Buying resale - Vistana or HGVC?

[exhaustedmomof3]

Hello!

We are currently DVC owners and live on the west coast. We alternate between using our small contract of DVC points every other year and going to Hawaii every other year. We'd like to buy another timeshare to use when we're not going to Orlando.

I'm only interested in buying resale and require a 2bd for my family of 5. Our primary goal is to use it for Hawaii and travel mostly during school breaks.

I've been doing research online, and so far it seems like when buying resale, there is minimal loss of benefits with HGVC and Vistana if you buy a mandatory resort. Westin MFs seem a bit higher, but correct me if I'm wrong. I still have some questions, since I have no experience with these systems.

Which system is best for going every other year to Hawaii in peak periods? Do you need to buy into a Hawaiian resort or is it relatively easy to book without home resort advantage?
Is there any significant difference in resort amenities and services between the Vistana and HGVC?
Is it better to buy an EOY contract or buy a smaller EY contract and bank or borrow like we do with DVC?

I'm not fussy about which island in Hawaii, they're all good! And I'm not too concerned about exchanging, since we're not likely to exchange into another system once we have the two timeshares going. I also need a full kitchen. We have severe allergies in our home, so I prepare almost all of our meals.

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[ocdb8r]

Hello!

We are currently DVC owners and live on the west coast. We alternate between using our small contract of DVC points every other year and going to Hawaii every other year. We'd like to buy another timeshare to use when we're not going to Orlando.

I'm only interested in buying resale and require a 2bd for my family of 5. Our primary goal is to use it for Hawaii and travel mostly during school breaks.

I've been doing research online, and so far it seems like when buying resale, there is minimal loss of benefits with HGVC and Vistana if you buy a mandatory resort. Westin MFs seem a bit higher, but correct me if I'm wrong. I still have some questions, since I have no experience with these systems.

Which system is best for going every other year to Hawaii in peak periods? Do you need to buy into a Hawaiian resort or is it relatively easy to book without home resort advantage?
Is there any significant difference in resort amenities and services between the Vistana and HGVC?
Is it better to buy an EOY contract or buy a smaller EY contract and bank or borrow like we do with DVC?

I'm not fussy about which island in Hawaii, they're all good! And I'm not too concerned about exchanging, since we're not likely to exchange into another system once we have the two timeshares going. I also need a full kitchen. We have severe allergies in our home, so I prepare almost all of our meals.

Thanks so much for the advice!

I know you say you don't care which island in Hawaii, but they all REALLY do have their own feel. Regardless, here's the lay of the land just so you're aware: HGVC is on the Big Island and Oahu; Vistana has properties on Maui and Kauai. HGVC currently has a property in development on Maui, but progress has been slow (and that was pre-covid), it's down in Kihei (some like more, but most prefer Kaanapali) and there is unlikely to be resale for a while there (given direct sales are still just in "previews"). It also is priced astronomically (so direct is no option and resale may stay artificially inflated until direct buyers accept the mistake they made).

Now, once you have a re-think about island preference , my thoughts on your specific questions.

1) Which system is best for going every other year - this is possible in both systems, but HGVC is slightly more flexible as they allow you to BOTH bank and borrow points; Vistana only allows you to bank. However, see my caveat below about whether banking/borrowing is viable for your intended vacationing plans;

2) Do you need to buy into a Hawaiian resort or is it relatively easy to book without home resort advantage - for Vistana, if you want to vacation during peak school holidays, I would say you must buy in Maui if you want to stay in Maui. The Kauai resorts are more often available with your non home resort advantages (terminology in Vistana would be "using Staroptions") and Maui can be gotten for random weeks over the summer, but the non-summer school holidays are very hard to get without owning there. for HGVC, it's similar but perhaps a bit easier - for Oahu you typically need home resort advantage but if you're willing to get up at 6am and book day-by-day (what HGVC users call "walking a reservation") you can get spring break/presidents week, Thanksgiving...unlikely going to get Christmas/NY. Summer is a bit easier than Vistana on Maui, but not "easy". The Big Island for HGVC is even easier than Kauai is for Vistana without home resort advantage. Final caveat, for HGVC all this assumes you are looking at the "original" 2 bed point value weeks (7k - 8400 points). The newer phases on both islands (and all of to be developed Maui) require about 50% more points....as a result, it's much easier to book holiday weeks in those (more expensive) phases.

