Just Purchased Westin Lagunamar

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

Hello,

My husband and I are new to the ts world. We recently returned from Maui, bought Kaui, then after reading many TUG posts, rescinded our offer. We really loved SVO over the other TS companies out there. I had already been speaking to a Starwood rep about other possibilities, but got caught up in the ts presentation in Maui. After a lot of thought, we purchased a 2 bedroom lockoff platinum season at Lagunamar. In addition, we decided to pay the extra $$$ and purchase the EOY option during gold season.

We are VERY excited about the Cancun property, since we see ourselved going to Cancun in the near future. We are also excited about going to the other Starwood properties, as well as using points in the reward's system. We were NOT excited about Kaui when we purchased it...we were going to use it to go to other Starwood properties...just so you know where we are coming from!

Just curious as to what you guys think of the Lagunamar. I know it has yet to open. Do you think it's a good deal?? Do you think it'll trade well???

Like I said, we are new to the ts world, so any thoughts would be appreciated!!

DeniseM · Jul 31, 2008

Do you think it's a good deal??

Frankly, I can't understand why you bought from the developer again. Even though it's not open, Lagunamar is already being sold on the resale market.

With your goals, you could have saved a lot of money by buying an EOY resale at Lagunamar - to use.

And an EOY resale at a mandatory resort - to exchange.

Do you think it'll trade well???

As far as the trading value of Lagunamar, all Staroptions are equal in value, so Staroptions from the cheapest bottomfeeder Starwood resort are equal in value to Staroptions from the most popular resorts.

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

DeniseM said:
Frankly, I can't understand why you bought from the developer again. Even though it's not open, Lagunamar is already being sold on the resale market.

With your goals, you could have saved a lot of money by buying an EOY resale at Lagunamar - to use.

And an EOY resale at a mandatory resort - to exchange.

As far as the trading value of Lagunamar, all Staroptions are equal in value, so Staroptions from the cheapest bottomfeeder Starwood resort are equal in value to Staroptions from the most popular resorts.

We didn't want to buy resale because of the inability to convert our Star Options to points. Some years, we will definitely convert part or all of our villa to points to use at other Starwood properties, such as W's, St Regis, etc. We like the flexibility.

I wasn't aware that we were buying from the developer. I contacted Starwood Vacations directly....was I actually dealing with the developer??? Now I'm confused!

DeniseM · Jul 31, 2008

sherilah said:
We didn't want to buy resale because of the inability to convert our Star Options to points. Some years, we will definitely convert part or all of our villa to points to use at other Starwood properties, such as W's, St Regis, etc. We like the flexibility.

Unfortunately, the conversion rate to Starpoints is very poor, and you will not have enough Starpoints for a week in a standard room at a W, St. Regis, etc. I have a hard time giving up a week in a 2 bdm. villa for a few nights in a standard room.

I wasn't aware that we were buying from the developer. I contacted Starwood Vacations directly....was I actually dealing with the developer??? Now I'm confused!

Yes - Starwood Vacations IS the developer.

Twinkstarr · Jul 31, 2008

DeniseM said:
Frankly, I can't understand why you bought from the developer again. Even though it's not open, Lagunamar is already being sold on the resale market.
.

This comment peaked my curiosity, so I went over to Redweek. Yep 3 resales already. Including a EOY odd 2br float.

I guess I would at least use it once(just to see what I bought) before selling it.

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

DeniseM said:
Unfortunately, the conversion rate to Starpoints is very poor, and you will not have enough Starpoints for a week in a standard room at a W, St. Regis, etc. I have a hard time giving up a week in a 2 bdm. villa for a few nights in a standard room.

We want to at least have the option. How much do resales at mandatory resorts go for if we wanted to get a 2 bedroom lockoff in Platinum season? We wouldn't buy 2 different ones....my husband said 3 strikes and we're out of the ts system. We already rescinded a DVC resale, Kaui....if I tell him about this, he probably won't speak to me!!!!

Yes - Starwood Vacations IS the developer.

Gotcha! Thanks for all of your very informative info!

DeniseM · Jul 31, 2008

In the Owner Resources Sticky at the top of the board there is a link to the Starwood ebay sales database that has current resale prices.

