Please help plan trip of a lifetime to Hawaii!!

[Debs Hill]

I would love to hear from anyone who has used their points to stay at one of the resorts in Hawaii.........which one, what was good/bad.......etc! We are hoping to do a three week trip but want to make sure if we are travelling that distance that we choose somewhere great!

Many thanks
Debsx

 

[Patty3]

We have used points for the Kapalua Bay hotel in Maui and it is a very very nice hotel.

 

[rocketriter]

It's not too difficult to get a trade to the Kona Coast on the Big Island. It's a nice enough resort, although it's on the other side of a golf course from the ocean. On the other hand, beaches aren't the main attraction on the Big Island, which tends more towards mountains, ranches and volcanoes. My family is bored by beaches, so the Big Island is perfect.

 

[yapper79]

We toured the Kona resort on the Big Island this past summer while we were staying at a different resort with my uncle in his timeshare. Wow! It is gorgeous, in the middle of Kona (great shopping, and plenty to do!) While in Kona we went to a luau, took a snorkel cruise, went parasailing, took a plane ride, and had really, really good food (Jameson's by the Sea was excellent). There are plenty of beaches right there, but many are crowded. About 40 minutes north is Hapuna Beach, a beautiful beach with great water. It was voted one of the best beaches in the world.
Also, near Hapuna, we went on a mule ride and took a rainforest walking tour. On the other side of the island, we went to the top of Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain there and went stargazing, saw Volcano National Park, went to Hilo (the other city on the other side of the island), and visited the Botanical Gardens.
Needless to say, we had an amazing time. (My husband and I are 24 and we took another couple our age... we wanted to go, go, go, but many people just hang at the beaches!) We drove a lot so we could see everything. We spent 14 days on the Big Island (would have been fine with 12... the last 2 days were purely R&R.) We dropped around $2500 on activities and tours, but I can truly say that we saw everything the Big Island had. And honestly, I'd go back in a heartbeat!
I haven't been to the other islands, but we loved the Big Island, and when we toured Kona Coast, I was really impressed with the room sizes and how close it was to everything!

If you end up going, send me a PM and I'll give you all my info on what was good!

Trish

 

[Helene4]

I would love to hear from anyone who has used their points to stay at one of the resorts in Hawaii.........which one, what was good/bad.......etc! We are hoping to do a three week trip but want to make sure if we are travelling that distance that we choose somewhere great!

Many thanks
Debsx

Maui no ka oi = Maui is the best! Do at least 1 week on Maui and get a copy of the book "Maui Revealed". Follow the directions around the island to Hana and stop at the hidden waterfalls along the way. Visit Warren and Annabells show in Lahaina and go to a luau on the beach. Drive up to Haleakala but be very careful of taking the sunrise bike ride down (you will be higher than the clouds).

I was disappointed with Kona. I was looking for tropical and got black lava rock. We should have stayed in Hilo.

Kauai was lovely particularly around Poipu beach and up at Princeville. Some good hiking, some great beaches.

 

[bongo59]

we have been to the 50th state 17 times since 1986..........it is a magical place..........since we have been so many times our likes are based upon what we have found and what we really enjoy...........i would limit my time in Oahu to visit waikiki, diamond head, north shore, Pearl Harbor, Poly cultural center, Dole plantation, Waimae Falls Park for lava tube diving and the best thing snokeling in hanauma bay ..........a crater with its pacifici wall collaspse fille dwith sea water where you can see every tropical fish in water no deep than 3 feet............and it costs less than 15 bucks..........place is awesome i have alot of hawaii info........on Maui i wish i could say spend a week there but i would not........the only thing great on Maui is the tour to haleakala at 5 AM....Maui is ideal for whale watching but you must go at the right time of the yr...Kauai is way better than maui and has all the major waterfalls..........is is by far the most romantic isle and is the oldest isle..........the beaches are to die for............lanai is the pineapple isle and is one of my favorites because it has just been developed since 90...but has some of the states best golf course. Great scuba and snorkling at Turtle beach........you will see sea turtles as big as VW's there............molakai is my kids favorites..........it is a sunken crater isle that has very little tourism but it is the place to take a catamaran ride and feed the sharks right from your hands in an natural sea estruary..........The Big Island is my famililies favorite..........i would spend most of my time there.........so much to do and see it is the reason you'll come back to hawaii..........we always stay near the kohala mountains because it is the sunnyside and desert region........best watersports and close to kona..........the golf in and near Kona is the best in my opinion.........we love the mauni lani because of its privacy......but we have rented a 6500 sq foot house there for two weeks and that was just unreal...........but it will set you back huge money.............i have even been lucky enough to visit the unknown hawaii isle of Naua.........which is the isle of pure blood hawaii people..........only they are alllowed to travel and stay there............i went there on a medical mission and it was so peaceful and it is where i fell in love with the natives...............i hope this helps.........if you can afford it i would certainly rent helocopters and small planes to see the kauai waterfalls........only way to see soem over 800 ft tall...........you can even rent a local and they will be your personal tour guide for a whole day for a fee............great way to do oahu in my opinion cause you'll see places tourist never go.............