3) Is there any significant difference in resort amenities and services between the Vistana and HGVC - depends on the specific resort, but generally it's a wash. HGVC on Oahu in the original phases are not purpose built timeshares (they're converted hotel rooms) and as such they're a bit smaller....but the resort it self is fabulous. On the Big Island, Kingsland is comparable to Vistana - there are two older properties with lovely (and some quite large 2 bed) units, fully updated...but the overall resort amenities are more lacking. There's a LOT we could write about specifics, but I think overall they're pretty comparable with perhaps a slight edge to Vistana. You'd have to be more specific about what you're interested for others to provide some useful comparisons.

4) Is it better to buy an EOY contract or buy a smaller EY contract and bank or borrow like we do with DVC - see above re: banking and borrowing for Vistana. Not doable and so you should look at a EOY contract or get comfortable trying to rent out your off year. In addition, for both systems, banking and borrowing lose your home resort advantage (and thus, see #2 above).

On kitchens, pretty much everywhere offer full Kitchens. For both, there are select room types that don't offer a full oven (and instead a microwave convection) but otherwise full kitchen.

Any other questions, ask away. I own both systems and have visited all the resorts for both systems (except the new Vistana hotel conversion on Kauai, but I have been to the purpose built Princeville on Kauai). You will not be disappointed with either system if you truly are happy on any of the islands.

 

[dayooper]

I know you say you don't care which island in Hawaii, but they all REALLY do have their own feel. Regardless, here's the lay of the land just so you're aware: HGVC is on the Big Island and Oahu; Vistana has properties on Maui and Kauai. HGVC currently has a property in development on Maui, but progress has been slow (and that was pre-covid), it's down in Kihei (some like more, but most prefer Kaanapali) and there is unlikely to be resale for a while there (given direct sales are still just in "previews"). It also is priced astronomically (so direct is no option and resale may stay artificially inflated until direct buyers accept the mistake they made).

Now, once you have a re-think about island preference , my thoughts on your specific questions.

1) Which system is best for going every other year - this is possible in both systems, but HGVC is slightly more flexible as they allow you to BOTH bank and borrow points; Vistana only allows you to bank. However, see my caveat below about whether banking/borrowing is viable for your intended vacationing plans;

2) Do you need to buy into a Hawaiian resort or is it relatively easy to book without home resort advantage - for Vistana, if you want to vacation during peak school holidays, I would say you must buy in Maui if you want to stay in Maui. The Kauai resorts are more often available with your non home resort advantages (terminology in Vistana would be "using Staroptions") and Maui can be gotten for random weeks over the summer, but the non-summer school holidays are very hard to get without owning there. for HGVC, it's similar but perhaps a bit easier - for Oahu you typically need home resort advantage but if you're willing to get up at 6am and book day-by-day (what HGVC calls "walking a reservation") you can get spring break/presidents week, Thanksgiving...unlikely going to get Christmas/NY. Summer is a bit easier than Vistana on Maui, but not "easy". The Big Island for HGVC is even easier than Kauai is for Vistana without home resort advantage. Final caveat, for HGVC all this assumes you are looking at the "original" 2 bed point value weeks (7k - 8400 points). The newer phases on both islands (and all of to be developed Maui) require about 50% more points....as a result, it's much easier to book holiday weeks in those (more expensive) phases.

