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Best timeshare to own for Hawaii vacations

taterhed

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@vacationtime1 is exactly right. This applies to all beaches on the islands. Currents can change swiftly, rocks can be dangerous and the sand conditions change frequently.

Of course, this is true with most beaches. That's why having a nice beach to visit and a wonderful pool to play-in is very advantageous. A pool with a lifeguard at that.....

All that being said....Poipu is a great family beach with proper supervision.
 

BocaBoy

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If you are considering Starwood you may want to consider Marriott as well. Marriott has two resorts on Kauai (Waiohai a purpose built resort in Poipu and Kauai Beach Villas a hotel conversion in Lihue) and one resort in Kaanapali on Maui (Maui Ocean Club a hotel conversion, and Maui Ocean Club Lahaina and Napili Towers a newer purpose built portion of the resort). Like the Westin resorts, Marriott is higher quality and higher costs.
I would tend to favor Marriott, and they actually have three resorts on Kauai. Kauai Lagoons is the third one and it is by far the most upscale of the Hawaii Marriott resorts in terms of villa quality. Very few weeks were sold at Kauai Lagoons prior to the introduction of Marriott's point system, however, so finding a resale week at Kauai Lagoons might be next to impossible.
 

gcoleman

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Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club
Marriott Boston Customs House
We've owned at Ko Olina for over 10 years and love it. Our kids love the beach there and we have started the grandkids program now.

The Ko Olina beaches are manmade, and quite nice. They are protected lagoons, there are no real waves or surf inside them. Pretty safe. Lots of beach space for enjoying the sun. Not much shade around them, though. You can rent "cabana" type beach chairs, and some of the lagoons have umbrellas if you can get to them before someone else.

My grandson, six year old new york city-kid, asked me if there were sharks in the lagoon and I told him that they couldn't get into the lagoon. He then asked me if there were tuna in the lagoon. (I guess he has seen a TV show about tuna and was a little worried about how big and strong they are.) I told him, no, of course not, the sharks chase them away.

We enjoy Ko Olina, and O'ahu, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Ko Olina is a great resort, with terrific staff, and wonderful amenities. It is outside of the hubbub of downtown waikiki, so it can be relaxing when you want it to be. As the resort is being built up, the options for restaurants and other entertainment is growing. The island of O'ahu probably has more variety of things to do than the other islands. We enjoy the culture, the history, the museums, the music, and most of all, the people of O'ahu.

Aloha!
 

VegasBella

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Aquamarine Villas
Any beach can be very dangerous. The dangers are:
- rip currents that can tire out inexperienced/unknowledgable swimmers
- rocks
- wildlife

To increase safety at any beach:
- only swim at beaches with lifeguards
- use flotation devices
- swim in pairs or groups
- stay alert

Conditions change quickly (hourly) so you really need to be on top of things to know what is safe. Check out this great website for beach info and conditions
http://hawaiibeachsafety.com/

Personally I just want to plunk myself on a beach the whole time and not have to stray all that far. I am thinking Oahu since we fly standby so September is probably one of our easier times to fly. But I don't recall Waikiki as being all that relaxing so we may need to change islands.
I visited Hawaii for the first time myself this last Summer. It was me, husband, and our 7 year old son. We went to Maui and Oahu. Everyone is different but I decided that I pretty much just want to go to Oahu next time. I really love the city life, the diversity, the mass transit options etc etc of Honolulu. And there are lots of beaches too.

BUT... if you say you just want to hang out at the beach then you might not want to deal with all the crowds and you might prefer to go to one of the other islands. Personally, I found Maui nice and I really enjoyed some aspects but I have very little desire to return. I really do want to go back to Oahu. There is plenty on Oahu beyond just Honolulu. A nice, not too crowded gorgeous beach with plenty of sand is Waimanalo Bay. It's just fantastic! http://www.best-of-oahu.com/waimanalo-bay.html It's a drive from Honolulu. And it's more of a morning beach. But in my (very limited) experience parking is not a problem (unlike most other beaches). Anyway, with three kids you might enjoy having city amenities. Or not. Depends how your family rolls.
 

bendadin

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We just matched and confirmed for Wyndham Shearwater but we will need to also do some activities over on Oahu. I'm thinking to go ahead and stay at Aulani and maybe doing the Go Oahu card.
 

