Update on our DVC trip to Grand Wailea in Hawaii

[chris1gill]

Well, I have got to give props to DVC for including this property in our options. Yes, I reserved a deluxe ocean front room, but what I got when I arrived was a Deluxe Ocean Front in the private Nalua Tower with our own private gated area & all... We were on a top floor looking out over the ocean and the wedding chappel... I left the screen open all night so we could hear the waves & when we woke up in the morning, we got free coffee and muffins... The grand Wailea is pricey, but this room goes for 1200.00 a night! We used 95 points and I'd have to say it was worth every point. The pool was AWESOME, the best we'd ever seen (that's saying a lot)...

Now that we're back, we've actually sold that contract & all the night cost us was the dues of 360.00, we actually sold for more than we paid... But now I really wish I'd spent two nights there.... It was really great... although, the room furnishings were a bit tired IMHO, but everything else made up for it.

 

[BCV23]

Chris, we were there just over a month ago but not on points! Isn't it a beautiful resort? We were Napua Club too but the first room we were put in smelled of mildew so we moved to a 9th floor room not in the tower but with a dead on view of the ocean...really a better view than the tower rooms other than those end suites. It was such a great view that we stayed there with access to Napua club rather than move once a room opened up. We were as close to the lounge for any but those 8th floor rooms. Did you enjoy the evening appetizers and open bar? We like that there is always a hot item for breakfast too.

When we were there, the 8th floor of Napua Club was completely closed for rehab. 9th was too when we first got there but opened while we were there. So I'm sure our first room (6thfloor) will be fixed soon. I have asthma so I didn't even stay in that room while my husband called and had them find a new room.

I think the last owners/management did not spend enough on upkeep. Hilton is managing it now and they were busy spiffing it up when we were there....painting, rehabbing the pool bathrooms, etc.. Service was impeccable. And our room was immaculate which has always been the norm there.

 

[mouseclick1]

Glad to hear good things about the Grand Wailea - congratulations on a spectacular upgrade! We are going for 6 nights in April and cannot wait, though we only booked a garden view room. Do you happen to have any pictures to post? I would love to see them!

 

[chris1gill]

Hi Guys,

We had the bedroom portion of an end suite I am sure... I say this because our door, unlike most of the others was mahogany...

Anyhow, we didn't do the evening appetizers or drinks (didn't know about them), but we had eaten by the time we arrived. They didn't actually tell us we'd been upgraded to concierge, we figured it out the next morning when the food was free LOL.... We stayed only one night & then all of the next day. We really enjoyed the place to the best of our abilities! The kids just loved the pool! We were on the top floor of the Napua tower (is that the 9th?) I forget although it was just a week ago! The room was very large & spacious, I really liked it & I liked that I could leave the balcony door open with the screen closed and locked and listen to the tide come in.... it was great!

I have pictures, but still have yet to download them & I don't know how to include them in my post!

I am happy to report, I looked at the garden views, and there are MANY garden views that are absolutely beautiful.... if you can upgrade to ocean view, that would be nice, but I'd be happy with garden view no problem. I don't think they have dumpster or parking lot views!

I think we may use points again in the future at this property it was great.

 

[BCV23]

Oh my gosh, Chris. You did have the most incredible view then didn't you? Do you happen to have the room number so I can make a note of it for future requests? You're right, that mahogany door is the clue!

Yes, the 9th floor is the top. I'm surprised the furnishings were worn as those rooms should have been newly refurbished. I wonder if they're waiting for furniture. Was the carpet new?

The pools are fantastic aren't they. The adult pool is so beautiful and the activity pool is incredible. Did your family try the water elevator?

Reading your report makes me miss it!

mouseclick 1, have a great trip. Will you report on it when you get back so I can live vicariously?

And yes, if gardenview includes the chapel wing, etc., the views are beautiful. We've been in that wing several times. It is exceptionallly convenient for the pools and ocean. The Grand Wailea never called those gardenviews in the past. But with the exception of one side of one wing, all other rooms face the ocean either directly or at an angle. That one wing is the Haleakala wing and half of those rooms face the mountain.

 

[chris1gill]

Hmm, I was assuming that the first floor rooms that looked towards the chapel would be garden views... I did not think with all the vegetation that the first floor rooms would see the ocean at all....

Anyhow, the beds were great, the chair was new I thought, along with the leather ottoman.... the desk had a couple of chips I thought, and I noticed some chips in the wall as well... I'm not sure what was up with that, it didn't bother me a bit, but looking at the rates for the room, it does surprise me now.

Yeh, those mahagany doors tipped me off LOL... I don't remember the room number, I'll ask my husband if he does (but I doubt it LOL)...

Of course the family used the pool elevator... I was always curious how they did that LOL.... the entire pool complex is completely amazing! Both kids thought it was supreme.... we spent about six hours there

 

[BCV23]

Whoops...sorry. Tried to add something too late!

