# Just back from WKORV last night and I'd have to say the place now earns a SOLID 10!



## ciscogizmo1 (Nov 28, 2010)

What a great week.  Originally, I had thought we hadn't been there in 2 years but it looks like we haven't been there in 3 years after looking back through my records.  It is amazing what a difference that made as far as the construction goes.  It is so much nicer now that everything is completed.   The trees have mature and the grounds look lovely.   We were in unit 2519/2517.  You could barely see the pool from the balcony as there was so much greenry.  So, I think floors below the 5th floor might have a harder time seeing the ocean.  But is very lush and tropical.  

I love how the boardwalk continues to the shopping center where Times (the old Star Market) is located.   I walked everyday and it was beautiful.  There were tons of people using the boardwalk to walk to the grocery store.  The Times Store was about .6 miles away.   In the other direction towards The Whaler's Village it is 1.25 miles to the Marriott Maui and about .75 miles to Whaler's Village.   The path is very easy to follow through Kaanapali Villas and Royal Lahania Resorts.   Hopefully, the path will still be there after they tear down the Royal Lahaina Resort to build multi-million dollar condos. 

Plus, there are more restaurant options now.  The Westin Villas has 3 but we didn't use any of them.  We did go to Duke's which is walking distance from the villa and it was just okay.  The path is lit at night so, you can walk it.   The restaurant is located along the path and has a great view of the sunset in the evening.  They also serve breakfast (we did not try).  In the opposite direction there is Castaway Cafe -- which we've eaten in the past for breakfast and it is great.  You are also really close to Basil Tomatoes which is definitely walking distance -- but we did not try so, I don't know how the food is.   There is also another restaurant at the Royal Lahaina Resort too.  So, it is nice to have more options near by even though we didn't use them. 

The shuttle to the Sheraton & Westin hotels run every 15 to 20 minutes.  The shuttle to Cannery Row Mall, Hilo Hattie & Lahania Gateway runs every hour, it also picks up passengers at Sheraton & Westin as well.   There are many options for grocery shopping along the way.  At Cannery Row Mall it stops right next to Safeway and Longs Drug Store.  Then, it stops at Hilo Hattie so, you are within walking distance to all the activities and restaruants on Front Street.   Then, it stops at Lahania Gateway which has a Organic grocery store; Walgreens; lots of stores; Panda Express; Melting Pot; etc...  Lots of options here.

The weather was great all week.   We only had one day of waves but we boogie boarded that day instead.  The snorkeling out front was great.   I think, this is what it made it a "10" for us.  Just being able to walk out your front door to the beach and snorkel.  There was also a vendor renting the standup paddle boards.  That was fun to do as well.

On Friday they did have a vendor type fair where they setup on the grass between the beach and the resort.  They were selling lots of lovely things.  Very nice merchandise.

I'll post some pictures later but if you have any questions let me know.  My husband tried to go the sales presentation to get more points since we are completely out (no more free airfare to Hawaii) but they were booked.  Can you believe that.  Anyways after a few days there we decided to go next Thanksgiving as well and so, I was able to reserve next year as well but I'm scared as I called 2 days late.  So, I wonder what kind of room we'll get.  LOL....


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## ciscogizmo1 (Nov 28, 2010)

I forgot to add my information about the towel/chair hogs:

I totally forgot to mention in my review of WKORV.  The chair hogs are no longer a huge issue.  When you check in you are given pool towel cards.  Each card is worth $15.   You exchange your towel for the key.  When you turn a towel back in they give you the key back.   Then, at 9 am, 10 am and 11 am the pool staff walks around an puts cards on your towels if no one is sitting at the lounge chair and within an hour they will remove your towels and you will owe $15 per towel.  They expect you to come and check your belongings at least once an hour.  I don't think this is an unreasonable request.  So, nobody came down at 6 am to reserve their chairs.  It was easy to find a chair in the afternoon.  We usually found one in the shade by the beach hut.   So, I'll be curious to see how this help in the summer.


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## DavidnRobin (Nov 28, 2010)

Excellent news - thanks for the updates - glad you enjoyed your vacation - we arrive next Saturday - we can't wait...


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## LisaH (Nov 28, 2010)

Our friends from East Bay were at WKORV the same week as you. I was told pretty much the same thing. It seems that many were from Bay area with kids for Thanksgiving week. They saw whales on numerous occasions...how exciting!


