Hawaii using DVC Points

[allflgirl]

I'm looking into ways to spend my 20th wedding anniversary and Hawaii is on my list, as well as, Alaska. I noticed that you can trade with II for 160 DVC points to stay 1 week in a condo in Hawaii. That seems like a good trade value in my books. Has anyone done this before? I'm looking to book in August of '08 and would call next month to set up my reservation, since I would be in the 2 year window.

I'm looking at Maui, as one of my employees is from Hawaii and said this would be the best island for me and my husband.

My other choice is to spend OOP and go on an Alaska cruise and either rent/trade my points for that year or bank them and save them for the following year, since I've be cash poor with all the money I'll spend in Alaska.

Any experiences that you can share?

I would appreciate your responses.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We used 160 points for a 1 week trade into Kona Coast resort a couple years ago. For Maui, you might have to wait a bit, but I would think August might be a good time to look at. Don't get too specific about which timeshare you want to trade into, and you should do fine. We have taken numerous trips to HI, and my advice is to give yourself more than 1 week. Airfares can be horrendous to HI, and one thing we did was get a travel package for a couple of nights via the airline. It got us cheaper airfare, and gave us a couple extra nights. Then we did 2 seperate timeshare exchanges for 2 weeks plus 5 days on the airline package. We have also done OOP for Hawaii, but if you don't know what you are doing and have never been there before, that can be a crap shoot for lodging. Some places aren't NEARLY as nice as they look in the brochures!

 

[allflgirl]

Thanks Disney Diane for your reply. Were you happy with your accomodations in Hawaii? Were they comparable to those at the vacation clubs?

Thanks again.

Julia

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks Disney Diane for your reply. Were you happy with your accomodations in Hawaii? Were they comparable to those at the vacation clubs?

Thanks again.

Julia

The trade done through DVC was very nice. The one done through RCI, was okay, but not nearly as well appointed. I believe that's one of the reasons DVC only trades with specific II resorts.

I certainly would do it again, but I would likely trade 2 DVC weeks and still do a bit OOP too. I just don't want to do those long flights without 2-3 weeks there! We tend to do Hawaii every 5 years or so. There are some great deals and some not so great ones. The bed and breakfasts can be a great way to suplement timeshare travel.

 

[Dean]

The only resorts in HI on the II DVC list of comparable quality to DVC in any way would be the Marriott's, Westin and former Embassy's plus KCR. Of those, KCR is too easy to get or rent outside DVC to be a good value outside Xmas time. Those on Maui of comparable quality would be extremely difficult to get. Having lived in HI and visited Maui a number of times, I'd agree that it would be the best single option. Depending on how easy and direct a flight you can get, you may want to consider longer than a week. Maybe a week or so on Maui plus a few days to a week somewhere else like Oahu (if you've never been). For a long plane trip, I'd never go for just a week.

 

[littlestar]

The studios at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas on Maui might be an easier trade to get than a one bedroom. The studios are very deluxe with an in-room jacuzzi tub and sitting area.


http://www.westinkaanapali.com/

http://www.westinkaanapali.com/rr_floorplan.htm


If I were you, I'd try to get a trade for a week on Maui and do a 2 or 3 day trip over to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor and Waikiki (Diamond Head).

The best Hawaii guide books are the "Revealed" books. We have Maui Revealed, Oahu Revealed, etc., and they are simply the best Hawaii guide books I've ever read. They even have aerial shots of resorts that show how close they are to the ocean - and more reviews and pictures on their companion website.

http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/maui.html

Good luck!

 

[littlestar]

Also, I second what Dean said about any of the Marriotts in Hawaii being a wonderful choice. But they might be hard to get because Marriott owners get priority in II for exchanges to other Marriotts.

I would love to stay at Marriott's Ko Olina on Oahu. Maybe some day.

I heard something about Marriott developing a points program for Asia and I think Ko Olina was listed as a potential resort.

 

[CPTJAK]

I would reccomend going to Marriott/starwood/hilton web sites and contacting them in regards to visiting the timeshares that they are currently selling. I have done this in the past and got really good deals, however have stayed in hotel not timeshare unit usually includes rental car and hotel $. I have stayed this way at:

Waikola Hilton on Big Island
Maui Westin on Maui 2xs

The other option is to rent/bank DVC points and use cash to rent the timeshare unit that best fits.

 

[Twigs]

We stayed at the Maui Schooner Resort on our points last Aug. We really loved the place. It is not a big resort, so if that is what you are looking for, this place is not for you. It only has 58 units so it is not large. We loved the view from our room, the peacefulness and quietness and we loved the location. It is in Kihei which is in south Maui, and we felt we were centrally located from wherever we wanted to go. Which for us was the biggest plus. There were BBQ's near the pool, and they have a cooler and 4 beach chairs in the unit for your use, which came in very handy too. Here is a link for it:


http://www.mauischooner.com/default.asp