WalnutBaron

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We just matched and confirmed for Wyndham Shearwater but we will need to also do some activities over on Oahu. I'm thinking to go ahead and stay at Aulani and maybe doing the Go Oahu card.
Since you wanted to be near the ocean, you're going to love Shearwater. It's not deluxe, but very comfortable and with fantastic ocean views. Nice going! As Denise mentioned in an earlier post, be sure to rent a car in order to take in some of the many amazing sights and things to do on Kauai. My favorites include:
  1. The Kilauea Lighthouse and Bird Sanctuary, located very close to your condo. It's free admission and strikingly beautiful.
  2. The Na Pali Cliffs catamaran cruise. Absolutely breathtaking. Take the dinner cruise; the food isn't half bad!
  3. Make a dinner reservation at the Makana Terrace at the St. Regis Princeville (also quite close to your condo). Incredible views of Bali Hai and the Hanalei Bay. An unforgettable experience.
  4. Hike the Waimea Canyon--the "Grand Canyon of Hawaii". Just make sure to go on a clear day. We've been there when it was raining and overcast and you can't see a thing. But when the weather is clear, it's unforgettable.
  5. Make early reservations for Smith's Tropical Laua in Kapa'a. A really fun time with decent luau food.
Aloha!
 

DavidnRobin

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I almost drowned in Poipu Beach.

Having a personal (scary) experience with snorkeling at Poipu is the reason I now wear a self-inflatable snorkel vest with a whistle attached.
This snorkel vest came in handy when we were caught in a 4mph current in St John (USVI) - back side of Waterlemon Cay.
Our friend almost drowned, and may have if a fellow Tugger had not been close by to them to save them.
The vest may look geeky - but I do not care.
9fdb299d365a191da6f920771bb1e36e.jpg
 

LisaRex

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We always wear snorkel vests, too. Just being able to inflate it a tiny bit helps keep you from panicking. I chose the bright yellow color because I like being easily spotted in the water.
 

rickandcindy23

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Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge,Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau;Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms; WKORV-OF (2),Westin Desert Willow.
I would buy a generic resort and not Westin or Wyndham. First, Wyndham doesn't have anything on Maui. Maui has recently become my favorite island, Kauai used to be my favorite. Wyndham doesn't help me at all for Maui.

We bought at a generic resort and recently stayed at another generic resort on Maui via exchange. We bought Hono Koa for the view. Oceanfront is important. We bought only one unit type, and only four units in that resort have that view.

We exchanged into the Kahana Beach for the view, because we knew we would be ocean front. That was one of the best exchanges we ever received.
 
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cerralee

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We are almost done with the long Hawaiian flights and are going on our last trip in December. We purchased four Waikiki weeks from an HOA for $500 a week about 20 years ago. Maintence fees have gone up from under $400 per week to almost $600. We never had actual title for the weeks but the right to use and can simply turn them back to the HOA which we will do after our last trip in December. Our resort is a simple one bedroom condo but we have usually gotten two weeks when we deposit and had all the weeks our family could use. Timeshares have been a good value for us and having this many weeks let’s us trade for new destinations. It is sad in a way to say good bye to our almost three years total staying in many places in the world on four different continents.

What Waikiki resort do you have? I love the idea of being able to turn them back in when you no longer have use for them. I have a daughter that is living in Hawaii and her place is so small that we use our timeshare weeks when we go out to see her. We have strung together four weeks from the middle of November till the middle of December, leaving next week. I feel as if I am constantly juggling weeks and exchange companies to get the weeks we need.
 

