WKORV-N detail questions

OK.....I am officially a geek....sitting here on my lanai in paradise, using my wireless to pose questions that truly have no consequence.

It's actually pouring like cats and dogs so I'm kinda just passing the time.

We are having a wonderful week (aside from the rain) and still love the resort so please do not take this as complaining...just observations:

Why no screens?
At our ocean front, we had a mosquito join us (yes, just one, but one is all you need!). When we leave the door open in the Island View....the birds fly in. We're forced to close the door and use the air conditioning...not very eco friendly.

Why aren't there more and better staircases?
Depending on your room location, there aren't many convenient ones and the fire exit stairs are unpainted, ugly and kinda creepy. Also not very eco friendly as we are forced to use the elevators.

Can they really change view categories of rooms?
Check in clerk says they were considering it for buildings 6 & 7. What does she really know anyway?

Didn't the pre-construction pictures show tables and chairs (not just chaise) on the Lanai?
Would love to have our meals out here!

Have all the beds in the studios been upgraded to King (as was originally and then subsequently promised)?

And what about FROR that we were informed of during our purchase?
We were considering trading one of our units to another SVO property but was told recently we would have to sell on our own and then buy. Is that really in their best interest? When we asked recently, they said the property had to be sold out for that to take effect but aren't we close?

No screen on lanai door - that sucks.

Make sure you ask these questions during your Owners Update - and post their responses - it will be interesting to hear what their excuses are.

We went on our Owner's update in Nov. which means less than 6 months ago therefore we are not eligible for a new one. These questions have occurred to me since.

Just as well.....I don't really feel I can believe what those salesman say anyway....he just wanted to let us know how we could "accessorize our current portfolio." He was the one who told us about the last 2 items on my list (FROR & Queen to King bed switch).

No screens on the lanai is a major lame-o. I love sleeping with the doors open, but one buzz from a mosquito and I'm on alert for the rest of the night.

And what about FROR that we were informed of during our purchase?
We were considering trading one of our units to another SVO property but was told recently we would have to sell on our own and then buy. Is that really in their best interest? When we asked recently, they said the property had to be sold out for that to take effect but aren't we close?

FROR (or ROFR) has nothing to do with the resort being sold out. It is simply a preemption right reserved by the developer on all owner sales. Starwood may, at its discretion, exercise its Right of First Refusal at any time on any owner sale.
Thus far, they have not exercised on any owner sale I am aware of, system-wide (although these is a rumor of one such instance).

The establishment of a Starwood operated resale office as a vehicle for owner sales is a different matter. They would never establish such an office while they are marketing the property. Further, based on previously sold-out resorts they likely will not establish one when North is sold out. If at all, I would guess it would be after all Kaanapali Beach development is completed.

Did you call maintenance on the screen doors? I'm sure they have them on the South buildings. That just doesn't make sense. I can't imagine them without.

They could change the view categories if they aren't sold out. But someone keeps saying that they are sold out. I'd be amazed if they did that. Do they plan to change them to a worst view category or better?

Enjoy the rest of your week!

I'm looking across the property and see that not a single unit has screens. They weren't there when we stayed OF in Nov. but the resort was only 70% complete so I just assumed. I do remember screens in the South property.

The Desk Clerk (very young an still in braces) mentioned that they were considering changing some of building 7 to Island View??? I don't totally trust this info however. It was very non-specific so let's get confirmation somewhere else. I didn't even know they could do that.

They are still running lots and lots of tours so I also question if North is sold out.

BTW...................

It's early April and we still see many, many whales a jumpin'!!! So cool!!!!!

Wkorv-n

We're in a studio at WKORV-N this week.
I was about to say we had a screen but just checked again and we don't (I must have been thinking about the Maui Marriott last week).

Yes the studio has a queen bed in it.

We took the tour and they said they expected to be sold out by the end of this week or so. A few OV,etc units left. They were also selling Westin Princeville and said it was 25% sold out and going fast. They expect it may be sold out by year end.

We move to Kauai on Friday and it sounds like the rain might stay around till then...we've had great weather the last couple of weeks and lots of whales.

So...if I'm putting together a realistic wish list:

More hooks (4 people sharing 1 bath with the same colored towel = too many loads of laundry for vacation)

Dimmer switches (man...it's bright at dinner!)

I will also add how nice it is to have time to sit and ponder these inconsequential things.

Lastly (for now at least), I would like to point out something that we had not considered when we made the original purchase. We LOVE to travel and explore new places and are fortunate enough to do so often. We usually bristle at the thought of becoming a regular and doing the "same old, same old." Although we love Maui and Ka'anapali, it is not our favorite of the Hawaiian Islands.

But.....coming here multiple times, there is a comfort of knowing what to expect when we arrive and being able to prepare appropriately. We know the deal about buying chairs and umbrellas from Costco ahead of time so that we don't have to be up at 6am to snag shade. We know which restaurants we want to visit on which trip. We are able to experiment with trying new activities and restaurants that we haven't yet tried because it will not be our only, never to be repeated, precious days in paradise (in other words, it's not a catastrophe if we make a mistake and waste a day). We know the lead on good day spas not attached to a resort where we can get great treatments for almost half the $$. And...so many other aspects of being well prepared.

We have determined that this all adds up to extra days worth of vacation since it only takes us about 15 minutes to relax and immediately get into vacation mode.

Never mind all the silly details, we love this resort so far and are thrilled with flexibility of vacations ownership allows.

I agree with you about the comfort of going to Maui. We also purchased thinking we'd be exchanging into the other SVN resorts and through II. In reality, we've become so attached to the islands that we have been going back every year. We still do other trips but they are shorter and usually involve hotel stays (non-resort areas, like Europe, and less than a week stay in different cities).

Before WKORV, we traveled to different destinations every year. I always found that no matter how beautiful the place and how great the activities, usually by the end of a week or 10 days we were hapy to be going home. Maui is the only place where we spend several weeks and still don't want to return at the end of the stay. It has become a real second home for us. It has just the right mix of civilization and tropical paradise for us. Both of my children want to move there after college.

mindy35 said:

he just wanted to let us know how we could "accessorize our current portfolio."

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That lockoff looks so good with that dress!
:hysterical: :rofl: :hysterical:

Hi Mindy-

I would love to see a rundown of your recommended restaurants & activities when you get a chance. My family is off to our first WKORV visit in 98 days (not that I'm counting or anything).

Have a great rest-of-the-trip!

saluki said:

Hi Mindy-

I would love to see a rundown of your recommended restaurants & activities when you get a chance. My family is off to our first WKORV visit in 98 days (not that I'm counting or anything).

Have a great rest-of-the-trip!

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Well... I highly recommend Mama's Fishhouse. It is in Paia so, a bit of a drive but totally worth it if you want a really expensive meal that is delicious with that "old" Hawaii charm.

WKORV-N Studio Beds

When I was at WKORV in February, during the owners' update I asked about the beds in the studios at North. I was told that they expect to have them all switched to Kings by the end of this year.