3) Is there any significant difference in resort amenities and services between the Vistana and HGVC - depends on the specific resort, but generally it's a wash. HGVC on Oahu in the original phases are not purpose built timeshares (they're converted hotel rooms) and as such they're a bit smaller....but the resort it self is fabulous. On the Big Island, Kingsland is comparable to Vistana - there are two older properties with lovely (and some quite large 2 bed) units, fully updated...but the overall resort amenities are more lacking. There's a LOT we could write about specifics, but I think overall they're pretty comparable with perhaps a slight edge to Vistana. You'd have to be more specific about what you're interested for others to provide some useful comparisons.

4) Is it better to buy an EOY contract or buy a smaller EY contract and bank or borrow like we do with DVC - see above re: banking and borrowing for Vistana. Not doable and so you should look at a EOY contract or get comfortable trying to rent out your off year. In addition, for both systems, banking and borrowing lose your home resort advantage (and thus, see #2 above).

On kitchens, pretty much everywhere offer full Kitchens. For both, there are select room types that don't offer a full oven (and instead a microwave convection) but otherwise full kitchen.

Any other questions, ask away. I own both systems and have visited all the resorts for both systems (except the new Vistana hotel conversion on Kauai, but I have been to the purpose built Princeville on Kauai). You will not be disappointed with either system if you truly are happy on any of the islands.

I was going to reply, but this post just about covers it!

 

[CalGalTraveler]

the post above well sums up the situation.

Each resort has its pluses and minuses and although similar quality they are all different. We own HGVC in Vegas and trade into Oahu and BI in the early summer. We also own Westin Maui mandatory Oceanfront. Overall we are happy with both, I like the energy of Oahu in Lagoon Tower, my DH likes the relaxed feel of Westin Maui better. YMMV.

Cost-wise: HGVC in Vegas trading into HI is the least expensive option in terms of buy-in, MF and flexibility. Buy Westin Maui to use it for the use year Even though you have staroptions it is better to use or rent out your property because of the high MF cost. Trading into Maui via other mandatory Vistana will get you Island View and you would have to be very flexible with dates.

Given you are on the west coast you could also trade into Carlsbad, Vegas and Park City with HGVC. Vistana would be Palm Springs, Arizona, Colorado.

Suggest that you rent from these systems to try them out and see what best fits your vacation desires and budget.

 

[buzglyd]

I’ll also mention HGV has Open Season cash rates and Vistana doesn’t. It’s a great way to add a few days to your vacation or visit someplace else when you’re out of points.

 

[jabberwocky]

I think you've received excellent advice here. One small point of clarification to @ocdb8r - Vistana does allow you to borrow points from the next use year; however, this has to be done by phoning in and you must have already paid the estimated MF from the following year - as a result you probably won't be able to book a high demand week in Maui with borrowed Vistana points.

We own several intervals in Vistana including a Maui OF. We've stayed at HHV on Oahu and at a couple of Hilton locations in Vegas. I'd say that Hilton is comparable to Vistana overall - but you need to look at the brands. I would say that Westin > Hilton > Sheraton. Given that you need peak season in Hawaii and that you already have access to Oahu via DVC Aulani I'd lean toward an Vistana OF unit at either WKORV or WKORV-N. Pricing should be getting pretty good as I expect more owners will be looking to get out.

Incidentally I just made an offer on a Hilton LV BLVD 2BR Plat week today which was accepted. Now to see if it clears ROFR and if I will be joining the Hilton family.

 

[exhaustedmomof3]

@ocdb8r @CalGalTraveler @buzglyd @jabberwocky Thank you all for the amazing detailed advice! I may be leaning towards HGVC for the open season. Is there usually decent availability for it?

 

[exhaustedmomof3]

Incidentally I just made an offer on a Hilton LV BLVD 2BR Plat week today which was accepted. Now to see if it clears ROFR and if I will be joining the Hilton family.

Best of luck passing ROFR

 

[buzglyd]

@ocdb8r @CalGalTraveler @buzglyd @jabberwocky Thank you all for the amazing detailed advice! I may be leaning towards HGVC for the open season. Is there usually decent availability for it?