JMTug

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I own at The Pointe At Poipu (Diamond Resorts). We bought here on the secondary market after staying a couple of times. I cannot find an accommodation that can compare on all things with this place. It was originally designed and built as a condo community but, after most of the construction was done, the original investors got cold feet after an early 1990's hurricane and sold. Embassy bought it and timeshared it out. With the knowledge I now have, if the original condo plans had materialized, I would have bought.
If you do a search to stay at The Pointe now you will find it very difficult, if at all, to be able to stay here during the higher seasons. We are traditional owners for 1 week with a property deed, known as float/float, and an Ocean View unit. (The state of Hawai'i assigns the view category.)
If this sounds like a sales pitch it is not but I may be interested in selling; the only reason is that our circumstances have changed and we may be looking at moving to a retirement community more suited to our current needs. If I had purchased as a condo I would never sell.
The general Pouipu Point area is the drier area of Kauai. The whole island is beautiful but there is more opportunity when the weather is dry.
We are a retired couple in the midwest. If you have an interest, I would be interested in how to connect.
 

MrBill

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Royal Aloha Vacation Club
Nob Hill Inn
Pine Acres Lodge
Hi all,
Am new to this site and so glad to have found it. We are considering a buy in to a timeshare and are wondering what is the best company to go with. We love Kauai and Maui. We will definitely be buying on the resale market. Pros/Cons of booking in Hawaii with various companies? The top two we are looking at are Wyndham (lower maintenance fees) and Starwood (generally a little more upscale than Wyndham but higher MF's).
Thanks all for your input to a newbie.
Look into the Royal Aloha Vacation Club (RAVC). 2 bdrm condo MF for under $800/yr. This is a members run club that goes back 40 yrs. Google them. I've been a member since the late 90's and own multiple weeks. Personally I will never buy into a company owned TS as they hold all the cards. RAVC has locations at Waikiki, Maui, Kona, Branson, Phoenix, Lake Tahoe, Oregon coast and Spain.
 

christineK

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So, my husband and I are looking at taking our three youngest kids to Hawaii next September. While I'd prefer Aulani, I just don't have enough points (nor can I bring myself to spend that many points.) I have Wyndham and RCI. What are some good Hawaii TS, either Wyndham or perhaps RCI that I can try for OGS? Personally I just want to plunk myself on a beach the whole time and not have to stray all that far. I am thinking Oahu since we fly standby so September is probably one of our easier times to fly. But I don't recall Waikiki as being all that relaxing so we may need to change islands.

I really need some Hawaii advice.

If you just want to enjoy a beach, I would recommend resorts on Kaanapali Beach in Maui. We have travelled to all the Hawaiian Islands over the years and love Maui and Kaanapali Beach the best. We own at The Whaler--an older resort but completely upgraded-- which is in front of the best part of Kaanapali Beach--and you can just take an elevator from you unit, go down the hall and be right on the beach. And there are complementary beach chairs. It is next door to Whalers Village shopping center. and other resorts with restaurants. Or you could consider the Marriott--the beach isn't as great, but it has all the amenities of a newer resort.
 
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CalGalTraveler

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If you just want to enjoy a beach, I would recommend resorts on Kaanapali Beach in Maui. We have travelled to all the Hawaiian Islands over the years and love Maui and Kaanapali Beach the best. We own at The Whaler--an older resort but completely upgraded-- which is in front of the best part of Kaanapali Beach--and you can just take an elevator from you unit, go down the hall and be right on the beach. And there are complementary beach chairs. It is next door to Whalers Village shopping center. and other resorts with restaurants. Or you could consider the Marriott--the beach isn't as great, but it has all the amenities of a newer resort.


Whaler sounds interesting. My brother has rented there several times.
  1. Does the Whaler have any 2 bdrms OF units? I only see 1 bdrms and studio listings.
    • Are the 2 bdrms lock-offs? e.g. can you rent the lock-off or split 1 week into 2 consecutive weeks?
    • What are the maintenance fees for a 2 bdrm?
  2. Who manages and operates the Whaler?
 

andtlie

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I'm not sure if someone has already said this, but do your homework on the area that would be best for your family also. Princeville does not have the ocean views, and is quiet, but it's very family friendly with a park, playground, green field for playing catch, jogging, walking, and has a library, etc.
If you're looking for night life and a more tourist atmosphere and beach front you would be better off in Poipu on the island of Kauai.

