Speaking of Hawaii.... Need some advice, Dean?

[dianeschlicht]

You are so right! I got tired of "chasing my tail" so to speak with relying solely on II and RCI for trades and bought Wyndham points so I could book internally in their system. I looked for an internal system that offered resorts where I wanted to go and where I felt the resort quality was at least medium to high.

I was so thrilled after we closed our first Wyndham contract that I could book Wyndham's Waikiki Beachwalk direct online with points instead of hoping for a trade using RCI.

That sounds like a good plan. I do know some of the now Wyndham's, and I would consider them a medium to high quality as well.

 

[Dean]

Dean, I realize this is probably a bit off topic from my original question, but what inexpensive "traders" do you think are best to own? Maybe I should ask what YOU own. I highly respect your opinions on such things.

As you see, there's no one answer and it can be a moving target. Bluegreen has worked best for me in that regard with RCI and top weeks at lower cost Marriott's along with BG has worked best for me for II. Overall I do like the mini systems like BG and Wyndham and the internal II trading preference of Marriott. Historically Wyndham has been better to use and worse to trade. I think one of the keys is to be in a position where if it all went south tomorrow you wouldn't be overly stuck. I enjoy the chase to a degree with exchanges, to me it's as much a game as anything else. Here's an example. My daughter went to HI for her delayed Honeymoon. I used a Branson studio to get a Maui studio then retraded it to a 1 BR within a couple of months of the trip. I then used a bonus week gotten with the Branson deposit (1 BR) to get Ko'Olina studio and could have had a 3 BR if I'd wanted. I had cautioned her about unit assignments and to expect a parking deck view. She called me to gloat from her 5th floor OF unit the morning after their arrival.

 

[Stitch_lover_Sith]

So from a resident of Hawaii and Specifically of Oahu, to be honest the only way you are going to get DVC quality is to stay DVC. Fairmont and Hilton come in second by a long shot. Marriot I am not sure on, though the hotel employees in Waikiki and the sales Kiosks are down right rude sometimes. When planning this far out you may have the benefit of a Rail that City and County of Honolulu might be putting in, option other that driving or the Bus. From the Aulani employees that I have talked to Disney might put in a shuttle of their own as well.

The good news is you have a few years to see what infrastructure changes and gets updates due to the Mouse on the islands. Feel free to PM me for some specific tips and tricks for Island driving as well(daily commute for me). I hope this helps.

 

[Dean]

So from a resident of Hawaii and Specifically of Oahu, to be honest the only way you are going to get DVC quality is to stay DVC. Fairmont and Hilton come in second by a long shot. Marriot I am not sure on, though the hotel employees in Waikiki and the sales Kiosks are down right rude sometimes. When planning this far out you may have the benefit of a Rail that City and County of Honolulu might be putting in, option other that driving or the Bus. From the Aulani employees that I have talked to Disney might put in a shuttle of their own as well.

The good news is you have a few years to see what infrastructure changes and gets updates due to the Mouse on the islands. Feel free to PM me for some specific tips and tricks for Island driving as well(daily commute for me). I hope this helps.

The Hilton timeshares in HI (Oahu at least) are equal to DVC but in a better location for some options. Marriott is likewise equal in many ways, likely above in others (Oahu). For other islands, Marriott's are equal overall with some variation and the Westin's are slightly above. For perspective, if you compare resorts in Orlando but take away the park location issue, there are several resorts that many to most would say are above the DVC resorts overall.

 

[dianeschlicht]

The Hilton timeshares in HI (Oahu at least) are equal to DVC but in a better location for some options. Marriott is likewise equal in many ways, likely above in others (Oahu). For other islands, Marriott's are equal overall with some variation and the Westin's are slightly above. For perspective, if you compare resorts in Orlando but take away the park location issue, there are several resorts that many to most would say are above the DVC resorts overall.

Dean, this is great information for me to have when I'm doing my search. Now that my dates are known, I can start a search in earnest, but I'm going to try the other avenues before I look at RCI.

 

[Dean]

Dean, this is great information for me to have when I'm doing my search. Now that my dates are known, I can start a search in earnest, but I'm going to try the other avenues before I look at RCI.

One point I always try to make is that what's important to one isn't to another and vice versa. IMO, everyone should investigate the resorts own their own, also, tripadvisors is not a good option alone to investigate timeshare resorts, again IMO.

 

[Stitch_lover_Sith]

The Hilton timeshares in HI (Oahu at least) are equal to DVC but in a better location for some options. Marriott is likewise equal in many ways, likely above in others (Oahu). For other islands, Marriott's are equal overall with some variation and the Westin's are slightly above. For perspective, if you compare resorts in Orlando but take away the park location issue, there are several resorts that many to most would say are above the DVC resorts overall.

