Big Island Trades for WKORV-N

[ScarletD]

Question background:
We own a 2 Bdrm Lockoff at Westin Ka'anapali North. We have gone many times and love it. Some in our family have got an itch to try something different for 2025, and we are curious about the Big Island. We are nervous about trading into a property that could end up being not as "nice" as we have come to expect from the Westin properties on Maui. We have never traded outside of the Vistana system, but that is a topic for another thread.

Question:
What timeshare properties on the Big Island are of equal or better quality to the WKORV-N? I see the TUG reviews, but after a while they all start to sound the same. We understand that the island is very large and location to desired activities matters more here than on other islands. For now, though, I am just wanting to understand about what properties are most comparable in quality (equal or better) to WKORV-N.

In this context, we think of quality in terms of how modern, spacious, and well maintained the unit is, how well kept the grounds are, the level of overall service. Does it feel like we are staying at a "nice" place where we would want to spend some time or a just a place to sleep? That is how we think of quality.

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

 

[rickandcindy23]

The only resort system that is as nice as Westin on the Big Island is Hilton. If you have Abound, you could book the Marriott that way. I am sure you were grandfathered into Abound after Marriott took Vistana over.

I have never stayed at Marriott on the Big Island so cannot comment. Hilton Kings'Land is a beautiful resort. Maybe you should rent a week from an owner.

When did you plan to go to the Big Island? It would be fun to have the flexibility to go when the volcano has some activity.

 

[ScarletD]

Thank you so much for your reply.

We do not have Abound. We went for a couple of years before we bought resale, and by that time it was too late to be grandfathered in. I forgot to mention that in my post.

We don't have a ton of flexibility because my son is still in school. We always try to book as close as possible to the beginning of summer vacation because we want to avoid peak summer crowds and heat.

It sounds like we might focus on trying to trade into the Hilton system.

Thanks again!

 

[DeniseM]

You can't trade into Hilton w/Westin, because Hilton is in RCI. I agree, the Hilton Kings' Land is the top resort on the Big Island, but you won't find ocean views there - there are very few oceanfront properties on the Big Island because of the topography. However the Hilton Lagoon is amazing, and definitely fun for kids. I recommend that you rent your Maui timeshare and use the proceeds to rent exactly what you want on the Big Island. You will probably even make a profit.

 

[vacationtime1]

We own OF at WKORV. We have enjoyed our stays at the Marriott Waikoloa; the quality is the same as WKORV.

 

[DeniseM]

Please tell me you aren't exchanging your OF WKORV?

 

[vacationtime1]

Please tell me you aren't exchanging your OF WKORV?

Of course we are not.

 

[DeniseM]

Glad to hear it. I will have to check-out the Marriott Waikaloa the next time we are on the BI. Is it ever available on II? Do you know the II code for it? Is this it?

 

[crf450x]

We just got back from the Big Island a few weeks ago. Have stayed at WKORV, WKORVN, NANEA, all the Marriots in Oahu, Kauai and Maui. The only timeshare that will be equal to the WKORVN on the Big Island will be Marriott Waikoloa, HGVC Kingsland and Ocean Tower Waikoloa.

However, we stayed at the Kona Coast Resort for the 1st time a few weeks ago. This is an older but big property with large units. Definitely not the same quality of Marriott or Westin timeshares but we were pleasantly surprised we liked it as much as we did. Since there are so many things to do on the Big Island, we were out of our unit most of the time exploring and doing activities all over the island. It is BIG. So the only time we were back at the unit was essentially to sleep and do laundry.

I would recommend booking a desirable WKORVN week and rent it on Redweek or TUG and then just rent a Big Island week at Marriott Waikoloa, HGVC Kingsland or Ocean Tower, or the Kona Coast Resort. The likelihood to get an equal trade from wkorvn to a resort on the big island is low.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

 

[rickandcindy23]

We own OF at WKORV. We have enjoyed our stays at the Marriott Waikoloa; the quality is the same as WKORV.

They didn't get grandfathered into Abound. I have not seek Marriott's Waikoloa available other than through Abound.

 

[rickandcindy23]

You could actually try a trade on TUG through the Marketplace: Westin for Hilton Kings'Land.

