# Point at Poipu comments



## TAG (Nov 22, 2008)

We toured the Point back when it was Embassy-managed.  At that time the impression was of an immaculately maintained, very upscale resort - we would have rated it a 9.5 out of 10.  

We just returned from a week at the Point on an exchange.  We came home with a very different impression of the property.  The grounds are still immaculate.  

Our unit had furniture that should have been replaced - it had been refurbished instead. The chairs in the living room had been painted and the paint was coming off.  The sleeper-sofa had been slip-covered but the foam in the cushions was flat. 

The kitchen stuff was of medium-low quality and the dishes didn't match.  There was only enough cutlery/dishes/glasses for six - max occupancy was six, so if it was fully occupied you would need to do dishes every meal. 

Some outdoor lights and the exit light fixtures were dark. There were many broken tiles in the corridors.  

None of it was worth complaining about, but it left a very different impression of the resort - we would rate it a 7.5 out of 10.  The resort is now a Diamond-managed property.  I'm not sure when management changed or when the slippage occurred.  

The resort had many obviously empty units.  The staff was very friendly, efficient and accommodating.  There is a free computer terminal in the lobby to use for printing boarding passes and quick checks of email.  I loved the shower in the master bath! They show a movie at the pool - a swim-in rather than a drive-in.  That was a lot of fun!


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## Kauai Kid (Nov 22, 2008)

I concur--we were there 10-24 Oct.  I rated it an 8 probably because we own two weeks but I sure wouldn't go higher.

Please see my review of the Point

Sterling


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## alanraycole (Nov 22, 2008)

*I was disappointed as well during my stay last January.*

On the plus side, it is better than most of the options on Kauai due mainly to its great location. Those fortunate to enjoy an ocean front condo should easily be able to ignore its deficiencies. Not having an ocean front during my stay inspired me to consider it nothing more than a decent place to sleep close to many of Kauai's wonders.


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## Kauai Kid (Nov 23, 2008)

At a $1400/year maintenance fee there should be no deficiencies.   

Sterling


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## Poobah (Nov 23, 2008)

*Point at Poipu*

I am a little surprised that a room was referbed.  Ususally they are redone from top to bottom. I have seen them do it, but times change and so does management.

We were not at the Point last year, but will be there for two weeks next March. I was hoping the Owners Meeting was going to be held while I was there, but it is going to be February 20th.

Are any Tuggers who own at the Point going to be there? Maybe we could compile a list of the top ten concerns that could be presented for Management comment at the meeting. 

My personal experience, which was pre-Diamond, I found the management to be open to suggestions and will to discuss issues.


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## Kauai Kid (Nov 23, 2008)

Hope your experience is different from ours Paul.

Diamond complained to the manufacturer of the tacky furniture and it is being replaced at no cost with Diamond (us) picking up the transportation expenses from the far east.

Beware of the stainless steel pots and pans.  


sterling


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Nov 23, 2008)

Poobah said:


> I am a little surprised that a room was referbed.  Ususally they are redone from top to bottom. I have seen them do it, but times change and so does management.
> 
> We were not at the Point last year, but will be there for two weeks next March. I was hoping the Owners Meeting was going to be held while I was there, but it is going to be February 20th.
> 
> ...


I believe that Jamie Shigeta is still the resort manager.  Extending back to her days in Ohana VIP, I have always found her to be open, helpful, and gracious.  I've met with her a couple of times since she became resort manager, and have corresponded with her by e-mail several times.

I'll probably point her to this thread in a bit (to allow people more time to add thoughts and comment), but I wouldn't be the least surprised if DRI is already tracking this thread.


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## Kauai Kid (Nov 23, 2008)

I did email one of the Board of Directors suggesting that they offer a cash discount for people who make maintenance payments with a check rather than a credit card.

I got a prompt reply and the Board of Directors will at least consider that option.

Maui Schooner gives owners a 3% discount on all but the property tax when you pay by check rather than credit card.

Only one this action would hurt would be the banks.


Sterling


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## Poobah (Nov 24, 2008)

*Poipu Point*

Sterling,

The couple we traded with for the Bali Hai on Moorea just got back and I sent her an email as to the unit's interior. They were in Bldg 4 Ocean Front.

I remember when we stopped in to say good bye to you and Marilyn a couple of years ago, your unit was pretty dirty. I seem to remember a badly stained carpet. We have never really had a unit that we were dissatisfied with.

