# Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas



## LA_Transplant (Apr 17, 2015)

My wife and I have just recently returned from a stay at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas on Maui.  We are considering purchasing a week on the resale market.  Has anyone purchased at this resort on the resale market?  Has Starwood's right to first refusal made a purchase difficult?  Has anyone tried to rent their timeshare at this resort and experienced any difficulties?  Any advice you might have would be greatly appreciated as we consider purchasing.  Thanks!


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## jpc763 (Apr 17, 2015)

LA_Transplant said:


> My wife and I have just recently returned from a stay at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas on Maui.  We are considering purchasing a week on the resale market.  Has anyone purchased at this resort on the resale market?  Has Starwood's right to first refusal made a purchase difficult?  Has anyone tried to rent their timeshare at this resort and experienced any difficulties?  Any advice you might have would be greatly appreciated as we consider purchasing.  Thanks!



Take a look on Redweek.com (create a free login) and you will see that there is a lot of rentals available and rented at pretty good prices.

There are many units for sale as well and some record of sold units although nothing on ROFR.

Good luck!


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## DeniseM (Apr 17, 2015)

Hi and welcome to TUG!  

Many Tuggers have purchased resale at this resort - FAR less expensive.  

If the price is attractive to Starwood, they will exercise ROFR.  

The Ocean View and Ocean Front units are great rentals - the Island View rentals don't do as well, but a popular holiday week will rent.


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## TUGBrian (Apr 17, 2015)

plenty for sale (and sold/rented) on TUG too =)

http://tug2.com/ResortClassifieds.aspx?Westin+Ka'anapali+Ocean+Resort+Villas+North&ID=14740

http://tug2.com/ResortClassifieds.aspx?Westin+Ka'anapali+Ocean+Resort+Villas&ID=13901


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## capjak (Apr 18, 2015)

I bought resale WKORV-North OF from Advantage vacation timeshare resales (Syed).

He is very good to work with and you will have no issues. 

Also with the new resort being built I do not believe you will have any issues with ROFR.


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## vacationtime1 (Apr 18, 2015)

capjak said:


> I bought resale WKORV-North OF from Advantage vacation timeshare resales (Syed).
> 
> He is very good to work with and you will have no issues.
> 
> Also with the new resort being built I do not believe you will have any issues with ROFR.



+1 endorsing Syed as a resale broker.

Westin is actively exercising ROFR, but only on units selling below a moving target price point.  An experienced broker can help you structure your offer so it is not ROFR'd.

It is very important for you to research what kind of unit you want (view, deluxe unit?, WKORV vs. WKORVN, etc.).  Hopefully you did this while you were there; if not, I would recommend that you do this (onsite) before purchasing.

Yes, there is an active rental market; you can see that on the TUG Marketplace, on www.redweek.com, and on www.myresortnetwork.com.  But that means if you want to rent your unit, you will be competing with dozens of others who want to rent their units the same week as you do; rental rates are therefore often bid way down.  If you don't see yourself using your unit almost every year, you probably shouldn't buy in Hawaii.  

Finally, read some of the threads here on buying Westin Kierland units and trading into Maui.  This strategy has its pro's and con's; one of the pro's is that's it's far less expensive.


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## blahblah18 (Apr 18, 2015)

vacationtime1 said:


> Westin is actively exercising ROFR, but only on units selling below a moving target price point.



Does SVN actively ROFR any villa type, as long as it's below their price threshold?  Or are they only ROFR'ing higher demand product?  (i.e. would they ever bother to ROFR a studio unit, or an island view unit?)




vacationtime1 said:


> It is very important for you to research what kind of unit you want (view, deluxe unit?, WKORV vs. WKORVN, etc.).



I get the different villa types, view options, north vs south, and event weeks.  

But what is "deluxe" vs, umm, "non-deluxe"?  What's the difference in the actual villas??


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## DeniseM (Apr 18, 2015)

blahblah18 said:


> Does SVN actively ROFR any villa type, as long as it's below their price threshold?  Or are they only ROFR'ing higher demand product?  (i.e. would they ever bother to ROFR a studio unit, or an island view unit?)



Studios are only sold as part of a 2 bdm. lock-off - you can't buy a stand-alone studio.

