# Westin St John



## Alastair (Jul 31, 2006)

Looking for a bit of advice about the Westin on St John.  Hoping to trade my Harborside 2 bed - the StarOptions seem to indicate I can get a 3 bed at St John, but there appears to be quite a lot of choice.  Should I try for a Bay Vista villa or a Hillside villa?  Then some come with pools and some without.  Any recommendations?  From previous postings I see that buildings 33 or 34 come recommended for the views.

Does anyone have an electronic copy of the resort plan?

Would be grateful for any advice!


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## drann56 (Jul 31, 2006)

If you are using staroptions at 8 months out, I would grab anything you can get.  It is really hard to trade into Westin St John using staroptions.  Its a fixed week resort and it was quoted by a starwood representive that 92% of the owners go back to there home resort.  I was trying to use staroptions for a reservation in January, there was no avaibility for anything (e.g. studio, 1bd, 2bd, and 3bd).  I was calling right at the 8 mo mark for each week in January.


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## Loriannf (Jul 31, 2006)

Good luck on trading a 2 bed Harborside for a 3 bed St John!!  StarOptions are notoriously skewed (JMHO) toward the wrong side of these trades.  You might be able to get into one of the new Bay Vista villas, but these are about half the size of the hillside villas and lack the private pools.  Buildings 33 and 34 are 2 bedroom units.

If you have a Spring Break week 2007 2 bed Harborside, I know someone who might be interested in direct trading a May 3 bedroom St John.  I think direct trade might be your best route into St John, especially if you want a 3 bedroom private pool villa.  The new units aren't scheduled to open until summer 2007, but I think that is pushing it a bit; island time moves much slower.  

Lori


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## Alastair (Jul 31, 2006)

Thanks Lori.  Constrained by the kids' school holidays so only looking for early April.  Will try my luck with Starwood this weekend when the 8 month booking period opens.  Preparing to be disappointed!  When you say "skewed" what do you mean?  Since the options values are the same, I thought if a St John's owner didn't want to take his week it would be available for booking as soon as the 8 month window appeared (at least that's how they present it) or is that just being naive?


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## grgs (Jul 31, 2006)

Alastair said:
			
		

> Since the options values are the same, I thought if a St John's owner didn't want to take his week it would be available for booking as soon as the 8 month window appeared (at least that's how they present it) or is that just being naive?



In theory, that is how it works.  The problem in this case is that most St. John owners use their week (and given the high purchase cost and m.f., I'd think you would be crazy not to use it most of the time!).  If no one gives it up, then there's nothing to use your options on.  Harborside seems to be the same way, with the Westin Ka'anapali being slightly easier.  I agree with Lori that a direct trade may be your best option.   But, by all means, give it a try through Starwood (and let us know how it goes).

Glorian


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## tomandrobin (Jul 31, 2006)

Just my two cents.....Bay Villas haven't started yet, and they have only been selling them for two weeks! 

There are not many three bedrooms. The three bedrooms do not have views of the bay or anything else. The "older" units are nowhere near as nice as the remodel units. Personally, I didn't like the layouts. 

Good luck and keep us posted on your quest for a St. John unit.

I get the pleasure of trying to get a two bedroom for next summer at Harborside when the 8 month window opens up!


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## Loriannf (Aug 1, 2006)

My comment on the "skewing" of StarOptions is based largely on my own experiences and observations of supply and demand.  St John seems to be a difficult trade, as is Harborside.  However, I would not trade my 3 bedroom pool villa for something I perceived as having "lesser" value, even if its StarOptions are higher.  For example, some Harborside high season 2 bedrooms have StarOption values of 129,800-148,000; my St John weeks are 95,700, and summer St John 3 bedrooms are only 81,000.  I would not direct trade my St John 3 bedroom for anything less than a high season 2 bedroom Harborside; to us, the pool and 3rd bedroom in our St John unit should demand a higher premium than any 2 bedroom regardless of season.  We didn't set up the StarOptions system, but must work within it unless Starwood decides to take a look at supply and demand and reset the values.  

The "older" 3 bedroom units at St John are going to be completely gutted and refinished, providing enough owners vote this October.  Few of the St John "hillside" units have much of a view, and calling the 3 bedrooms "hillside" is laughable - they're on a flat piece of ground at the bottom of the hill across from the resort.  Each unit is also surrounded by privacy wall which forms the courtyard/pool area.  St John has so many beautiful beaches and vistas that you don't really miss any kind of view unless you don't go anywhere on the island other than the resort.  This is certainly a destination where you would want to rent a car and explore the island - the resort is fine, don't get me wrong, but the island is so much better.  We love our unit for its spaciousness, and our daughter loves to use the pool after long days at the beach and in the evenings.  It's also nice to be able to have a gas grill solely for your own use - the smaller units must use community/shared grills.  

Again, these are just my opinions based on my experiences as a 7 year St John owner.

Lori


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## drann56 (Aug 1, 2006)

Lori,
Your post somes it up of why its very hard to trade into westin st john using staroptions.  The other factor is that there are not many units at the resort.  I think the last count I heard was 96.


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## Tetta (Aug 2, 2006)

Have you tried the TUG Classified ads?


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## gresmi (Aug 5, 2006)

it was quoted by a starwood representive that 92% of the owners go back to there home resort....

That's why there are so many of them out there for rent.


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## Alastair (Aug 7, 2006)

Thanks for all your advice/views.  You were all correct.  Impossible to get in through Staroptions.  Called at the moment booking opened for the 8 month window and no availability.  This morning, the agent gave away a little more information (most of the time the response is simply "the computer says no availability" ).  He said that the waiting list was closed and full of home resort owners waiting for availability - I didn't appreciate that there was a waiting list at all.  I guess the only way in there is to rent or, as Lori suggests, a direct trade for my Harborside.  He did say that there was space at Hawaii 'though - just a little far to travel from the UK!


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## Carolyn (Aug 7, 2006)

Alastair,

If you rented your Harborside Villa, then you could rent an awesome villa on St. John.  Personally, I didn't think the Westin was all that great (and I usually love Westins). It is really the island of St. John that is magical! There are lots of villa rentals by owners and also agencies.  Just a thought 

Carolyn


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## Kal (Aug 7, 2006)

gresmi said:
			
		

> it was quoted by a starwood representive that 92% of the owners go back to there home resort....
> 
> That's why there are so many of them out there for rent.


 
You're correct.  When the purchase price is HIGH and the MFs are also HIGH, very few owners will turn their unit in for exchange.  They will rent it out at a fancy price and use those funds to stay elsewhere or off-set the MFs.


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## tomandrobin (Aug 8, 2006)

Carolyn said:
			
		

> Alastair,
> 
> I didn't think the Westin was all that great (and I usually love Westins). It is really the island of St. John that is magical!
> Carolyn


 
I agree...the hotel itself is ok. What your trading for is the island it self. Now that is worth the trade. St. John is one of most beautiful places we have ever been too. 

A friend of mine owns three weeks there. Two are three bedrooms, the other is a one bedroom. Last week he called starwood and exchanged is one bedroom week for options to use at Harborside. The woman at starwood asked three times if he was sure he wanted to do that. She told him that in three years she ha never had an owner trade in thier unit. I guess he made someone very happy! 

I think once Bay Villas get coompleted, it will make trading into St John easier to trade into, hopefully. LOL


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