# Does anyone own 8+ weeks in Hawaii?



## GregT

All,

I look ahead to the future and think how much I would enjoy living part of the year on Maui someday when I am retired.  

Is there anyone who has bought a large block of weeks on Maui, and how does it work out?  I'm slowly building a collection of MOC weeks, but there are other beautiful properties too.

Would appreciate any perspective here.

Thanks very much!

Best,

Greg


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## Ron98GT

GregT said:


> All,
> 
> I look ahead to the future and think how much I would enjoy living part of the year on Maui someday when I am retired.
> 
> Is there anyone who has bought a large block of weeks on Maui, and how does it work out?  I'm slowly building a collection of MOC weeks, but there are other beautiful properties too.
> 
> Would appreciate any perspective here.
> 
> Thanks very much!
> 
> Best,
> 
> Greg



There is some woman, and her husband, that are TS'ing full-time.  If I remember/find the name, I'll pass it along.


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## lprstn

I purchased enough Wyndham Points to do that for myself. I didn't want to be tied to 1 island, 1 resort or 1 place. Also, Wyhdham points are dirt cheap and you don't have to purchase in Hawaii to use them. I have about 7 weeks there now.


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## MichaelColey

Ron98GT said:


> There is also some woman, and her husband, that are TS'ing full-time.  If I remember/find the name, I'll pass it along.


That would be Ron and Joan.  They've been timesharing full time for about 5 years now.  They do go to Hawaii frequently, but I'm not sure where they actually own.  I know they also spend a lot of time in Mexico and Florida, and I think they have some fixed weeks in Florida.


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## ronparise

I think we will be seeing more and more people buying multiple time shares rather than buying a second home. 

I own enough Wyndham points deeded at Palm Aire (South Florida) that I could string together 13 weeks and make it my winter home in Florida


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## vacationhopeful

ronparise said:


> I think we will be seeing more and more people buying multiple time shares rather than buying a second home.
> 
> I own enough Wyndham points deeded at Palm Aire (South Florida) that I could string together 13 weeks and make it my winter home in Florida



Ron,
You LIVE in Ft Myers  -- isn't that still part of Florida?


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## mjm1

Greg, interesting idea.  We recently talked about having a place in Hawaii, but having several timeshares would probably be a better idea. Thanks for posting this idea.  I look forward to hearing the experience of others who have actually accomplished it.


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## Ron98GT

MichaelColey said:


> That would be Ron and Joan.  They've been timesharing full time for about 5 years now.  They do go to Hawaii frequently, but I'm not sure where they actually own.  I know they also spend a lot of time in Mexico and Florida, and I think they have some fixed weeks in Florida.


Thanks, Joan is/was the person that I was thinking about.


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## Beefnot

Why not rent vacation homes instead?


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## csalter2

*Hawaii Bound*

I own enough weeks to spend 8 weeks on Maui through my DRI points. There is Ka'anapali Beach Club, Ka'anapali Shores, Valley Isle, and Papakea. None of these are of Marriott standard but the first two are pretty nice. The last two are good spots to lay low in and live and just to enjoy, but are not fancy. They are fine for me, but not for my wife.  They have full facilities and pools and grills etc. 

Plus I have my Marriott points that could make us even closer neighbors than we are now in so Cal, GretT.   We could hang out in retirement and enjoy the sunsets with our wives together.  We would have to leave our horrible winters behind and head to Maui during whale watching season.   That's all a part of my retirement plan.

Now GregT, I was just thinking about maintenance fees. 8 weeks at 2500/year for maintenance fees would be $20,000/year. Any thoughts on that?


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## post-it

csalter2 said:


> Now GregT, I was just thinking about maintenance fees. 8 weeks at 2500/year for maintenance fees would be $20,000/year. Any thoughts on that?



This is what I was thinking myself.


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## Beaglemom3

As suggested above,   www.vrbo.com  or www.weneedavacation.com

 or a home exchange program with someone in Hawaii ?


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## csalter2

*Interestingly...*



Beaglemom3 said:


> As suggested above,   www.vrbo.com  or www.weneedavacation.com
> 
> or a home exchange program with someone in Hawaii ?



I saw a $2500/week for the Westin WKORV and even the MOC was listed at $2000/week.


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## SmithOp

I think you are better off looking at fractional ownership on a condo once you get over 4 weeks.


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## Henry M.

I have 4 weeks of 2BR lock-offs at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, that turn into 8 weeks of staying in Maui for my wife and I.

That is about as long as I'd want to be in Maui at one time. I enjoy going there more than once a year. I prefer it over owning a house there, where I'd probably end up spending just as much as my maintenance fees for upkeep, and with the attendant hassles of maintaining it and cleaning it every time I arrived. I suppose a rental might be an alternative, but I'd want something of the quality and location (ocean front) of the Westin. That type of housing tends to be pretty expensive.

I looked into getting a condo, but HOA fees for even a simple unit were pretty high, on the order of $800+/month


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## Mauiwmn

See below.  Messed up quote.  Duplicate post.


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## Mauiwmn

emuyshondt said:


> "I have 4 weeks of 2BR lock-offs at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, that turn into 8 weeks of staying in Maui for my wife and I.
> 
> That is about as long as I'd want to be in Maui at one time. I enjoy going there more than once a year. I prefer it over owning a house there, where I'd probably end up spending just as much as my maintenance fees for upkeep, and with the attendant hassles of maintaining it and cleaning it every time I arrived. I suppose a rental might be an alternative, but I'd want something of the quality and location (ocean front) of the Westin. That type of housing tends to be pretty expensive.




We have a similar plan.  Using both sides of our lock offs, we have 4 weeks in Maui & 4 weeks in Princeville.  We have not retired yet, but we believe 2-1 month trips to Hawaii a year will work well for us.  We plan to spend 2 weeks in Maui & 2 weeks in Princeville each trip.  We also plan to use our 5 weeks in AZ as well during the winter months.  Like the flexibility to travel whenever we want.  

Using both sides reduces MF per week.   So $12,500 a year MF for 13 weeks at gorgeous resorts with warm weather.  And we can book 1 year out and change our plans anytime we choose.  

We plan to keep our home here and just escape the winters during retirement.


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## GregT

All,

Good comments, I appreciate the perspective.   I definitely agree that 8 weeks at today's MF's is a healthy chunk of money, and especially so when it becomes 8 weeks at _tomorrow's _MFs.....

But I love Maui....I could see perhaps picking up one more MOC unit, and then relying on one month on one island (HGVC) and then June in Maui.

VRBO is an alternative, and if I can find a consistent desirable unit, that would be a great alternative.

We will see -- but fun to think about!