There aren't any Lagunamar weeks listed yet, but the mandatory resales are:

* Harborside at Atlantis
* Vistana Villages (except Amelia & St. Augustine)
* Westin St. John (except Bay Vista)
* Westin Ka'anapali & Westin Ka'anapali-North
* Westin Kierland Villas

Westin Kierland is often considered the best buy on the resale Mkt.

grgs · Jul 31, 2008

sherilah said:
How much do resales at mandatory resorts go for if we wanted to get a 2 bedroom lockoff in Platinum season?

The least expensive mandatory resale worth 148,100 options is a 2 bd platinum
unit at the Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale. You can probably pick one up for around $22K, maybe less given the current economy.

Glorian

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

grgs said:
The least expensive mandatory resale worth 148,100 options is a 2 bd platinum
unit at the Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale. You can probably pick one up for around $22K, maybe less given the current economy.

Glorian

I know my husband would rather spend the extra $$$ to have the reward options. It was something we discussed in great length. Also, we want the Elite status.

DeniseM · Jul 31, 2008

I am going to guess you paid around $40K? And you can buy a 2 bdm. at Westin Kierland worth the same number of Staroptions for 22K - so that means that it's worth $18,000 to you to be able to convert to Starpoints?

Are you planning to buy more weeks to reach Elite Status? If you are, then you should definitely buy resale first so you can requalify it (bring a resale into the SVN) when you buy another week from the developer.

What are your goals for becoming an Elite member?

Here are the number of Staroptions you must own to reach Elite Status:

3 Star Elite = Interval ownership equivalent to at least 159,000 StarOptions

4 Star Elite = Interval ownership equivalent to at least 359,000 StarOptions

5 Star Elite = Interval ownership equivalent to at least 559,000 StarOptions

And here is a link to the Elite perks for each level: https://www.mystarcentral.com/elite/chart.html

As you can see, there is no real value until you reach the 5 Star level.

Sheri - I am not trying to pick on you, but I hate to see someone make an expensive mistake. I hope it all works out for you. Good luck my friend!

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

DeniseM said:
I am going to guess you paid around $40K? And you can buy a 2 bdm. at Westin Kierland worth the same number of Staroptions for 22K - so that means that it's worth $18,000 to you to be able to convert to Starpoints?

For some reason, I can't find the sticky that leads me to the resales....I don't know why! Ugh! Yes, I think it's around $42k...like I said, if I bring this up to my husband, I'll end up w/nothing, so at this point, yes, it's worth the extra $18,000!!!

Are you planning to buy more weeks to reach Elite Status? If you are, then you should definitely buy resale first so you can requalify it (bring a resale into the SVN) when you buy another week from the developer.

We are like the Elite status because of the July 1st deadline vs the March 31st deadline of dumping our options into points. Like I said, we do plan on using the points A LOT!

What are your goals for becoming an Elite member?

Here are the number of Staroptions you must own to reach Elite Status:

3 Star Elite = Interval ownership equivalent to at least 159,000 StarOptions

4 Star Elite = Interval ownership equivalent to at least 359,000 StarOptions

5 Star Elite = Interval ownership equivalent to at least 559,000 StarOptions

And here is a link to the Elite perks for each level: https://www.mystarcentral.com/elite/chart.html

As you can see, there is no real value until you reach the 5 Star level.

Thanks again, Denise....you know your stuff!

DeniseM · Jul 31, 2008

I'm sorry to throw so much stuff at you at once, but if you are still within the rescission period, I want to give you the info. you need to make an informed decision.

You are lucky that you found TUG - if it makes you feel any better, we bought our first timeshare BEFORE we found TUG and paid the developer abut $45K. - That same week sells for less than $30K now!

However, we still love timesharing, we learned from our mistakes, and we bought 5 more weeks since then - all resale and for less then $5,000 TOTAL!

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

DeniseM said:
I'm sorry to throw so much stuff at you at once, but if you are still within the rescission period, I want to give you the info. you need to make an informed decision.

You are lucky that you found TUG - if it makes you feel any better, we bought our first timeshare BEFORE we found TUG and paid the developer abut $45K. - That same week sells for less than $30K now!