If they have a need for Island View inventory, there will ROFR an IV sale.



> I get the different villa types, view options, north vs south, and event weeks.  But what is "deluxe" vs, umm, "non-deluxe"?  What's the difference in the actual villas??



Deluxe units are corner units - non-corner units are labeled "premium."

Deluxe units have a significantly higher MF.


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 18, 2015)

The Dlx villas have high MFs (highest per sqft) - the OF Dlx (OFD) also have incredible panoramic views (inside and on balcony) that are incredible - also better light, larger size, and better layout (more square than Prem shotgun style). IMO
The OF Center (OFC) has the lowest MF/sqft - because unlike the other Prem villas at WKORV - the studio side has a balcony.

If location/layout is important (and you have the $$, and can plan 12 months ahead) - only buy OF.  IMO - YMMV

I have rented the OFD studio side (also has a balcony) every year that we have not used.  The rental pays for about 2/3rds of the MF - making our cost for the 1Bd OFD side about $1000/week (hard to beat…)
+1 to Syed

iPhone photo from next to kitchen area looking over LR/DR area





Double rainbow - iPhone panoramic photo





Same panoramic photo at sunset





Cute chick enjoying sunset and wine...


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## taterhed (Apr 18, 2015)

Wow.  Drooool.    what a view.


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 18, 2015)

and something you will never see at WLR… Mom just gave birth to pup… and training pup in whale behavior
(shot from OFD balcony)


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## LA_Transplant (Apr 19, 2015)

Thanks for all the input.  

Two more questions I have:

1. Do you think the price of weeks at the WKORVN will drop as the opening of the new Westin resort next door opens?  

2.  Have any of you owned at the WKORVN and chosen to sell your week?  If so, what prompted you to sell?


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## LisaRex (Apr 19, 2015)

LA_Transplant said:


> 1. Do you think the price of weeks at the WKORVN will drop as the opening of the new Westin resort next door opens?



I do.  Not only is Starwood building an entire new timeshare, but Hyatt just completed a new timeshare on the south end of Ka'anapali beach.  Simple supply and demand will dictate that prices will drop for both rentals and sales.  

It may also mean that Starwood will not exercise its Right of First Refusal, or will exercise it less often.  If that happens, that will help bring prices down. 

FYI, Starwood keeps their MFs low during active sales, only to gradually raise them once the resort sells out. Those low MFs attract buyers to the new phase.  Plus people tend to like new and shiny. 



> 2.  Have any of you owned at the WKORVN and chosen to sell your week?  If so, what prompted you to sell?



I have.  I bought in 2006 and sold in 2013, IIRC.  

I sold for many reasons.  First and foremost, we weren't using it every year, and it was too expensive to keep as an exchanger.  Simply put, I overbought.  Our kids left for school and our family vacations came to an end. Then the economy tanked and airfare doubled to Maui (to $1100 for economy).  Friends and family couldn't afford to travel to Hawaii, even with free lodging.  

Maybe if the Starwood network were larger, we'd have found ways to exchange into other resorts and use that extra week (we only needed a studio when it was just my husband and me).  But it's not.

So reason #2 was because SVN locations are so limited. I wasn't interested in HRA because I don't like crowds.  I exchanged into WSJ a few times.  I tried but couldn't exchange into a ski resort during ski season.  So that pretty much exhausted the SVN network for us.  I could rent at the other resorts much cheaper than I was paying in MFs for Hawaii, so I'd lose money exchanging into them.  No point in that. So I turned to renting out the weeks we didn't use.  

And, frankly, renting is a hassle.  Most people expect a bargain.  Others will want to cancel at the last minute and expect their money back.  Others ask you to change the dates of the reservation, which means that you lose your great time stamp, only to back out because they found a better deal with someone else.  Then other Starwood (and probably II) owners began discovering the loophole where they could exchange into WKORV and HRA, and rent THOSE units out instead of the resort they'd bought. That undercut the price of rentals and hurt owners the most, because we were paying some of the highest MFs in the network.  So while they were making serious money, we were just breaking even. 