Best,

Greg


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## DeniseM

We have 5 weeks now, and can easily exchange for 3 more - that's our plan for retirement winters.


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## MichaelColey

It might be $2500/week to OWN in Hawaii (and I think some are quite a bit less than that), but with the right traders, you can EXCHANGE in for considerably less than that.  Of course you have to rely on what's deposited and what you can exchange into, and you'll probably have to change timeshares most week and may have gaps (like a Fri-Fri one week and a Sun-Sun the next), but it can be done.


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## PamMo

Count me in as another tugger with multiple weeks in Hawaii. If we locked off our units, we could stay 8 weeks on Maui (Westin and The Whaler), two weeks on Kauai (Marriott), and two weeks on the big island (Hilton). We plan on staying at least a month in the summer and winter after we retire. Until then, our families are having a ball helping us use our weeks!


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## bastroum

My wife and I own 4 weeks at MOC, 4 weeks at WKORV-N and 6 weeks at The Lagoon Tower/Grand Waikikian in Honolulu. We also have several Marriott properties that we use for trades and Points reservations. We also use SDO to trade into Maui. This year I turned 62 and will spend 4+ months in Hawaii. We currently spend $28,000/yr for maintenance fees. When we decided to execute this plan we knew we didn't want to own a condo that would cost $1,000,000+ along with $1,000 per month maintenance fees and even more for taxes. We give up equity that we could have if we bought a condo, however, we get to keep our capital. We also get a resort experience and great views that we might not get if we owned a condo. Those maintenance fees don't work for everyone, but this plan works for us.


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## slip

I own 11 weeks and plan to use them as a second home in retirement. I'll
Stop at one or two more weeks. I use three weeks myself right now and rent the
Rest. DW and I fell in love with Kauai and go back every year.

I like to be able to trade and go to the other islands and elsewhere but we will
Focus on Kauai in retirement. My 11 weeks cost me nothing to get into and
The annual maintenance fees are $9,300 right now. I have a mix of one and
Two bedroom units but I always get oceanfront and we love the location. It's
Nothing fancy but it feels like home to us.

No Mowing, no repairs, oceanfront, I think it's very reasonable. Fractionals don't
Give you much flexabilty to trade to other locations and they cost a lot to get
Into. Second homes are expensive to get into and then there's the maintenance.
Renting is just as expensive and I always know what I'm getting with my 
Timeshare.


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## GrayFal

DeniseM said:


> We have 5 weeks now, and can easily exchange for 3 more - that's our plan for retirement winters.



I have 4 weeks oceanfront in St Thomas, 4-5 weeks oceanfront in Grand Cayman and between Marriott and Bluegreen, 6+ weeks in Aruba..that's our retirement plan :whoopie:


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## PassionForTravel

Greg,

When you first posted I was thinking you've discovered my plan, but it looks like others have the same idea. We thought about buying there but decided the TS route made more sense, unless we were going to live there full time it would be to much worrying. From what I've seen most fractionals rotate every year. We have specific months we want to be away jan till mid feb (cold) or part if may and june(grey), the rest of the time we love it in San Diego.

 However, we are figuring our retirement budget will be quite a bit less than some of the folks who've already posted. I figure with our WM credits we can get a week in Hawaii in a 1bd for < $600 per week. So 8 weeks is $4800 per year. It's not Marriott or Westin, but its good enough for us especially Kihei. We are at 6 weeks now.  If we are there for that long its going to be more like living there and less like being on vacation. So before we retire we are trying out the higher class places while we still have budget to afford them, or maybe use them as the occasional treat.

Ian


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## dannybaker

*We are looking at 10 weeks this year in Hawaii*

We try to only travel to Hawaii during off season. We have used Our Marriott lock off units from Grande Vista to trade into Other Marriott's. We also own several other weeks that we trade with RCI that we have had some great Hawaii trades to include Hilton Kingsland in Waikoloa. We usually can get four to five weeks in Hawaii with our two weeks in San Diego. 
We also watch for sales with both RCI and II, since we are platinum members with both we get some great deals. We currently are in Orlando for twenty four days we stayed at disney beach club, two bedroom at the Hilton Sea world, Wyndham Cypress Palms). We just made a four week reservation at the Marriott Cypress harbor another two bedroom unit for 4 weeks in September/October average cost was $367 per week. Back to Hawaii in October and all of November.
We head out on a 40 day Trans Atlantic cruise and tour of Europe on Friday. We try and also jump on last minute cruise deals. We usually save around 75-80 percent on our 6-8 weeks of cruising each year. We have a great life and we owe so much to the great people on TUG. Thank you so much for your help in making our dreams a reality. We could travel full time but we enjoy going home.
:rofl:


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## RuralEngineer

"I think we will be seeing more and more people buying multiple time shares rather than buying a second home."

I agree with you given the broken resale market, boom and bust of the real estate market, and financial instability.  Resale timeshare points are a great deal.  It would be interesting that more people have not discovered that.  I would love to see some analysis of the costs / benefits of a 2nd home vs cost / benefits of using resale points to have a virtual 2nd home.

After you see a couple of hundred thousand of paper equity disappear it changes your thinking regarding real estate.


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## ronparise

RuralEngineer said:


> "I think we will be seeing more and more people buying multiple time shares rather than buying a second home."
> 
> I agree with you given the broken resale market, boom and bust of the real estate market, and financial instability.  Resale timeshare points are a great deal.  It would be interesting that more people have not discovered that.  I would love to see some analysis of the costs / benefits of a 2nd home vs cost / benefits of using resale points to have a virtual 2nd home.
> 
> After you see a couple of hundred thousand of paper equity disappear it changes your thinking regarding real estate.



 I recently sold a high-rise, waterfront condo to a couple. They intend to use it as their winter home and expect to spend 4 months each year in it.

We estimated their annual expenses:

Taxes...........$5500
Insurance...... 1000
Condo Fees.....8000
elec................1200
cable/internet....1200

Total..........$16900 or about $4200 a month for the 4 months they are here

Compare that to a timeshare where the maintenance fees are $1000 a week, 4 months will be about the same

What I didnt consider here is a mortgage expense or opportunity cost or appreciation potential.. My client paid cash so there is no mortgage, but he has tied up $250k. and he is betting on 3% appreciation a year  A timeshare buyer could buy a good quality stock market fund, or a REIT and hope for the same appreciation

Another way to look at this is from the perspective of someone like me. I dont have the cash to invest in a condo, and the banks wont give me that kind of mortgage, but I can afford maintenance fees. So for me there is no choice. If I want a vacation home, it has to be timeshares


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## Beaglemom3

Greg,
  Your primary residence is in a great area. Not sure if you're comfortable with home exchange, but here's the website to the most reliable and best established one :  http://www.homeexchange.com/?gclid=CIHD1ZKe2bYCFccw4AoddGsAMA

  I am looking into trading a summer week at my Cape Cod cottage for another place. WIll only trade with a member who has been a member for a while with good feedback.