Actually I was comparing customer service and room quality, there is no place on earth like Waikiki. On the Big Island I am very inclined to believe you. My favorite Big Island resorts are King Kamehemia In Kona, Hilton Waikola Village, and Fairmont Orchid. They have the room quality, customer service and great locations. Waikiki is a whole other can of worms; you have the homeless problem. Hotel workers who are not paid anywhere near enough to live on, this creates customer service nightmares. Look at staradvertiser.com and search Hilton Hawaiian and you will see what I am talking about. In places other than Waikiki I love all the other resort options to be honest. Oahu really only has Waikiki and Ko'olina resort areas and of the two best to stay Ko'olina.

If you are inclined to ever visit Lanai the Four Seasons Lodge at Ko'ele is better than most Disney resorts I have stayed at; exception AKL concierge level. It is pricy but so worth the money.

 

[jekjones1558]

My favorite Big Island resorts are King Kamehemia In Kona,

Has this resort been renovated in the last couple of years? We stayed there many, many years ago when it was nice but then it went WAY downhill and we wouldn't consider staying there again. But we have not seen it for a few years now, so maybe someone finally decided to bring it back up to standard? Also, does the King Kam have villa type units now or is it just a hotel? I like the location of the King Kam because we enjoy being near a lot of activity.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Has this resort been renovated in the last couple of years? We stayed there many, many years ago when it was nice but then it went WAY downhill and we wouldn't consider staying there again. But we have not seen it for a few years now, so maybe someone finally decided to bring it back up to standard? Also, does the King Kam have villa type units now or is it just a hotel? I like the location of the King Kam because we enjoy being near a lot of activity.

I was thinking the same thing, Jean. We thought it was a bit of a dump when we stayed there.

 

[Dean]

Actually I was comparing customer service and room quality, there is no place on earth like Waikiki. On the Big Island I am very inclined to believe you. My favorite Big Island resorts are King Kamehemia In Kona, Hilton Waikola Village, and Fairmont Orchid. They have the room quality, customer service and great locations. Waikiki is a whole other can of worms; you have the homeless problem. Hotel workers who are not paid anywhere near enough to live on, this creates customer service nightmares. Look at staradvertiser.com and search Hilton Hawaiian and you will see what I am talking about. In places other than Waikiki I love all the other resort options to be honest. Oahu really only has Waikiki and Ko'olina resort areas and of the two best to stay Ko'olina.

If you are inclined to ever visit Lanai the Four Seasons Lodge at Ko'ele is better than most Disney resorts I have stayed at; exception AKL concierge level. It is pricy but so worth the money.

When I compare resorts, I normally compare the overall resort itself primarily and depending on the situation, consider other factors like location. From a resort standpoint, DVC excels in theming and that's about it. It's not that they do other things badly, just not quite as well in many areas compared to other top timeshares. As a rule other top options (Hilton, Marriott, Westin, Hyatt, Four Seasons) tend to have larger and nicer rooms, more resort based amenities, more/better activities, and better pool options. There are exceptions for all but maybe Four Seasons and Westin but if you knock out about 4-5 bottom Marriott's and only look at HGVC options, you're generally above DVC from a resort standpoint. Granted, the differences aren't that great at any one point but they do add up. For Oahu, location certainly has to come into play as it does for WDW, then it becomes what premium do you place on that location, some do and some don't.

 

[Stitch_lover_Sith]

Has this resort been renovated in the last couple of years? We stayed there many, many years ago when it was nice but then it went WAY downhill and we wouldn't consider staying there again. But we have not seen it for a few years now, so maybe someone finally decided to bring it back up to standard? Also, does the King Kam have villa type units now or is it just a hotel? I like the location of the King Kam because we enjoy being near a lot of activity.

King Kam underwent a huge renovation that just ended about six weeks ago. The gutted each room and updated everything. It has a much better contemporary feel to the resort.

 

[jekjones1558]

King Kam underwent a huge renovation that just ended about six weeks ago. The gutted each room and updated everything. It has a much better contemporary feel to the resort.

That is good news! It was sad to see this hotel deteriorate year after year. We will make it a point to stop there in March to see all of the changes. Thanks for the update!

 

[dianeschlicht]

King Kam underwent a huge renovation that just ended about six weeks ago. The gutted each room and updated everything. It has a much better contemporary feel to the resort.

Good to know. While we don't intend to stay in a hotel room again, we do like the luau there.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Stitch_lover_Sith, while some might consider Waikiki to be the best, I'm not among them. I don't mind being there for a day or two, but then I just HAVE to get out of that city feel.