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## vacationtime1 (Nov 28, 2010)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> I forgot to add my information about the towel/chair hogs:
> 
> I totally forgot to mention in my review of WKORV.  The chair hogs are no longer a huge issue.  When you check in you are given pool towel cards.  Each card is worth $15.   You exchange your towel for the key.  When you turn a towel back in they give you the key back.   Then, at 9 am, 10 am and 11 am the pool staff walks around an puts cards on your towels if no one is sitting at the lounge chair and within an hour they will remove your towels and you will owe $15 per towel.  They expect you to come and check your belongings at least once an hour.  I don't think this is an unreasonable request.  So, nobody came down at 6 am to reserve their chairs.  It was easy to find a chair in the afternoon.  We usually found one in the shade by the beach hut.   So, I'll be curious to see how this help in the summer.



Ditto.  I was there November 7-14.  My lanai overlooked the WKORVN pool.  I noticed empty chairs at 10:00 am and at 1:00 pm -- both in the sun and in the shade.

Of course, I was there during a school week and there were few families with school-aged kids.  In fact, it was not crowded at all.  So I didn't make much about the availability of pool chairs.   I, too, am curious as to whether the pool towel card system will make a difference during prime weeks.


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## gregb (Nov 28, 2010)

I like the new towel/chair  policy.  I haven't visited the resort since it was started, (we go in early Feb.) but I can easily imagine that it helps make chairs available.  I think this is a good example of how Starwood tries to address owner's issues.

Greg


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## LisaRex (Nov 29, 2010)

I have to say that I am not a fan of their new shuttle schedule.  I liked the old schedule better -- it ran to all locations (Westin hotel, Sheraton hotel, Westin villas and various Lahaina locations) every 20 minutes.  Now they run a very convenient schedule (every 20 minutes) between the Starwood hotels, but the one to Lahaina only runs every hour.  

I mean, are there really that many people who want to visit the other Starwood hotels?


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## ciscogizmo1 (Nov 29, 2010)

LisaRex said:


> I have to say that I am not a fan of their new shuttle schedule.  I liked the old schedule better -- it ran to all locations (Westin hotel, Sheraton hotel, Westin villas and various Lahaina locations) every 20 minutes.  Now they run a very convenient schedule (every 20 minutes) between the Starwood hotels, but the one to Lahaina only runs every hour.
> 
> I mean, are there really that many people who want to visit the other Starwood hotels?



Well, when I used the shuttle there were tons of people from the Villas going to Sheraton to snorkel at black rock.   Also, many of the passengers were going to the Whaler from the Villas and Sheraton.  I know it seems silly but a ton of Sheraton riders got off at the Westin stop so, I can only assume they were going to Whaler's Village which is right next door to the Westin stop.

In fact, when I was waiting for the Lahaina bus another couple was trying to Whaler's Village and the 1st bus that showed up filled up and there was only standing room and they did not want to stand.  They just waited for the Lahaina bus since it was going in the same direction.  When I was going to Lahaina I was only person from the Villas going but by time we got to the Westin it was definitely standing room only.  

Even though the bus only run every hour it really takes about an hour to drive the entire loop anyways.   I'm just happy they even offer such a service which I'm pretty sure we pay through our dues but still nice.  You did have to have to show your room key to board.


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## gregb (Nov 29, 2010)

Sorry Lisa, but the bus schedule has not changed in the 4 years we have been going there.  It has always been a frequent bus to the other Starwood properties (every 10-20 minutes) and once an hour to Lahaina.  We often use the bus to Whalers Village.  We will walk down, have lunch and then take the bus back.

Greg



LisaRex said:


> I have to say that I am not a fan of their new shuttle schedule.  I liked the old schedule better -- it ran to all locations (Westin hotel, Sheraton hotel, Westin villas and various Lahaina locations) every 20 minutes.  Now they run a very convenient schedule (every 20 minutes) between the Starwood hotels, but the one to Lahaina only runs every hour.
> 
> I mean, are there really that many people who want to visit the other Starwood hotels?