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## Pronkster

We own 7 weeks of HGVC (39,800 pts.), all in Las Vegas.  Total maintenance fees are about $5,000 a year.  At the time I purchased them we lived in LA and had always owned a condo in Vegas, but had sold it a year prior.  With this amount of points I figured I could have stayed in Vegas in a studio unit about 7 months a year (during the lowest seasons of course.)  Not a bad investment for living on the Las Vegas strip for a good part of the year I thought!  

Now we live in Vegas and are retired.  We do go to Hawaii 2 or 3 weeks a year, and stay in a two bedroom ocean front unit at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We use the balance of the points at many other locations.   I have never figured out what the maximum amount of time we could stay in Hawaii using the points, as I did for Vegas, but I am sure it would be at least most of the summer, if not more.  That may be our plan someday to escape the hot summers here in Vegas!


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## bastroum

18 weeks in a Lagoon Tower Studio.


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## rifleman69

Does anyone add in the airfares from traveling from timeshare to timeshare?   Sure some people might stay 8 weeks in one spot but from the sounds of it, people are talking about staying in 2-3 spots which obviously has some travel costs involved.


For me, I'd take the second home over multiple timeshare weeks, but that's just me.   In a second home, you can control what chairs you sit on, what kitchens you cook from, what beds you sleep on...with timeshares, you're at the mercy of the timeshare management company, which I can guarantee has a different outlook on the above amenities (and others) compared to yourself.


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## PearlCity

Greg, you might be better off renting a vacation home in Hawaii instead. There are good deals on vrbo, but outside of vrbo, because you are looking at a longer period, 2 months or so, you can find real estate management companies that will rent for even less than vrbo listings.  With the strong labor unions in Hawaii your maintensce fees at resorts are tied to those agreements. Not so with private rentals. Just food for thought. If you're thinking trading in or adding to your hgvc and wm. That might be a good idea.


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## Larry

*East Coast Plan*



GrayFal said:


> I have 4 weeks oceanfront in St Thomas, 4-5 weeks oceanfront in Grand Cayman and between Marriott and Bluegreen, 6+ weeks in Aruba..that's our retirement plan :whoopie:



I am retired and this was my plan but since I live in NY, it's winters in the Caribbean and any warm weather spot where I  can see the ocean from my unit, Just like GrayFal and a couple of other east coast tuggers. 

We own a total of 14 weeks;

9 weeks in Aruba ( we rent out several of these weeks to pay for 14 weeks of maintenance fees)

1 week in St. Lucia

3 weeks in Vegas

1 week AC

We like to go to different warm weather places as soon as it gets cold in NY.

This past winter season we went to;

Cancun for 10 days end of November including Thanksgiving at Westin Lagunamar plus two nights Hyatt hotel ( used points)

Cocoa Beach Florida Timeshare for 1 week in December for my uncle's 90th birthday party.

Aruba 23 days in January including 3 timeshare weeks and two nights to cover in between check in days in cheap B & B through priceline.

Aruba at newest purchase (resale of course) platinum week used in March at Marriott Ocean Club.

End of March Weston Florida two weeks in timeshare for annual family vacation for Easter/Passover.

We own 14 weeks total with total maintenance fees of $9,300 
( average of $664 per week) mostly offset by rental of 6-8 Aruba weeks so I find this plan very cost effective.

So far we have the following confirmed trades.

1) Tradewinds Cruise Club BVI for November that I will combine with a few days in St. Thomas,

2) Renaissance Carombola St. Croix US Virgin Islands for December that I will also combine with a couple of nights either in St. Croix or another island that we can get to by ferry.

3) Aruba in January not sure yet if 1 or two weeks.

4) The Residence Club at the Crane Barbados for 1 week in February.

5) two weeks annual Weston Florida vacation for April.

6) Lawaii Beach resort Kuaii, Hawaii for one week end of December 2004 and includes New Years day 2015 plus at least 2 or 3 days in Honolulu in hotel on Wakikki Beach. ( see we do go to Hawaii but only about every 5 years).

Since I think our plan works great for us we don't plan on buying any vacation homes.


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## ciscogizmo1

I'm not sure I'd go the timeshare route for Hawaii unless your maintenance fees are low.  We own Marriott and Westin so our fees are not low.  Our intention is to spend time in Hawaii when we are older not sure what season yet but we'll probably rent at Outrigger (Napili Shores).  You can get a garden view room for about $215 a day includes a full kitchen or get a oceanfront studio for about the same price with a full kitchen.  To the kitchen would be important to save on costs.  So, we could probably get 8 weeks in with all of our timeshares put together..  I'm sure there are other acceptable rentals.  But I'd look at some of these small type hotels.  There are tons of them.


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## lprstn

My wyndham payments are way cheaper than that! Ideally if you want to do 8 weeks in a Wyndham, Maui is hard to get for a low point price. But if you do the Big Island or Kaui you can get a room for 154K * 8 which your mf may run about 3500 a year - 5K depending on what location you have your points at.


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## ciscogizmo1

lprstn said:


> My wyndham payments are way cheaper than that! Ideally if you want to do 8 weeks in a Wyndham, Maui is hard to get for a low point price. But if you do the Big Island or Kaui you can get a room for 154K * 8 which your mf may run about 3500 a year - 5K depending on what location you have your points at.


  Wow... that is cheap.  So, you are saying 8 weeks would run you at $3500 maintenance fee so, $437.50 a week. Wow.  That is a bargain.  What are the conditions of the units at that price?  I'm picky and I want granite and new furnishings.  How hard is it to get 8 weeks in a row at that price like in the middle of winter?  Is this owning Hawaii weeks or trading into Hawaii with another unit that you own.


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## GregT

ciscogizmo1 said:


> Wow... that is cheap.  So, you are saying 8 weeks would run you at $3500 maintenance fee so, $437.50 a week. Wow.  That is a bargain.  What are the conditions of the units at that price?  I'm picky and I want granite and new furnishings.  How hard is it to get 8 weeks in a row at that price like in the middle of winter?  Is this owning Hawaii weeks or trading into Hawaii with another unit that you own.



I believe this is using Wyndham's mini-system (which is terrific) to get those weeks reserved.  Wyndham's point system is very flexible and available at 10 months out was usually excellent.   

