Where in the world have you been........

[Debs Hill]

Interested to know where members have travelled, apart from WDW, using their points .....the good, the bad and the ugly! Would love to hear about any places/resorts that you would recommend exchanging to and any that should be avoided!

I have only used points at WDW, WDW Cruise and for 1 night of luxury at The Dorchester in London....but keen to spread my wings!

Can't wait to hear your experiences!

 

[KNWVIKING]

... European countries, as well as lived in Scotland for 3 years, but I've only used my points at WDW.

Mostly I'm posting now to bump your thread back up because I like the topic.

 

[wintergreen]

We have been to Disney's Newport Bay Club in Disneyland Paris, the Kapalua Bay hotel in Maui, the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and Keystone in Colorado on points. All were great, but we particularly love the Broadmoor. The pool there may be the most beautiful pool I have ever seen!

 

[Debs Hill]

How far in advance did you have to book? Did you get what you wanted? How did the accommodations compare to Disney? Particuarly interested to hear about Hawaii.....and was Newport Bay like the Yacht Club?
Debsx

 

[Pa@okw95]

The Sagamore in NY was where we used our points one time. It was 52 points a night. The accomodations were at par with OKW one bedroom,the unit over looked the lake, the meals were outstanding, the speed boats fast, and lounge did not allow children making a nice place for adults to go in the evening. There are other things to do at Lake George, a large resort lake here in this country, in upper state NY>

 

[wintergreen]

Debs Hill,

I think that we booked most of these 4-6 months out, and had no problem with getting the type of room that we wanted, for the dates that we wanted.

Kapalua Bay was a wonderful hotel. Room was large, had balcony and view of the ocean. We happened to book at a time when they were offering breakfast, and that saved lots of money. One of the best small beaches on Maui is there.

Newport Bay Club in DLP is themed similarly to the Yacht Club, but is much larger, and not quite as nice. Breakfast and passes to both theme parks included for your points, so actually a very nice deal. Easy to get into Paris, itself via train.

 

[lenshanem]

Pre DVC membership, we stayed at Newport Bay Club for our honeymoon. It is very similar to Yacht Club, but we found the service there horrendous. Course, this was awhile back so hopefully things have improved. Very unfriendly and unhelpful staff, spa had cold water in it, second morning we had no hot water to take showers and front desk was actually rude about it when we called, back then they had a continental breakfast. It was like a mob scene. Just not a fab experience.

I do think the fact you get your passes with your points makes it a nice deal. If we go back we'll splurge and stay at the DLP hotel. (I think that is what it is called?) It is right at the entrance and looked pretty magical.

 

[Cora]

We stayed at the Plaza in New York. Great location, wonderful old hotel with large rooms...bad time of year, Christmas, because the hotel in and of itself is a tourist attraction. So it was tough getting in and out of the hotel in the afternoons...but other times of the year it should be fine.

This coming June we will be going to Williamsburg, VA staying at Ford's Colony a Marriott timeshare.
Cora

 

[TnRobin]

So far we have used our Points to do an Eastern Carribean Cruise and stay at Disney's Grand Californian in Disney World. This summer we are going to Hawaii and next summer I have a request for Williamsburg VA.

 

[Andrea T]

We have done DCL 3x and last summer went to Williamsburg staying at Ford Colony. I felt it was on par with a DVC unit and we loved the area. This summer we have traded for Hawaii, one week in Maui at the Westin Villas and one week on the Big Island at Mauna Lani. I'll post a review when we return in early July.

 

[AnnaS]

Since we have joined DVC - besides WDW, we have only used our points (and part cash) for two Magic cruises.

 

[BobH]

My wife and I have tried the Woodstock Inn, Vermont and used 52 points for a 2 day stay in 2001. Woodstock, Vermont is a quaint New England town and good for a short vacation if you just want to "get away" for a short trip. We just tried the Doral Golf Resort in Miami at the end of a trip to Key West and Miami for two days for 96 points. We had to reserve and executive suite at the Doral - that was all that was available. Took 48 points per night. We were on the verge of losing the points or I wouldn't have used so many points for such a short stay. The Doral was a very nice but a very busy place. Lots of business conventions going on. If you play golf or use the onsite Spa facilities you will be in heaven (everything is expensive). If you leave the Doral Resort you are back in the "real world" too quickly for my tastes.Nice area but Heavy Miami street traffic. It all depends on the type of vacation you are llooking for.

 

[Boo]

We've used points (no cash) for both a 4 day cruise for me and Hubby and 7 day Eastern for our family of 4 and in-laws. We took my parents to Kauai and used points to stay a week at the Bali Hai in North Shore Princeville-incredible pool- like SAB (sand bottom) just not as big. Also used our points for the Whitehall in Chicago.
Haven't used points, but have stayed at the Petite Auberge in San Fran. If I was planning a trip out there again, I would use points to stay there again. Lovely B&B.
Using points for the Grand Hotel in Michigan in the Fall.

 

[travelbug]

So far, besides WDW properties, the only other place where I've used points is Hawaii, at the Mauna Lani. Totally loved it, and would love to return sometime.

For the near future, I'll use most of my points on property. But I look forward to using points for trying out other places sometime again in the future. An occasional "splurge" with points is nice.

 

[GrammieMame]

We spent 10 glorious days at Kapalua Bay in Maui (with buffet breakfast included); 3 days at Disneyland Hotel; and a week for my son at Mariott Ocean Club in Aruba.

 

[Debs Hill]

Yes, I'm afraid that I've heard a few not so positive things about Newport Bay at DLP.....

Wintergreen and GrammieMame: Please tell me more about Kapalua Bay Hotel. What were the rooms like? The beach? The food?!! How expensive was it to eat and drink there?

Boo: What was the Bali Hai like? Was that a self catering like Disney villas or a hotel? How did the units compare? And the beach, food etc!!

Travelbug: More info about Mauna Lani please!!!!!!!!

Would love to go to Hawaii, but with a 19 hour flight need to make sure that we chose the right resort!!

Debsx

 

[GrammieMame]

About Kapalua Bay. We absolutely loved it. It's rather secluded and intimate compared with the high rise strip of name brand hotels we saw everywhere else. We got 2 buffet breakfasts daily in the cost of the room, and found out when we got there that kids eat free for breakfast and lunch if adults are eating also. Also found lots of local type places to eat. As a result, my food cost was way under what I had budgeted. The beach is beautiful and is known as one of the best snorkeling spots on the island. There were four of us (2 adults & 2 kids) and we all had our own bed. Two doubles in the room, and we got a cot (very comfortable twin bed) that could be rolled into a cubby hole so it would'nt be obtrusive during the day. The youngest child (5) loved sleeping on the couch. We were upgraded to ocean view with a large balcony and a fabulous view of Molokai right across the water. I would recommend this to anyone - it was fabulous.

 

[travelbug]

Hi, Debs Hill! I don't do so well at posting links, or I'd do so here. But if you do a search for "Mauna Lani" you'll find a trip report I wrote right after the trip. It's very detailed, and more details are in the rest of that thread. If you'd like more info, don't hesitate to PM me.