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## paluamalia (Nov 29, 2010)

*Thanks for the update*



ciscogizmo1 said:


> I forgot to add my information about the towel/chair hogs:
> 
> I totally forgot to mention in my review of WKORV.  The chair hogs are no longer a huge issue.  When you check in you are given pool towel cards.  Each card is worth $15.   You exchange your towel for the key.  When you turn a towel back in they give you the key back.   Then, at 9 am, 10 am and 11 am the pool staff walks around an puts cards on your towels if no one is sitting at the lounge chair and within an hour they will remove your towels and you will owe $15 per towel.  They expect you to come and check your belongings at least once an hour.  I don't think this is an unreasonable request.  So, nobody came down at 6 am to reserve their chairs.  It was easy to find a chair in the afternoon.  We usually found one in the shade by the beach hut.   So, I'll be curious to see how this help in the summer.



thanks for all the info....we are considering going to Maui from Nov. 20, 2011 for 2 weeks over Thanksgiving.  We have never gone that time of year...is it really all that crowded?  I have not reserved yet because I have a reservation in Feb. that I am trying to rent and will need to change by mid-December.  

Should I be concerned about availability?  We have a conference we want to attend in Honolulu the week before and thought we would just stay on so our dates are not really flexible...
Thanks to anyone who knows about this week.

Marie


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## LisaRex (Nov 29, 2010)

gregb said:


> Sorry Lisa, but the bus schedule has not changed in the 4 years we have been going there.  It has always been a frequent bus to the other Starwood properties (every 10-20 minutes) and once an hour to Lahaina.  We often use the bus to Whalers Village.  We will walk down, have lunch and then take the bus back.



The first time I went, in 2008, there was one circuit that ran between the villas and Lahaina, including all the Starwood hotels in between.  They stopped 3 different places in Lahaina, including one at an expensive Japanese steakhouse, (Kobe?), and another at the Cannery Mall.  Can't remember the third.  You could pick up a bus every 20 minutes and it was very convenient.


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## paluamalia (Nov 29, 2010)

*Shuttle*



LisaRex said:


> The first time I went, in 2008, there was one circuit that ran between the villas and Lahaina, including all the Starwood hotels in between.  They stopped 3 different places in Lahaina, including one at an expensive Japanese steakhouse, (Kobe?), and another at the Cannery Mall.  Can't remember the third.  You could pick up a bus every 20 minutes and it was very convenient.



It was the Hilo Hattie shopping center with the recreated Hawaiian Village, they still go there.


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## ciscogizmo1 (Nov 29, 2010)

LisaRex said:


> The first time I went, in 2008, there was one circuit that ran between the villas and Lahaina, including all the Starwood hotels in between.  They stopped 3 different places in Lahaina, including one at an expensive Japanese steakhouse, (Kobe?), and another at the Cannery Mall.  Can't remember the third.  You could pick up a bus every 20 minutes and it was very convenient.



Resort Bus #1 runs every 15 to 20 minutes.  It goes from the Villas to the Sheraton then, to the Westin.  Repeating the loop.

Bus #2 goes from the Villas to the Sheraton to the Westin then, on to Cannery Mall then, to Hilo Hattie and then, to Lahaina Gateway (which is right across the street from Cannery Mall).  

I don't ever remember it stopping at Kobe Steakhouse.  I'm not sure where it would let people off.   Kobe is about 2 blocks away from Hilo Hattie as I walked to the quilting store that is in the same block as the Kobe Steakhouse.

Maybe the schedule is different in the summer due to demand???


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## ciscogizmo1 (Nov 29, 2010)

paluamalia said:


> thanks for all the info....we are considering going to Maui from Nov. 20, 2011 for 2 weeks over Thanksgiving.  We have never gone that time of year...is it really all that crowded?  I have not reserved yet because I have a reservation in Feb. that I am trying to rent and will need to change by mid-December.
> 
> Should I be concerned about availability?  We have a conference we want to attend in Honolulu the week before and thought we would just stay on so our dates are not really flexible...
> Thanks to anyone who knows about this week.
> ...



I have no idea about availability.   I would call them and ask.  I'm sure they can tell if they are almost full.  I did call for Thanksgiving 2011 and they still had availability when I called 2 days late.  

The resort was busier than when we went 3 years ago in November.  But last time we went WKORV-N was not completely finish.   It did not feel as busy as going in the summer.  We've been in November, June & August.   You could definitely find lounge chairs.  The beach was not crowded at all.