The issue I had with the Wyndham properties is that I am a View Guy, and although there were a number of appealing properties (particularly on the Big Island for me), they didn't have a view opportunity.

Which leaves me in the land of high MFs.  

But I appreciate the different feedback -- interesting to track this thread!

All the best,

Greg


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## rifleman69

Wyndham Shearwater is overlooking the ocean on Kauai, in fact I'm looking at it right now!


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## MichaelColey

If you want the view, I'm not sure there's much option but to pay.

For us, the view isn't important.  We just like being there.  And having the space that comes with a timeshare.

Three weeks is the most we've been (so far), but with cheap TPUs it's not that difficult to get exchanges into Hawaii through RCI Weeks for very reasonable prices.  My timeshares have an average TPU cost in the $10 range.  Many Hawaii exchanges are in the 20-40 range, so that's $400-$600 per week after you add in the exchange fee.

We've had some FABULOUS Hawaii exchanges, including a 2BR at HHV Lagoon Tower, which ended up being an ocean view, one floor below the penthouse suites.  (And yep, that one cost us less than $600.)


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## taffy19

GregT said:


> I believe this is using Wyndham's mini-system (which is terrific) to get those weeks reserved. Wyndham's point system is very flexible and available at 10 months out was usually excellent.
> 
> The issue I had with the Wyndham properties is that *I am a View Guy*, and although there were a number of appealing properties (particularly on the Big Island for me), they didn't have a view opportunity.
> 
> Which leaves me in the land of high MFs.
> 
> But I appreciate the different feedback -- interesting to track this thread!
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Greg


I am with you, Greg. View is most important to us too and nothing beats sitting on the lanai and watching the ocean and have everything handy inside the condo right behind you.

At one place, we were too close to the ocean and had to keep the doors closed because the trade winds were that strong a couple of days. It was cold and you couldn't sleep with the doors open because the surf was pounding. We never have had that problem yet at the Marriott and always sleep with the doors wide open this time of the year.

It is amazing how different the temperatures are from one place to the other even a few miles apart as well as the wave action and sound.

At our age, renting a condo makes much more sense than buying more timeshares if oceanfront is important.  If they are floating, you never know where you may end up. Buying additional timeshares may be different for a young family as you have many years to enjoy vacations together in comfort. The memories alone are worth it. 

Also, Ka'anapali beach rentals are very expensive but there are other nice beaches too on Maui but Ka'anapali Beach is in a prime location with a beach walk to other resorts, restaurants and shops next to a golf course. All very convenient. We enjoyed our stay very much this year.


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## PassionForTravel

iconnections, Just curios what was the place where you were too close to the ocean, it's hard to imagine that?

Ian


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## ciscogizmo1

GregT said:


> I believe this is using Wyndham's mini-system (which is terrific) to get those weeks reserved.  Wyndham's point system is very flexible and available at 10 months out was usually excellent.
> 
> The issue I had with the Wyndham properties is that I am a View Guy, and although there were a number of appealing properties (particularly on the Big Island for me), they didn't have a view opportunity.
> 
> Which leaves me in the land of high MFs.
> 
> But I appreciate the different feedback -- interesting to track this thread!
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Greg


 Okay... yes, to me the view is important.  I'd like at least an oceanview room.  I also want to be able to walk to the beach every morning and evening without crossing a busy road, etc..  Also, the place cannot feel like an apartment complex to me.  I guess, I'm picky.  So, that's why I think, Napili Shores is a bargain to me (btw, it looks like an apartment complex but it has Napili Bay so that makes up for it).  So, I'll be in the same camp of high maintenance fees.

I agree about appreciating the different feedback from others and their preferences.


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## GregT

rifleman69 said:


> Wyndham Shearwater is overlooking the ocean on Kauai, in fact I'm looking at it right now!



I am stuck slaving over a keyboard. Can you post a picture for us? Thanks!


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## taffy19

PassionForTravel said:


> iconnections, Just curios what was the place where you were too close to the ocean, it's hard to imagine that?
> 
> Ian


We rented a 1 BR oceanfront suite at the Aston at Papakea and this was at the recommendation of a TUGger here last year. I kept the information and wasn't sure what to do when I read this thread and it was mentioned that this place was a dump. It is not a dump, IMHO. I don't know about the timeshare condos as I haven't seen them.

We ended up in a private condo and it was very nicely refurbished from top to toe so we were very happy. The grounds are nice and the daily service was excellent. We would like to rent from this owner again but I don't believe that they are allowed to do this. They are not at our Maui Sunset condo project either where we have rented privately before too. It is in their contract as we contacted the owner direct.

The first few days the trade winds were very strong and there is no beach here but only a sea wall but the view from our condo was spectacular on the second floor. We had asked for a corner unit but it was on the ground floor so we moved to the second floor instead. We like to be higher up so that we can leave the doors/windows open at night.







View in front of us on Molokai.







View from our condo while I was making dinner. I have photos of the inside too and can forward them to you if you are interested.


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## rifleman69

GregT said:


> I am stuck slaving over a keyboard. Can you post a picture for us? Thanks!



You don't want today's pic...the rain showers are leaving tomorrow night.   It is pouring here, although earlier today it was lightly raining.


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## rifleman69

iconnections said:


> We rented a 1 BR oceanfront suite at the Aston at Papakea and this was at the recommendation of a TUGger here last year. I kept the information and wasn't sure what to do when I read this thread and it was mentioned that this place was a dump. It is not a dump, IMHO. I don't know about the timeshare condos as I haven't seen them.
> 
> We ended up in a private condo and it was very nicely refurbished from top to toe so we were very happy. The grounds are nice and the daily service was excellent. We would like to rent from this owner again but I don't believe that they are allowed to do this. They are not at our Maui Sunset condo project either where we have rented privately before too. It is in their contract as we contacted the owner direct.
> 
> The first few days the trade winds were very strong and there is no beach here but only a sea wall but the view from our condo was spectacular on the second floor. We had asked for a corner unit but it was on the ground floor so we moved to the second floor instead. We like to be higher up so that we can leave the doors/windows open at night.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View in front of us on Molokai.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View from our condo while I was making dinner. I have photos of the inside too and can forward them to you if you are interested.



The beach at Papakea disappears every few years...it used to be always there way back when but one of the newer places up the beach (north) affected the natural flow of the waves and the beach just disappeared.   It came back within the past 10 years again but has disappeared again.


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## MOXJO7282

We have 3 annual and an EOY 2BDRM MOCs which we look forward to some day locking off for 8 weeks.  Add in our KBC 2BDRM LO and some day God willing we'll be able to spend 10 weeks in Hawaii

We also look forward to share our 2BDRM weeks with loved ones so we can see ourselves inviting couples and family members for a week here a week there when we string of 2 BDRM weeks together.


