahanamoku lagoon boardwalk that goes around the lagoon and along the beach, it connects to a paved path along Fort DeRussy Beach. So it makes for a good place to continue your walk.

 

 

You want to walk all the way to the other end of Fort DeRussy Beach, which will take you to the  Outrigger Reef hotel.

But more importantly, right in front of the Outrigger Reef at this end of the beach is the Fort DeRussy beach rock jetty.

If you go and walk out onto the rock jetty, you might see turtles swimming in the water!

For a near guarantee of being able to swim with turtles, you can go swimming at turtle canyon in Waikiki.

 

 

Also at this end of Fort DeRussy Beach is Steak Shack.

So it’s also a 10 minute walk from the Hilton Hawaiian Village to get a Hawaiian plate lunch! (map)

A Hawaiian plate is a thing in Hawaii, and in this case, you get your steak with white rice and organic greens.

Of course you can get a steak plate, and you can get a chicken plate or steak and chicken combo plate too. (reviews)

 

 

For open water swimming from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, I swam from Duke Kahanamoku Beach to the other end of Fort DeRussy Beach, kind of. I got out of the water at the Hilton Pier since I didn’t want to be swimming with boat traffic.

I had with me a personal float dry bag combo open water swim buoy so put my stuff in, and it floated behind me as I was swimming. (It was attached to me through a waist belt.) Whenever I go swimming or snorkeling in Hawaii, I am using a safer swimmer swim buoy.

 

 

10. Hilton Hawaiian Village statues

You don’t want to miss the Hula Kahiko Dancer Statues that are on the street side of the Hilton Hawaiian Village! Welcome to Hawaii!

 

👆 On google maps, you can look for hula kahiko dancers statue. If you’re going to the Hilton Hawaiian Village by bus to start a walk in Waikiki, this can be a good starting point.

 

👆 The hula dancer pond has “waterfalls.”

 

 

 

More for your time in Hawaii:

• Top 10 things to do in Honolulu cruise port without a car
• 50+ Oahu budget travel ideas
• Best snorkeling spots in Waikiki
• Top 10 things to do in Hawaii (from a cruise ship!)

 

Happy planning your trip to Hawaii!

 

More cruise destinations: CALIFORNIA | AMERICAN SAMOA