That depends. Big Island, yes. Oahu, sometimes. Vegas, a lot. Orlando, a lot.

it’s seasonal like anything else but I’ve used it quite a bit. More Gold season than Platinu.

 

[ocdb8r]

A few additional thoughts:

@jabberwocky - thanks for the clarification on borrowing. I've never taken advantage. It did remind me one big plus of borrowing in HGVC - no fees to do so!

On Open Season, I think @buzglyd has it right...although I will say for most properties it's not available during peak travel season. More important, I find the rates after the recent increases pretty unattractive. To add a night or two, maybe, but much better value using the points if you have them. They used to be quite a steal! LINK

Also, mind @jabberwocky comments on view for Vistana if this is important to you. Buying the view you want is the only way to guarantee a good unit. HGVC views are tied to the points requirements so you can trade into a specific view if available. Vistana now allows exchanges for OceanFront units with a StarOption premium, but they are VERY hard to come by. Otherwise you're relegated to run of the house. THAT said, I will say my personal experience trading in via StarOptions has been very good. There is only a small number of units with really unattractive views and as a StarOption exchanger, you're typically prioritized behind home resort owners, but ahead of renters and other exchanges (II). As such, I've always gotten decent views.

Finally, also consider if you care which system trading in means anything to you. HGVC uses RCI (like Disney) so you may have some exposure. Vistana uses II and now also has a Marriott exchange preference which could open up some interesting options once you're not as tied to the school holiday schedule.

 

[exhaustedmomof3]

@ocdb8r @buzglyd

Thanks for the additional info!

Sorry I have more question

With EOY contracts, when you bank and borrow, does it go by calendar year or by year of use?

Do both systems have similar fee structures? Can you manage your bookings online primarily?
With DVC, I don't have to pay to book, bank or borrow, and I can pretty much do everything I need to do online, so I'm unfamiliar with how this works elsewhere.

I may be leaning towards Vistana now

 

[buzglyd]

@ocdb8r @buzglyd

Thanks for the additional info!

Sorry I have more question

With EOY contracts, when you bank and borrow, does it go by calendar year or by year of use?

Do both systems have similar fee structures? Can you manage your bookings online primarily?
With DVC, I don't have to pay to book, bank or borrow, and I can pretty much do everything I need to do online, so I'm unfamiliar with how this works elsewhere.

I may be leaning towards Vistana now

I have both! I've got an annual 6200 point HGV and an even year Lagoon ocean front so I have home week booking for that. I also have an odd year Vistana 81,000 point.

Vistana does not charge a booking fee which is really nice. HGV has a fee for each booking except your home week.

HGV gets a free RCI membership. Vistana gets a free II membership. I've booked many Getaways in II but rarely use RCI. Vistana's locations are somewhat more limited (I'm not a mountain traveler) and Odd year usage plus Getaways is plenty for me.

 

[dayooper]

@ocdb8r @buzglyd

Thanks for the additional info!

Sorry I have more question

With EOY contracts, when you bank and borrow, does it go by calendar year or by year of use?

Do both systems have similar fee structures? Can you manage your bookings online primarily?
With DVC, I don't have to pay to book, bank or borrow, and I can pretty much do everything I need to do online, so I'm unfamiliar with how this works elsewhere.

I may be leaning towards Vistana now

HGVC does have a fee structure. There is a $67 fee for a club booking (home booking are free), $115 to save points to next year (borrowing is free). You don’t have to pay your next years MF’s to borrow from them. There is a fee to put your points into RCI (not sure of the dollar amount). Your club dues are $182 this year. Also, club booking as changeable at no cost. You can move dates and even resorts for free.

That’s a lot of fees, but the MF’s are pretty low. I own a pretty decent MF/point ratio deed with my Flamingo. I get a standard 2 bedroom for ~$1200 (including the $182 club fee). That can get me a 2 bedroom for a week in the Big Island for that cost. You can really make your points go far with splitting up your week. M-Th nights are half the points of F-Su. If you book weekdays, you can get more vacation time than just booking a week. The flexibility of the system is a big advantage.