However, we still love timesharing, we learned from our mistakes, and we bought 5 more weeks since then - all resale and for less then $5,000 TOTAL!

That makes me feel better....I found the sticky you were talking about...thanks again.

Question: If we bought a resale SVO TS can you use it for II exchanges??? Is that an option or no??? Thanks!

DeniseM · Jul 31, 2008

sherilah said:
That makes me feel better....I found the sticky you were talking about...thanks again.

Question: If we bought a resale SVO TS can you use it for II exchanges??? Is that an option or no??? Thanks!

Yes - all Starwood timeshares, (resale or developer) can be used for II exchanges, and because Starwood owners can see and reserve other Starwood timeshare 3 days before everyone else (on II's website) it's actually quite a good deal.

For a good overview of how Starwood works, check out the Starwood FAQ at the top of the page.

tomandrobin · Jul 31, 2008

Can you buy cheaper...yes/maybe....eventually.

Most of us have bought from the developer at least once. No shame in that. We bought a Lagunamar EOY week also, sight unseen. I we love Cancun and are looking forward to our future trips to the resort.

tomandrobin · Jul 31, 2008

Also, I do agree with the others, that if you are going to buy from the developer, you might as well buy a resale unit and have it requalified.

DeniseM · Jul 31, 2008

tomandrobin said:
Can you buy cheaper...yes/maybe....eventually.

Tom - there are already Lagunamar resales for sale.

DavidnRobin · Jul 31, 2008

sherilah said:
I know my husband would rather spend the extra $$$ to have the reward options. It was something we discussed in great length. Also, we want the Elite status.

DeniseM is a kind and gentle person... I will be more frank...

It sounds as if you are trying to justify to yourself to go forward with this purchase - it is not uncommon. However, bottom-line is that the money you would save buying resale far outweighs the (so-called) benefits of buying from SVO - for example the SO-SP conversion. Do the math - it doesn't work (in most cases) unless you really work the system - and even then it is questionable. IMO

If you are truly interested in getting an Elite status that is worthwhile - then you will need to get to 5* Elite in order to get to PFL (Platinum-for-Life) since the other levels are not worth the cost. This 5*Elite/PFL benefit can be had for a good price (I guess), but involves buying some SVO VOIs resale then requalifying them with (as cheap as possible) SVO purchases since 559K SOs are required to get to 5* - and PFL will still need to be available.

We are of the mind to buy where you want to go - so for us - PFL would be quite expensive.

If money is no object - than I say go for it. However, if $ is a consideration - then rescind and research before you proceed.

Don't get me wrong - we love the SVO system and our TSs - it works well for us. We actually did buy EOY WPORV from SVO after we purchased 2 resale VOIs - but that is with some caveats (excellent price, tons of SPs, and a requal were involved) - but at least I went in knowing that we would likely take up to a $10K loss in our WPORV purchase - so the incentives had to be worth it.

Anyway - not meant to be harsh - and to each his own - but most of the experience obtained from this forum on TUG would not to buy from SVO unless under very specific conditions (like the money tree is shedding and you can't rake it in fast enough) and buy resale if the SVO system fits your needs. Even then you will get argument...

best of luck.

capjak · Jul 31, 2008

sherilah said:
Hello,

Just curious as to what you guys think of the Lagunamar. I know it has yet to open. Do you think it's a good deal?? Do you think it'll trade well???

Like I said, we are new to the ts world, so any thoughts would be appreciated!!

I am assuming you got the following:

2 bedroom EOY gold for about $19,000, this will convert to 81000 staroptions and 48,000 starpoints and an incentive around 75,000 starpoints. Close?

unfortunately 48,000 starpoints every other year for a maintenace fee of $1350 will not get you much, check the starwood site out.

So the starpoint conversion will not meet your travel needs and the staroptions of 81,000 will get a 1 bedroom in Hawaii.

So I do not think this will meet your travel goals.

I would rescind and read/learn etc..You will be able to take a trip to Cancun for very little $$$ as they are trying to sell the resort, look for specials for timeshare presentations.

tomandrobin · Jul 31, 2008

capjak said:
So the starpoint conversion will not meet your travel needs and the staroptions of 81,000 will get a 1 bedroom in Hawaii.