I would say the week before Thanksgiving will have less children than Thanksgiving week.  But there are less than summer because I know not all school districts take the full week off.   

Good luck!!!


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## oneohana (Nov 29, 2010)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> Resort Bus #1 runs every 15 to 20 minutes.  It goes from the Villas to the Sheraton then, to the Westin.  Repeating the loop.
> 
> Bus #2 goes from the Villas to the Sheraton to the Westin then, on to Cannery Mall then, to Hilo Hattie and then, to Lahaina Gateway (which is right across the street from Cannery Mall).
> 
> ...



The shuttle used to stop at Kobe's. They said that there was too much traffic in town and Lahaina won't let them stop there anymore. I'm not sure about the other shuttles. We just walk from Hilo Hatties into town.


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## YYJMSP (Nov 29, 2010)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> I don't ever remember it stopping at Kobe Steakhouse.  I'm not sure where it would let people off.   Kobe is about 2 blocks away from Hilo Hattie as I walked to the quilting store that is in the same block as the Kobe Steakhouse.
> 
> Maybe the schedule is different in the summer due to demand???



We were there this summer, and we did Kobe with our gang of 17 -- the shuttle definitely didn't go that far in to Lahaina.  It stopped at Hilo Hattie.


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## bdogma (Nov 29, 2010)

*question about WKORV views*

Feedback requested from the seasoned Maui owners please. What is the difference in ocean view and island view at the WKORV South property? Island view can't be all bad (or can it?) Is there a true designation called garden view?

I have read that the WKORV North property is all 2 BR and most have decent views whether ocean or island.

What is the worst case scenario in buying an island or garden view vs ocean view at either property? Of course we would prefer an ocean view but the prices are so much higher for the same SO's. We intend to stay there annually or EOY. Would we be really disappointed not buying an ocean view unit? We will be going there in Sept. on a SDO trade but trying to decide now whether or not to buy there to add on as our 3rd mandatory unit. 

Thanks again!


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## gregb (Nov 29, 2010)

bdogma said:


> Feedback requested from the seasoned Maui owners please. What is the difference in ocean view and island view at the WKORV South property? Island view can't be all bad (or can it?) Is there a true designation called garden view?
> 
> I have read that the WKORV North property is all 2 BR and most have decent views whether ocean or island.
> 
> ...



I own at WKORN (North) and it is all 2 bedroom units (with Lock Out capability).  The only difference between the units in WKORN is the view.  They are all about the same size.

You should buy the view you want to have when you visit.  If you buy Island View, you are guaranteed that you will only get you will only get and Island View when you check in.  You don't get upgrades.  You can try waiting until 8 months out, and use your SO's to reserve an Ocean View unit, but by that time, you are competing with all the other *wood SVN members for a unit and view.  And if that is what you plan to do, then buy a less expensive unit that gives you the same SO's and lower MF.

So purchase the view that you want.  On the North, I believe that there not any bad units.  I believe Island View units face onto the courtyard and/or pool.  Unfortunately, on the South side that is not the case.  I believe that some of the island views there look out onto the parking lot and street.

Greg


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## YYJMSP (Nov 29, 2010)

gregb said:


> Unfortunately, on the South side that is not the case.  I believe that some of the island views there look out onto the parking lot and street.



About 50% of the IV units face the the parking lot and highway (no hope of seeing any water at all), about another 25% have a reasonable pool view, and the remaining ones actually have a pretty decent OV over the pool or park next door -- if you end up getting one of these last few (pretty much all Deluxe corner units) on a high floor, the views are actually better (in my opinion) than some of the actual OV units...

There's a distinct possiblity (>60%) that you would get a very disappointing view from an IV unit.

Of course, nothing beats the OF units...


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## LisaRex (Nov 30, 2010)

bdogma said:


> Feedback requested from the seasoned Maui owners please. What is the difference in ocean view and island view at the WKORV South property? Island view can't be all bad (or can it?) Is there a true designation called garden view?



The difficulty with IV/OV on the south side is the dreaded building 4.  I hate that building.  The OV owners get to look at the ocean over a parking lot, and the IV owners get to look at the highway or another building.  OF owners get the best views of the entire resort, on the other hand. 

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77371

By comparison, the IV/OV on the north side all either face the interior or the ocean.  The only clunkers in the whole place are units 38-42 because there is a service area between the two buildings where laundry and trash are gathered for removal. 