 

[BCV23]

I just checked both the Grand Wailea site and the DVC book and the levels at the GW have changed since last I looked. Those chapel wing rooms sound as if they are Deluxe garden view rooms now which is probably what mouseclick 1 has reserved. I wonder if the rooms over near the slides are in that category too?

The rooms facing Mt. Haleakala are called Terrace rooms. DVC doesn't even offer them as a category which is a good thing I think. Some friends of ours stayed in one of those rooms a couple of nights. Their room and bathroom were smaller. Not sure if they were unlucky or if it is that whole set of rooms.

But yes, we could see the ocean quite well from our first floor chapel wing rooms. We stayed on that wing 3 or 4 times and always had two rooms as we were a family of 5 and max occupancy was 4. Every room we had enjoyed a nice view of the ocean although certainly not that wide expanse that you enjoyed from the tower. Maybe we were just lucky though. But we loved the chapel wing. Beautiful and peaceful.

Oh, and I have never done the water elevator! It used to be that the water crashed down on your head as well as coming up from beneath you. No interest in that! But my husband said this trip it was a much gentler experience!

 

[goldilocks_63]

What kind of accomodations do you get?

We have 2 adults, and one DD-8 that I'd like to do this with....

How many beds / size? and is there a fridge or washer / dryer either in the room or on location. I looked at website and it said there is an additional $20 day charge, that I assume for points you don't get.

How expensive is food / airfare, etc.?

I want to go!!! Goldi

 

[chris1gill]

BCV, that is very interesting about those re-classified Deluxe Garden Views being on the first floor... makes a lot of sense to me & I wouldn't have a problem (ever) staying in one... They looked lovely. I'm not sure what the point difference is between the Garden view & the oceanfront, if I recall, it isn't too much relatively speaking!

I didn't go on the elevator myself, but my 9 & 11 year olds did & so did DH.... There is a LITTLE water that comes over your head, most of the water pushes you from the bottom... it was rather fascinating to watch!

Goldi, they have either 1 king, or two queen bedded rooms... although I think the king bedroom may have some type of sofa or some type thing that might be suitable for a child.. The rooms don't have a fridge, but I suspect you could rent one or buy a mini one cheap... the rooms are very large and the food is very very expensive LOL.... Although I think the burger we got at the pool was 15.00, which, considering.... I thought was rather good LOL....

Depending what time of year you go, airfare can be very reasonable, but typically that's booking less than 3 months out for the Fall let's say... although we've done it in February on cheap fare as well....

I'd definitely use points again as I'm sure that's the reason we got our upgrade... (BCV is what we received an upgrade with the new re-classifications?)

OOPS, I just looked at the points chart & it was only 85 points for the night

 

[BCV23]

Hmmm, so there is still water on the head, huh? Good to know as I was going to tell our daughter who was not on this trip that she should try it again. She hated the water cascading over her head when she was younger and hasn't done the elevator for years.

The king bedrooms we've had in the past had a little seating group with a small love seat and a chair. We had two queens this trip and this room had a chaise. I'll have to ask our kids if the queen rooms used to have the chaise or the other seating area. But the little love seat would not be good for any but a very small child as I recall and I don't even know if it would be allowed. Despite the average room being 650 sq ft, they used to be very strict about occupancy. Our first trip...maybe two...we hoped for a rollaway for our daughter and then our two sons in a queen. But they said no rollaways and that occupancy was at 4 for fire code reasons. We came to really enjoy that extra room though so we stopped asking! The policy may have easily changed.

There is also a desk, a very roomy armoire with TV. There is a minibar....it should have been in that dry bar area just beyond the bathrooms doors, Chris. But you can get a dorm size refrig as well which we do for insulin. I don't remember the cost.

The bathrooms are beautiful and huge. Double doors with a nice deep soaking tub, seperate glassed in shower, seperate watercloset and marble everywhere.

No washer/dryer and no laundry room that I've ever seen mentioned nor found. My husband who has come to love the fact that I do wash while at BCV missed that.

Chris, the categories didn't change for DVC as far as I know. I think it is still pretty new to the Concierge Collection. I just meant that I didn't remember a gardenview category at all at the GW. Those rooms facing MT. H have always been called Terrace since we've been going I think. But the Chapel wing could have been called gardenview for some time now really as my DH makes our arrangements for our GW trips...I do WDW.

 

[chris1gill]

Hey BCV's, I asked my DH & he says that VERY LITTLE water goes over the head, actually it goes down the side in a trickle & sometimes it might hit your head (drops, not a stream).... Also, he thinks the room number was 9150? I'll have to ask him again, I may not be correct LOL.... but it was the first Mahogany door on the right hand side after you've entered the Napua tower...

Yes, there was that minibar, but I think it was full of items for purchase. The resort must rent out fridges though as you point out!

I think I may save some points and go back for more than a few days We're lucky that we are a family of four and only need one room. Our room by the way had the two queens, along with the armoire, desk & upholstered chair & leather ottoman.... I have got to get those pictures online!

 

[dumbo71]

Glad it worked out for you.