There have been threads on this subject before and I do not intend to start another one here, just commenting  that it amazes me what some people can do to these units. 

Cheers,

Paul


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## Kauai Kid (Nov 25, 2008)

I thought the furniture in the living room had been vandalized but was informed that it just wasn't holding up to the normal stress of being in a time share.
All the furniture in a unit is replaced every 6 years.

Carpet was fine in the unit.  Kitchen pots and pans needed to be replaced in our unit.

For those who may be interested the General Manager is Christopher A. Gampon and the Director of owner and Guest Services is Patricia R. Ornellas.


Sterling


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## Werner (Nov 25, 2008)

The carpets at Poipu are a major problem because the island is basically lava dirt/mud and sand.  Sand is OK, but the dirt out by the cliffs is lava dirt.  A couple of years ago we had a unit with what looked like a brand new carpet.  After walking the cliffs along the shoreline after a rain I walked into the unit and forgot to remove my sandals before walking beyond the tile floor in the entry.  I spend the next 10 minutes scrubbing out the lava stains before they set.  It wasn't easy.

I can't imagine new carpets making it through more than a few weeks before they get lava stained.  If the stain isn't cleaned up before it sets, the lava mud will permanently dye the carpet.  (Those "Lava Dirt" tee shirts they sell in town are for real, they use lava mud to dye them.)


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## Kauai Kid (Nov 25, 2008)

My wife about divorced me after I washed a brand new lava dirt shirt along with some of our vacation clothes!!!  We had a wash tub of red dirt shirt clothes.

Very expensive lesson--clothes aren't cheap on Kauai either.  

But the most important thing--she still loves me, dumb as I am.   

Sterling


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## Stefa (Dec 29, 2008)

*Good for kids?*

I just grabbed an exchange into a 2br at the Point for next August.  I was excited until I found this thread.   

Since I still have 24 hours to change my mind, I thought I'd ask a few questions:  is this a good resort to bring kids?   Is there a kids pool and is there a swimming beach near by?   We can live with tacky furniture as long as the unit is comfortable.  (All of our furniture at home is hand-me-down, so most of it is stained and worn.)    

Assuming exchangers get the worst location, are these units reasonably quiet?   

Any other info on exchanging into this resort would be great.

Thanks


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## Werner (Dec 29, 2008)

Stefa, 

"The Point" is residential condo complex on a residential street with speed bumps.  I think all units, even Garden Views, face away from the quiet road.  

There is swimming pool with a kids area and a kids hot tub, and separate adults hot tub.  The Point is a large campus of 8 or 9 buildings scattered over 20-something nicely landscaped acres.

The furniture is good quality and generally new but timesharers are tough on furniture so it doesn't last long.  I suppose that there are some units that get beat up more than others.  We've notice wear and tear on what was clearly new model furniture.  

The shoreline at the Point is mostly cliffs but Shipwreck Beach, in front of the Hyatt, is a 5 minute walk.  Poipu Beach is a 5 minute drive.  In the winter you can watch the whales from the cliffs.  In summer be sure to watch the turtles along the surf line.

The grounds are beautiful and kept up.  But it is not a hotel-like resort.  There are no water slides, lazy rivers, or on-site restaurants, just a pool bar serving snacks.  We own there, go there, and always enjoy our stay.  We'll be back in March.


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## EZ-ED (Dec 29, 2008)

Stefa,
Our only problem with noise was from the people in the unit above us. We were on the 1st floor and the people above us never seemed to sit and read or watch tv. Constant walking on the tile floor that transmitted the sound very efficiently into our unit. If available I would recommend a top floor unit. No noise from above and you may even have a better ocean view.


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## alanraycole (Dec 29, 2008)

*I am one of those who are not fond of The Point...*

unless I could get an ocean view, but...

I don't have kids. If I did, I would consider The Point a much better than average Kauai resort. The pool is superior over most other Kauai timeshare pools... and I know most kids consider the pool the most important thing. It is large and on one end you can pretend that you are on a beach, with its zero entry. Off the top of my head, I can only think of three other resorts on Kauai that would be in the running for "Top Kauai Timeshare Pool" and the ranking would be so debatable that it would be an "in the eye of the beholder" type issue. If the pool at the point had an ocean view, I think many in a pool judging jury would rule it the best timeshare pool on Kauai... but it doesnt' have an ocean view... so the jury is still out. Having said that, I can think of timeshares with much better pools than at The Point... they are just not on Kauai.