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## MichaelColey

If I were staying 8 weeks a year in Hawaii...

Flights for 5 of us would cost about $3000 or less.  (The most we've ever paid is $640 per ticket, and we usually use FF miles if it's "too expensive".)  A rental car should be $2000 or less.  (We usually get rates near $200/week.)  Food should be about $2500.  (We usually spend about $300/week, which is just a little more than at home.)  We probably wouldn't spend more than $500 on excursions.  (We spend most of our time at the beach.)  That's about $6000 in non-timeshare expenses.

So if we exchanged in for an average cost of about $500/week (and we're seldom over that, even in Hawaii), that's $4000 for the timeshares.  $10,000 total for an 8 week trip.

Compare that to $2,500 per week, owning beach-front weeks.  That's $20,000 for the timeshares and $26,000 total.

Maybe that's not expensive to some people, but it is for us.  At $10k for 8 weeks, we would probably get several good ocean view units, and perhaps even an ocean front one.  We would gladly forego a guaranteed oceanfront or ocean view, rather than spend almost 3 times as much.

For the same $26,000, we could spend 6 months in Hawaii.  I would much rather enjoy it for 6 months in a variety of Hawaii timeshares (some without a view) than 8 weeks in an ocean front timeshare.


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## rickandcindy23

Yes, we own 8 weeks per year between our Pono Kai and Maui weeks.  I have no need of all of those weeks, as exchanges are easy enough on Kauai.  Maui is another thing altogether, especially during whale season, when we want to go to Maui.

Our Hono Koa weeks are so close to the ocean, we do have to shut our doors at night to sleep.  It was both noisy and chilly last month during our stay.  We have two sliding doors in the bedroom, the two doors meet at the corner, so I closed one all of the way, and the other most of the way, just to sleep. The waves hit that retaining wall pretty hard sometimes, and it's loud.  

Hono Koa is an ordinary resort, and I don't recommend it as a trade through the exchange companies.  You won't get a good unit assignment as an exchanger.  There are only a few units worth owning, and of those, most are not great views.  You really have to own an end unit.


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## csalter2

*Can't determine Value*

I cannot determine value from the majority of posts because the size of the unit is not shared. It's one thing to pay $3000 for a studio in Hawaii as opposed to paying  $3000 and getting a one or even a 2 bedroom.  Also, if one is getting an oceanfront or ocean unit. 

Please share the amount of the maintenance fees and the unit size or view.


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## MichaelColey

On our exchanges, the only thing we've ever exchanged into is 2BR units.


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## MOXJO7282

csalter2 said:


> I cannot determine value from the majority of posts because the size of the unit is not shared. It's one thing to pay $3000 for a studio in Hawaii as opposed to paying  $3000 and getting a one or even a 2 bedroom.  Also, if one is getting an oceanfront or ocean unit.
> 
> Please share the amount of the maintenance fees and the unit size or view.



Our 4 2BDRM MOC, 2 OV, 2 OF would lock-off to 56 nights at $144 per night includes MFs as of 2013 of $7702 plus split fees of $300.


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## taffy19

rickandcindy23 said:


> Yes, we own 8 weeks per year between our Pono Kai and Maui weeks. I have no need of all of those weeks, as exchanges are easy enough on Kauai. Maui is another thing altogether, especially during whale season, when we want to go to Maui.
> 
> Our Hono Koa weeks are so close to the ocean, we do have to shut our doors at night to sleep. It was both noisy and chilly last month during our stay. We have two sliding doors in the bedroom, the two doors meet at the corner, so I closed one all of the way, and the other most of the way, just to sleep. The waves hit that retaining wall pretty hard sometimes, and it's loud.
> 
> Hono Koa is an ordinary resort, and I don't recommend it as a trade through the exchange companies. You won't get a good unit assignment as an exchanger. There are only a few units worth owning, and of those, most are not great views. You really have to own an end unit.


Is it a fixed week/unit, Cindy?  If so, you know what you are getting so not worry about the view you may get.


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## rickandcindy23

iconnections said:


> Is it a fixed week/unit, Cindy?  If so, you know what you are getting so not worry about the view you may get.



It's not fixed weeks we own, it's 1-50, but it is a fixed view, oceanfront, 50 feet from the water.  We have never stayed in the units above or below, always the 3rd floor.  The buildings are 4 stories only.  

We own those two weeks in one unit type.  We are VERY happy with our ownership at Hono Koa, but it's just four units with the amazing views.  We own the oceanfront unit type. 

Our maintenance fees are about $1,350 per week for 2 bedroom units.  I would buy more of those units, if only they weren't so rare. 

Not Marriott or Westin quality at all, but the views are to die for.


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## tfalk

You might want to look into fractional ownership of a condo but it seems like it hasn't really taken off in Hawaii yet.  The buy-in isn't cheap either but then again, neither would be buying 8 weeks in a timeshare.  Our yearly expenses for our 8 week interval are around $6500 right now in Princeville.


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## Tamaradarann

*Fractional Ownership versus Timeshare*



tfalk said:


> You might want to look into fractional ownership of a condo but it seems like it hasn't really taken off in Hawaii yet.  The buy-in isn't cheap either but then again, neither would be buying 8 weeks in a timeshare.  Our yearly expenses for our 8 week interval are around $6500 right now in Princeville.



Before I bought alot of the timeshares that we own I looked at the Ritz Carlton Fractional Ownership system.  Here are the things I found out:

Fractional Ownership is a great idea versus timeshare if money is no an issue.

They offer you luggage storage, booking of activities and events, and the same unit if you want.  However, there are downsides:

The initial cost for 3 weeks was $250K
The maintenance was about $10k/year
The weeks were not consecutive so you couldn't go to a far off place for 3 weeks.  You may get one winter week, one spring week and one summer week.  Therefore, you had 3 roundtrip airfares and transfers to pay and 6 travel days to waste for 3 weeks of vacation.

The Hilton Timeshares system buying resales gives us what we want for $60K inital cost, 5K/year maintenance for about 15 weeks of vacation per year, and we can book those weeks consecutive or spread out not having to pay extra roundtrip airfares and transfer to far away places such as Hawaii.


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## rifleman69

There's more to fractional ownership than Ritz Carlton.   I know of a family who owns a condo with 10 or 11 other families (believe that everyone gets a month and one family gets two months).   One year you have March, the next April, the next May...and so on.   But when you get December, you also have the following January!

I'd look at something more than the Ritz Carlton if I was going to do fractional ownership...the money they're keeping off the top just astounds me.


