I.I. Hawaii Resorts

[Parkhopper13]

My brother is getting married and wants to transfer his DVC points to Hawaii for the honeymoon. They are going to Maui for one week and Kauai for one week. Here are the choices. Any feedback from anyone who has been to any of the resorts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Kauai
Hanalei Bay Resort - A Quintus Resort, Princeville
Marriott's Kauai Beach Club, Lihue
Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club, Koloa

Maui
Marriott's Maui Ocean Club, Kaanopali Beach
Sands of Kahana Vacation Club, Lahaina
Westin Ka'anopali Ocean Resort Villas, Lahaina
Ka'anapali Beach Club, Lahaina

 

[disneydenisel]

Congrats to your brother on his upcoming marriage and honeymoon! Great choice for a relaxing, fun vacation!

Do you know what time of year he is planning to try for the trade? Will he be flexible with his dates and unit size?

Maui is always a tough trade. The Marriott gets great reviews for the location. We own at the Westin Ka'anapali and absolutely love it there (just got back on Saturday!). Both Marriott and Westin are difficult to get during the prime seasons.

His best bet is to be flexible, deposit/request early, and have a backup plan, like renting through owners or from the resorts directly, in case nothing turns up for the time he wants to go. Depending on how set he is on the dates, it may be easier for him to rent out his DVC points and pay cash for rentals on both islands. That would guarantee him the weeks and resorts he wants without the uncertainty that goes with exchanging via II. On the other hand, if he's willing to wait it out, he may get the places he needs.

 

[Tinkaroo]

I have stayed at both Marriott properties in Kauai, and my parents actually own at the Waiohai Beach Club. Hands down, that is our favorite, as we really enjoy the area of Koloa/Poipu Beach, and the property is very nice.

That being said, though, it might not be good "honeymoon" material. The units are either 2 BR villas, or regular hotel rooms. The resort is definitely more "family oriented", and they would be sharing the beaches/pools with children. (Not that there aren't children at the other resort, but as the Waiohai is much smaller, the facilities aren't as large.) The restaurant is not much to speak of, and the only real bar is the pool bar, which does have limited hours. However, there is a lot to see and do in the area, and for some great romance off property, they can check out the dining options at the Grand Hyatt which is just next door, the Beach House which is just down the street (best restaurant on the island!), and there is also a Roy's right across the street in the Poipu Village. There is also great diving and water sports on that side of the island, many of the catamaran and scuba tours go out of the nearby port, and Koloa Village is very charming.

The Kauai Beach Club is right near the airport, and has both regular hotel rooms, and the converted rooms that are now the timeshare units. This property definitely has a "wow" factor to it, and is very much a resort. The pool is enormous, there are several different dining options, and the beach is pretty much exclusive to the resort. However, there is not much to do in immediate reach of the resort - they would definitely need a rental car, and warning - daily parking is VERY EXPENSIVE (parking is underground and free at the Waiohai property).

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions! Either way, they can't go wrong with spending a week in Kauai - we love it!

 

[Dean]

Hanalei bay is iffy at best, several DVC members have stayed there and been disappointed. It just depends on which unit you get and the luck of the draw. For Maui, I'd be reluctant to put SOK on the list. The Marriott's and Westin are certainly good choices. The old Embassy, now Sunterra is lower but I think of decent value. Though I'll tell you that I turned down a 1 BR there for my daughters honeymoon hoping for something better and got the Maui Marriott instead. Also consider the Marriott on Oahu.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Being very flexible with requests for both dates and islands is best. I'd likely request any island if the dates are less flexible, and see what comes up. We really enjoyed the Kona Coast on the Big Island, but then, that is our favorite island anyway. Kauai is our second favorite, and while we like the Princeville/Hanalei area, I probably would caution against the Hanalei Bay resort.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

We stayed at the Westin Ka'anopali Ocean Resort Villas and LOVED it! I also loved the proximity to Lahaina. There was only one "restaurant" at the resort that also doubled as the pool bar, but being so close to Lahaina gave us plenty of options to eat as the sun set over the ocean every night...ahhh. We also have friends who own at the Marriot Ka'anopali and rave about it. It's a great location and I can vouch for both of those resorts. When I have trouble sleeping at night, I just picture myself back in the Westin "Heanenly Bed" in our Villa in Hawaii...ahhh!

