# Hawaii trip and timeshare exchange



## npvacation (Jul 7, 2008)

I am trying to exchange one week for August 09 in Hawaii.

Assuming Kauai has the most timeshares and is easiest to exchange
into compared to other islands, which resort(s) are good ones in Kauai?
Is it easy to get to Kauai from hololulu international airport?
Is it worth to spend a day/night on a different island, such as big island
for volcano park, or oahu for pearl harbor?

Thanks.


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## Luanne (Jul 7, 2008)

npvacation said:


> I am trying to exchange one week for August 09 in Hawaii.
> 
> Assuming Kauai has the most timeshares and is easiest to exchange
> into compared to other islands, which resort(s) are good ones in Kauai?
> ...



It may just be what I'm using to search with, but I'm not seeing anything on any of the islands through RCI for August, 2009.

That said, yes it's fairly easy to get to Kauai from Honolulu.  I don't know if there are any direct flights to Kauai from the mainland.  There are to Maui and the Big Island.

I don't think it's worthwhile to spend just one night on another island.  You lose too much time with the moving around.  I do think if you want to see Pearl Harbor, or Volcano Park, you can find a day tour to do that.  Or, add a couple of days at the end of your trip in one of those locations.


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## talkamotta (Jul 7, 2008)

What trading company are you using?


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## npvacation (Jul 7, 2008)

I am using RCI.

I did see some Kauai at beginning of year, but not now.
Hopefully some will pop up soon.


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## JohnnyO (Jul 7, 2008)

If you can give yourself a back-up lodging plan that you can cancel then you could always wait for the date to get closer.  The RCI 14 day period before check-in normally gets ample last minute inventory all over Kauai and even at the nicest places like Pahio's and even Point at Poipu.


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## Luanne (Jul 7, 2008)

I secured my two weeks on the Big Island for July, 2009 a few months ago.  It is entirely possible however that more inventory will show up for all of the islands as time goes on.  With rising airfare we may see more availability.


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## timesharejunkie4 (Jul 7, 2008)

Luanne said:


> That said, yes it's fairly easy to get to Kauai from Honolulu.  I don't know if there are any direct flights to Kauai from the mainland.  There are to Maui and the Big Island.
> QUOTE]
> 
> United flies direct to Kauai from LAX and SFO.


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## LisaRex (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm fairly certain Oahu or Maui would be the easiest to trade into as they have thousands of timeshares. 

Sometimes you can get cheaper flights or more plentiful award seats flying into HNL.  If that's the case, then I'd recommend staying in Oahu for at least 2 nights and checking out Pearl Harbor, USS Missouri, the North Shore, etc.  Then you can take an intraisland flight to the other island.


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## Luanne (Jul 7, 2008)

timesharejunkie4 said:


> United flies direct to Kauai from LAX and SFO.



Thanks for posting that info.  I haven't been to Kauai in years, so I wasn't sure.


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## Lazz (Jul 8, 2008)

Luanne said:


> It may just be what I'm using to search with, but I'm not seeing anything on any of the islands through RCI for August, 2009.
> 
> That said, yes it's fairly easy to get to Kauai from Honolulu.  I don't know if there are any direct flights to Kauai from the mainland.  There are to Maui and the Big Island.
> 
> I don't think it's worthwhile to spend just one night on another island.  You lose too much time with the moving around.  I do think if you want to see Pearl Harbor, or Volcano Park, you can find a day tour to do that.  Or, add a couple of days at the end of your trip in one of those locations.



I was confirmed for the Princeville area this past June through RCI.  I am going in June 2009  Perhaps August availability is not out yet?


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## jlee2070 (Jul 8, 2008)

Most timeshares have a 1 year reservation period so August '09 is outisde of the 1yr period at this time.  Some should start showing up next month.  I would put in request and let them do a parallel search with your own...


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## Polly Metallic (Jul 8, 2008)

LisaRex said:


> I'm fairly certain Oahu or Maui would be the easiest to trade into as they have thousands of timeshares.



I have always heard that Kauai had the most timeshares and Maui is the hardest to trade into.


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## rifleman69 (Jul 8, 2008)

There are a ton of flights into Kauai from the mainland.  United, US Air, and Alaska all from the top of my head.


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## tompalm (Jul 8, 2008)

Re: Spending a day on another island.  If you have a budget and don't want to spend a lot of money, the cost of interisland airfare has gone up a lot.  I don't think next summer will be any better.  If you want to see two islands, fly in and out of Honolulu.  Flights to Honolulu are usually cheaper than the other islands because there is more competition.  Recommend that you stay in Oahu for part of the trip and then buy interisland tickets on Hawaiian to another island.  The cost saved by flying to Honolulu and not Kauai could be enough to pay for the interisland flight during your trip.  Kauai to the Big Island is a long trip (no non stop flights) and not worth doing for one day.


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## eakhat (Jul 8, 2008)

*Hawaii August 2009*

My experience with Hawaii is that Kauai is the easiest to get ibetter timeshares, especially the Princeville side.  Several years ago, a timeshare sales rep said that Kauai didn't regulate timeshares as closely as the other islands so many were built.  I also have been able to get the Big Island fairly easily.  Maui and Oahu are harder.  Oahu has some hotel/timeshares that I hesitate.