As has already been stated, Poipu Beach is a short drive and one of the best beaches for kids. Shipwreck... the one that is just a short walk away, is not safe for kids... although it is big and very beautiful.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Dec 29, 2008)

Stefa said:


> I just grabbed an exchange into a 2br at the Point for next August.  I was excited until I found this thread.
> 
> Since I still have 24 hours to change my mind, I thought I'd ask a few questions:  is this a good resort to bring kids?   Is there a kids pool and is there a swimming beach near by?   We can live with tacky furniture as long as the unit is comfortable.  (All of our furniture at home is hand-me-down, so most of it is stained and worn.)
> 
> ...


There are always lots of kids at Po'ipu.  The sand bottom swimming pool seems quite popular with children.  Shipwreck Beach (next door at the Hyatt) is not a good swimming beach due to wave action.  That, however, makes it a good beach for boogie boarding and surfing.  So older kids might enjoy Shipwreck quite a bit.

For younger kids, Po'ipu Beach is much nicer.  There is a keiki (children's) area at Po'ipu Beach; the keiki area has a rock wall that shelters it from the waves.  

Noise in lower units is pretty typical for any multi-story resort.

Exchangers don't automatically get the worst locations; they get what is left over after owner requests are accommodated.  The resort has four view categories - ocean front, ocean view, partial ocean view, and garden view.  Owners are placed into units based on their type of ownership.  That means the view categories available to exchangers will be in the categories that remain after owner reservations are handled.  

If owners have made requests, those requests will be filled to the extent possible. Note that owners requests favor upper floors and corner units.

You can put in a request for specific types of units, and I believe the resort will try to accommodate those requests from the inventory that is available to exchangers.  Note, however, that if you request upper floor you are probably less likely to end up in an ocean front unit, though you may increase your chances of being placed in ocean view or partial ocean view.  Since garden views are more heavily lower floors, you may decrease your chances of ending up in garden view.

Ocean view and partial ocean view units are also more likely to be close to the parking lots than are ocean front units.

+++++++

I think it would be a huge mistake to cancel a Point at Po'ipu exchange based on the information in this thread unless you were an exchanger for whom nothing but a Westin will suffice.


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## Stefa (Dec 29, 2008)

Thanks for the replies.  I feel a lot better.


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## csalter2 (Dec 29, 2008)

*You'll Be Fine*

Stefa,

I would not worry about The Point at Poipu. I stayed there with my family and it was a very nice location. We had a great time there. The pool is perfect for kids. I brought my 11 year old and he found friends and they had a great time. We even barbecued outside a few times and it was fantastic in the environment that is there. 

I believe this is on of DRI's better resorts that I have either stayed in our visited. It is not the same as my Marriott Ko Olina property, but it is a nice one. 

I would not worry about anything. Enjoy that island. There are so many great beaches to explore there. There are also tours that leave from the resort to if you wish to do some other activities. I like Kauai because it is very tranquil. You will need a car to visit other parts of the island. You won't want to miss some of the most beautiful spots like the Princeville area.

I guarantee you will have a great time. :whoopie:


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## lv_maui (Dec 29, 2008)

*What happened to Jamie?*



Kauai Kid said:


> For those who may be interested the General Manager is Christopher A. Gampon and the Director of owner and Guest Services is Patricia R. Ornellas.



Where is Jamie now?  I thought she was a great general manager.  Did Diamond bring in "their" guy?


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## Fisch (Dec 29, 2008)

Stefa said:


> I just grabbed an exchange into a 2br at the Point for next August.  I was excited until I found this thread.
> 
> Since I still have 24 hours to change my mind, I thought I'd ask a few questions:  is this a good resort to bring kids?   Is there a kids pool and is there a swimming beach near by?   We can live with tacky furniture as long as the unit is comfortable.  (All of our furniture at home is hand-me-down, so most of it is stained and worn.)
> 
> ...




Our daughter is 5 and she goes every year with us and has a blast. She digs the pool and could spend the entire week in it.  What ages for your kids?

Al


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## Kauai Kid (Dec 29, 2008)

One of the workers mentioned that a bunch of people got laid off including some management.