 

[ScarletD]

I really appreciate everyone's responses on this. I knew I would get good advice from this group. I think we are going to take the easy route and just use Star Options to go to Kauai in 2025. But there will likely still be a Big Island trip in our future, and now I have a better idea of a plan forward. Sounds like my next task will be figuring out how to rent our week when the Big Island year comes. Thanks again!

 

[SChiam]

Using WKORVN star options to trade for Kauai (Princeville or Sheraton) is a downgrade trade. My WKORVN Ocean Front (2B) Abound points value are double Westin Princeville (2B) points value and triple Sheraton Kauai (2B) points value. Sheraton Kauai 2-bedroom is very small and is across the street from the oceanfront Sheraton hotel, thus only worth 1/3 of the value of WKORVN OF. For Kauai, I much prefer Marriott Waiohai on Poipu beach especially if you like snorkeling. I understand you don’t have access to Abound point, in my opinion WKORVN is superior than any of the timeshare resorts in Kauai. [deleted]

 

[vacationtime1]

Using WKORVN star options to trade for Kauai (Princeville or Sheraton) is a downgrade trade. My WKORVN Ocean Front (2B) Abound points value are double Westin Princeville (2B) points value and triple Sheraton Kauai (2B) points value. Sheraton Kauai 2-bedroom is very small and is across the street from the oceanfront Sheraton hotel, thus only worth 1/3 of the value of WKORVN OF. For Kauai, I much prefer Marriott Waiohai on Poipu beach especially if you like snorkeling. I understand you don’t have access to Abound point, in my opinion WKORVN is superior than any of the timeshare resorts in Kauai. [deleted]

^^^^^^ This.

The Westin Maui resorts are better than anything on Kauai. If you want to maximize value, you need to rent out your WKORVN unit and use the dollars (rather than StarOptions) to reserve Kauai. This goes double (or triple) if you own OF on Maui.

 

[Henry M.]

Is it a bad trade if you convert your Maui unit to Club Points and use those to reserve on the other Hawaiian islands?

I find the property at Princeville comparable to Maui as far as the rooms and grounds, though it is not beachfront. It is cheaper to use with Abound points rather than Staroptions. I'm considering getting Club Points for one of my Maui weeks to be able to use them at many different locations, including Spain. The locations would not always be as nice, but Maui gets a lot of points, so I can go to a lot of places. I haven't done the math compared to renting out my unit and paying for the other places.

 

[SChiam]

Is it a bad trade if you convert your Maui unit to Club Points and use those to reserve on the other Hawaiian islands?

I find the property at Princeville comparable to Maui as far as the rooms and grounds, though it is not beachfront. It is cheaper to use with Abound points rather than Staroptions. I'm considering getting Club Points for one of my Maui weeks to be able to use them at many different locations, including Spain. The locations would not always be as nice, but Maui gets a lot of points, so I can go to a lot of places. I haven't done the math compared to renting out my unit and paying for the other places.

Westin Kaanapali 2B OV or IV 6200 Abound points, OF 8325 Abound points. Westin Princeville 2B 4300 Abound points. For me, WKORV and WKORVN are decent for electing Abound points when you want to experience other islands in some years. Renting out WKORV might yield better $, but seems like a lot of work especially if it’s your first time (learning curve).

 

[ScarletD]

^^^^^^ This.

The Westin Maui resorts are better than anything on Kauai. If you want to maximize value, you need to rent out your WKORVN unit and use the dollars (rather than StarOptions) to reserve Kauai. This goes double (or triple) if you own OF on Maui.

I really appreciate both of these responses. Thank you!

 

[BJRSanDiego]

I could be wrong but I thought that there were no deeded weeks sold at Marriott Waikoloa. So if the OP doesn't have points, it could be a real long-shot to exchange there.

We've exchanged into Kona Coast 2 three times and enjoyed it. It isn't Marriott quality but it was clean, quiet, and convenient. We would go back in a heartbeat.

 

[rickandcindy23]

For Kauai, Westin Princeville is a great choice. You can swim in the pool with the Hawaiian state bird, the nene. Rick laughed when he saw a dozen nene swimming in the pool two years ago.

All kidding aside, the resort is beautiful, but it's on a cliff. We are checking into the resort next Friday and looking forward to it. It's a great resort. Beautiful pools and a walk down a path to an okay beach. The rotting mangos smell gross on that walk.