Everything is available online, but if issues arise, the customer service reps are great.

 

[buzglyd]

HGVC does have a fee structure. There is a $67 fee for a club booking (home booking are free), $115 to save points to next year (borrowing is free). You don’t have to pay your next years MF’s to borrow from them. There is a fee to put your points into RCI (not sure of the dollar amount). Your club dues are $182 this year. Also, club booking as changeable at no cost. You can move dates and even resorts for free.

That’s a lot of fees, but the MF’s are pretty low. I own a pretty decent MF/point ratio deed with my Flamingo. I get a standard 2 bedroom for ~$1200 (including the $182 club fee). That can get me a 2 bedroom for a week in the Big Island for that cost. You can really make your points go far with splitting up your week. M-Th nights are half the points of F-Su. If you book weekdays, you can get more vacation time than just booking a week. The flexibility of the system is a big advantage.

Everything is available online, but if issues arise, the customer service reps are great.

Buy Platinum and book Gold is a great way to stretch points. HGV Gold is about 70% of Platinum and Vistana Gold is 50% of Platinum.

 

[ocdb8r]

With EOY contracts, when you bank and borrow, does it go by calendar year or by year of use?

"Use Year" is mostly a DVC only concept (Worldmark also operates in a similar way, but I know of no others). For Vistana and HGVC everything is done by calendar year.

However, this also leads me to remind you that for both systems "points" are effectively an overlay on what was originally a weeks based system. That's important because what you buy will be a week during a specified season (for Vistana Hawaii is Platinum Season all year long while HGVC has both Platinum and Gold Seasons in Hawaii). What you are legally entitled to is only that actual week - the "points" and using them to go elsewhere within the system is not guaranteed and subject to pages of legal clauses describing the points overlay and terms and conditions (although few of us believe within your system that it would ever disappear). Caveat - Vistana did launch a pure points based system whereby you can purchase Staroptions but suggest you avoid at all costs and don't go down that rabbit hole as there are significant restrictions on resale and maintenance fees are typically higher than if you just purchased a comparable week.

Do both systems have similar fee structures? Can you manage your bookings online primarily?
With DVC, I don't have to pay to book, bank or borrow, and I can pretty much do everything I need to do online, so I'm unfamiliar with how this works elsewhere.

As mentioned above, HGVC certainly has more "fees" for the various things you can do compared to Vistana, but that's usually compensated by lower maintenance fees. Both have fairly decent online systems to manage everything (reservations, banking...etc) but they all have their little quirks we LOVE to complain about!

One thing not mentioned is that I believe both systems charge you an annual membership fee that you will pay even during your "off" year if you buy an EOY contract (I am certain for HGVC as I once owned an EOY there; I have never owned an EOY in the Vistana system that qualified for StarOptions).

 

[HenryT]

I also own both systems. You have received a lot of good advise. I would only add the following:

Since you primarily want to travel to Hawaii every other year in prime time, I would strongly recommend you buy in Hawaii and not consider purchasing outside of Hawaii and trading in.

Also, I think you need to rethink your opinion on not caring which Hawaii you purchase at. Sounds like you have been to Hawaii a number of times so it wouldn't be your first rodeo going there and you may already have somewhat of a feel for each Island. If your children are young any island will due because they all would have enough for young children to do. As they get older though, into their teens, they may get bored with the Big Island as there is not as much to do for that age group. Could be the same with Kauai also, but less so. The islands with the most options for a wider age group would be Oahu and Maui so you may want to select one of these depending on what type of vacation you are interested in.

 

[jabberwocky]

@ocdb8r @buzglyd

With EOY contracts, when you bank and borrow, does it go by calendar year or by year of use?

Do both systems have similar fee structures? Can you manage your bookings online primarily?

Within Vistana borrowing on an EOY contract is a bit more limited in that you can only borrow from an Odd year into an Odd year (i.e., a booking for 2021 can be borrowed from 2023 but not 2022). There are no additional fees to book or borrow within Vistana. Banking does involve a fee.

