# Ko Olina vs. Maui Ocean Club



## lisilv (Apr 27, 2006)

Hi everyone,

could anyone tell me how is Ko Olina compared with MOC? Obviously, this is very subjective, but I just want to be able to know the differences, advantages and disadvantages of each one. Resort, location, etc.. 

Thank you again for everyone's feedback.


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## Clemson Fan (Apr 27, 2006)

The interiors of the villas are much nicer at Ko'Olina than the old section of MOC and there frankly the best villas I've been in of any MVCI property that I've been to.  Ko'Olina sits on very nice lagoons with nice calm blue water.  They are man made, but they are still very very nice.  MOC is on a very nice strech of beach, but there are a few more waves and some spots of coral/rocks.  MOC has a superior pool.  

Ko'Olina is located in a former industrial area, but the state has been renovating the area for at least 15 years now b/c it's located on the leeward/sunny/west side of the island which gets the best sunsets.  What's left of that industrial footprint is barely visible.  The area that MOC is in has a much longer track record of being a superior resort area.

I personally prefer Ko'Olina, but they are both very nice.  BTW, I don't own at either of these properties.  I've been to MOC twice, but not in awhile I might ad.  I'm about to make my 3rd trip to Ko'Olina in about 6 weeks.


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## sandesurf (Apr 27, 2006)

lisilv,
  Apples and Oranges...or should I say pineapple and mangos?
Totally different islands. 
Ko'Olina units are beautifully decorated. I agree with Clemson, the best we've ever stayed in. The resort, itself, is totally awesome. The downsides are, there are just a few restaurants in walking distance and if you like to shop you need to get into your car.
Kaanapali  is also on the leeward side (isn't it?) the sunsets are terrific! There are plenty of restaurants and shopping in walking distance. True, the units are not as luxuriously decorated as Ko'Olina and for a "downside" there is NOT a full kitchen. These units are converted from a hotel but for some reason we enjoy MOC more than anywhere else on earth. Ko'Olina coming in a close second!  
Haven't been to the other islands...yet.
Aloha!


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## oldkey (Apr 27, 2006)

Ko Olina, in my opinion, is a better overall resort (except for the lack of restaurants). However, my family strongly prefers the island of Maui to Oahu, and Lahaina and the Kaanapali beach area to Waikiki and the Ko Olina beach area. The perfect resort would be Ko Olina on Kaanapali!  

On the resale market Ko Olina seems to be "cheaper"......my opinion that the overall market prefers MOC somewhat more.

Both are great resorts....both great Marriott experiences. 

For us:

resort  - Ko Olina
island and overall experience - MOC

Hence, we are looking for another MOC on resale.


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## cp73 (Apr 27, 2006)

I have only stayed in the Marriott Hotels at both resorts and not the timeshares. Both are great. However I would say:

If your under 45 - MOC
If your over 45 - Ko Olina
If your on your honeymoon - Ko Olina


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## MikeM132 (Apr 28, 2006)