 

[littlestar]

I second the reply to get the Revealed books. Maui Revealed, Oahu Revealed, etc. They are the best guidebooks I've ever read for Hawaii. They have a website that shows you aerial views of just where your resort sits (if it's close to the ocean or not) http://www.wizardpub.com/

I love the water and I LOVE Maui. We're going in April for 2 weeks.

 

[bongo59]

also get your self an entertainment book on line for hawaii before you go.........it will save you on excursions and it seems as if every restaurant in oahu is in there..........

 

[OurDogCisco]

I've never traded using DVC points but I highly recommend Marriott Waiohai in Kauai or Westin Kaanapali in Maui... Good luck.. Just remember once you go you'll be going year after year...

 

[njzieglers]

We have used points twice in Hawaii. We stayed at the Kapalua Inn and the Westin Maui in Kaanapali, also the Mauna Lani on the big island. There seemed to be much more to do on Maui and we thought it was much prettier and more tropical than the black lava rock everywhere that makes up the Kona coast. There is still plenty to do on the big island, Volcanoes Nat'l Park is very nice. We thought the scuba and snorkeling were better on Maui, only went fishing out of Maui, caught a 350lb marlin. Kapalua itself is a great location. PM if you want. Enjoy
Kenny Z

 

[dianeschlicht]

we have been to the 50th state 17 times since 1986..........it is a magical place..........since we have been so many times our likes are based upon what we have found and what we really enjoy...........i would limit my time in Oahu to visit waikiki, diamond head, north shore, Pearl Harbor, Poly cultural center, Dole plantation, Waimae Falls Park for lava tube diving and the best thing snokeling in hanauma bay ..........a crater with its pacifici wall collaspse fille dwith sea water where you can see every tropical fish in water no deep than 3 feet............and it costs less than 15 bucks..........place is awesome i have alot of hawaii info........on Maui i wish i could say spend a week there but i would not........the only thing great on Maui is the tour to haleakala at 5 AM....Maui is ideal for whale watching but you must go at the right time of the yr...Kauai is way better than maui and has all the major waterfalls..........is is by far the most romantic isle and is the oldest isle..........the beaches are to die for............lanai is the pineapple isle and is one of my favorites because it has just been developed since 90...but has some of the states best golf course. Great scuba and snorkling at Turtle beach........you will see sea turtles as big as VW's there............molakai is my kids favorites..........it is a sunken crater isle that has very little tourism but it is the place to take a catamaran ride and feed the sharks right from your hands in an natural sea estruary..........The Big Island is my famililies favorite..........i would spend most of my time there.........so much to do and see it is the reason you'll come back to hawaii..........we always stay near the kohala mountains because it is the sunnyside and desert region........best watersports and close to kona..........the golf in and near Kona is the best in my opinion.........we love the mauni lani because of its privacy......but we have rented a 6500 sq foot house there for two weeks and that was just unreal...........but it will set you back huge money.............i have even been lucky enough to visit the unknown hawaii isle of Naua.........which is the isle of pure blood hawaii people..........only they are alllowed to travel and stay there............i went there on a medical mission and it was so peaceful and it is where i fell in love with the natives...............i hope this helps.........if you can afford it i would certainly rent helocopters and small planes to see the kauai waterfalls........only way to see soem over 800 ft tall...........you can even rent a local and they will be your personal tour guide for a whole day for a fee............great way to do oahu in my opinion cause you'll see places tourist never go.............