One other fee that may come up with Vistana - particularly if you are doing multiple reservations on points is that you only get one housekeeping per interval that you own per year. Additional housekeeping is a $50 fee. So if you have two weeks and then you decide to do three different stays you would have to pay $50 for the third stay.

I've found that I'm able to do just about everything online to manage bookings with Vistana - including guest certificates. The only thing I've had to call in for was to borrow some points one year.

 

[K2Quick]

I'm not fussy about which island in Hawaii, they're all good! And I'm not too concerned about exchanging, since we're not likely to exchange into another system once we have the two timeshares going.

I know you say which island doesn't matter, but it's a pretty big differentiator between Vistana and HGVC. Vistana gives you Maui/Kauai. HGVC gives you Big Island/Oahu (with a resort coming on Maui but who knows when and in not the greatest area). So if you see yourself wanting to visit one couple of island over the other, that should influence your decision.

Also, you don't have Marriott in your list of options, but that allows you to access all four islands (although not with internal trades - you'd have to rely on II trades outside of your home resort) and they have some nice resorts in Hawaii.

 

[dayooper]

If you are going to purchase any for the week (and not points exchange) I would suggest renting first. Buying a HGVC in Oahu during peak season means that’s probably the resort you will be staying at. If you buy without going, you could be stuck with something you don’t like.

If you are purchasing at a non-Hawaii as a cheaper way to go to Hawaii, then purchase away! I have only seen my resort from the outside. When we go to Vegas next year, it will be at Elara.

 

[exhaustedmomof3]

However, this also leads me to remind you that for both systems "points" are effectively an overlay on what was originally a weeks based system. That's important because what you buy will be a week during a specified season (for Vistana Hawaii is Platinum Season all year long while HGVC has both Platinum and Gold Seasons in Hawaii). What you are legally entitled to is only that actual week - the "points" and using them to go elsewhere within the system is not guaranteed and subject to pages of legal clauses describing the points overlay and terms and conditions (although few of us believe within your system that it would ever disappear).

I also own both systems. You have received a lot of good advise. I would only add the following:

Since you primarily want to travel to Hawaii every other year in prime time, I would strongly recommend you buy in Hawaii and not consider purchasing outside of Hawaii and trading in.

Also, I think you need to rethink your opinion on not caring which Hawaii you purchase at. Sounds like you have been to Hawaii a number of times so it wouldn't be your first rodeo going there and you may already have somewhat of a feel for each Island. If your children are young any island will due because they all would have enough for young children to do. As they get older though, into their teens, they may get bored with the Big Island as there is not as much to do for that age group. Could be the same with Kauai also, but less so. The islands with the most options for a wider age group would be Oahu and Maui so you may want to select one of these depending on what type of vacation you are interested in.

I would like to buy where I want to primarily stay, if the numbers add up. It's an interesting point about the weeks system with a points overlay. I'm definitely used to using points.

My kids range in age from 6 to 15. Right now they're generally happy with beaches and pools. DH prefers mostly relaxing, so he finds our Disney trips exhausting. Lol. We loved the quiet of the Big Island, but we also loved Oahu, so that's why I think we're pretty flexible, at least right now. We haven't been to Kauai, so I'm unsure about the kids with that one.

One other fee that may come up with Vistana - particularly if you are doing multiple reservations on points is that you only get one housekeeping per interval that you own per year. Additional housekeeping is a $50 fee. So if you have two weeks and then you decide to do three different stays you would have to pay $50 for the third stay.

This is good to know! It sounds similar to my parents' Worldmark housekeeping fees.

Also, you don't have Marriott in your list of options, but that allows you to access all four islands (although not with internal trades - you'd have to rely on II trades outside of your home resort) and they have some nice resorts in Hawaii.

