Curious where other HGVC owners stay on Maui?

[dougp26364]

I don't actually like Maui, as when in Paradise I prefer either Big Island or Kauai. I think there are too many tourists on Maui (and Oahu for that matter). I stay where I like, and that excludes Maui.

I am a diver and diving is best on the Big Island so that is my first choice always.

A little off topic but we have a friend/co-worker who owns a house on Kausi. She refers to Honolulu as Kansas City with a beach. A doctor I work with traveled to Honolulu recently and complained about the touristy commercialism on Oahu. I told him the line about Kansas City with a beach and he came back with more like Tokoyo with a beach.

We still enjoy Honolulu and Oahu, even if it's crowded with tourists. The shopping and restaurants are nice to go along with the warmth, sun and beaches.

 

[baf99]

Here's a direct link to our photo album of the resort. http://dougp26364.smugmug.com/Trave...April/28619757_k5tn5c#!i=2454278948&k=ccPzWbZ
QUOTE]

Thanks for posting this. The resort does look nice. You can really tell its roots from the atrium. Every 80's vintage Embassy Suites hotel I have been in looks like that. Still, it looks like a well maintained resort in a good location.

I will probably stay there when I finally go to Maui since I will probably exchange through GPX. I want THAT room. What a view.

 

[presley]

I have a photo album of our most recent stay there. We've booked back into this resort for 2015.
Here's a direct link to our photo album of the resort. http://dougp26364.smugmug.com/Trave...April/28619757_k5tn5c#!i=2454278948&k=ccPzWbZ

No, it's not a Hilton, but it is one of the nicer resorts on Maui that isn't a MVCI or Westin.

A picture is worth a thousand words. It looks perfect. Thanks for sharing your album.

 

[frank808]

I walked the grounds a few months ago at kaanapali beach club. Had a nice feel to it. We usually stay at marrioot or westin when on maui since we own those systems and hgvc. I told my wife that we should stay here for a week as I definitely like their beach area better. Seemed less rocky than down the road to wkorv.
Yes, if I as a hgvc owner, kaanapali beach club is where I would stay if I did not have access to mmo or wkorv.

 

[TheWizz]

Grand Wailea Elite Membership Club

In addition to HGVC, we own several DRI units and are THE Club members, in fact, back when they did the $2995 option to convert into THE Club w/ deeded weeks/points, we did so on a visit to KBC in Maui. We have since traveled back there MANY times and have enjoyed each trip in mountain and ocean view, ocean front, and once in a 2BR unit. If you avoid the TS pitches, it is a relaxing place to stay.

This year the wife celebrated 30 years of putting up with "me", so I wanted to treat her to something different and nice. On one of our trips there to KBC a few years ago we drove over and had lunch at the Grand Wailea (GW). Oh my, now THAT is a resort!

www.grandwailea.com

Since they are a part of Hilton, Gold and Diamond Elite members get extra benes and room upgrades when available. I also received $20 off per day in resort credits for food and drinks at most of the restaurants. A little known secret (well, at least I didn't know until I got there) is that the GW has it's own "Elite Membership Club". But it's not a timeshare. You pay $1500 for membership and get these benes:

• $500 resort credit on your first visit (so it basically costs $1K to join)
• 30% off the best online rates for up to 2 rooms on each visit
• 15% off anytime for friends and family that want to travel there at alternate times or with you (past the 2 rooms)
• 20% off at restaurants, shops, and the Spa
• $500 resort credit for each referral
• Gold Elite Level in HHonors

It basically costs $1000 to join and then there is an ~$200 year admin fee. Membership is good for 30 years. I wish I had known about this before I traveled as we stayed for 8 nights and the 30% off would have made the cost of joining basically FREE.

One of the key benefits (above) for many folks here on TUG is that have HGVC points via resale is the inability to claim HHonors Gold Elite status. This is a faily low cost way around it via joinging a Hilton affiliated "club" and what I'd consider one of the best resorts in the world. I travel a lot currently on business, so have Diamond currently and was grandfathered into HGVC Elite & HHonors Gold status, but it is nice to know if I ever did want to sell my HGVC units (or one), I would now still be able to keep HHonors Gold w/ my GW Elite Club Membership.

If anyone decides to contact GW about joining via this information provided, please PM me first for additional details as I would appreciate the referrals. I can also provide the direct contact information for you to call them. I can't wait to go back...

One of the things I loved about the GW, when walking around the grounds it never felt crowded like it does on Oahu at HHV. (Except for near the kids pool) It is so large that there is plenty of room for everyone without being like sardines, which is how we felt the one night we stayed at HHV before flying home. But that's just my opinion.

You can actually join before you go there and get the 30% discount if your stay is > 30 days away. So anyone thinking of joining, PM me for details. I am traveling a lot over the next couple of weeks, so if my response is a bit delayed, apologies in advance.