Took the words right out of my mouth! I TOTALLY agree! For a 3 week trip, I would spend a day or two on Oahu doing the historic sites, Poly cultural center and hiking Diamond Head etc. If you are there in Jan-March, be sure to hit the nort side and watch the surfers too. I

I would spend at least 5 days on Kauai and 5 days on Maui, but I would spend the rest of the time on the Big Island! Kauai has the great variety and old waterfalls, green hills and valleys and great beauty, but the Big Island has it ALL! Maui is great and large, and you MUST stay on Kaanapali and be sure to travel to Hana and to the top of Haleakela. The Big Island has volcanos, coffee fields, ranch country, sking, Waipio valley and two VERY different cities in Kona and Hilo.

For a trade into the Big Island, I really liked Kona Coast II. True, it is not on the beach (for that you have to be in the Kohala coast area), but it is nice and central for traveling to all the other places on the island. We usually put about 500 miles on our rental car on the Big Island!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I would love to hear from anyone who has used their points to stay at one of the resorts in Hawaii.........which one, what was good/bad.......etc! We are hoping to do a three week trip but want to make sure if we are travelling that distance that we choose somewhere great!

First, you need to decide whether you're looking for deluxe resort hotel room accomodations (with full houskeeping, along the lines of a deluxe WDW resort) or resort condo accomodations (with limited housekeeping, along the lines of a DVC resort.) Through DVC, you can get the former through the World Passport Collection and the latter through the Concierge Collection.

 

[barb45]

We traded this year for points and went to the Sands of Kahana on Maui. I would definitely go to Maui again but NEVER to Sands of Kahana again. It was terrible. I would also rent my points and do a cash reservation if necessary - unless I could trade into a real nice resort (you are definitely not trading apples for apples here). And forget trading into Marriott Maui unless you find a private trade - trading through II I am told almost never happens. I also agree with littlestar - get the "revealed" book for whichever island you go to. We had Maui Revealed (thanks to littlestar for recommending it before we went) and used it every day. There are tons of things to do on Maui but if you want to relax it will take you to the most beautiful beaches on the island. PM me if you like - I will go into more detail.

 

[Dean]

I've hesitated posting but here goes. What's best for you might or might not be the same as someone else. If you've never been, I highly recommend a few days, three min 5 better, on Oahu. Maui is our favorite, followed by Kauai. For someone who's never been, I'd stay a few days on Oahu, a week or so in Maui and a week either on Kauai or the Big Island. You could try to do both but your costs will increase somewhat. Try to fly in or out of one of your destinations to save one interisland leg.

If points or cost are no object, the CC options are great choices. If you are on a budget, consider renting out your points and looking for cash options that fit your needs. You should also look for direct exchange options. Certainly the Westin, Marriott' and Embassy's are top options. KCR is too easy and cheap to get to make it truly worthwhile to trade DVC for it. Make sure you plan AT LEAST a full year in advance. If you're planning on using FF miles, make sure you plan even further then when the time comes, book the flights even if you don't have your rooms locked in.

My top choices would be something like a stay in Waikiki for 5-7 days at one of the Outriggers or similar, a stay in Maui at the Marriott, Embassy or Westin for timeshares for a week, and a stay at one of the Marriott's or Embassy on Kauai. One option would be to stay a little longer on Maui with a split stay between the south side (Kehei, etc) and the West side, Lahaina. If you have Marriott reward points, they do an option where you can split your stay between multiple resorts within the same week and it counts like one resort. For Waikiki, consider the Hilton Rainbow Village by rental or direct exchange with a member.