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77373

So general rule of thumb is to focus on north side if you want IV/OV and the south side if you want OF.  (Though, honestly, I've been very happy with my north side OF.)

Here's another view that shows both sides from the ocean. 

http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mrwestinkaanapaliocean.html


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## bdogma (Nov 30, 2010)

Great information! Thanks for taking the time to respond - this is such a great group of people. Now I have to be patient and wait for the perfect unit and price. Thanks so much!


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## Denise L (Nov 30, 2010)

Thanks for the update!  Glad you had a great time and that the resort ranked a "10."  I am looking forward to our next visit in 2011:whoopie: .


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## DeniseM (Nov 30, 2010)

gregb said:


> You can try waiting until 8 months out, and use your SO's to reserve an Ocean View unit, but by that time, you are competing with all the other *wood SVN members for a unit and view.



You can't reserve a specific view when you make a Star Option exchange - your unit is  assigned by the resort.  You have no priority for view.


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## zentraveler (Jan 17, 2011)

Have appreciated this thread. First visit there in 2 weeks. 

Is there any "incentive" for attending the sales/informational meeting about the property? First time at the resort and although we usually trade our Four Seasons Aviara time for time in Hawaii we got a promotional offer and are using that instead. I am interested in knowing more about the property, but wonder what the deal is with the info meetings. Interestingly, we don't seem to need to agree to attend one for the offer.


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## DeniseM (Jan 17, 2011)

zentraveler said:


> Have appreciated this thread. First visit there in 2 weeks.
> 
> Is there any "incentive" for attending the sales/informational meeting about the property? First time at the resort and although we usually trade our Four Seasons Aviara time for time in Hawaii we got a promotional offer and are using that instead. I am interested in knowing more about the property, but wonder what the deal is with the info meetings. Interestingly, we don't seem to need to agree to attend one for the offer.



It will be a hard-core sales presentation, and it won't be for this resort.  The resort is sold out.  It will be for the Westin in Princeville or Cancun, most likely.  They are offering a $100 resort gift certificate.

I would skip it!


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## zentraveler (Jan 17, 2011)

> DeniseM said:
> 
> 
> > It will be a hard-core sales presentation, and it won't be for this resort.  The resort is sold out.  It will be for the Westin in Princeville or Cancun, most likely.  They are offering a $100 resort gift certificate.
> ...



Thanks Denise. Interestingly when we were at Princeville last year no one even mentioned the sales presentation. These sales presentations are fascinating (we shrinks are fascinated by all kinds  of things), but the hard-core part is what gets so frustrating. I am more than willing to consider any of this information seriously, but why they think I would be willing to buy anything that expensive on the spot, I have no idea (except that they don't get any commission for my "consideration"  ).


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## DeniseM (Jan 17, 2011)

The other issue is regarding how "informative" a the presentation would be.  Their goal is to sell you the TS - not to be informative or even truthful.  You have come to the best place for truthful information - TUG!


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## eakhat (Jan 19, 2011)

We have attended the sales presentation as exchangers and as owners.  Yes, they do try to sell, but in comparison to other timeshare presentations we have attended over the years, it has been soft sell.  We have had friends and relatives who experienced the same thing.  We did, however, experience a very aggressive, condescending Starwood salesperson when we stayed at the Sheraton in Poipu a few years ago.


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## K&PFitz (Jan 19, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> It will be a hard-core sales presentation, and it won't be for this resort.  The resort is sold out.  It will be for the Westin in Princeville or Cancun, most likely.  They are offering a $100 resort gift certificate.
> 
> I would skip it!



We sat through the WKORV presentation in September, and I posted about it then.  Others had the same experience.  Once the saleswoman saw we weren't interested (which only took her about two minutes) she spent the rest of the time talking about herself and her money.  We were done before I could finish my coffee.  4500 starpoints.


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## tomandrobin (Jan 20, 2011)

Thanks for the update of the resort. 

We were there in July and thought the resort was fantastic! 

I am so glad they are enforcing the chair policy. Being from the East Coast, we were up early every day. And every morning, we would see the chair hogs reserving their 4-10 chairs....and yet not come to the pool until 1pm.:annoyed: 

Looking forward to the pictures!