We bought in Hawaii before our resort was bought by Wyndham. We were told at that time the benefit to buying in Hawaii as opposed to another location and trading out for Hawaii is because units in Hawaii are worth the maximum amount of points and we would not have a problem trading out for any other location through RCI. We stayed with RCI when our resort was purchased by Wyndham and this has proven to be true.

Last, decide if air conditioning is important to you on Kauai. Many resorts don't have air conditioning. It doesn't bother us, but it does bother a fair amount of people. Good Luck!
 

Smiff

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Hi all,
Am new to this site and so glad to have found it. We are considering a buy in to a timeshare and are wondering what is the best company to go with. We love Kauai and Maui. We will definitely be buying on the resale market. Pros/Cons of booking in Hawaii with various companies? The top two we are looking at are Wyndham (lower maintenance fees) and Starwood (generally a little more upscale than Wyndham but higher MF's).
Thanks all for your input to a newbie.


We bought eight weeks at Hawaiian Sun Holidays in Waikiki years ago when the association was selling some of the weeks it had retained as rentals. The one bedroom apartments are well located in the Waikiki Banyan complex and come with free parking. The maintenance fee is $480 per week and all weeks are floating. If you pay your maintenance fee you can book 24 months ahead. We like the location a block from the open beach and two blocks from Kapiolani Park. Where else can you get a one bedroom apartment for less than $70 per night? And this is a very nice place in Honolulu with free wifi. We too are getting older and finding the long flight more difficult, especially since the airlines find ways to make flying uncomfortable. So we may sell after next summer. We have stayed at several other resorts in Waikiki including the lovely units at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Hawaiian Sun is quieter and at the end of Waikiki we like better. The cost/benefit ratio beats any other timeshare we know of. We like the variety of urban activity the city offers, music, theatre, art, museums, live sports, etc. yet we can be a nearly unoccupied beach or a mountain trail in a very few minutes.
 
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If you are considering Starwood you may want to consider Marriott as well. Marriott has two resorts on Kauai (Waiohai a purpose built resort in Poipu and Kauai Beach Villas a hotel conversion in Lihue) and one resort in Kaanapali on Maui (Maui Ocean Club a hotel conversion, and Maui Ocean Club Lahaina and Napili Towers a newer purpose built portion of the resort). Like the Westin resorts, Marriott is higher quality and higher costs.

Continue researching and learn as much about all of your options. Happy hunting.

Best regards.

Mike
Kauai Beach Villas is a completely different entity than Kaui Beach Resorts that you referred to in you writings. As of now, ,KBV is operated by Grand Pacific, with Wyndham responsible for grounds. KBR has a different operation. KBV has kitchens, KBR has mini fridge and microwave.
 

mjm1

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Westin Kierland Villas;
HGVC Flamingo & Blvd;
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Kauai Beach Villas is a completely different entity than Kaui Beach Resorts that you referred to in you writings. As of now, ,KBV is operated by Grand Pacific, with Wyndham responsible for grounds. KBR has a different operation. KBV has kitchens, KBR has mini fridge and microwave.

Charles, thank you for pointing that out. I meant to say “club” rather than “villas.” I will edit that.

I would tend to favor Marriott, and they actually have three resorts on Kauai. Kauai Lagoons is the third one and it is by far the most upscale of the Hawaii Marriott resorts in terms of villa quality. Very few weeks were sold at Kauai Lagoons prior to the introduction of Marriott's point system, however, so finding a resale week at Kauai Lagoons might be next to impossible.

BocaBoy, thank you for mentioning Kauai Lagoons. My oversight to not mention that beautiful resort in my post. I agree with you that it would be a real challenge to find one on the resale market. Some day I hope to stay there.

Best regards.