Another reason I sold is because Starwood will not guarantee your view unless you book in the 8-12 month window, and then they assign villas based on time stamp.  So the earlier you book, the better your view.  Well, I'd paid good money for OF and wanted the best view, and that put tremendous pressure on me to lock in my dates a year out.  That turned out to be a real PITA.  We plan our vacations around 8 months out.  And it made it harder to lock in award flights because the flights are released no earlier than 11 months out.  So that wasn't working for us. 

I think the final breaking point was when we decided to travel in February.  We were limited to one week because my friend is a school nurse and had to travel this particular week.  I called at 9am...and it was sold out.  I owned there and couldn't get in, even at exactly 365 days out.  As I recall, I put it up for sale the next day.  It just wasn't working out for me.


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## LA_Transplant (Apr 20, 2015)

LisaRex,

Thanks for your insight!


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## PamMo (Apr 21, 2015)

LisaRex, I always love that you post from the heart. No B.S.


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## LisaRex (Apr 21, 2015)

PamMo said:


> LisaRex, I always love that you post from the heart. No B.S.



Thank you.  The ability to talk freely is what I love most about TUG.


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## hypnotiq (Apr 21, 2015)

David, what would it take to make it into your will?


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 21, 2015)

LOL - apparently my WKORV OFD will be worthless after WKORVNN and Hyatt are finished...

I hope those occupants enjoy snorkeling right off their new resorts...


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## LA_Transplant (Apr 21, 2015)

DavidnRobin said:


> LOL - apparently my WKORV OFD will be worthless after WKORVNN and Hyatt are finished...
> 
> I hope those occupants enjoy snorkeling right off their new resorts...



Hey DavidnRobin,

Since I don't know you and this is electronic correspondence, I think you are being sarcastic but cannot really be certain.  How do you believe the developments of WKORVNN and the Hyatt will affect the current value of your timeshare at WKORV?  Would you suggest waiting to purchase at WKORVN because you believe the price will go down?  Or do you believe the Westin's right of first refusal will keep the prices where they currently are?  I have also heard that the Westin is moving to a points system so owning a particular week will be more valuable.  Do you have any input on any of this?    Any insight you might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.


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## DeniseM (Apr 21, 2015)

David is being sarcastic.  

A guaranteed Ocean Front unit will always have value.

The new phase of the resort is going to be extremely expensive, and no one has any idea how it will impact the current phases.

We also have no idea how the points system will be implemented at the Hawaii resorts, nor what it's impact will be.

No one can be forced into the point system, and the owner of an Ocean Front unit would have to be crazy (or stupid) to put it in the points system.


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 21, 2015)

LA_Transplant said:


> Hey DavidnRobin,
> 
> Since I don't know you and this is electronic correspondence, I think you are being sarcastic but cannot really be certain.  How do you believe the developments of WKORVNN and the Hyatt will affect the current value of your timeshare at WKORV?  Would you suggest waiting to purchase at WKORVN because you believe the price will go down?  Or do you believe the Westin's right of first refusal will keep the prices where they currently are?  I have also heard that the Westin is moving to a points system so owning a particular week will be more valuable.  Do you have any input on any of this?    Any insight you might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.



LOL = Laughing out loud.
I was being sarcastic based on LisaRex's comments - although I partly agree with her on the basis of supply and demand argument that value of WKORV and WKORVN will decrease (along with every Ka'anapali TS) with the additions of WKORVNN and Hyatt.  And WKORVNN and Hyatt value will also decrease.

As I have often said - IMO, YMMV - OF (Corner-Dlx or Center-Prem) at WKORV is the way to go if you care about location and view. IMO, WKORV OFD is the best VOI in the SVO system (with 3Bd Pool villas at WSJ at close 2nd).  For SVN exchanging, I prefer to own WKV Plat, since it can also be easily rented for >MFs. Plus, it is a great resort to visit as well (and can drive to it)

Since we can travel off-season, I would not own non-OF at WKORV/N, and do not consider many of the WKORVN OF villas to be true OF (and why we own WKORV OF). If we didn't own WKORV-OFD, we would use SOs to exchange into WKORV/N and save upfront purchase cost, and annual MFs - and be happy with OV/IV.