I feel compelled to point out that this was an UPGRADE situation and I'm sure not a common one. So while this poster may have gotten a "deal" at 95 points per night (am I really typing that???), it would have beeen an extremely poor choice for others without the upgrade.

Glad you enjoyed your stay and the money you made on the sale of the contract.

 

[chris1gill]

Glad it worked out for you.

I feel compelled to point out that this was an UPGRADE situation and I'm sure not a common one. So while this poster may have gotten a "deal" at 95 points per night (am I really typing that???), it would have beeen an extremely poor choice for others without the upgrade.

Glad you enjoyed your stay and the money you made on the sale of the contract.

Actually, I still thought it was a very good use of points. The room that we should have been assigned was 850 per night, plus tax & 20.00 resort fee!!!

Oh, and I looked over at the chart, it was 85 points

And thanks for the good wishes

Oh, almost forgot... under DVC's arrangement, the rooms for 85 points are deluxe oceanfront, meaning they are high up floors with direct water views, so, under the 85 point plan, there is NO bad room at all!

 

[dumbo71]

Actually, I still thought it was a very good use of points. The room that we should have been assigned was 850 per night, plus tax & 20.00 resort fee!!!

Oh, and I looked over at the chart, it was 85 points

And thanks for the good wishes

Oh, almost forgot... under DVC's arrangement, the rooms for 85 points are deluxe oceanfront, meaning they are high up floors with direct water views, so, under the 85 point plan, there is NO bad room at all!

glad you enjoyed it. GW is a beautiful place!

All that matters with these trades or CC is that YOU felt you got a value out of it. It appears you did find that.

Thanks for reporting.

 

[flexsmom]

Thought I'd add on to this. DH & I just returned from a week at the Grand Wailea last month and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the property and the service. I had no idea it was part of the concierge collection until I opened this month's Vacation Magic. We went as part of a work "reward" trip and were without our kids, and while it was a welcome adult-only trip, I found myself thinking constantly how much our kids would enjoy the pools, the activities, etc, so I was already in planning mode for spring break 2009!

We had a partial ocean view with two queens. The room and furnishings were in good shape - impeccable linens and bathroom, and the furniture was not worn at all. DH had a serious problem with the mattress on one of the beds (yes, after a flight that long, we opted to get over jet lag in separate beds!) and after commenting that the mattress appeared to have collapsed under the pillow top, housekeeping replaced the whole thing within about 3 hours.

Every one of our meals was good food - albeit we weren't paying for most of it so maybe my tolerance levels were deliberately set high! The Maui Onion Rings by the adult pool were AMAZING.....as was most of the specialty drink menu! In all seriousness, we attended several meals that were buffet style or appetizer style and it was pretty impressive that they could have tasty, hot, fresh food for over 300 people that many times without having anything seem stale or blah.

The pools and grounds were beautiful with many activities for all ages. I also have to highly recommend the spa - the terme with all of the baths and showers was unreal. One area I do believe could use some improvement was the fitness center. It was adequate, but fairly small for the size of the resort. That said, I never had to wait for any equipment.

Anyhow - I know many people do not believe that trading points into Concierge or other non-DVC property is a wise move or a good reason to buy into DVC - but I can tell you that in my opinion if you choose Grand Wailea, you are opting into a first class resort and I doubt you'll be rolling the dice on getting a less-than-well-maintained room. (At least, based on the conversations I had with many in our large group.)

 

[disneygal55]

On which island is the Wailea resort? We just got back from a stay at Marriot's Ko Olina Resort in Oahu and realy fell in love with Hawaii.

 

[flexsmom]

It is on Maui. I have been to Oahu many times and to Maui twice, but both times were in the Ka'anapali area. This was the first time in Wailea/Kihei, and I absolutely recommend it. My family lived in Oahu years ago and they describe Maui as the way Oahu was 20 years ago - and Kaui is as it was 40 years ago!

 

[chris1gill]

The KoOlina is a fantastic resort, and it's location is immaculate... if I were to buy any timeshare in Hawaii, it would probably be there.... great resort...

And a week at the Grand Waillea?? My kids would have been in heaven We don't have that many points left however! I still agree that the GW is a really great use of points... particularly since we were upgraded to the concierge level when we went...

 

[BCV23]

It is on Maui. I have been to Oahu many times and to Maui twice, but both times were in the Ka'anapali area. This was the first time in Wailea/Kihei, and I absolutely recommend it. My family lived in Oahu years ago and they describe Maui as the way Oahu was 20 years ago - and Kaui is as it was 40 years ago!

Our first trip to Hawaii was 28 years ago and we stayed in the Ka'ananpali region. It is such a busy area and just not that special for us although I know we're in the minority. We finally went back in 1997 and stayed on the Big Island and then at the GW for a week. We were hooked and have been back to the GW quite a few times since then. It is a lovely resort in a much quieter area. I'm sure Wailea is nothing like old Hawaii but it sure is beautiful!