Exchange ??? (Doc or Dean?)

[dianeschlicht]

I want to try to get 2 weeks in Hawaii (2-2bedrooms) with one week each of 2 different islands. I called MS, and they did NOT advise trying to search for both at the same time.

I am thinking about starting one search very open ended by requesting ANY week for ANY resort for ANY island. We did this last time, and I assume I will get Kona Coast Resort right away, because that is what happened last time. If and when I get that search, I would then start the second search for specific weeks one side or the other of the first one and for any island BUT the one where the first ressie would be for.

Is this the best way to approach this? Please don't give me all the advice about trading DVC not being a good value. I happen to think trading to Hawaii is good use of DVC once in awhile. I will have plenty of points to do this, and still take a week at WDW that year as well.

I would also like to hear opinions on the listed resorts other than Kona Coast. We stayed there last time and loved it. I know the Cliffs club and Hanalei Bay as well, but have no knowledge of the other listed resorts on our II exchange list. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lisa P.]

Diane, this is just a thought, but since your schedule seems flexible, you may consider it. Make a shorter list of your first choice resorts. Request any of those for one week exchange, anytime within your range of dates. But don't include the easier trade locations.

For example, if you already expect that Kona Coast would be a pretty easy trade (and it'd be okay with you for one of your weeks), then don't include any resorts from the Big Island of Hawaii in your initial search request.

Once you are able to secure something at a more difficult location on another island, it will be easier to book one of the simpler trade weeks around it (before or after). At that point, make another search request with a wider list of resorts for your additional week, not including any resorts from the island where you've already matched. Hope that makes sense. This all assumes that you are searching early enough. HTH!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks, Lisa. That is very good advice. I guess it would make sense to search for the more difficult first.

My next question would be which island would I have the best chance getting? I am assuming Kauai, since Maui is a perennial favorite of everyone.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Hi Diane,

I am not Dean or Doc but I do own 2 marriott timeshares. Honestly, I think, the best way to ensure a match is start a search more than 13 months in advance. I am not sure when you plan to start your search. In II I can request a search up two years in advance. I am not sure how far in advance Disney would allow you to start your search.

I did a search last May for Thanksgiving for Kauai and I got The Cliff Resort. It is a five star resort according to II but not my first choice but I took it since, I started my search so late. Also, last week I saw some last minute timeshares available at Marriott Kauai beach club.

So, I don't know if this an option but you could book a backup. I found company that has condos on different islands that allow cancellation up to 3 days before. I did that for our last search and when I got my trade, I just cancelled the other reservation. E-mail me if you are interested in the condo place.

GL,
Tina

 

[dianeschlicht]

I would start my first search 2 years out. I will be trying for sometime in 2006. I understand Mariott is difficult to trade into, so I didn't think I would specify that. I agree that the Puhio resorts on Kauai are not really 5 star like they seem to think they are. I thought I might get the first exchange and then if I didn't get the second one in a timely manner, I would try to do a direct trade with someone who owns in Hawaii. Which way would be easiest?

 

[OurDogCisco]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
I would start my first search 2 years out. I will be trying for sometime in 2006. I understand Mariott is difficult to trade into, so I didn't think I would specify that. I agree that the Puhio resorts on Kauai are not really 5 star like they seem to think they are. I thought I might get the first exchange and then if I didn't get the second one in a timely manner, I would try to do a direct trade with someone who owns in Hawaii. Which way would be easiest?

I always wonder why everyone says it is difficult to trade into Marriott in Hawaii. If you are flexible in the time of year you want to go and start your search early, I don't think it would be a problem. When I do searches on II, Marriotts in Hawaii always appear. Maybe I have a good resort to trade with but I doubt it because I own in the middle of desert. The only reason I wouldn't pick Marriott Maui Beach club or Marriot Kauai beach club is because you don't get a full size condo. The condos are converted hotel rooms with mini-kitchens. The kitchens have a refrigerator, sink, dishwasher & microwave. To me it is more like a hotel. But if that is where you want to stay I'd say go for it. I have heard the pool areas are awesome which is not what you'll get with a traditional type condo. Can you list a bunch of places that you want to stay at in your search (I've never done a search with DVC)? My friend stayed at the Marriott Waihoai (spelling) in Kauai and loved it. Have you check out the Tug board? YOu might get useful information there about the different resorts. If you join you can read about the reviews of the different condo timeshares.