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 20, 2011)

It all really depends on the salesperson, the knowledge of the invitee, and how the personalities match.  I have had both good and bad.  I had a WKORV salesperson (closer) yell at me and storm out of the room when I countered their fuzzy math with some of my own - (like how buying WPORV will pay for itself on SO-SP conversion alone) - even after informing them I already had more than enough weeks and wasn't interested in buying more.

re: chairs - in December - there was one group hogging chairs every morning (the grouping closet to the ocean), but many chairs were free all day.  We bought our own beach chairs and straw mats (xMart) and sat on the beach - and then left them there for others to use.


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## ACE1 (Jan 20, 2011)

We are at WKORV now. It has really improved since we were here four years ago. We reserved one unit with options and one with Starpoints. The one reserved with Starpoints has daily maid service which makes sense when I think about it but hadn't thought about it ahead of time. My only complaint is why is the pool so much colder than the pool at the Westin hotel. Lots of whales this time of year. Fun to watch them.


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## tomandrobin (Jan 20, 2011)

One day, Robin and I want to be in Maui during whale season. I have seen the videos and looks absolutely amazing. 

Hope everyone enjoys or is enjoying their stay at WKORV


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## zentraveler (Jan 20, 2011)

> K&PFitz said:
> 
> 
> > We sat through the WKORV presentation in September, and I posted about it then.  Others had the same experience.  Once the saleswoman saw we weren't interested (which only took her about two minutes) she spent the rest of the time talking about herself and her money.  We were done before I could finish my coffee.  4500 starpoints.



The last presentation we went to was at the Marriott Ko Olina. It was billed as 90 minutes and we were very upfront with the sales staff that we were genuinely interested in the information (we may in fact buy more time than our FSA someday) , but were not going to buy anything on the spot. We continued to get the hard sell and at 2 hours finally got irritated. I felt like we were being fair with them, but they were not paying any attention to either us or their agreement. Left us cautious about wasting our time, and with a less good feeling than we would have had if they had handled it differently.


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## Maui_ed (Jan 21, 2011)

tomandrobin said:


> One day, Robin and I want to be in Maui during whale season. I have seen the videos and looks absolutely amazing.
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys or is enjoying their stay at WKORV


TomandRobin, you have to do the whale season.  We go on a whale watching trip every time we are there.  The whales never fail to deliver.  We find late February to be just about perfect.  Crappy weather in the Pacific Northwest, great weather in Maui, and whales all day long.  We sat on our lanai at WKORVN and were able to watch whales breaching while sipping a cool one.  Unbelievable.  We will be there again the last week of February this year and are already planning another trip with Trilogy.


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## Maui_ed (Jan 21, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> It will be a hard-core sales presentation, and it won't be for this resort.  The resort is sold out.  It will be for the Westin in Princeville or Cancun, most likely.  They are offering a $100 resort gift certificate.
> 
> I would skip it!


Interesting that they are now selling other than Hawaii.  When we did the presentation a couple of years ago, we told them we weren't interested in Hawaii - we already had two - and they told us that they could not sell any of the other resorts, only Hawaii.


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## zentraveler (Jan 23, 2011)

> DeniseM said:
> 
> 
> > It will be a hard-core sales presentation, and it won't be for this resort.  The resort is sold out.  It will be for the Westin in Princeville or Cancun, most likely.  They are offering a $100 resort gift certificate.
> ...



COMPLETELY unrelated question, but I imagine someone will have some ideas. We will be here Sunday 2/6 for the Superbowl. Is there someplace at the Westin or in the area what would be fun to watch the game? Not huge sports fans, but I am one of those who like the ads and a big screen is always fun.


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## LisaRex (Jan 24, 2011)

zentraveler said:


> COMPLETELY unrelated question, but I imagine someone will have some ideas. We will be here Sunday 2/6 for the Superbowl. Is there someplace at the Westin or in the area what would be fun to watch the game? Not huge sports fans, but I am one of those who like the ads and a big screen is always fun.



They might have something on site.  A few years ago, we were at WSJ for the SuperBowl, and they put up a huge tent and big screen t.v.'s for folks to watch the game.  It was sponsored by a beer company.  They offered burgers and appetizers and a few drinks for around $20 per person, IIRC.  They also had some nice door prizes.  I won one of them, which was dinner for 4 at the on-site restaurant. 