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## slip

When I was looking at Hawaii fractionals, they either had that rotating
Month setup or you had the same two months every year. That just didn't
Give me the flexibility that I wanted and that my timeshares provided me.


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## PassionForTravel

It's great how we all value different things. While a water view from the room is nice it's not something I would pay a lot of extra money for.  Which works out well for the view people, because someone has to take the cheaper island view rooms.

For me a great beach within walking distance is the most desirable thing. Thats why when we go to maui and stay at the WM, we rarely go to valley isle (water views from the room) but beach not that great. But always stay at kihei no direct water views but great beach across the street.

But then I'm also the guy who will take an inside cabin on a cruise ship to save a few bucks.

Ian


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## Beefnot

PassionForTravel said:


> It's great how we all value different things. While a water view from the room is nice it's not something I would pay a lot of extra money for.  Which works out well for the view people, because someone has to take the cheaper island view rooms.
> 
> For me a great beach within walking distance is the most desirable thing. Thats why when we go to maui and stay at the WM, we rarely go to valley isle (water views from the room) but beach not that great. But always stay at kihei no direct water views but great beach across the street.
> 
> But then I'm also the guy who will take an inside cabin on a cruise ship to save a few bucks.
> 
> Ian



I was with you until that last sentence. Whoa there, I say whoa there.


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## bastroum

Reading the posts in this thread really tells me that this is a popular idea (staying long term in Hawaii in a timeshare). Seems to bode well for the value of these units rising in price. Especially since so few new units are being built or even planned. Maybe owning in Hawaii is not such a bad idea even with the high maintenance fees.


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## danb

*Multiple weeks in Hawaii*

We rented vacation homes in Oahu in the past and they were not cheap. For a 3br it will cost at least $2500/wk. if you want to stay in a really nice area and be near the beach it will go up. 
Don't have to worry about that any more, we just moved to Oahu. Moving in our new home Saturday. Staying at the GW right now.


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## DazedandConfused

Who in their right mind would want to stay 8+ weeks in Hawaii when you could easily stay 24+ weeks in a super nice place like Branson, Mo (or insert any other cheap place) for the same money?

The Hawaii beaches would be great if they can eliminate that messy sand that sticks to my feet and gets between my toes.

The Hawaiian ocean would be great if they could eliminate the salt and scarey things like sharks.

The Hawaii pools would be great if they could eliminate people peeing in the pool and stop people from hogging the lounge chairs.

The Hawaiian sun and sunset would be great if there was no such thing as sunburns and skin cancer.

The Hawaiian pineapples would be great if they could eliminate the sugar content for people on a diet.

The Hawaiian lei's would be great if they could eliminate the flower fragrance that irritates my allergies.

The Hawaiian whales would be great if they could alter their schedule to a less busy time as it is hard to get reservations when they visit.

The Hawaiian palm trees would be great if they could eliminate the fear I have of being hit on the head with a deadly coconut when I walk under them.

Finally, Hawaii would be great if they could stop all that lava flow from the volcanoes as nothing would ruin my trip there than dying a painful and excruciating death in hot molten lava and ashes.

Gee.....who really wants to stay in Hawaii for 8+ weeks when they have all these problems and issues?


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## Tamaradarann

*Fractional Ownership Plan*



rifleman69 said:


> There's more to fractional ownership than Ritz Carlton.   I know of a family who owns a condo with 10 or 11 other families (believe that everyone gets a month and one family gets two months).   One year you have March, the next April, the next May...and so on.   But when you get December, you also have the following January!
> 
> I'd look at something more than the Ritz Carlton if I was going to do fractional ownership...the money they're keeping off the top just astounds me.



Is this Fractional Ownership a marketed plan or one that the families set up themselves?  I have never heard of that model.  That model still wouldn't work for us since we would always want January, February and March not April thru December.


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## Tamaradarann

*Fractional Ownership on Oahu*



slip said:


> When I was looking at Hawaii fractionals, they either had that rotating
> Month setup or you had the same two months every year. That just didn't
> Give me the flexibility that I wanted and that my timeshares provided me.



I have never run into Fractional Ownership in Honolulu where we would want to stay.  Are there any?


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## GregT

DazedandConfused said:


> Who in their right mind would want to stay 8+ weeks in Hawaii when you could easily stay 24+ weeks in a super nice place like Branson, Mo (or insert any other cheap place) for the same money?



This is creative thinking -- nice work!   Gets me thinking.....

There are enough Silver Studios in the Marriott/HGVC/Starwood system that it would be possible for me to live in a Silver Studio, traveling between Orlando/Myrtle Beach/Hilton Head/Park City, using StarOptions, HGVC points, and Marriott DC points.   Summer is the tricky season -- so I need someplace stiflying hot or humid that doesn't appeal to families.

Perhaps I'll ask my wife if year-round Silver Studios are preferable to Hawaii....hmmmm.............

Best,

Greg


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## slip

Tamaradarann said:


> I have never run into Fractional Ownership in Honolulu where we would want to stay.  Are there any?



I was only looking on the Big Island and Kauai at the time. I never looked at 
Oahu. Everything is more expensive there and that's one reason I didn't look
There. I'm more of a small town person and Honolulu isn't a good fit for me.
I did like my time there and we will return to see some of the sights we missed
Though.


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## easyrider

DazedandConfused said:


> Who in their right mind would want to stay 8+ weeks in Hawaii when you could easily stay 24+ weeks in a super nice place like Branson, Mo (or insert any other cheap place) for the same money?
> 
> 
> Gee.....who really wants to stay in Hawaii for 8+ weeks when they have all these problems and issues?




You forgot the loud birds. The doves are really loud in some areas. COO COO COO COO. The loud chickens in some places start crowing any time they please.

You also forgot the prehistorically large bugs. Cane spiders are huge and like a tarantula wearing Nike they are really fast. Centipedes get a foot long. Hawaii is the only place I have been to where cockroaches fly.

If you live in Hawaii you know about the mold. It grows on everything.

Hawaiian music hurts my ears. Most of it sounds like 40's and 50's type crooning to me.

Then there is the rain. It can rain forever or at least most of a vacation trip.

There are so many rules now days in Hawaii. No smoking anywhere. More posted areas. Dont drive on beach.

But when its nice its really a great place to be, imo. Anyway, I can do 8 weeks in Worldmark units if I wanted. The cost isn't too bad but the resorts are not Marriots or Westins. Two bedroom unit for under $1000 or 1 bed for about $850. So 8 weeks would cost cost about $8000. 