I've never done a direct trade so, I don't know what would be the easiet. HOpefully, someone here has experience with that.

Tina

 

[RobDoc]

You've gotten some great advice (...and I'm sure Dean will also contribute his thoughts).

If you require specific weeks, that's fine, but provide as many resort locations as possible to enhance your chances of finding something during that time. If dates are more flexible, then I'd request the resorts you'd really like (the ones likely to be more difficult) for a range of weeks. After you have the first week, then I'd request both the week before and the week following and list all of the resorts you'd accept.

Alternately, place an exchange request on TUG, but realize that most will likely want a full week at a similar time and the points needed may be much higher than thru the DVC chart exchange needs.

While you may not get anything right at 2 years ahead, the earlier you begin the search the better your chances for success.

Aloha!!

 

[Dean]

OK, here's my thoughts. Decide what weeks, islands and resorts are acceptable. Also decide about air fare. Once you've made those choices, then you can proceed with the core choices. You can change the scenarios to fit your thoughts and needs.

As an example, say you decide you want to do Maui and either Kauai or The Big Island. You need a 2 BR minimum. You already know that KCR is an easier exchange but a great resort. But you will be using FF miles for your air lines and want to minimize interisland. Here’s how I might approach it. I’d put our feelers for direct exchanges to any option that fits my needs. I’d request the Maui resorts through DVC including Marriott and One Napili Way. Kaanapali Keys and maybe SOK. I would not personally list the Schooner but others would. If the Embassy or Westin is added to the DVC trade list, I’d add them as well.

I’d then contact several of the independents including San Francisco Exchange, Platinum Interchange, Trading places and Donita’s. Here’s a link to Fern Modena’s page with links to these and more. http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/1060/exchange.html SFX and TP are likely the best option as they have an in with various resorts in HI.

For Maui, you can add other resorts to the list dealing with these companies. These include the Whaler and Westin as well as the Embassy through II and Maui Lea for RCI as a minimum. You might also consider things like two 1 BR instead of a 2 BR and some other resorts like Worldmarks, Consolidated resorts and the like. This method will not only give you access to non DVC trade resorts, it will give you access to additional inventory at the resorts on the DVC list.

Then once you match those options, you could add in the other islands and resorts as desired with the same level of thinking. If you are using FF miles, make sure you make the reservations at the 330 day mark from departure date and then again at 330 days for the return leg. You may need to make a refundable or cancelable condo rental to cover your days in case you do not match. In this scenario, you could fly directly into Maui then to the other island and then either out of Maui or Honolulu Int. as long as you do not have a stop over somewhere else of more than 8 hours. The air fare is the biggest issue by far if you plan on FF miles as we did last trip.

Same type of thinking for Kauai would be the Marriott’s, Embassy and Hanalei Bay. Maybe also Club Intrawest but remember it ONLY has Sunday check in which totally took it out of our mix last trip. I would not add Lawaii Beach personally. I would add the Pahio resorts, Makai Cottages and maybe Alii Kai. You can do Lawaii Beach for a direct exchange as long as you either avoid the Coral building or do a very one sided exchange. I'd avoid Cliff's Club for an exchange but would consider it for direct exchange as well.

For Oahu, no DVC resorts but the Hilton and Marriott otherwise. For the Big Island, KCR and Bay Club are really about it.