Should you wit to buy WKORV/N until WKORVNN is fully sold out?  Life is too short.  We bought our WKORV OFD in 2006 (before 'The Great Recession' in 2008-2009) for much more than the current ROFR. But, i am okay with it - because we rescinded WKORVN OF at $74K (whew… saving $20K+) - so it is all about perspective.

Also, I rent our OFD studio (mostly) - so the 1Bd OFD side only cost ~$1000 per week (not including sunk cost of purchasing)

My opinion...


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## Sea Six (Apr 22, 2015)

Current developer prices:
South phase-
Ocean front deluxe - $124,900
(EOY $69,900)
Ocean front - $109,900

Ocean view - $79,900 (I think - forgot to write down)
(EOY $40,900)

North phase
Ocean front (no deluxe in north) - $82,900
Ocean view $69,900

I did not get prices for island view


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 22, 2015)

Wow - my OFD has increased in ~150% in value!!! SVO Sales is not lying when they say "Buy Now! Prices are going up!"
{Sarcasm alert}
I wonder if they would exercise their ROFR at $75K?


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## LA_Transplant (Apr 22, 2015)

Those of you who own or are familiar with WKORV/N, how has your experience been in renting your week or some portion of your lock off?  Does the transient occupancy tax affect the renting process at all?


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## DeniseM (Apr 22, 2015)

LA_Transplant said:


> Those of you who own or are familiar with WKORV/N, how has your experience been in renting your week or some portion of your lock off?  Does the transient occupancy tax affect the renting process at all?



The guest pays the TAT at check-out, but that is the only additional fee.  I make it clear in my Ads, and again on my rental documents, that there will be tax.  I've never had anyone complain, because if you rent directly from the resort, the resort fee and additional taxes are HUGE.  

I also let them know that they'd have to pay it, no matter where they stay in Hawaii - so they know it's not just on my rental, or this resort.

The TAT tax ranges from about $6 - 14, depending on the size/location of the unit.


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## GregT (Apr 22, 2015)

LA_Transplant said:


> My wife and I have just recently returned from a stay at the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas on Maui.  We are considering purchasing a week on the resale market.  Has anyone purchased at this resort on the resale market?  Has Starwood's right to first refusal made a purchase difficult?  Has anyone tried to rent their timeshare at this resort and experienced any difficulties?  Any advice you might have would be greatly appreciated as we consider purchasing.  Thanks!



I know you are asking about WKORV (which is a terrific property, we have stayed twice) but I think you should also investigate Maui Ocean Club.  Both properties are great and there is a friendly dialogue about which property is better -- truly, a first world problem.

In particular, consider Maui Ocean Club, Lahaina and Napili Villas.   I own both fixed and floating weeks at MOC, and each has advantages.  You may wish to visit the Marriott board and dig around a bit.

Best,

Greg


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## Sea Six (Apr 22, 2015)

I was also able to get them to define exactly which rooms are considered deluxe, ocean front, ocean view, and island view.  I was surprised to learn there are ocean view rooms in building 4, in the corner by the public park.


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## DeniseM (Apr 22, 2015)

Sea Six said:


> I was also able to get them to define exactly which rooms are considered deluxe, ocean front, ocean view, and island view.  I was surprised to learn there are ocean view rooms in building 4, in the corner by the public park.



We have maps showing the view designation of every room at the resort, in Owner Resources at the top of the forum.  Most of the ocean/parking lot side of bldg. 4 is designated Ocean View.


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 23, 2015)

I once posted the MF/sqft for the WKORV villa types (including balcony)
2Bd OFC (Center) Prem<2Bd Prem<1Bd Prem<2Bd Dlx (Corner)
(OFC has a balcony)
Dlx MF/sqft is substantially higher than rest even with the larger size.
Relative MF and sizes between the villa types are listed in CCRs.


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## GregT (Apr 23, 2015)

DavidnRobin said:


> I once posted the MF/sqft for the WKORV villa types (including balcony)
> 2Bd OFC Prem<2Bd Prem<1Bd Prem<2Bd Dlx
> (OFC has a balcony)
> Dlx MF/sqft is substantially higher than rest even with the larger size.
> Relative MF and sizes between the villa types are listed in CCRs.