If not, there's an open-air bar/restaurant a few doors up, which you can walk to.  It's a pretty famous chain, but its name escapes me at the moment.  You'll probably need reservations as it's crowded on a normal night.


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## Henry M. (Jan 24, 2011)

Lisa:

I believe you're thinking of Duke's Beach House at the Honua Kai resort that is just north and in walking distance of WKORV-N.


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## gregb (Jan 24, 2011)

Last year they had cabana's with flat screen TV's setup on the lawn at the Ocean Bar.  You could rent one for up to ten people.  They also took reservations for tables in the Ocean bar to watch the game.  So they did do something.  I went to the beach, so I didn't watch the game.

Greg


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## LisaRex (Jan 24, 2011)

emuyshondt said:


> I believe you're thinking of Duke's Beach House at the Honua Kai resort that is just north and in walking distance of WKORV-N.



I was, indeed.  Thank you!


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## zentraveler (Jan 25, 2011)

> LisaRex said:
> 
> 
> > I was, indeed.  Thank you!



Thanks to all! Good ideas.


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## zentraveler (Feb 5, 2011)

> DeniseM said:
> 
> 
> > It will be a hard-core sales presentation, and it won't be for this resort.  The resort is sold out.  It will be for the Westin in Princeville or Cancun, most likely.  They are offering a $100 resort gift certificate.!



Here now. It turns out that they are in "close out" mode here and there are some units for sale. We went to the presentation (actually not so much for the $100/7500 SPG points,  but for the information) and they are trying to close out this property. Decent prices, very good incentives etc. Only available in the North building, which as others have commented on, is the more desirable of the two IMHO.  They were offerering all catagories - IV/OV/OF. 

I would agree with the comments on the south building (4??) with views of the parking lot. Wow. Some architect was asleep at the wheel. Prinecville Westin has some units like that too. What were they thinking??


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## Fredm (Feb 5, 2011)

zentraveler said:


> Here now. It turns out that they are in "close out" mode here and there are some units for sale. We went to the presentation (actually not so much for the $100/7500 SPG points,  but for the information) and they are trying to close out this property. Decent prices, very good incentives etc. Only available in the North building, which as others have commented on, is the more desirable of the two IMHO.  They were offerering all catagories - IV/OV/OF.



Starwood is selling inventory acquired from loan foreclosures and ROFR. In this sense the resort may never be "sold out" unless/until they shift focus to selling FN.



> I would agree with the comments on the south building (4??) with views of the parking lot. Wow. Some architect was asleep at the wheel. Prinecville Westin has some units like that too. What were they thinking??



South was not designed by Starwood. The project was acquired from another developer. 

Can you share the "decent prices" being offered for KOR-N?


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## LisaRex (Feb 5, 2011)

Fredm said:


> South was not designed by Starwood. The project was acquired from another developer.



Interesting.  I didn't know that.


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## gregb (Feb 5, 2011)

On Thursday, they offered OF in North "To North owners only" at $69,900.  That is $2,100 less than we paid in 2007.  Also offered to subsidize $1,120 of the MF for two years.  Plus 200,000 StarPoints.  But that's not all.  Take ownership in 2012, and get 148,600 StarPionts for 2011.  Plus the standard offer to purchase more StarPoints.


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## LisaRex (Feb 5, 2011)

I am SO glad that they are trying to move these units back into the hands of paying customers.  

That's about $20k less than they were selling them for back before the economy collapsed.


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## zentraveler (Feb 8, 2011)

> Can you share the "decent prices" being offered for KOR-N?




Sure. They were giving prices of ~49K/62K/78K for IV/OV/OF. (A little less sure of the middle price -- could have been 67K) I didn't log the incentives in that closely because we weren't planning to buy now, but are considering it in the future.


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## zentraveler (Feb 8, 2011)

> In this sense the resort may never be "sold out" unless/until they shift focus to selling FN.



FN?? Sorry not sure what that is....



> South was not designed by Starwood. The project was acquired from another developer.



Well that explains Kaanapali South. Not sure what happened with Princeville  , which also suffers from a lot of its working parts (garage, heating/cooling etc.) being not only visible but conspicuous. But we liked the property all in all.


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## YYJMSP (Feb 8, 2011)

zentraveler said:


> FN?? Sorry not sure what that is....



