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Calling Barony Pros

dioxide45

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We obtained an exchange in to Barony Beach club for April 2011. I have a few questions.

  1. Looking at Marriott.com, our exchange appears to be in a garden view unit. What buildings are these located in (Jasmine and Gardenia)?
  2. If we are placed in either of these two buildings, they appear a little more disconnected from the rest of the resort. How far of a walk it it to the Marketplace area, how far to the beach?
  3. There appears to be a beach access path from those two buildings. Is it possible to drive and park closer to the beach?
 

tlwmkw

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Dioxide,

The garden buildings are a little bit removed from the rest of the resort but it's not very far at all. A short walk and you in the main part of the resort (2-3 minutes walking, if that). The advantage is that the villa is bigger in the garden view buildings.

You can go through the Westin grounds to get to the beach but it feels a little strange to do so- the walk is not too far if you go through the main Barony area. You won't need to drive- it's not that far.

Barony is a beautiful resort and has a laid back feeling that we love. The beachs are usually uncrowded and you can walk for miles.

As an aside you may not actually be given the room that was traded to you- you may still get in to the beach view/ beach front area- they have their own way of assigning rooms and since you are a Marriott owner then you will have some priority.

tlwmkw
 

dioxide45

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As an aside you may not actually be given the room that was traded to you- you may still get in to the beach view/ beach front area- they have their own way of assigning rooms and since you are a Marriott owner then you will have some priority.

tlwmkw

Thanks for the reply. We will have a group of five adults in a 2BR. You mentioned that the units are a little larger in the GV buildings? What are the differences vs ocean side/front? Am I correct in thinking they all have two queen beds in the second bedroom?

I am interested to know what their villa assignment policy is that you mention. I am used to resorts placing one in to the unit the exchanger relinquished and only having priority within that actual view/type over non Marriott owners.
 

SueDonJ

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Thanks for the reply. We will have a group of five adults in a 2BR. You mentioned that the units are a little larger in the GV buildings? What are the differences vs ocean side/front? Am I correct in thinking they all have two queen beds in the second bedroom?

I am interested to know what their villa assignment policy is that you mention. I am used to resorts placing one in to the unit the exchanger relinquished and only having priority within that actual view/type over non Marriott owners.

We've never stayed in the gardenview buildings but I seem to remember that the size difference has something to do with both baths having those giant garden tubs? Not sure about the beds ...

Tlwmkw is right about the gardenview placement - both buildings sit behind the Westin hotel and have no views of the beach, but it's a very short walk over and through the main footprint to the beach. It's a nice shady walk, too, which probably won't matter to you in April but definitely makes a difference in the heat of summer.

This is the latest version of Barony's Priority Placement system, published in the GM's annual letter:
{in purchased unit type*}
- Multiple-week Owner stays
- Single-week Owner stays
{according to "best available" and/or requests}
- Marriott's Barony Beach Club Owners, returning on an exchange
- Marriott Vacation Club multiple-week Owners on an exchange
- Marriott Vacation Club single-week Owners on an exchange
- Preview and Rental guests
- Non-Marriott Vacation Club Owners on an exchange

*Of note for Owners using their Weeks is the rotational system they use. For example, oceanside units are in four buildings: one year you'll be placed in a high floor unit in one of the buildings nearest the ocean, next year in a low floor unit in one of the back buildings. Another example, oceanfront units: one year in a high floor unit in one building, next year in a low floor unit in the other. (This doesn't apply to your exchange but I put it here so that I can use this post as a future link - can't find any of my older ones using Search.)

I'm interested to see where DC Members will fall on any of these lists. So far I think I remember only one TUGger reporting that his/her resort has published a list to include them, but of course I can't find it now. Both of my resorts have published lists and follow them, and have for at least the last four years, so I fully expect they'll integrate DC Members into the next publication.
 
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rudy

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garden villas -larger quieter

Dioxide,

Susan is correct the biggest difference between garden and oceanside villas is that the 2nd bedroom has a large jacuzzi tub like the master suite. The 2nd bedroom has 2 queen beds just like the other villas. Overall I believe there is about 100 sq ft more space in the garden villas, but the layout is very similar. The garden villas are only a short walk to the beach but they have their own pool area and it is much quieter and relaxing. Note you have the option of using the any of the facilities at Barony ... so If you want the excitement of the main pool near the beach you can just campout on that side of the resort for the day. ENJOY!
 

jme

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Here's a link to Barony's aerial view from Googlemaps, showing Garden section above the "circle" (the road Grassland Ave.) that looks like a stirrup.

The white structure is the Westin Hotel, and the rest of Barony (oceanside and oceanfront units) are below and left of the Westin. Traders typically get an assignment in the Garden section, unless it's off-season and the percentage of owners staying there is lower than normal.