That balcony in your picture was impressive -- is that only on OFC?  (I'm assuming this is Ocean-Front Corner?)

Thx


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## YYJMSP (Apr 23, 2015)

GregT said:


> That balcony in your picture was impressive -- is that only on OFC?  (I'm assuming this is Ocean-Front Corner?)
> 
> Thx



Deluxe are corner units.  C = centre, the unit between the two corners, so straight out to the view...


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 23, 2015)

The Deluxe villas (corner) have a balcony on the 1Bd side that are ~8.5 x 25 feet, and ~9 x 10ft on studio side.
The OF Center are Premium 2Bd layouts are like most of WKORV, but OFC has a balcony on the studio-side (unlike non-OF Premium villa that only have a 'Juliet' balcony).

WKORV/N should have a Master Thread like the WSJ Master Thread.


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## GregT (Apr 23, 2015)

DavidnRobin said:


> The Deluxe villas (corner) have a balcony on the 1Bd side that are ~8.5 x 25 feet, and ~9 x 10ft on studio side.
> The OF Center are Premium 2Bd layouts are like most of WKORV, but OFC has a balcony on the studio-side (unlike non-OF Premium villa that only have a 'Juliet' balcony).
> 
> WKORV/N should have a Master Thread like the WSJ Master Thread.



That's interesting.  We stayed at WKORV/N last April and I thought the Master Suite balcony was pretty standard (we were in an OV category).  But the balcony in your picture looked much nicer than the one we had, perhaps it was the angle?

Or do the OFs have superior balconies (or is this WKORV only?)

Sorry if I am missing something basic -- but I did think that balcony in your pic was substantial.  Thx

Greg


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## DeniseM (Apr 23, 2015)

North doesn't have the big lanais - they just have a small, standard lanai.


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## vacationtime1 (Apr 23, 2015)

GregT said:


> That's interesting.  We started at WKORV/N last April and I thought the Master Suite balcony was pretty standard (we were in an OV category).  But the balcony in your picture looked much nicer than the one we had, perhaps it was the angle?
> 
> Or do the OFs have superior balconies (or is this WKORV only?)
> 
> ...



The 36 ocean front units at WKORV have the best lanais at either WKORV or WKORVN:  


OF lanais are all over-sized
OF studio units have lanais (unlike other WKORV studios)
OF lanais look due west towards the ocean (unlike WKORVN which is built at an angle to the ocean; exception: WKORV-OFD studio lanais face north or south)
all OF units are close to the water (no angling back).
David's photos show the best of the best.


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## DeniseM (Apr 23, 2015)

Basically, Starwood was enormously successful with the original phase, so they decided to build a 2nd phase, with worse views, and smaller lanais, with a higher MF, and sell it for more...


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## vacationtime1 (Apr 23, 2015)

DeniseM said:


> Basically, Starwood was enormously successful with the original phase, so they decided to build a 2nd phase, with worse views, and smaller lanais, with a higher MF, and sell it for more...




That's not entirely fair.  The *average* view is better at WKORVN -- and there are very few terrible views at WKORVN, in contrast to the infamous parking lot views of Building 4 at WKORV.  Further, Starwood fixed the dumb omission of lanais on studio units; WKORVN studios have lanais.

However, if one is buying oceanfront, WKORV is clearly superior to WKORVN (and at least $10K more expensive to purchase).


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## DeniseM (Apr 23, 2015)

vacationtime1 said:


> That's not entirely fair.  The *average* view is better at WKORVN -- and there are very few terrible views at WKORVN, in contrast to the infamous parking lot views of Building 4 at WKORV.  Further, Starwood fixed the dumb omission of lanais on studio units; WKORVN studios have lanais.
> 
> However, if one is buying oceanfront, WKORV is superior to WKORVN (and at least $10K more expensive to purchase)



I'm responding to the last several posts discussing the Ocean Front units.


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## GregT (Apr 23, 2015)

vacationtime1 said:


> However, if one is buying oceanfront, WKORV is clearly superior to WKORVN (and at least $10K more expensive to purchase).



That's interesting, I'd not appreciated the difference in OF at the two properties -- thanks all for the clarifications!