FN = "Far North", the unbuilt 3rd WKORV complex


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## zentraveler (Feb 8, 2011)

> YYJMSP said:
> 
> 
> > FN = "Far North", the unbuilt 3rd WKORV complex



Thanks. It was never referred to that way. We were told that Westin was not allowed (by the county I think) to build more 2 bdrm lock-offs there and that the land would be used for a more expensive, larger units (i.e. less of them) building. They were rough grading the space while we were there. That was part of the pitch about this being a great time to buy into North (when those units are gone they will be gone etc.)


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## Fredm (Feb 8, 2011)

zentraveler said:


> Thanks. It was never referred to that way. We were told that Westin was not allowed (by the county I think) to build more 2 bdrm lock-offs there and that the land would be used for a more expensive, larger units (i.e. less of them) building. They were rough grading the space while we were there. That was part of the pitch about this being a great time to buy into North (when those units are gone they will be gone etc.)



Partially true. FN will not have lockout villas.


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## zentraveler (Feb 9, 2011)

> Fredm said:
> 
> 
> > Partially true. FN will not have lockout villas.




If only partially true Fredm, what part  is not? Curious about what else you may know about the space. What they told us is not lock-off, expensive and larger units. No details about timing etc. although the grading that was being done seemed not in any huge rush to me.


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## DeniseM (Feb 9, 2011)

*More info. about FN*


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## Fredm (Feb 9, 2011)

zentraveler said:


> If only partially true Fredm, what part  is not? Curious about what else you may know about the space. What they told us is not lock-off, expensive and larger units. No details about timing etc. although the grading that was being done seemed not in any huge rush to me.



FN is approved for ~400 units. So, not less units.
1,2 and 3 bedroom (no lock off) villas. So, not necessarily larger, except for the 3 bedroom units.

I don't know when the project will be built, or how the intervals will be priced.


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## zentraveler (Feb 9, 2011)

> Fredm said:
> 
> 
> > FN is approved for ~400 units. So, not less units.
> ...



Interesting. Thanks to you and Denise. The sales staff acted like they had absolutely NO idea what this might ultimately be.


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## gregb (Feb 10, 2011)

Until the resort is officially restarted and offered for sale, the sales staff is not permitted to talk about it.  Starwood has to be careful about unofficial comments being taken as commitments from Starwood.  So they tell the staff to say nothing about it.



zentraveler said:


> Interesting. Thanks to you and Denise. The sales staff acted like they had absolutely NO idea what this might ultimately be.


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## Negma (Feb 28, 2011)

A few thoughts on our arrival here:
We booked 8 months out; building 6 island view requested 6th floor got 5th
Now have room service, a surprise (doubt we'll use
New Cabana chairs. New Umbrellas for the beach
Whales everywhere
Happy hour Mai Tai's $4- now how would I know that

Not many servers by the pool
We came back from Merrimans (totally great food, JJ was a lot of fun) about 9 and absolutely NO parking. Parked near the entrance of south property  

Weather is great, trying zip lining tomorrow

For the first time we did the sunrise crater, absolutely cool


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## Run Fat (Mar 19, 2011)

*A little late...*

We just got back from Westin Kaanapali (stayed in the south building) and had a great time. Went to a sales pitch and they said there were about 10 units available. They offered them at $70k (and "only" 12.9% financing), plus some perks like ~150k Starwood points, Gold membership and an option to buy blocks of points. Princeville was offered at ~$50k. 

The resort looked great. Very clean and the staff was very professional. LOTS of people going through the sales pitch. We told them we were interested in purchasing (which, at the time, was the truth), but needed to sleep on it. Amazingly, they never called us back to inquire on our interest. 

They also said maintenance fees wouldn't go up more than 2-3%/year. Which after reading some of the other threads here, is a bald-faced lie.


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## MommaBear (Mar 19, 2011)

You know how a timeshare salesman is hedging the truth? They open their mouths! Seriously, having done many time share presentations over the years, the Starwood group is the most straightforward. However, since the maintenance fees have almost doubled in 8 years, not sure how they can guarantee that they will not rise more than 3% a year. It is a great property and I look forward to being there two weeks in October. I love Princeville as well! I own at 5 different Starwood properties, bought my first retail and all the others for $1 or less, so I paid an average of $10,000 per unit!  (Sounds a little better that way.)Lesson is NEVER buy retail.


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