Then the oceanside and oceanfront units open up to traders, renters, etc. Doesn't hurt to call and make a request. But don't despair---the Garden units are a tad bit larger and have a pleasant view, and as you can see, the walk to the beach is not that bad.


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...161,-80.681512&spn=0.003068,0.006888&t=h&z=17
 

dioxide45

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I'm interested to see where DC Members will fall on any of these lists. So far I think I remember only one TUGger reporting that his/her resort has published a list to include them, but of course I can't find it now. Both of my resorts have published lists and follow them, and have for at least the last four years, so I fully expect they'll integrate DC Members into the next publication.

I would expect legacy DC owners to fall in to one of the following:

- Marriott's Barony Beach Club Owners, returning on an exchange
- Marriott Vacation Club multiple-week Owners on an exchange
- Marriott Vacation Club single-week Owners on an exchange

I would think the same would be true for trust exchangers, though not sure about trust owners that are actually booked in to trust owned weeks.
 

Big Matt

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I have stayed in the Garden units and they are quiet and very nice inside with a decent sized pool for the two buildings. However, it is not a real short walk to the beach. It is more like 500 or 600 yards from the villa to where you will set up on the beach. When we went about 6 years ago our kids were still relatively young and going back and forth lugging a bunch of beach stuff was a pain in the rear. It is not like Grande Ocean, where every villa is somewhat close to everything.

The buildings near the ocean and marketplace have a totally different vibe due to the location.
 

dioxide45

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Our reservation on Marriott.com now indicates Courtyard View. Perhaps it said this before and I just translated it in to Garden View. What exactly is Courtyard View at Barony?
 

SueDonJ

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I just booked Barony Oceanside using DC Points (which guarantees the view type) and my reservation confirmation also says "courtyard view" so you should be in an oceanside unit. Check out the resort map in the TUG Resort Database - Resort Images - the units which directly face the ocean from Sea Oat and Morning Glory are oceanfront; all of the other units in Sea Oat and Morning Glory are oceanside, as are all of the units in Live Oak and Bayberry.

I think if you're placed on a high floor in Sea Oat or Morning Glory you'll get a really nice view of the ocean as well as the resort footprint. We stayed once in a 4th floor unit in Live Oak above the barbecue area and had only a glimpse of the ocean through the trees but loved the view of the resort from that unit. And it was great having the birds just off the balcony in the tree branches.
 

dioxide45

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Thanks for the reply. Are the grills at Barony gas grills?
 

SueDonJ

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Found a few old pics ...

This is from up at the main building looking over the smaller outdoor pool through the resort towards the beach; Live Oak is the building on the left:
DSC01698.jpg


From the beach, Morning Glory on the left and Sea Oat on the right. See the difference in these buildings with direct oceanfront and oceanside units?
DSC01655.jpg


Grill area outside Live Oak:
DSC01700.jpg


If you're very lucky, Elvis will be performing at the pool :hysterical: :
DSC00810.jpg


And if you're very unlucky, a storm like this one will roll in one afternoon:
DSC00920.jpg
 

m61376

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The one other nice thing about the Garden units is that you can go out a gate near the pool by the garden units and go through the Westin hotel in order to get to the beach without having to go to the rest of the property.

There is also a nice little resturant for lunch just off the beach at the Westin (I can't remember the name of it).

The other comments are correct. The real difference of the garden unit is the second big tub in the other bathroom.

Just so you know depending on time of year you are going, the heated pool and the indoor pool is right behind the main building. The pool right outside the garden units is not a heated pool.
 

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8300 for a Plat. unit- I wonder if that is a record low? Sing of the times or an aberration?

I can tell you I scan the register of deeds regularly...I have never seen that price or anything even close in an arm's length transaction. All that said, I think it will pass ROFR.

I do believe it is still a bit of an aberration, but also due to the market. I stopped checking ebay many years ago because these units so seldomly come up that it wasnt worth my time. It was easier for such units to ask a reputable broker to keep an eye out for what you want and make offers on your behalf at the price point you determined. I go on with my life and get a phone call when something will work.....

I think that the last platinum week sale I have seen reported was over 2 years ago! Again ( full disclosure) I could really be wrong on that as I am relying on reports from others who do watch ebay and record Barony sales, but I know I ahve mentioned this before and no one seems to have any contradictory examples....would love to know if they do.
 
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David10225

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I'm not so sure if "courtyard view" means you are in the oceanview villas. I could imagine that the pool area around the garden views might be considered a "courtyard". I hope you get oceanview, but if not..you are at Hilton Head...there is nothing much better then that!
 

SueDonJ

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Looking through the paperwork and this could be helpful - March, 2011 should be the completion date of the 10-year refurb. Gardenia and Jasmine (the two gardenview buildings) and Morning Glory (one of the oceanfront/oceanside buildings) were scheduled for Nov '09-Apr '10. Bayberry and Live Oak (the two oceanside buildings) and Sea Oat (the other oceanfront/oceanside building) were scheduled for Oct '10-Mar '11.