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## alanraycole (Dec 29, 2008)

*This directly conflicts with what two different employees told me!*



T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Exchangers don't automatically get the worst locations; they get what is left over after owner requests are accommodated.  The resort has four view categories - ocean front, ocean view, partial ocean view, and garden view.  Owners are placed into units based on their type of ownership.  That means the view categories available to exchangers will be in the categories that remain after owner reservations are handled.



I was flat out told by two different employees that people coming in through RCI are automatically given garden view. I didn't imagine it. In fact, I asked one to get a manager for me, which caused her to get indignant and she then told me that it wouldn't do any good. She then told me that her manager was unavailable, so I would have to come back... so I took what they gave me. Granted, she didn't say all exchangers, so maybe it is just a RCI thing... but, nonetheless, she was emphatic! For what it is worth, before arrival I put in a request for ocean view. The person over the phone took the request. It was the two people at check in that told me that RCI people automatically get garden view.

There could be explanations for the disparity in what TRO reports and what employees report, such as the employeess knew it was useless or they just didn't want to be bothered. But, it happened!


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## Stefa (Dec 29, 2008)

Fisch said:


> Our daughter is 5 and she goes every year with us and has a blast. She digs the pool and could spend the entire week in it.  What ages for your kids?
> 
> Al



My boys will be 9, 6 and 2, so the pool sounds perfect for us.  We are also hoping to do some day trips, but we'll have to see...


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## Fisch (Dec 29, 2008)

Stefa said:


> My boys will be 9, 6 and 2, so the pool sounds perfect for us.  We are also hoping to do some day trips, but we'll have to see...



When in August will you be there?  We are going to go in the summer for the first time 8/15-8/22.  We usually go in October.

Many excellent day trips to take.  You can find several beaches that would be good for your kids to play at.

Al


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## Calyn79 (Dec 30, 2008)

I was very happy to get the exchange, however, I'm in no rush to go back. The grounds were very nice, the pool looked very nice, however, for us it turned out to be just that - for looks, unless you were a kid or a parent of a small one. You really could not swim at all...even the swim length was really too shallow. The furniture (Building #4 March 2008) was well used to the point of no comfort. 

We were in a garden view and even at that found the wind off the ocean to be cold making the lanai not a place to sit comfortably. But by far my biggest complaint was the noise from above that never stopped. We were even moved after a representative came to listen and agreed, but the move to another unit never solved the noise problem from above...just not as many heavy steps or no kids above us in the 2nd unit. It was by far the worst noise we've experienced from above in a timeshare yet.

The bedrooms were very nice and so too was the master ensuite.  But I don't need that to enjoy my week. For us quiet, a swimmable pool and furniture with 'stuffing' do the trick.


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## Stefa (Dec 30, 2008)

Fisch said:


> When in August will you be there?  We are going to go in the summer for the first time 8/15-8/22.  We usually go in October.
> 
> Many excellent day trips to take.  You can find several beaches that would be good for your kids to play at.
> 
> Al



Our exchange is for the following week but I'm trying to change to the week of 08/08 or 08/15.  I just found out that my kids start school on 08/31 so we want to go earlier if we can.


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## Poobah (Dec 30, 2008)

*Poipu Exchangers*

Steve is correct in that the owner's have first shot at whatever view class they own. I think the comment by the front desk person needs a little "interpretation." I suspect that when the Point banks weeks it banks only Garden Views, because the other "views" are held for the owners. So yes, RCI Exchangers would get assigned Garden Views. I know for a fact that when I "banked" one of my Ocean Front weeks, a Garden View was banked.

Having said that,  the previous resort owners would upgrade exchangers to the best unit available, on a first come, first serve basis. With Diamond that may no longer be true.

I am also surprised at the front desk's attitude about your request to see the manager. Previously, the resort management has had an open door policy with guests. Again,  with Diamond that may no longer be true.

Cheers,

Paul


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Dec 30, 2008)

alanraycole said:


> I was flat out told by two different employees that people coming in through RCI are automatically given garden view.



My information is from Patti Ornellas, the person who manages reservations for the resort, and the person who makes the actual assignments of exchangers to rooms. I have discussed the reservation process in detail with Patti, with specific focus on how the inventory is assigned between the DRI club, unconverted ownerships, and exchangers.