 

[aclov]

I traded into Sands of Kahana about 3 years ago. The grounds are very condo-like. I think the Marriott would be nicer, although I never stayed there I did go to their luau. My friend's parents stayed at Marriott and said it was awesome and since I've stayed at other Marriott resorts I would think they would be at a higher level.

 

[MickeyMark9]

Thanks for all the help guys (and thanks bro for getting this started)! If you have any other suggestions on any other islands, we'll consider those also! I am new to this (both the DVC and the Disboards) and we've never used our points before, so any add'l info will be greatly appreciated. After talking with my fiancee, I think we're going to consider other islands, and be flexible. We really just want a nice resort (and on-site beach access is a must). Since our wedding is Sunday, June 24th, we'll probably narrow the search down (time-wise) for just he week starting the 29th or 30th, but we'll widen the search (island/resort-wise) to give us a better chance at getting something. Then, we'll probably cash in some points for the days from Tuesday June 26thru the first night at the share. How does that sound? We can always add a night or two onto the back-end with cash. ~Mark

 

[Parkhopper13]

Bumping!!!

 

[emerymt]

Being very flexible with requests for both dates and islands is best. I'd likely request any island if the dates are less flexible, and see what comes up. We really enjoyed the Kona Coast on the Big Island, but then, that is our favorite island anyway. Kauai is our second favorite, and while we like the Princeville/Hanalei area, I probably would caution against the Hanalei Bay resort.

I totally second everything in this quote! Kauai is hard to get in to.

 

[Boo]

Another option just to consider in the mix. Why not rent the points and then book any place you want with the cash? That's exactly what we did for my brother who just got married in September as a gift from us. We rented our points then used the money to book him a week at the Grand Wailea on Maui. That way he had the pick of any hotel/island he wanted. And it was more cost/point effective than if we had booked it using the concierge collection points.

 

[disneydenisel]

... it may be easier ... to rent out ... DVC points and pay cash for rentals on both islands. That would guarantee ... the weeks and resorts ... without the uncertainty that goes with exchanging via II.

MickeyMark9, as I posted previously, I think that it would be easier and less stressful to rent the DVC points out and use the cash. Especially for the 4th of July week you are looking at. Are you getting married in 2008? That would give you plenty of time to plan it out. Relying on a difficult trade for a honeymoon would worry me, but if you are flexible and have a backup plan, then maybe an II trade would be okay. Just put your request in at least a year or two in advance.

 

[Dean]

I totally second everything in this quote! Kauai is hard to get in to.

I would disagree somewhat. I think Kauai is fairly easy to get into about a quarter of the year, esp week 41-50. I see Kauai units come up online with II all the time, actually more than anything else including the bid island. I'd say only Xmas, Feb, March, early April and mid summer is truly difficult. That's not to say it's easy to get exactly what you want when you want but it is possible to trade in much of the year if one plans ahead and has sufficient trade power, which DVC does.

In general I think DVC members start too late, are too optimistic in their expectations, are not flexible enough and give up far too early in many cases when it comes to exchange requests.

 

[Connor' Dad]

Dean and all,

Thanks for the info. I am in a similar boat but with a longer time frame. We would like to go to HI in May/June of '09 for our tenth anniversary. When would you suggest depositing and starting our search? Ideally I think we would like to stay on Maui, but I am a novice when it comes to HI and welcome all input. Also, we are looking for a 1bdr or studio.

Thanks all!

 

[Dean]

Dean and all,

Thanks for the info. I am in a similar boat but with a longer time frame. We would like to go to HI in May/June of '09 for our tenth anniversary. When would you suggest depositing and starting our search? Ideally I think we would like to stay on Maui, but I am a novice when it comes to HI and welcome all input. Also, we are looking for a 1bdr or studio.

Thanks all!

I wouldn't deposit in most cases but would do a search first. I'd start that search about June of this year since you can search up to 2 years out. Even though most resorts can't be deposited more than 12 months out, searching early gives you a chance at those that come in earlier as well as each and every unit that is deposited along the way. You may want to look at a direct exchange or even a cash rental, esp if you want a studio. Research the resorts but of the ones on the II list for Maui, I'd only consider the Marriott and Westin and possibly the Sunterra (formerly Embassy), at least trading DVC.