Saying the above I would rather be in Mexico. My two bed UVC is way more opulent than any Marriott or Westin. I could do 8 weeks here in a two bed unit for about $5000. The fishing is better. I can drive on the beach. I can smoke anywhere I please. It doesn't rain near as much. The locals are nicer in Mexico. In Hawaii you need to pay the locals in order for them to be happy. If you dont know what I mean go to Waianae after dark and ask directions, lol.


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## carl2591

PearlCity said:


> Greg, you might be better off renting a vacation home in Hawaii instead. There are good deals on vrbo, but outside of vrbo, because you are looking at a longer period, 2 months or so, you can find real estate management companies that will rent for even less than vrbo listings.  With the strong labor unions in Hawaii your maintensce fees at resorts are tied to those agreements. Not so with private rentals. Just food for thought. If you're thinking trading in or adding to your hgvc and wm. That might be a good idea.



how about airbnb.com   sorta like vrbo but different. you can get access to a sofa, RV, Travel Trailer or condo.. it looks like a cool way to travel for little money.


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## danb

*8 weeks in Hawaii*

Dazed and confused I love your post. 
This week has been really hectic for us, changing over our bank accounts, signing all the forms for purchasing our home, shopping for some things we will need to live in our home before our stuff arrives. Changing over our car insurance and getting new furniture. But where ever we go or whoever we speak to we have gotten such a warm welcome that I am overwhelmed. 
So far we love it here although I might get annoyed at the sticky sand on my feet though, it happened today at the beach. I still have a hard time realizing that I will wake up to these beautiful sunrises and weather every day.i didn't ship our snow shovels over, don't care if I never see the stuff again. 
All in all everyone has a slightly different opinion but the bottom line we all love staying in paradise. 
Mahalo to you all for your great posts through the years, I learned so much from TUG. Probably what has gotten us here.


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## rifleman69

Tamaradarann said:


> Is this Fractional Ownership a marketed plan or one that the families set up themselves?  I have never heard of that model.  That model still wouldn't work for us since we would always want January, February and March not April thru December.




It's called, 10 or 11 families buying a condo and dividing it out.   Why would you need someone to market the plan to you and take 25-35% off the top minimum?   Think outside the box.


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## rifleman69

PearlCity said:


> Greg, you might be better off renting a vacation home in Hawaii instead. There are good deals on vrbo, but outside of vrbo, because you are looking at a longer period, 2 months or so, you can find real estate management companies that will rent for even less than vrbo listings.  With the strong labor unions in Hawaii your maintensce fees at resorts are tied to those agreements. Not so with private rentals. Just food for thought. If you're thinking trading in or adding to your hgvc and wm. That might be a good idea.



Yep, there's plenty of listings on VRBO who would love to rent to one person for 2+ months.   And you're so right on the maintenance fees.


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## SMHarman

GregT said:


> This is creative thinking -- nice work!   Gets me thinking.....
> 
> Summer is the tricky season -- so I need someplace stiflying hot or humid that doesn't appeal to families.
> 
> Perhaps I'll ask my wife if year-round Silver Studios are preferable to Hawaii....hmmmm.............
> 
> Best,
> 
> Greg


Arizona?  28-35 are cents on the dollar at that time of year!



DazedandConfused said:


> The Hawaiian pineapples would be great if they could eliminate the sugar content for people on a diet.


Wonderful, someone else who understands it is sugar not fat that makes you fat!


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## tfalk

Tamaradarann said:


> Is this Fractional Ownership a marketed plan or one that the families set up themselves?  I have never heard of that model.  That model still wouldn't work for us since we would always want January, February and March not April thru December.



In the particular fractional that I own, there are 6 owners with a dedicated 8+week interval with several days between each interval to allow for maintenance, etc.  My interval happens to be July 14 - September 12 and we paid extra for that interval compared to some of the other intervals.  Obviously, there are high and low times and the intervals were priced accordingly to start with.  It all depends on the person or persons creating the fractional in the first place.


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## gnorth16

Our parents have a cottage and are planning to purchase a second home in Costa Rica with the intention of them staying in the family after they pass away.  I have already stated that I do not want a cottage or a second home.  I have a home that has a "to do list" that needs attention, why would I want to spend part of my vacation fixing a property 200 or 2000 miles away?!?!?!  *Timeshares do not have a "to do list"!* 

I don't have to be in Hawaii all winter and would be happy with anything with golf weather and the odd day at the pool.  As for the summer, trading into weeks in the Mountains seems fairly easy and the weather can't be beat!!!


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## alwysonvac

PearlCity said:


> Greg, you might be better off renting a vacation home in Hawaii instead. There are good deals on vrbo, but outside of vrbo, because you are looking at a longer period, 2 months or so, you can find real estate management companies that will rent for even less than vrbo listings.  With the strong labor unions in Hawaii your maintensce fees at resorts are tied to those agreements. Not so with private rentals. Just food for thought. If you're thinking trading in or adding to your hgvc and wm. That might be a good idea.



This is the path I've chosen. I'm worried what MFs will look like in 15 to 20 years when I retire. 
I remember seeing some rentals at Ko Olina that I thought wasn't bad for longer stays (see below). 



> From - http://www.koolinarental.com/KoOlinaRentalFactSheet2013.pdf
> 
> _Ko Olina Fairways:
> 2 bedroom/ 2 bath furnished- $2400/ mo
> 3 bedroom/2 bath furnished- $2600-3000/ mo
> 
> Ko Olina Hillside:
> 2 bedroom/ 2.5 bath furnished- $2800/ mo
> 3 bedroom/2.5 bath furnished- $3200/ mo
> 
> Ko Olina Kai:
> 2 bedroom/ 2 bath furnished- $3200/ mo
> 3 bedroom/2.5 bath furnished- $3400-3600/ mo
> 
> Coconut Plantation:
> 2 bedroom/ 2 bath furnished- $3400/ mo
> 3 bedroom/2.5 bath furnished- $3600-3800/ mo
> 
> Kai Lani:
> 2 bedroom/ 2 bath furnished- $3400/ mo
> 3 bedroom/2 bath furnished- $3600/ mo_




Also, if you know a particular area/community, you can also find listings by real estate mgmt companies via an online search. For example
- http://www.honua-kaanapali-maui.com/Rentals.php
- http://www.kaanapalibeachrentals.com/vacation-rental2.maui/Honua_Kai_Resort_and_Spa
- http://www.kauaivacationrentals.com


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## alwysonvac

*Car rental for multiple months?*

What's the best way to rent a car for 2+ months?


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## artringwald

Beaglemom3 said:


> As suggested above,   www.vrbo.com  or www.weneedavacation.com
> 
> or a home exchange program with someone in Hawaii ?