Once you have your first piece of the puzzle in place, then you branch out and fill in the blanks. What we did was book a 1 BR at the Embassy on Maui through SFX then added Kauai for the week before and week after. I was able to get a 2 BR at the Embassy there through a direct exchange turned rental then went back and got a second 1 BR at the Embassy. I had all this in place in time to book the FF mile tickets at 330 days out and all fell into place. While in HI, I was making the first leg plans for our 2003 trip to MX again at 330 days out for FF tickets.

I hope this helps, good luck.

 

[Lisa P.]

I always wonder why everyone says it is difficult to trade into Marriott in Hawaii. ...When I do searches on II, Marriotts in Hawaii always appear.

That's because you are searching with a week by M (Marriott).

II holds back desirable M deposits for other M owners for the first 3 weeks after they are deposited. If another M owner with a comparable week does not take the deposit, it may (or may not) then be offered to a non-M owner, such as a DVCer. For those trading in, using DVC or another non-M timeshare, it's harder to come by Hawaii weeks, especially during prime holiday and school break weeks.

Most desirable weeks at M's Hawaii resorts are confirmed by other M owners. Hawaii is expensive for last minute travel so late deposits and late cancellations are occasionally available to anyone through II or through TUG's II Condo Direct listings.

 

[dianeschlicht]

The only reason I wouldn't pick Marriott Maui Beach club or Marriot Kauai beach club is because you don't get a full size condo. The condos are converted hotel rooms with mini-kitchens. The kitchens have a refrigerator, sink, dishwasher & microwave. To me it is more like a hotel.

Interesting information that does NOT show up on the web! I did take a look at all the DVC exchange listings, and made some decisions about what I would and would not accept. I would love to do a direct exchange to the Puhio Shearwater, but that might be difficult. We fell in love with that place last year.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Is Maua Lani Bay available for exchange, or is that just a Concierge collection? This new vacation planner does NOT give as detailed information as we used to get! Since DVC is my only timeshare, I don't know a lot of the ins and outs of trading. Our dear friends who traveled with us last year own several and did a lot of trading, but he passed away last fall, and his wife is not savvy about the trading, so I am coming to you guys for help!

Last year we were tempted to purchase a resale at Keo Kai that was almost too good to be true! We thought about Shearwater too, because we really loved the atmosphere there, but it was a lot more money and there were no every other year ones left.

Yes, we will be useing FF miles as well. We did that last time and filled our time out with a few nights in Honolulu on each end. We like to do that anyway, and this time we will have our adult children with us. They went to Hawaii with us when our oldest was 7 and the youngest was a baby. They have always given us a hard time about going back, so we have decided it might be fun. Since they will not be using FF miles, I thought perhaps we would choose an inexpensive 3 day package from NWA travel, and get their airfare cheaper that way. Our friends did that last year, and got 2 rooms, so we took advantage of the cheaper rates for the room. Not one of the fancy hotels, but certainly serviceable for the short time we wanted to be in Honolulu.

 

[Dean]

A few additional thoughts on the above posts. Marriott's will show up using a Marriott but even then it's usually off season and mostly studios or else it's less than 60 days. While two of the Marriott's are converted hotels, they are the nicest properties available and well worth the sacrafice. Besides for Maui, the Embassy is also a mini kitchen.

Mauna Lani is a hotel and not a timeshare, it's only available for CC.

 

[dianeschlicht]

But if I am looking for 2 bedroom units, I doubt I would take the converted hotel room.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
But if I am looking for 2 bedroom units, I doubt I would take the converted hotel room.

You'd be missing out on the best properties if you eliminate the two Marriott's that are converted hotel units and the Embassy on Maui which was built as mini kitchens. These mini kitchen are much better than a DVC studio though not as easy to use as a full kitchen. I'd recommend you reconsider, they are worth it if you can get them.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for the advice, Dean. Would we get two rooms as an exchange for a 2 bedroom then?

