Best timeshare to own for Hawaii vacations

[christineK]

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.

 

[christineK]

Correct. No lock-offs--and they are fixed two-week deeded time intervals in a specific apartment. There are 359 condos at Whaler and of those, 50 are time interval, including 4 apartments that are 2-bedroom/2 baths. They are sprinkled throughout the property--with a choice of studios, one bedrooms, and two bedrooms--different locations with different views. And the Xmas-New Year period (A interval) is a three-week plus one- day (22 days).

 

[christineK]

I always thought The Whaler was a full ownership condo. They also have timeshares there?

Of the 359 condos, 50 apartments are timeshare. There are studios, one-bedroom/one baths, one-bedroom/two baths, and two-bedroom/two baths in various locations around the property, including some ocean fronts. The time intervals are fixed, deeded two-weeks--except the A interval which is 22 days. Info is available at www.whalertioa.com.

 

[christineK]

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



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

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?

Whaler on Kaanapali Beach--of 359 apartments, 50 are time share. There is one two bed/two bath oceanfront time interval unit. They are not lock-off. They are deeded, fixed unit-fixed time periods. All are two-weeks, except the A period which is 22 days over Xmas and New Year's. The maintenance fees for a 2B/2B, including all taxes is about $4,500 to $5,000 for two weeks. The fees vary because property taxes vary (oceanfront is more, garden view less). One bedrooms and two-bedrooms are a lot less. A one bed/two bath is about $2,900 for two weeks and a studio is about $1,740 for two weeks. Of the 50 time interval apartments, there are 48 managed by the Whaler Time Interval Owners Association (TIOA). The other two are each managed by the owners themselves. Info is available on the TIOA's website: www.whalertioa.com
The Whaler as a whole is managed by the Whaler Association of Apartment Owners.

 

[MOXJO7282]

You didn't say what your budget is but for me the best overall TS to own in Hawaii IMHO would be a resale 2BDRM Oceanview unit at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club original towers. I say OV over OF because OFs costs 40% more and OV units have really outstanding views at the MOC.

That would cost you about $15k give or take $1k but overall would give the best combination of super oceanview, great location, top exchange value, excellent value from the LO capabilities and strong rental income if desired. I know you could easily split the unit and trade for larger units with both sides if you're savvy about it and go almost anywhere you want to go. Yes purchase entry point is high as are MFs but overall I do believe it's the best value dollar for dollar.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

You didn't say what your budget is but for me the best overall TS to own in Hawaii IMHO would be a resale 2BDRM Oceanview unit at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club original towers. I say OV over OF because OFs costs 40% more and OV units have really outstanding views at the MOC.

That would cost you about $15k give or take $1k but overall would give the best combination of super oceanview, great location, top exchange value, excellent value from the LO capabilities and strong rental income if desired. I know you could easily split the unit and trade for larger units with both sides if you're savvy about it and go almost anywhere you want to go. Yes purchase entry point is high as are MFs but overall I do believe it's the best value dollar for dollar.

I heard that Marriott Maui owners have a difficult time reserving their units during peak period. The way to get around this is to buy two units to get 13 month check-in preference, however this significantly increases the buy-in cost and you may end up with an extra unit you don't use. Is this true only for the Napili and Lahaina towers? or does this also apply to the original towers?

 

[jtp1947]

In ten years I have never had a problem reserving at MOC during July or first 2 weeks of August. I call 12 months ahead. (2 bedroom O/F)

 

[MOXJO7282]

I heard that Marriott Maui owners have a difficult time reserving their units during peak period. The way to get around this is to buy two units to get 13 month check-in preference, however this significantly increases the buy-in cost and you may end up with an extra unit you don't use. Is this true only for the Napili and Lahaina towers? or does this also apply to the original towers?

You do need to be diligent and able to reserve 12 months in advance if you want a mid-Jan-March week and probably early July.

What is difficult even then is if you need a very specific Jan-March Saturday check-in and you don't have at least some flexibility. If you can accept a Sunday or are open to a range of weeks then it shouldn't be too stressful to get the week desired.

I sometimes have challenges with a repeat customer who requests a specific Sat Feb 7th or whatever because they're meeting someone else. If they don't come to me before 12 months then it's almost impossible and there has been a few times when I couldn't deliver a Saturday exact date type of request.

 

[Quadmaniac]

You didn't say what your budget is but for me the best overall TS to own in Hawaii IMHO would be a resale 2BDRM Oceanview unit at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club original towers. I say OV over OF because OFs costs 40% more and OV units have really outstanding views at the MOC.

That would cost you about $15k give or take $1k but overall would give the best combination of super oceanview, great location, top exchange value, excellent value from the LO capabilities and strong rental income if desired. I know you could easily split the unit and trade for larger units with both sides if you're savvy about it and go almost anywhere you want to go. Yes purchase entry point is high as are MFs but overall I do believe it's the best value dollar for dollar.

I'm not sure where you're getting your figures from but I was purchasing a 2 br OF MOC 1-51 for $19K back a couple years ago and I would respectfully say, the OF units are fantastic! For the difference of a few thousand, I would choose OF over OV. Can never go wrong with the best view. I was able to snag an OF 1 br for Xmas about 6 years ago on II - it was the third floor with the huge lanai and I would have to say that was one of the most outstanding views I've had!