If anyone from Hawaii would want to spend Feb and March in Minnesota, I'd be willing to trade homes, but I'm not sure I'd want a crazy person staying in my house.


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## talkamotta

csalter2 said:


> I own enough weeks to spend 8 weeks on Maui through my DRI points. There is Ka'anapali Beach Club, Ka'anapali Shores, Valley Isle, and Papakea. None of these are of Marriott standard but the first two are pretty nice. The last two are good spots to lay low in and live and just to enjoy, but are not fancy. They are fine for me, but not for my wife.  They have full facilities and pools and grills etc.
> 
> Plus I have my Marriott points that could make us even closer neighbors than we are now in so Cal, GretT.   We could hang out in retirement and enjoy the sunsets with our wives together.  We would have to leave our horrible winters behind and head to Maui during whale watching season.   That's all a part of my retirement plan.
> 
> Now GregT, I was just thinking about maintenance fees. 8 weeks at 2500/year for maintenance fees would be $20,000/year. Any thoughts on that?



Sands of Kahana  mfs are about $1400 and its a real nice place too.  Right on the beach.


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## Jwerking

Hi All:

Very interesting thread.  Hubby and I retired about a year ago and we will be spending our first winter in HI.  We booked 7 weeks of timeshare and one month in a private rental on the Big Island as follows:

Dec 14-21:  Marriott KoOlina - 2 BR, II trade
Dec 21- Jan 4:  Lawai Beach Resort - 2 BR- HTSE exchanges
Jan 4- Feb 1:  Wyndham Mauna Loa Village (Big Island) - 2BR, RCI trades 
Feb 1-Mar 2:  Private 1 BR rental on Hilo side 

Just doing a rough calculation for the 7 timeshare weeks:  the maintenance fees totaled $3750 and exchange fees totaled $1535 ( of which $625 was to HTSE - which included fees for unit upgrades to 2BR units).  Also, maintenance is low because we own two lockoffs in Hilton Head where the $850 maint gets us two RCI trades.  So average costs of about $755 per week - not too shabby for 2 br units including the Xmas/New Years weeks.  Of course, as exchangers, we will not have ocean views and it is a bummer that the Mauna Loa resort is quite a walk from a beach ( didn't do my due diligence on research since we were vacation in New Zealand when these units appeared on RCI).  

Private rentals with an awesome ocean view are very expensive in HI - a min of about $4K per month ( including cleaning fee and 13% tax).  We found a budget rental for about $1700 total for Feb. - which received excellent Tripadvisor reviews - but is described as "homey".  May not be for everyone - but it is suppose to have a nice ocean view.  While I love Marriotts, I can live with the Days Inn.

We are using FF tickets for the airfare and with constantly checking various car rental sites - total car rental totals about $2500 for the 11 weeks ($230 week - includes all fees).  The most expensive costs was flying my daughter and hubby to Kauai for Xmas week - it was $1600 per ticket.  But with help of Tuggers, I got an Alaska Airline credit card that came with a companion certificate and got both tickets for about $1800.  Luv Tuggers!

Okay, I just added up the total costs of the 11 weeks - so about $10K which includes accomodations and car.  Ah well - what is money for except to enjoy! Of course, we have to eat while there - LOL!  But I have learned to cook a lot more during our timeshare vacations to save $$.  During our 2 months in New Zealand in Dec and Jan - we only ate out about 10 times total - restaurants are so expensive there.  Our first meal out, we were charged $12 for 5 little dinner rolls.  Needless to say, we never asked for bread again for a meal.  

Have given thought to buying some cheap Wyndam points - but the thought of what to do with all these timeshares in our old age worries us.  Don't know that our two daughters are even interested in assuming that kind of costs for the ever interesting maint and exchange fees.  But we sure have enjoyed timesharing over the years.

Joyce


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## cissy

Lockoffs on Hilton Head?  I thought they weren't allowed.  I'd be curious to know where.


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## JanB

*New Condo Owners*

We owned 7 weeks at the Kona Coast Resort having bought our first 2 weeks in 1996 which was our entry into timesharing.  We love it, and Hawaii, so much, after all that time, we bought a whole ownership condo just around the corner from the resort and closed yesterday  We are very excited, but unfortunately will not be able to visit until the end of August.  Needless to say we will be divesting our ownerships at the timeshare, but actually thought about keeping one.  However, the KCR doesn't allow day use privleges for owners so there is really no need to keep even one.  For us, after so many years of maintenance fees, the timing was right and made sense for us.


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## taffy19

JanB said:


> We owned 7 weeks at the Kona Coast Resort having bought our first 2 weeks in 1996 which was our entry into timesharing. We love it, and Hawaii, so much, after all that time, we bought a whole ownership condo just around the corner from the resort and closed yesterday  We are very excited, but unfortunately will not be able to visit until the end of August. Needless to say we will be divesting our ownerships at the timeshare, but actually thought about keeping one. However, the KCR doesn't allow day use privleges for owners so there is really no need to keep even one. For us, after so many years of maintenance fees, the timing was right and made sense for us.


Congratulations!  You have a place to go to with an easy flight.


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## JanB

Yes, but we still have to watch for good prices.  Often the cost of a 1/way flight is nearly $400.  We do have drivable airports in the bay area where very often the cost is much less than Sacramento.  We will, of course, still have our other timeshares.


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## easyrider

Beaglemom3 said:


> Greg,
> Your primary residence is in a great area. Not sure if you're comfortable with home exchange, but here's the website to the most reliable and best established one :  http://www.homeexchange.com/?gclid=CIHD1ZKe2bYCFccw4AoddGsAMA
> 
> I am looking into trading a summer week at my Cape Cod cottage for another place. WIll only trade with a member who has been a member for a while with good feedback.



This does look interesting. Do you know anyone that has used this site for a long trade ?

Anyway, with our worldmark we can do multiple locations in Hawaii or easily trade in RCI to Kauai and Big Island. Depending on unit size the worldmark would be 8000 points a week for a studio or 12000 for a two bed. Im using 8 cents a point as a cost so that would be $640 for the studio and $960 for the 2 bed per week.

Bill


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## Kauai Kid

There is also the possibility of purchasing fractional ownership where you own one forth, on third, etc of the condo and in some cases also have fractional ownership of a car.


Sterling


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## b2bailey

*Variety is the spice of life...*

_In a second home, you can control what chairs you sit on, what kitchens you cook from, what beds you sleep on...with timeshares, you're at the mercy of the timeshare management company, which I can guarantee has a different outlook on the above amenities (and others) compared to yourself.[/QUOTE]_

When I read this posting I thought to myself...I enjoy the surprise of what I will find in each new timeshare unit.


----------