 

[kem330]

We toured the Maui Marriott Ocean Club and believe Dean, they are nice units- the rooms are larger than DVC BWV, BCV and VWL.
The kitchen area is lacking a stove and full size fridge, but how many dinners will you cook? The Marriott Waiohai has mentionned above is in Kauai, not Maui and has full kitchens. It is in a lovely location in Poipu near the Sheraton.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Originally posted by kem330
We toured the Maui Marriott Ocean Club and believe Dean, they are nice units- the rooms are larger than DVC BWV, BCV and VWL.
The kitchen area is lacking a stove and full size fridge, but how many dinners will you cook? The Marriott Waiohai has mentionned above is in Kauai, not Maui and has full kitchens. It is in a lovely location in Poipu near the Sheraton.

I never said that these units weren't nice. I just said that they were lacking a full size kitchen which make a difference for someone with small children. Now, I realize this person doesn't have children as she mentions in future posts. I did mention that the Marriotts have better pools than most condos. Thanks for catching the typo, I corrected.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by kem330
We toured the Maui Marriott Ocean Club and believe Dean, they are nice units- the rooms are larger than DVC BWV, BCV and VWL.
The kitchen area is lacking a stove and full size fridge, but how many dinners will you cook? The Marriott Waiohai has mentionned above is in Kauai, not Maui and has full kitchens. It is in a lovely location in Poipu near the Sheraton.

Actually, the kitchen is not the real issue here, but space to sleep 5 adults in 3 beds. We will be the two of us plus our adult son and his SO and our adult DD. I just do NOT want to all be in a room that is similar to a studio at OKW! I also would not want to trade a 2 bedroom for those kind of accommodations. I do know the Marriot we stayed at on Maui 27 years ago had wonderful large rooms with very luxurious bathrooms, etc, but it was still just one room.

 

[Lisa P.]

At the Marriott resorts where they've converted hotel rooms into timeshare condos, it works like this:

A single hotel room is now a studio
Two connecting hotel rooms are now a 1BR unit
Three connecting hotel rooms are now a 2BR unit.

So there is enough room to sleep up to 6 people in a 2BR, though it may be a little tight. To see a floorplan of a 2BR at Marriott Kauai Beach Club, click on the link at the bottom of this page. HTH!

 

[Werner Weiss]

Originally posted by OurDogCisco
The only reason I wouldn't pick Marriott Maui Beach club or Marriot Kauai beach club is because you don't get a full size condo. The condos are converted hotel rooms with mini-kitchens. The kitchens have a refrigerator, sink, dishwasher & microwave. To me it is more like a hotel.

At Marriott's Maui Ocean Club and Marriott's Kauai Beach Club the kitchens are not full kitchens — but they're perfectly adequate if you don't plan to cook or bake (except in the microwave). Because these two resorts are converted hotels, each condo has an extra bathroom, off the living room. So a 1BR has 2 bathrooms, and a 2BR has 3 bathrooms. When traveling with kids, that's better than having a stove or oven.

Marriott's Maui Ocean Club:

Marriott's Kauai Beach Club:

Both kitchens come with dishes, flatware, and various containers. In Kauai, these items are around the corner in the closet.

Also, these two Marriott resorts have great pools. The pool in Kauai is huge. The pool in Maui has a fun water slide.

There are two other Marriott Vacation Club resorts in Hawaii. These are brand new and are "purpose built" — not converted from hotels — with condos similar to those at the newer DVC resorts. Ko Olina on Oahu has studios, 1BR and 2BR condos. Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club at Poipu (Kauai) has only 2BR condos.

The downside to Marriott is that there's a strong demand for exchanges into the Marriott Vacation Club resorts in Hawaii from Marriott owners — who have a priority over other exchangers.

Trading into a 2BR Marriott in Hawaii is particularly hard — even for other Marriott owners. Except at Marriott's Waiohai, the 2BR units are all lock-offs. The owners of Hawaiian Marriott weeks tend to lock off their units and deposit the efficiency side and the 1BR as two II deposits, allowing them to make two II trades. That's good for them, but it's bad for those of us who would like to trade into a 2BR.