Also, the GM's annual notice confirms that a "courtyard view" is an oceanside villa. It details the process they use to handle reservation requests and includes this:
... some key facts ...
- Villas located in the Bayberry, Morning Glory, Live Oak and Sea Oat buildings are considered Oceanside
- A courtyard view is the standard view type for the Oceanside buildings
- Less than 10% of the Oceanside villas have a view of the ocean ...

The only caution is that Barony does use their stated priority placement system which favors owners exchanging back in - during one exchange we were upgraded to an oceanfront unit when our II confirmation indicated gardenview, and I took that to mean that the possibility exists for non-owner exchangers to be downgraded. Although for your April stay, dioxide, in your favor the resort probably won't be at full capacity, and there are more oceanside units on property than either oceanfront or gardenview.
 

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We've stayed there on an II exchange and the view on the reservation wasn't what we got so I don't know if that really means anything. They post all these exchange priorities but in the final analysis I'm not sure how much you can rely on them. Let us know what you end up getting.

tlwmkw
 

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We have stayed at Barony several times, never alas, ocean front. One year we had a courtyard view, but on the 2nd floor, close to one of the hot tubs. My husband liked it because he chatted up everybody who sat in the tub. I did not care for it as much because it made trying to read on a lovely shady balcony a little difficult. On a higher floor would have been better-ground level would have been worse. We had a garden view mid level unit the next year and I enjoyed that more, although it was a little bit of a hike to the beach. As mentioned by others, I do think the garden view units were a little bigger, certainly newer at that time (2009). It was the 2nd week of September and the place was not crowded and we had the garden pool nearly all to ourselves. There are gas grills aplenty. It's a lovely resort and you will enjoy yourselves. We are going back there again this September ourselves.
 

dioxide45

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We are starting to get nervous now with our choice of Barony. After looking at the virtual tour for Barony we are concerned about the size of the second bedroom. We will be a group of five adults. That means three adults in the second bedroom. The size of that bedroom is concerning. The size of the unit looks smaller than we are used to in the usual Marriott 2BR lock off units.

Will we be fine or should we be looking to snag a flexchange re-exchange in to Monarch or Surfwatch for a 3BR unit?
 
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SueDonJ

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I don't know anything about Monarch but if you can get a re-exchange to a SurfWatch 3BR then DO IT! I'm not yelling at you, just excited about how much more comfortable that would be compared to a 2BR. There's nothing like spreading out all over creation. :)

It's a toss-up for us which resort we like better - when we're at Barony we love it more, when we're at SurfWatch we can't imagine a better resort. About the size of the 2nd or 3rd bedroom in either - I've never seen a lock-off 2nd so can't compare it to one of those, but we've had 4 older teens sharing those bedrooms at Hilton Head and they've had plenty of room to throw their stuff all over the floor. (That's what the teens I know do, you might know a different breed.) You won't find the extra lounging space like what you have at Waiohai with a sofabed and queen in the 2nd, though, they really are bedrooms as opposed to extra living space.

Our choice with 5 adults would be SW, but we'd be happy there in any of the buildings. You should think about which would make you happier - spreading out in a possible gardenview at SW or having 3 adults share 2 queen beds with the oceanside view at Barony.
 
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TheTimeTraveler

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We are starting to get nervous now with our choice of Barony. After looking at the virtual tour for Barony we are concerned about the size of the second bedroom. We will be a group of five adults. That means three adults in the second bedroom. The size of that bedroom is concerning. The size of the unit looks smaller than we are used to in the usual Marriott 2BR lock off units.

Will we be fine or should we be looking to snag a flexchange re-exchange in to Monarch or Surfwatch for a 3BR unit?




Dioxide: Your chances of getting a 3 bedroom Monarch are not good. They only have ONE 3 bedroom Villa, and all the rest are all two bedroom Villas.

Surfwatch has a lot of 3 Bedroom Villas, so you would have a much better chance of grabbing one of those instead.

Best of luck in your search, and keep us posted.




.
 

dioxide45

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Dioxide: Your chances of getting a 3 bedroom Monarch are not good. They only have ONE 3 bedroom Villa, and all the rest are all two bedroom Villas.

Surfwatch has a lot of 3 Bedroom Villas, so you would have a much better chance of grabbing one of those instead.

Best of luck in your search, and keep us posted.

Thanks for this information. Surfwatch would likely be our first choice anyhow. So this works out in our favor. Now just have to start the methodical searches very 10 minutes. Saw a few 2BR HHI units this morning for the week we are traveling. I know it is a long shot and if we don't get a 3BR SW, I am sure we will still be fine at Barony in a 2BR.
 
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