If I was going to travel to Hawii, I would lock-off the unit and deposit into II and trade into Hawaii. Staroptions are a mute point these days in Hawaii. In a couple more years, with the new resorts, it'll be as easy as trading into Vistana.

capjak · Jul 31, 2008

Tomandrobin: Good point, Harborside?

tomandrobin · Jul 31, 2008

Harborside and St John are now the elite two!

I was hoping that with Bay Vista addition that it would be easier to trade into WSJ, but it hasn't happened yet.

Harborside is easy trade in Sept/Oct

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

DavidnRobin said:
DeniseM is a kind and gentle person... I will be more frank...

It sounds as if you are trying to justify to yourself to go forward with this purchase - it is not uncommon. However, bottom-line is that the money you would save buying resale far outweighs the (so-called) benefits of buying from SVO - for example the SO-SP conversion. Do the math - it doesn't work (in most cases) unless you really work the system - and even then it is questionable. IMO

If you are truly interested in getting an Elite status that is worthwhile - then you will need to get to 5* Elite in order to get to PFL (Platinum-for-Life) since the other levels are not worth the cost. This 5*Elite/PFL benefit can be had for a good price (I guess), but involves buying some SVO VOIs resale then requalifying them with (as cheap as possible) SVO purchases since 559K SOs are required to get to 5* - and PFL will still need to be available.

We are of the mind to buy where you want to go - so for us - PFL would be quite expensive.

If money is no object - than I say go for it. However, if $ is a consideration - then rescind and research before you proceed.

Well....we went for it...we have 10 days from today, but we're excited about the purchase. $$ is not an issue, we are buying it cash, w/o financing. We spend A LOT on hotels (just got back from Maui for 5 nights and spent $3k for two of us not including food). We like really like the option of dumping our villa into points, even if it gets us only 4 nights here and there for a year. We got the credit card and will rake up many, many points that way. We like the idea of being able to splurge our points one year and go to Europe, Fiji, or the St Regis Punta Mita if we so desire that particular year. We have a 3 year old and always go away w/o him a few times a year....

Don't get me wrong - we love the SVO system and our TSs - it works well for us. We actually did buy EOY WPORV from SVO after we purchased 2 resale VOIs - but that is with some caveats (excellent price, tons of SPs, and a requal were involved) - but at least I went in knowing that we would likely take up to a $10K loss in our WPORV purchase - so the incentives had to be worth it.

Anyway - not meant to be harsh - and to each his own - but most of the experience obtained from this forum on TUG would not to buy from SVO unless under very specific conditions (like the money tree is shedding and you can't rake it in fast enough) and buy resale if the SVO system fits your needs. Even then you will get argument...

best of luck.

Thank you!!! I'm really looking forward to my new TUG membership for feedback, etc!!

Sheri

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

capjak said:
I am assuming you got the following:

2 bedroom EOY gold for about $19,000, this will convert to 81000 staroptions and 48,000 starpoints and an incentive around 75,000 starpoints. Close?

unfortunately 48,000 starpoints every other year for a maintenace fee of $1350 will not get you much, check the starwood site out.

So the starpoint conversion will not meet your travel needs and the staroptions of 81,000 will get a 1 bedroom in Hawaii.

So I do not think this will meet your travel goals.

I would rescind and read/learn etc..You will be able to take a trip to Cancun for very little $$$ as they are trying to sell the resort, look for specials for timeshare presentations.

We actually bought a 2 bdrm lockoff, platinum season $42k, 148,000 SO + an additional EOY studio for an extra $7k that's worth I think 22,000 SO.

Hey, is it worth it to buy the 85,000 points for $1800? I know they offered that to us when we were in Maui (before we rescinded)....I assume we have the same option do purchase that.

Our travel goals are to be able to be as flexible as possible. We like Cancun, we like the price, we like the ability to use the star points.

sherilah · Jul 31, 2008

How hard is it to get into St John or Harborside in the summer months? Is it easier if you do it exactly at 8 months or is it better to wait till the 3 month mark? Many times, we go away less than a week....

Also, is everyone pretty much happy w/Starwood as far as timeshares go???

Just Purchased Westin Lagunamar

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