+++++++

Beyond that, it's not in the owners interests to blanket assign exchangers to Garden View rooms.  Let's say that on some given checkin day there are 25 garden view units available for checkin on that day.  Let's further assume that the resort has bulk-banked 10 units with RCI for exchange purposes.

If they automatically assigned those exchangers to garden view units, that would leave 15 garden view units available to be occupied by owners.  If they get more than 15 reservation requests from garden view owners for that check-in day, then they need to start telling those owners, "No space available", even though there may be available inventory in other view categories.  The timeshare documents prohibit gratis upgrades of owners in view category.

The reservation system actually operates simpler by simply slotting exchangers into whatever space remains.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Dec 30, 2008)

Poobah said:


> Steve is correct in that the owner's have first shot at whatever view class they own. I think the comment by the front desk person needs a little "interpretation." I suspect that when the Point banks weeks it banks only Garden Views, because the other "views" are held for the owners. So yes, RCI Exchangers would get assigned Garden Views. I know for a fact that when I "banked" one of my Ocean Front weeks, a Garden View was banked.


There are two banking operations that go on, one by the resort itself and one by the DRI Club.  I think that is the source of some confusion.  

To start, you need to recognize that resort inventory is divided into three pools, one for deeded owners, one for DRI Trust, and one for deeded members who have joined their week to the DRI Club.  For each check-in day the available rooms in each view category are divided among those three pools based on relative ownership represented in each category.

Now Let's start with resort itself.  The resort bulk banks weeks with RCI and II on behalf of owners *not affiliated with the DRI Club*.  The resort inventory control system identifies those as incoming exchangers, without assigning them to any view category.  The total number of allowable reservations that non-Club owners are allowed to make for that checkin day is reduced by the number of incoming exchangers.  The resort accepts non-Club reservation requests until the time when the maximum allowable number of owner exchanges is reached.  The incoming exchangers who hold exchanges placed by the resort will end up in the units whatever units don't get filled by owners.  Those can be any view category.

It's different on the DRI Club side.  When the Club deposits a week with an exchange company, the Club deposits a specific week from the inventory that has been assigned to it.  The Club then notifies the resort that particular week will be occupied by an exchanger.  Since that is a specific week that has been assigned to the Club, an exchanger arriving through a reservation made by the Club will get the view category that was deposited by the Club.

++++

As far as the resort is concerned, the DRI Club is just like any other owner of multiple units.  When the resort puts inventory into the DRI Club pools, that inventory becomes owner reserved inventory, and it's managed the same as you were an owner of mulitple units.  For example, if you owned four weeks at the resort in differing view categories, and you were assigning those weeks to other people (guests, renters, independent exchangers), you would need to tell the resort which of the weeks you have reserved will be occupied by  which of your guests.

It's the same with the DRI Club. The resort sees the DRI Club as the owner, and any person who comes to the resort through the Club activities is viewed as a guest of the Club in the same way that a person occupying your unit in your stead is viewed as your guest.

Thus, when the Club sends someone to the resort, they need to tell the resort which Club reservation right is attached to that person.  The resort doesn't care whether the incoming person is an owner through the Club, an outside Club member, or an exchanger.  All the resort cares about is knowing what view category goes with the reservation.

+++++

Nutshell.  If the exchange originated from DRI Club activity, it will be linked with a view category. So if the Club only gives garden view to exchange companies (as is likely), then all exchangers arriving through Club exchanges will be in garden view units.  If the exchanger is arriving through resort bulk banking, they will end up in whatever view category has not been fully booked by non-Club owners.

+++

This is complicated.  Few, if any, people working the sales floor at the resort understand how the system, nor do the people working the front desk really understand how the reservation system works.  The only people that really understand it are those who are actually running the system and tracking inventory.


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## quiltergal (Dec 31, 2008)

I just came back from a week at the Point.  Aside from being rained out all week I was very happy with the resort.  I had called about 3 weeks prior to arrival and requested an upper floor in building 4 or 6.  The person on the phone said there were no garden view units in those buildings.  I said fine I'll be happy with an upper floor.  When we checked in we were on the 4th floor of building 2 with a very nice ocean view from our lanai.  The front desk staff were very nice and friendly.  We skipped the tour as there weren't any activities happening that week due to the Kona storm and flash flooding, so nothing to spend our bongo bucks on.  The carpets looked new, the bedding was fab, the towels were lush.  Pots and pans were kind of sketchy.  I would love to go back to the Point.....when it's not raining.


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