I have RCI Points and I have RCI Weeks.  This is what came up using Points:  Imperial Hawaii Vacation Club, Oahu; Bay Club at Waikola Beach Resort, Big Island; Kuhio Banyon, Oahu; Kona Billfisher, Big Island; Lea Casa, Big Island; Kahana Falls, Maui.

Using RCI Weeks this is what came up:  Imperial Hawaii Vacation Club, Oahu; Kuhio Banyon, Oahu.

Good luck in your search.  I used Paniolo Greens for the Week search.

Elaine


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## thinze3 (Jul 8, 2008)

Speaking from II not RCI, there are always timeshares available on Maui, more so than any other island. The results below are very typical IMO.

Terry



Hawaii resort availability in the next 59 days are as follows:

Maui:  KAH, MBN, MBV, VBS, TGW, KUL, LMB

Hawaii:  KON, SEV, VIL

Kauai:  KSD

Oahu: MKO


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## alanraycole (Jul 9, 2008)

npvacation said:


> which resort(s) are good ones in Kauai?



You may get as many different opinions as the number of overall opinions, but here is mine...

1. Stick to the Gold Crowns
2. Ignore the resorts that are not in either Princeville or Koloa/Poipu. (Rule one is more important than rule 2, if one must be ignored.)
3. Throw in an exception to rule one: the Shearwater (Silver Crown). 

That leaves Shearwater, Cliffs, Point, Lawaii, Allii Kai, and Bali Hai, in the order of my preferences. (I have stayed in half of them and toured the other half.) Your personal preferences may demand a rearrangement of the order, so I can go into further detail, based on your preferences, if you wish. Shearwater is my favorite because it sits on the EDGE of a cliff overlooking the ocean and down the Kauai coast... amazing!

There are two resorts on Kauai that I like more than the Shearwater: the Hanalei Bay Resort and the Marriott Waiohai, but they are with Interval.


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## npvacation (Jul 9, 2008)

Thanks for all the information.

I will stick to Gold Crown if in Kauai, and stay in Oahu for extra couple 
of days.

Since I will fly to Hololulu for cheap airfare, when is better Oaho stay
for connecting flight, beginning of trip or on way back?


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 9, 2008)

Alan gave great advice.  If you get a new Bali Hai unit, it can be outstanding, but with no views at all of the ocean, the only downside to that particular resort.  When the new clubhouse is done, whenever that happens,  the resort will have a greater appeal.


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## hibbeln (Jul 9, 2008)

The first two times we went to Hawaii, we stopped in Oahu on our way TO the islands.  Both times we spent one night (the night we arrived).  A lot of flights tend to land in the afternoon if you leave the midwest or east coast in the morning.  Both times we rented an inexpensive car and got a room on Waikiki Beach (picked them up on priceline or similar a few weeks in advance, PLENTY of availability and decent deals).  We had an "overnight" bag packed with what we would need for the night.  The rest of the luggage we locked in the trunk of the car and just left in there until arriving back at the airport.  We were usually checked into our hotel and floating in the water on Waikiki looking up at DiamondHead by around 6 p.m.  Then in the morning we would get up and drive over to Pearl Harbor.  Yes, you need to get there early, but if you're coming from the Eastern Time Zone you will be waking up around 3-4 a.m. anyway, so what the heck!   The last time we did this, we toured Pearl Harbor AND the Battleship Missouri (both were really good) AND had time to drive around the island (went to Punch Bowl and over the Pali Overlook) and had plenty of time to be back at the airport for a 4 p.m. flight (or something like that) to Kauai. 

Doing Pearl Harbor on the way TO the islands works well because you're up so early because of the times zones anyway, it makes it easy to be there at 7 a.m. for tickets.   I should add that our kids were young then (6 & 3 the first time we did this, 8 & 5 the second time) so if we could manage it, anyone can!

It also worked well because some of us flew NWA FF tickets which take you into HNL.  So our tickets were all in and out of HNL, and I bought the interisland tickets separately.  Get your interisland tickets the moment you have your other tickets bought, because as the plane fills the price goes up up up, so the longer you wait, the more you pay!


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## Timeshare Von (Jul 9, 2008)

We own on Oahu so we've never had to trade there.  So our "easiest" by far has been the Big Island - - and toughest Kauai since we've never been able to land that one.  We have done Maui once


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## Luanne (Jul 9, 2008)

npvacation said:


> Thanks for all the information.
> 
> I will stick to Gold Crown if in Kauai, and stay in Oahu for extra couple
> of days.
> ...



I would recommend going to Oahu first.   There is more "hustle and bustle" there and it's more relaxing to do the other island second.


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## tompalm (Jul 10, 2008)

npvacation said:


> Since I will fly to Honolulu for cheap airfare, when is better Oahu stay
> for connecting flight, beginning of trip or on way back?



There is an advantage both ways.  Because you are probably flying a red eye on the way back to the mainland, it might be better to keep that day as short and easy as possible and fly from Oahu on the way home.  You can probably get a late check out and have a nice day before taking the flight home.  Also, you don't have to worry about a late interisland flight and missing the mainland flight.

Staying in Oahu the first night gives you plenty of time to do something on Oahu the first night you get in.  Most flight arrive early afternoon.  When you get to Kauai and at the end of the week it is time to check out of your TS, you should have plenty of time to fly interisland and catch your mainland flight.


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