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## LisaRex (Apr 23, 2015)

I bought OF at WKORV-N sight unseen from a third party and didn't realize how loosely they'd coded the "Ocean Front" villas.  I was quite upset when I realized that it wasn't just the units that faced the ocean, as I assumed, but the entire ocean-facing side in buildings 5 and 8.  WKORV is clearly superior in terms of view because the units are perpendicular to the ocean, UNLESS  you get a palm tree blocking your view, which I suppose is possible on the lower floors.  

However, after staying in the units, I'm not sure I'd pay $10k extra for the south side. The views from the OF villas on the north side are still quite lovely, IMO and I especially liked facing Black Rock.  We always called at 12 months out and were quite pleased with our view.  

If you have an extra $10k, then by all means target the south side.  And if you have even more dough sitting around, target an OFD or OF Center unit, as I think that those units are especially nice.  

http://www.hawaiirevealed.com/resort-reviews/westin-kaanapali-ocean-resort-villas/


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## Mauiwmn (Apr 23, 2015)

The Premium side OFC has quite a large balcony.  Just a bit smaller vs Premium OFD and no side views. The OFC and OFD studio balconies are very close in size.

It is very hard to get a good photo of the entire lanai but here are two from 
OFC -5th floor building 2.

I do not know how to post photos directly to forum.  If someone could pm me the info, I will repost the photos.  Thanks.


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## DeniseM (Apr 23, 2015)

Find the photo you want to post - make sure it's not more than about 700 pixels wide.

Click on the photo, and go up to your browser bar and copy the photo's web address.

Copy and paste the web address into the TUG message box.

Add the following code to the beginning and end of the web address with NO spaces:

*



 * (be sure you omit the spaces)


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 23, 2015)

GregT said:


> That's interesting.  We stayed at WKORV/N last April and I thought the Master Suite balcony was pretty standard (we were in an OV category).  But the balcony in your picture looked much nicer than the one we had, perhaps it was the angle?
> 
> Or do the OFs have superior balconies (or is this WKORV only?)
> 
> ...



I was talking purely about WKORV OF. I have more photos - and even some videos of the OFD balcony.  I will try and find them and post. I have 1000s of sunset photos.

Denise was comparing OF WKORV and WKORVN.
I agree - on average WKORVN has better views because of the angled buildings.
I would not own WKORVN OF over WKORV OF - IMO/YMMV


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 23, 2015)

Mauiwmn said:


> The Premium side OFC has quite a large balcony.  Just a bit smaller vs Premium OFD and no side views. The OFC and OFD studio balconies are very close in size.
> 
> It is very hard to get a good photo of the entire lanai but here are two from
> OFC -5th floor building 2.
> ...



in Photobucket - there is an IMG link. Click on it and it will be automatically copied. Then paste link to TUG post. Easy.


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## Mauiwmn (Apr 23, 2015)

DeniseM said:


> Find the photo you want to post - make sure it's not more than about 700 pixels wide.
> 
> Click on the photo, and go up to your browser bar and copy the photo's web address.
> 
> ...



Thanks Denise and David!!!!


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## Mauiwmn (Apr 23, 2015)

Here are direct, straight on views from OFC, building 2, 6th floor.


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## DeniseM (Apr 23, 2015)

Just BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 23, 2015)

Short video (old iPhone) of WKORV OFD balcony and sunset
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwFfQk9Jq8w

I have lots of SVO related (WKORV, WSJ/StJ, WPORV) videos on YouTube - easy to find…
Google: 'YouTube blujahz'


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## Mauiwmn (Apr 23, 2015)

DeniseM said:


> Just BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!



Thank you.  It's easy to take gorgeous photos in Maui.  Point and shoot.


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## DavidnRobin (Apr 23, 2015)

vacationtime1 said:


> That's not entirely fair.  The *average* view is better at WKORVN -- and there are very few terrible views at WKORVN, in contrast to the infamous parking lot views of Building 4 at WKORV.  Further, Starwood fixed the dumb omission of lanais on studio units; WKORVN studios have lanais.
> 
> However, if one is buying oceanfront, WKORV is clearly superior to WKORVN (and at least $10K more expensive to purchase).



