WKORV umbrellas/cabanas?

We are leaving for Maui late next month and one of the weeks we will be at the Westin Villas for the first time in a 2/2 unit. From what I can see on their live web cam there do not seem to be very many umbrellas. Can someone give me an idea as to how many there are around the pool and if they are movable. Also I understand you can reserve cabanas. How much is the daily charge and how far in advance do you think I should reserve one? Any additional information about the resort you think would be helpful for a first timer is much appreciated. Thanks.

Have a great trip. Did you get an exchange into this resort?

I don't recall the umbrellas being movable. Never tried. They are placed between lounge chairs, and kind of heavy, I think. They are more like little thatched hut covers, but they provide a good amount of shade.

Cabanas are for rent. There are just four of them, I think, near the kiddie pool. They were maybe $50 a day? You can call the beach shack directly and ask them if you have any specific questions. Call the resort and then ask for the beach shack. They can also tell you whether you should reserve in advance. I would say yes if you are certain that you will be needing a cabana all day long. We use the lounge chairs and hang out at the beach.

It's our favorite resort (I'm biased ) and October will be a great time of year to go, before the crowds. The weather should be great! Check out the reviews for more detailed information.

I believe cabanas are $40 a day. If it is imperative that you have one, you should reserve in advance. Umbrellas cannot be moved and they are limited - the best locations get staked out by 6 a.m.

However, you can go to Boss Frogs and rent 2 beach chairs for $30 for the week, walk 30 yds. up the beach, and plop down under a tree for shade. However, note that Keave trees drop thorns, so we were careful to brush the area around our chairs off before we sat down.

I just answered your previous question about luggage. You will have a washer and dryer in your unit at the WKORV. You absolutely don't need to bring more than carry-ons. We were at the WKORV for 17 days this summer and we did just fine with carry-ons and it was so liberating not to have any big pieces of luggage to check.

Here in my Hawaii Packing List:

Packing for Hawaii - Almost everyone takes twice as much to Hawaii as they really need the first time. We only take carry-ons now. Keep in mind two things - it is HOT and HUMID all the time in Hawaii and it is VERY casual. Even for a "dress-up" dinner you can wear a cotton dress or skirt, and an Aloha shirt and cotton slacks for the male. Most places, people even wear shorts to dinner. Don't bother with sports jackets, panty hose, evening wear, coats, dress shoes, jeans, or high heels. We usually stay some where with a washer and dryer near by, and plan to do a load of laundry every 3 or 4 days. This cuts down on clothing too.

This is what we take:
3 pairs shorts
3 T-shirts or tank tops
1 wind breaker or very light jacket/sweater/sweatshirt (for boat trips or Haleakala on Maui)
2 bathing suits
1 cover up
females - 1 or 2 cotton dresses/skirts (buy them there!)
males - 1 or 2 aloha shirts (buy them there!)
1 pair casual cotton slacks (wear on the plane)
SPF 15+ sunscreen, higher if you are fair skinned - critical! (buy it there)
hat with a large brim - critical! (or you can buy it there)
1 Pr. comfortable all-purpose sandals (that you can wear to dinner, or shopping, etc.)
1 Pr. water shoes (for the beach, boat trips, snorkeling)
1 Pr. walking/hiking shoes (tennis shoes - wear on the plane to save room in luggage)

Also, note that due to the wind and humidity, make up and elaborate hair-dos don't last in Hawaii. A hair-do that doesn't require styling, or hair spray, will hold up best, and no one really bothers with make up very much. If you are trying to pack light, don't pack any liquids. You will need a big bottle of sun screen and lotion, plus the usual shampoos, etc. Hawaii has major drug stores and grocery chains - just wait and buy your heavy and bulky liquids there. For after-sun lotion, we think Aloe Vera gel is the very best. It isn't greasy and it really soothes your skin and preserves your tan.

Hair tip for ladies - if you are going to the beach, or snorkeling, or out on a boat, for the day - in the morning, when you shower leave in your conditioner (don't rinse it out.) Or, wet your hair and smoothe in the normal amount of conditioner you would use. If your hair is long. braid it, if short, just slick it back. and then plop a sun hat on. After your trip, shampoo as usual. Instead of having snarled, sun damaged, dry hair, at the end of the day, you will have beautifully conditioned hair, that looks great for the evening.

deniselew,

I rented the unit from an owner back in January, although I started looking in October of 2005. I knew from reading TUG that owners book a year out so I started looking a year in advance and when I found the price that was near what I was willing/able to pay I made an offer and it was accepted. I am so excited although a bit apprehensive about the view we will get, but hey I will be in Maui!

cvmar said:

deniselew,

I rented the unit from an owner back in January, although I started looking in October of 2005. I knew from reading TUG that owners book a year out so I started looking a year in advance and when I found the price that was near what I was willing/able to pay I made an offer and it was accepted. I am so excited although a bit apprehensive about the view we will get, but hey I will be in Maui!

Click to expand...

If the owner booked the week 12 months out, you will get a good view, no problem. If he/she booked in January (9 months out), then it will probably still be pretty good, as they would be guaranteed an ocean view versus an island view. If they booked 8 months out or less, then they aren't guaranteed their oceanview and anything is possible. Have a great trip!

Re: cabanas. There are two types: two-person and four-person. The two-person ones are more like big, covered lounges, and cost about $40 per day. They have four of them that face the ocean rather than the pools. They'll acommodate your requests for either view if they're not already sold out (e.g., we went without kids, and didn't want to have a pool view.).

I don't know much about the four-person cabanas, but I vaguely remember the cost was somewhere between three and four times that of the two person. (You can actually fit five lounge chairs under the cabana, from what I remember.)

Regardless, call downstairs to the pool hut (or go there) as soon as you arrive if you want either type of cabana; they sell out very rapidly.

You can also rent covered or uncovered beach chairs from the resort for $10-20 per day. We found, however, that we enjoyed the cabanas more. It was simple enough to get off our butts and wander down to the beach while renting the cabanas. Plus, we were able to stay clear of any blowing sand on the beach that way. YMMV.

Kim

DeniseM, will she really have to reserve a spot under an umbrella that early in October? We were there Labor Day week and as long as we picked our spots between 8 and 9am, we had umbrella shade.

azsunluvr said:

DeniseM, will she really have to reserve a spot under an umbrella that early in October? We were there Labor Day week and as long as we picked our spots between 8 and 9am, we had umbrella shade.

Click to expand...

Probably not, I've only been there in the summer.