Mike
 

Dean

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Whaler sounds interesting. My brother has rented there several times.
  1. Does the Whaler have any 2 bdrms OF units? I only see 1 bdrms and studio listings.
    • Are the 2 bdrms lock-offs? e.g. can you rent the lock-off or split 1 week into 2 consecutive weeks?
    • What are the maintenance fees for a 2 bdrm?
  2. Who manages and operates the Whaler?
christineK owns there as stated above so I'm sure she can answer for certain. I know they have 2 BR options but I don't believe they have lockoff's. The other issue IIRC, is I don't believe they follow the traditional timeshare calendar but are rather fixed dates. And they are 2 weeks at a pop except for the winter holiday which I believe is 3 weeks.
 

larry989

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Our favorite Island is the Big I, so much diversity. beaches, mountains, volcanos, rain forests, and much cheaper golf than the rest. Trading into Hawaii can be difficult, so if you want to come regularly to Hawaii you probably are better off owning Hawaii. I would stay away from Disney, you will pay a premium and not really own the resort, they take it back after so many years and you are left with nothing. Wyndum is a good mid range choice with resorts on all the 4 big islands Marriott is expensive, but very nice resorts.
 

CalGalTraveler

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Our favorite Island is the Big I, so much diversity. beaches, mountains, volcanos, rain forests, and much cheaper golf than the rest. Trading into Hawaii can be difficult, so if you want to come regularly to Hawaii you probably are better off owning Hawaii. I would stay away from Disney, you will pay a premium and not really own the resort, they take it back after so many years and you are left with nothing. Wyndum is a good mid range choice with resorts on all the 4 big islands Marriott is expensive, but very nice resorts.

If you like the big Island or Oahu, Hilton has several timeshares in the Waikoloa area and Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki with nice amenities and availability.
 
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MNdeeCA

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Before you decide, rent or exchange for a week at Lawai Beach, preferably in the Alii Building. We owned a 2 bedroom on the 2nd floor, end unit close to the driveway, and it was, by far, our favorite vacations. Not fancy, but like the Hono Koa, on Maui, a nice safe place with great ocean views. The small Lawai beach across the road is super safe for family snorkling. The weather is always sunnier than up at Princeville, so the kids will have lots of swimming time.
 

cgeidl

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We also own the right to use at this location in a different but very similar timeshare. The units are clean,comfortable, and well located. We are giving back our units at the end of the year for health reasons. The units have traded very well for us. The units are by no means fancy and often furniture remains beyond when it should be changed. However the maintenance fees are much less than other similarly sized Hawaiian units. If you want a low cost strong trader but do not need a high end resort this might be your choice.




We bought eight weeks at Hawaiian Sun Holidays in Waikiki years ago when the association was selling some of the weeks it had retained as rentals. The one bedroom apartments are well located in the Waikiki Banyan complex and come with free parking. The maintenance fee is $480 per week and all weeks are floating. If you pay your maintenance fee you can book 24 months ahead. We like the location a block from the open beach and two blocks from Kapiolani Park. Where else can you get a one bedroom apartment for less than $70 per night? And this is a very nice place in Honolulu with free wifi. We too are getting older and finding the long flight more difficult, especially since the airlines find ways to make flying uncomfortable. So we may sell after next summer. We have stayed at several other resorts in Waikiki including the lovely units at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Hawaiian Sun is quieter and at the end of Waikiki we like better. The cost/benefit ratio beats any other timeshare we know of. We like the variety of urban activity the city offers, music, theatre, art, museums, live sports, etc. yet we can be a nearly unoccupied beach or a mountain trail in a very few minutes.
 

BocaBoy

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We own at The Whaler--an older resort but completely upgraded-- which is in front of the best part of Kaanapali Beach--and you can just take an elevator from you unit, go down the hall and be right on the beach. And there are complementary beach chairs. It is next door to Whalers Village shopping center. and other resorts with restaurants. Or you could consider the Marriott--the beach isn't as great, but it has all the amenities of a newer resort.
I always thought The Whaler was a full ownership condo. They also have timeshares there?
 
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