Are there lots of restrictions with Marriott for resale buyers? I thought there were more restrictions compared to the other systems, which is why I didn't really have it on my list. I am definitely not opposed to buying Marriott if I can have the same type of flexibility as the other systems.

If you are going to purchase any for the week (and not points exchange) I would suggest renting first. Buying a HGVC in Oahu during peak season means that’s probably the resort you will be staying at. If you buy without going, you could be stuck with something you don’t like.

If you are purchasing at a non-Hawaii as a cheaper way to go to Hawaii, then purchase away! I have only seen my resort from the outside. When we go to Vegas next year, it will be at Elara.

We were able to exchange into Kingsland a few years ago and loved it! That's really when I started thinking about buying something outside of DVC lol

I'm so grateful to this group and all of the thoughtful and detailed answers! You guys rock!

 

[jabberwocky]

Are there lots of restrictions with Marriott for resale buyers? I thought there were more restrictions compared to the other systems, which is why I didn't really have it on my list. I am definitely not opposed to buying Marriott if I can have the same type of flexibility as the other systems.

Marriott has two systems - the Points system and the Weeks system. Some weeks can be enrolled - which means you get points for your week; however, this is a fairly expensive way to get in. The points are extremely flexible; however, it is really expensive if you are wanting Hawaii in peak season. For example, for a 2BR OF summer week on Maui at the Marriott Napili Villas would be 8650 points with maintenance fees being over $5200 for that number of points (plus the annual fee of $205). In comparison, just down the beach at the Westin every week is the same points value in the respective view category (OF or other). Your MF would be around $3000 for that week for a 2BR OF.

The Marriott resorts are fantastic - but I wouldn't pay that premium. There has also been some discussion that there will be an overlay of some type that will allow Vistana owners to book into Marriott and vice-versa (outside of II), but there has not been a confirmation of this.

 

[K2Quick]

Are there lots of restrictions with Marriott for resale buyers? I thought there were more restrictions compared to the other systems, which is why I didn't really have it on my list. I am definitely not opposed to buying Marriott if I can have the same type of flexibility as the other systems.

If you value flexibility, HGVC definitely offers the most flexibility followed by Vistana. Non-points Marriott isn't very flexible. I like the idea of WKORV (because I have a definite Kauai/Maui bias and the Kauai/Maui resorts are typically more difficult to exchange into than Oahu/Big Island). It's a very nice resort on a great beach and allows for you to easily exchange internally to WPORV on Kauai (that's a great resort too in one of the most beautiful settings on the planet - just without direct beach access). You might also want to consider a cheap trader like Worldmark if you want access to the HGVC Hawaii resorts. The HGVC Hawaii resorts have been readily available via RCI exchange as long as you're willing to plan 18 months or so in advance.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Also, you don't have Marriott in your list of options, but that allows you to access all four islands (although not with internal trades - you'd have to rely on II trades outside of your home resort) and they have some nice resorts in Hawaii.

You can do the same to access all 4 islands with Vistana via II. HGVC trades via RCI and you can access all 4 islands. HGVC stronger/better in Waikiki, BI. Vistana/Marriott stonger/better in Maui and Kauai.

 

[ocdb8r]

Are there lots of restrictions with Marriott for resale buyers? I thought there were more restrictions compared to the other systems, which is why I didn't really have it on my list. I am definitely not opposed to buying Marriott if I can have the same type of flexibility as the other systems.

Just to simplify, your options with Marriott are as follows:

1. Buy a "week" ownership at one of the Hawaii resorts which will allow you to use your week at your specified resort during your specified season OR trade it via Interval International (with a preference to seeing other Marriott and Vistana Resorts early). However, as noted above, a Vistana week gives you this same option AND if you buy at Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas or Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas North you will also have access to trading in Vistana with StarOptions. Two important notes:
   • Not all Vistana resorts guarantee access to use StarOptions for internal trading - only "mandatory" resorts do (the two resorts mentioned above on Maui are mandatory resorts....no others in Hawaii are);
   • It appears the trading preference in II which allows you to see Marriott resorts before other II owners is longer for Marriott>Marriott trades vs Vistana>Marriott trades, however neither will be particularly helpful for peak holidays as these are rarely available in II
2. Buy Marriott "points" ownership, which allows you internal Marriott trading. As mentioned above this is actually a very expensive option for intending to use the points in Hawaii (compared to buying a week) but gives you more choices on where to use your points (both within Hawaii on different islands and anywhere else Marriott Vacation Club has a resort). Again, a couple of caveats:
   • Some have mentioned above an ability to buy a Marriott Week and then be given the option to convert it to Marriott Points - this is technically possible but complicated and costly (requiring you to first purchase a "week", typically on the resale market, and then making an additional purchase of "points" directly from Marriott, in consideration for they will then bless (refereed to as "re-qualifying") your resale week with the ability to ALSO convert for points. This means you end up owning a "week" with it's maintenance fees and "points" with their maintenance fees all for the ability to convert the week to points and use as one big pool. It can be more cost effective than just buying "points" but overall for what you've described thus far, I don't think it would be the most cost effective option for what you're looking for
   • There was also mention of Marriott (who now owns Vistana) creating a program whereby Vistana Weeks owners could be permitted to convert their weeks for Marriott Vacation Club points (similar to the "blessing" I described above for Marriott Weeks owners. This is all conjecture at this point, no one knows if it will happen and if it does, what it will cost (will they require a direct Marriott points purchase like they do to "re-qualify" Marriot weeks or will it just be a one time straight charge as they offered Marriott weeks owners at the launch of the Marriott point system. Bottom line, don't make any decision based on this speculation!

 

[exhaustedmomof3]

Just to simplify, your options with Marriott are as follows:

1. Buy a "week" ownership at one of the Hawaii resorts which will allow you to use your week at your specified resort during your specified season OR trade it via Interval International (with a preference to seeing other Marriott and Vistana Resorts early). However, as noted above, a Vistana week gives you this same option AND if you buy at Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas or Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas North you will also have access to trading in Vistana with StarOptions. Two important notes:
   • Not all Vistana resorts guarantee access to use StarOptions for internal trading - only "mandatory" resorts do (the two resorts mentioned above on Maui are mandatory resorts....no others in Hawaii are);
   • It appears the trading preference in II which allows you to see Marriott resorts before other II owners is longer for Marriott>Marriott trades vs Vistana>Marriott trades, however neither will be particularly helpful for peak holidays as these are rarely available in II
2. Buy Marriott "points" ownership, which allows you internal Marriott trading. As mentioned above this is actually a very expensive option for intending to use the points in Hawaii (compared to buying a week) but gives you more choices on where to use your points (both within Hawaii on different islands and anywhere else Marriott Vacation Club has a resort). Again, a couple of caveats:
   • Some have mentioned above an ability to buy a Marriott Week and then be given the option to convert it to Marriott Points - this is technically possible but complicated and costly (requiring you to first purchase a "week", typically on the resale market, and then making an additional purchase of "points" directly from Marriott, in consideration for they will then bless (refereed to as "re-qualifying") your resale week with the ability to ALSO convert for points. This means you end up owning a "week" with it's maintenance fees and "points" with their maintenance fees all for the ability to convert the week to points and use as one big pool. It can be more cost effective than just buying "points" but overall for what you've described thus far, I don't think it would be the most cost effective option for what you're looking for
   • There was also mention of Marriott (who now owns Vistana) creating a program whereby Vistana Weeks owners could be permitted to convert their weeks for Marriott Vacation Club points (similar to the "blessing" I described above for Marriott Weeks owners. This is all conjecture at this point, no one knows if it will happen and if it does, what it will cost (will they require a direct Marriott points purchase like they do to "re-qualify" Marriot weeks or will it just be a one time straight charge as they offered Marriott weeks owners at the launch of the Marriott point system. Bottom line, don't make any decision based on this speculation!

This is a great summary. Thanks so much for the info!