Well, as someone who bought one of each this month, here's my opinion....Ko Olina is all new, "purpose built" Marriott-style T/S units. They are very nice. We own Grande Vista, too, and those new units are nicer in my opinion (also considerably bigger). I was very impressed with the richer, darker new Marriott decorating in Ko Olina as well as the newer-style hardwood floors in entry areas (this seems to be the new trend like at Surfwatch). The pools at Ko Olina are great. Instead of one gigantic pool you get a couple with the typical hot tubs scattered around. The beach at Ko Olina is kind of off to the side, and is man-made but very nice. It is a crescent shaped lagoon which is great for swimming and snorkelling. There is a big Marketplace at Ko Olina and a nice pool bar/restaurant right on the ocean. You can walk to the JW Marriott (at the other end of this Marriott area) and eat at their restaurants or use their spa (all pretty pricey). There is Roy's on the golf course (which is right there at the resort) and is another expensive but very good resaurant. Other than that, you face a 5 minute car trip to Outback, etc. for restaurants or food shopping. One thing that concerned me at Ko Olina was that the resort is still in construction (with, I think, 2 or 3 more buildings to go in) but even more than that is the nearby construction. If you are buying an "ocean view", who knows what you will eventually see. Trump just bought a few acres next door and right on the ocean (near the man made beaches). Sales at Ko Olina ignored my observation that Trump does not build 2 story buildings, and this one would block most of the ocean view for many of the units sold with that designation. There is expensive private housing going in next door now, but that won't have any detrimental effect on Ko Olina B.C.. I think this resort is great overall, and down the road it looks pretty good that this area, although still nearby a refinery and power plant, will become more and more an upscale resort area. 
Regarding the Maui Ocean Club--we toured there with no buying intentions just to see it. I was not really interested in hotel conversion at all. However, we were so impressed with the resort location and especially that pool that we bought the cheapest view they had there. We bought in the old hotel part, and did not see (none are done yet) any of the new units in the one new "purpose built" t/s building going up next door. I think these will be comparable to Ko Olina and the other new Marriotts, although it seems the Hawaii units have somewhat smaller square footage. The hotel part was actually very nice. I had expected something like the "deluxe hotel room" part of a lockoff, but there is a dishwasher, full sink, half-sized refrigerator (all we ever used anyway) and some facility for limited cooking plus outdoor grills in the pool area. The fitness center is new and very good (they apparently converted some old stores over to it--a large and complete center with a massage area and steam room). The public areas of this resort are just beautiful. So nice, in fact, that there is apparently some concern that the general public tries to sneak in and use them, making it more crowded than it should be. I did not see a marketplace here, but there are several regular retail stores which appear to be holdovers from when this was a regular hotel.  There is other shopping and several nice restaurants a short walk away, plus a whole bunch of other resorts in this immediate area. The beach here is one of the best I've ever seen. You cannot understate the sunsets here (we took one from Lahaina-5 min away- and blew it up to a Kodak 20x30 print--prettiest picture I ever took). Anyhow, the newer units are VERY expensive, do not have an EOY option, but should be the cream of the crop when done on, basically, the best location Marriott has (or at least the most requested). We bought a view of the next-door golf course (cheapest but still pretty nice) for a price much lower than I expected. We totally changed our mind on this resort when we saw what we could get a unit for EOY in the older hotel part. The rest of the resort and the general area it is in is fantastic. Which is better? I honestly don't know. My suspicion is Ko Olina will be quieter for awhile, with less pool crowds, etc. It is kind of off by itself, at least at the moment. M.O.C. is in the middle of a very popular resort area and maybe has the best pool are of all the hotels and resorts there. The pool area was VERY crowded (around the pool, not so bad in it).


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## sandesurf (Apr 28, 2006)

Mike, Beautifully written and so accurate. Congrats on your purchases!


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## MOXJO7282 (Apr 28, 2006)

One definate advantage Maui has over KoOlina is the higher demand. The years you don't go, you can rent and get a nice price for a Maui unit.  From what I've seen, and heard, Ko Olina is quite as easy to rent, and you won't get as much either.

Regards.
Joe


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## ZCar (Apr 28, 2006)

Just thought I'd pass this info on.
Received a letter today from Ko'Olina.

"As early as the end of this year, Marriott's Ko'Olina Beach Club will be adding a full service restaurant. Chuck's Steak and Seafood will open for dinner with a distinctive island feel and a menu that features USDA prime beef and high quality fresh seafood."

Also, phase 3 is scheduled to open this June, adding 100 villas, bringing the total to 300.

Maybe with the 300 villas, it now becomes feasible to open a restaurant ... ?
Gotta have the customer base to support it.


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## travelplanner70 (Apr 29, 2006)

As far as trading, does Maui one bedroom/2baths come up with 2 bedrrom trades at Aruba or in Spain?  I am wondering about buying and trading to those other locations?


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