True - but I often point out to Robin while walking around WKORV/N - how few people are ever actually on their balconies (yet we spend a lot of time on ours). Also, most balconies are exposed (within view of others), but OF balconies are pretty secluded - which means I don't have to be worried about being properly clothed…


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## LisaRex (Apr 23, 2015)

For comparison purposes, here are views from OF at WKORV-N.  Note that I called in at 12 months out so my timestamp was outstanding.  The 5th floor was taken from the villa closest to the ocean facing south.  It's probably the best villa in north.  The 3rd floor was taken from the 2nd villa back, IIRC.  




View from our 3rd floor OF villa (2010)




Looking towards Black Rock from 5th floor (2008)




View from our bedroom


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## vacationtime1 (Apr 23, 2015)

LisaRex said:


> I bought OF at WKORV-N sight unseen from a third party and didn't realize how loosely they'd coded the "Ocean Front" villas.  I was quite upset when I realized that it wasn't just the units that faced the ocean, as I assumed, but the entire ocean-facing side in buildings 5 and 8.  WKORV is clearly superior in terms of view because the units are perpendicular to the ocean, UNLESS  you get a palm tree blocking your view, which I suppose is possible on the lower floors.
> 
> However, after staying in the units, *I'm not sure I'd pay $10k extra for the south side*. The views from the OF villas on the north side are still quite lovely, IMO and I especially liked facing Black Rock.  We always called at 12 months out and were quite pleased with our view.
> 
> ...




The $10K price differential I suggested above is for WKORV-OF vs. WKORVN-OF.   It may actually be a bit more than that -- mid to high 20's for OF at WKORVN vs. high 30's for OF at WKORV.  I don't know the exact differential for OV or IV as between the two resorts, but it is far less.


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## PJS (Apr 29, 2015)

I second every word David said about the desirability of WKORV and doing it now rather than putting it off indefinitely on the chance of a better deal (that's why I just bought another week of WKORV OF Deluxe, my third, on resale).  I practically live on my super-private balcony every time we are there and no-one even knows I am there.

I would add more strongly than he did that my impression of the OF Center at WKORV units is that the view is a bit claustrophobic because you only get straight-on ocean, no angles or side view except the concrete walls that separate you off from the Deluxe corner units on either side of you.  Still spectacular but a bit too tunnel-vision for me.

The Deluxe units have wrap-around 270 degree views from inside and out - as shown in David's divine photos.  That is why they are (IMnsHO, YMMV) worth the extra money.

*If* you call early, get lucky and end up in a good unit at North, then the views are splendid.  But when they tried to get us to buy our Xmas week in North (we traded in an Island view floater and bought Xmas instead), I took a look at the map of designations of what was supposedly OF in the North and got up to walk away.

Then they miraculously found me an unsold Xmas week in the south (original) WKORV and I grabbed it (while raising my eyebrows in amusement).  [Of course I should have bought resale, but I didn't know about that then.]

The original side is:  larger units (at least for OF), more spacious landscaping, better views at the top end.

The North is:  better average view, better studio lanais/balconies, slightly newer, better beach bar if you want to watch the game!  (but we just walk over there anyway)

Our plan for post-kids (we have 4) is to rent the studios of our OF out on RedWeek, use the 1-bed ourselves, and if we want to stay more than our allotted three weeks, we will rent another OF Deluxe on RedWeek and again rent out the studio side to someone else, to cut the cost.

Of course, we are not at that point yet!  Youngest is only 14.

Oh -- my experience of renting has been that it is easy.  I have had no issues - I can't or won't change my dates for anyone.  It is unnecessary to take the risk of losing the time stamp and then, as LisaRex pointed out, have someone walk away.  I have never had a cancellation.  My guests have all indicated that they would love to take the units again in the future if I ever want to rent.  I make a profit over the cost of the MF.  All in all, it works for us just fine.  But that *could* also be only because we have OF Deluxe -- fewer units means fewer competitors which means higher prices and less chance of being dumped.

I never thought about this before, but maybe that's another reason for doing OF at WKORV over everything else.

Also, no-one from outside can come in to rent WKORV OF Deluxe and re-rent it for a profit.  Because if you use StarOptions to rent WKORV, there is no way you get an OFD unit.

The things I learn here - thanks everyone.


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