 

[TnRobin]

Last year we did a private trade with a Hilton Grand Vacation Club member for the Hilton Hawaiian village on Waikiki Beach - it was awesome. Looking at other hotels and stuff on Waikiki - it is the only place on Waikiki, I would consider trading. Oahu was perfect for our family. We are not beach people. I like the action.

We are planning a trip to Hawaii at the Kona Coast Resort for December.

I also strongly recommend the Hawaii Entertainment book - we estimate we save over $400. (most of that was on a 1/2 priced private sunset cruise for 2)

Our favorite resourse bookes were the "revealed" books and the "Hawaii for dummies".

 

[dwdeb]

Hi there,
What are the chances of trading for a week at Westin Kaanapali Oceanfront resort and Marriot Waiohai on Poipu through MS for summer of 06? We have about 4 weeks to work with and would like a week at each in a 1BR.
Seems the availability is slim to none...
Thanks, Deb

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

What are the chances of trading for a week at Westin Kaanapali Oceanfront resort and Marriot Waiohai on Poipu through MS for summer of 06? We have about 4 weeks to work with and would like a week at each in a 1BR.
Seems the availability is slim to none...

First, take a look at the following two threads about I.I. exchanges:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=705114

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=710035

There's no availability at either resort at this point, because owners at those resorts cannot yet deposit weeks with I.I. As owners deposit their weeks (usually from 12 to 2 months before the check-in date), those weeks will be matched with ongoing requests, some of which have probably been in the system since summer 2004.

There are no 1BR units at Marriott's Waiohai on Poipu Beach on Kauai, only 2BR units (and 6 conventional hotel rooms which are not available for exchange).

The Westin on Maui and Marriott's Waiohai are both rather new resorts. So most owners are likely to use rather than to exchange their weeks.

I would not plan on being able to get consecutive weeks at two of the top timeshare resorts in Hawaii during the popular summer travel period through MS. I would make a longer list of the resorts that you'd be happy with. For example, the Kauai Marriott Beach Club and the Maui Marriott Ocean Club are wonderful resorts with great pools, even though their condos are converted from hotel rooms and thus have limited kitchens. Get your request in right away for your entire list of resorts for the entire 4-week period. Then, expect nothing to happen until next summer at the earliest. If you're lucky enough to get one of those resorts, then put in another request for the weeks before and after your successful exchange. Recognize that this second request will be more of a longshot.

Good luck and Aloha!

 

[Dean]

Hi there,
What are the chances of trading for a week at Westin Kaanapali Oceanfront resort and Marriot Waiohai on Poipu through MS for summer of 06? We have about 4 weeks to work with and would like a week at each in a 1BR.
Seems the availability is slim to none...
Thanks, Deb

Put in a request for all acceptable resorts for all weeks you can utilize. Make refundable reservations as you get closer. If you will be using FF miles, the flight is more important than the the room so make your reservations accordingly. If using cash, keep an eye on fares and book when you see what you want. Once you've gotten your air set then change your requests and reservations accordingly. Remember that you could be offered a Friday, Saturday or Sunday arrival for any of those resorts though Westin doesn't have Fri. If you have to book your air early, make arrival Fri and departure Sunday if you can. You may end up with one or two days you have to account for in a hotel but that will improve your chances of success significantly. Also be prepared to wait until one month before arrival or less to abandon your search.

 

[UConnJack]

I can't speak to the Hawaiian II exchanges, but we used points the first year we bought in to go to two CC sites for our honeymoon. Both Kapalua Bay Hotel and Mauni Lani were excellent hotels and I would highly recommend them both (if you don't mind spending the points, the "exchange rate" isn't that great.)

 

[dwdeb]

Thanks for all your replies.
Sounds like a lot of work! I am used to calling MS and getting the dates we need at DVC... I might put the request in just to see what happens.
We were in Hawaii this summer for 3 weeks, and stayed at 3 different resorts. We payed cash, and thought the next trip we could do condos on points.
We were able to see some of the resorts while we visited the islands, so have an idea of which ones we would like to try for. I f we can't get them on points, then we will have to pay cash again. We are definitely going back!
Oh well, worth a shot, I guess.
Thanks Again, Deb