Anyone in SFX Trades with a Maui week?

[Paige Pulaski]

Hi everyone!

(I'm SUPER new to this, and am not sure exactly how everything works, so bear with me - and thank you for letting me join the community!)

My dad recently bought his mom's timeshare at the Cliffs at Princeville condos on Kauai. I'm getting married in October, so he gifted me his week to use for our Honeymoon.

We're getting married on Saturday, October 20th, so we're hoping to find a week from Sunday 10/21/18 to Sunday 10/28/18. We like resorts on Maui and Big Island.

I chose to bank the week with the trade company SFX. I can see where our requests are loaded in, but they've been in for trading for almost 2 months and I haven't gotten any hits back! I'm starting to panic, as I'll need to buy flights soon!

I read online somewhere that sometimes reaching out to other timeshare owners is a good way to find out what trades are available. While I don't expect we can do an unofficial trade (i.e. not through a trade company) since I've already banked, I was hoping to find someone wanting to trade that week of October for a resort (e.g. Windham, Marriott, etc.) on Maui.

Thank you kindly for all your help!

 

[hurnik]

Maui is very difficult to get a trade (even with RCI). Big Island would be easier to get, IMO.
Normally for Hawaii I'd say you need to get a request in at 12 months or longer to increase your odds. But 9 months out might be too short.

You may be better off trying to get a direct owner exchange via the TUG marketplace (there's one for exchanges).

IF you get one for Maui via RCI or SFX it'll probably be the Ka'anapali beach club which has "so-so" reviews on Trip Advisor. But I wouldn't expect a match until maybe 3-4 months prior to October.

Just my opinion of course. I like SFX but they have limited inventory for Maui and to be honest, anyone who owns a week in Maui is probably not going to want to deposit it with any exchange company as they could easily rent it out for $2000 or more.

I was able to do a direct owner exchange for the Marriott Maui Ocean Club, but that was at 11 months in advance and I just barely got it. I exchanged my HGVC Lagoon Tower week that I was able to snag.

For Big Island, SFX has pretty decent inventory for Bay Club and Kingsland (both HGVC) typically.

But I don't know if October is "prime" week for that area or not. Apparently August is prime week for Honolulu due to some holiday or something (even owners at Hilton have difficulty getting a room there at 12 months out for Lagoon Tower).

--Kevin

 

[SmithOp]

October is "shoulder" gold season for the Hilton locations on Big Island. The Ironman Triathlon is October 13th, the Waikoloa resort usually fills up the week before.

 

[flindberg]

First off, congratulations & best wishes for the big day! I hope you find the perfect place for your Honeymoon.
I am unfamiliar with 'trading companies' like SFX (first I've heard of this, so I have no idea how it works).
My 2-cents are The Cliffs at Princeville is a fantastic place! I would chose that over Maui or the Big Island any day.
Have you stayed there? It's fabulous. We think the beaches on Kauai northside are lovely, romantic spots, and the Hanalei
overlooks are gorgeous...
Good luck to you,
Francine

 

[Tamaradarann]

First off, congratulations & best wishes for the big day! I hope you find the perfect place for your Honeymoon.
I am unfamiliar with 'trading companies' like SFX (first I've heard of this, so I have no idea how it works).
My 2-cents are The Cliffs at Princeville is a fantastic place! I would chose that over Maui or the Big Island any day.
Have you stayed there? It's fabulous. We think the beaches on Kauai northside are lovely, romantic spots, and the Hanalei
overlooks are gorgeous...
Good luck to you,
Francine

I totally agree with the suggestion about just staying at the Cliffs at Princeville. You are going on your honeymoon. The fireworks and excitement should be with you and your new spouse. Kauai is the most laid back of the Hawaiian main islands. It is NOT a nightlife type of place. However, the North Shore of Kauai where parts of the movie South Pacific were filmed, is clearly very romantic. I can't keep from singing the song Bali Hai from the show and movie when I think of looking out from pier at Hanalai Bay. Enjoy your honeymoon in one of the most romantic places in the world. By the way we have seen the show and the movie a number of times including seeing the show on Kauai which may be a rewarding activity that you can take in when your there if you haven't seen it.

 

[hurnik]

First off, congratulations & best wishes for the big day! I hope you find the perfect place for your Honeymoon.
I am unfamiliar with 'trading companies' like SFX (first I've heard of this, so I have no idea how it works).
My 2-cents are The Cliffs at Princeville is a fantastic place! I would chose that over Maui or the Big Island any day.
Have you stayed there? It's fabulous. We think the beaches on Kauai northside are lovely, romantic spots, and the Hanalei
overlooks are gorgeous...
Good luck to you,
Francine

SFX is an exchange company like Interval International and RCI, and DAE.
It's smaller than II and RCI in terms of inventory. Not sure how they compare to DAE.

You deposit a week with them and then put your request in (if there's no readily available units) and see what happens. Similar to other exchanges.

 

[Paige Pulaski]

@hurnik @SmithOp @flindberg @Tamaradarann Thank you all!