Aloha!

 

[cburchett]

Grand Wailea on Maui

We are Hilton TS owners. We stayed 7 nights Oahu (HHV and Hokulani). 4 Big Island (Kings Land) and 3 Maui.
We booked the Grand Wailea on Maui. It's a Waldorf property, so you can use your Hilton Honors points. Our room was a King ocean view for 65,000 points a night. If you use points, you pay no resort fees. The resort is absolutely amazing. Nice beach, pools are connected by lazy river.

 

[Luanne]

We booked the Grand Wailea on Maui. It's a Waldorf property, so you can use your Hilton Honors points. Our room was a King ocean view for 65,000 points a night. If you use points, you pay no resort fees. The resort is absolutely amazing. Nice beach, pools are connected by lazy river.

This is an incredible property. However, remember it's a resort hotel so you won't get the amenities of a condo. We've been to their spa a few times. It is incredible!

 

[Blues]

This is an incredible property. However, remember it's a resort hotel so you won't get the amenities of a condo. We've been to their spa a few times. It is incredible!

Yes, and you have to trade an entire week of a 2BR gold to get enough points for 2 nights at the hotel (5000 HGVC pts * 25 = 125,000 HHonors points). HHonors conversions were always at least slightly disadvantageous. Since last year's devaluation, it's really outrageous.

-Bob

 

[Luanne]

Yes, and you have to trade an entire week of a 2BR gold to get enough points for 2 nights at the hotel (5000 HGVC pts * 25 = 125,000 HHonors points). HHonors conversions were always at least slightly disadvantageous. Since last year's devaluation, it's really outrageous.

-Bob

Also, as I said this is a gorgeous property. But I'm not sure I'd want to stay here. It's huge and the amount of walking you'd do just to get from one end to the other!!!!! I don't know if they have transportation (boats, trams) like the Hilton Waikoloa.

 

[TheWizz]

Also, as I said this is a gorgeous property. But I'm not sure I'd want to stay here. It's huge and the amount of walking you'd do just to get from one end to the other!!!!! I don't know if they have transportation (boats, trams) like the Hilton Waikoloa.

It is a large resort, but it didn't feel "too large" and walking around the resort was quite easy as everything is fairly close, e.g. lobby to restaurants, to pools and beach. We loved it. Hence the reason we joined their Elite Club for future stays @ 30% off. So you can book garden view and if you are HHonors Gold or Diamond, they'll give you free room upgrades, based upon availability. We can't wait to go back next year! :whoopie:

 

[1Kflyerguy]

It is a large resort, but it didn't feel "too large" and walking around the resort was quite easy as everything is fairly close, e.g. lobby to restaurants, to pools and beach.

Agreed, its big but not as overwhelming as the HWV.. It does not have nor need the boat and trams like the big island. We stayed here earlier this year for a few nights and my wife keeps talking about.. I hope to book a trip there again soon.. I didn't join the club, but only because they didn't approach me in time for that trip and i knew i had other plans for 2015.

 

[UWSurfer]

I do like Maui and am not much of a fan of HHV. We have a EOY usage of our small TS Gardens of West Maui and usually pair it with a second week on another island, often through HGV and one of their properties.

Some years this is the Big Island, twice HHV, once Kaui, & one year we did two weeks on Maui with the second week at Sand of Kahana. (SOK)

SOK was built as a luxury residential condo project which was resold as TS in an soft economy. As such, there is a mixture of residents vs TS vistors. The property is right on the ocean, the units LARGE and the views very nice.

We purchased Gardens originally as the second week when we come to the islands, as the most expensive part of coming to HI is travel. I'd much rather get a couple weeks out of that travel $$ instead of just one.

 

[rfc0001]

To me, Marriott seems like the logical companion to HGVC for Hawaii -- they are everywhere HGVC isn't -- Kauai (Poipu Beach), Oahu (Ko Olina), & Mauai (Ka'anapali). If Marriott ownership weren't so darn confusing, I would consider it, however we are more than content with Big Island (for now, until kids graduate and we start doing trips by ourselves again). For me, Maui is too crowded, despite some great beaches, and Kohala coast has equally nice beaches (Mauna Kea, Hapuna), which are far less crowded and more relaxing, and Big Island has more than enough to do away from the resorts and beaches.

 

[GeorgeJ.]

Been an owner at KBC since 1998 and know the story. It was originally built in the 1980s, as the Embassy Suites hotel. Signature Resorts was the managing general partner of West Maui Resort Partners, a group that purchased the property in the late 1990s and began a timeshare conversion. Signature later became Sunterra.

Originally, Signature/Sunterra was developing a network of timeshares under the Embassy Vacation Resort (EVR) brand on behalf of Promus Corporation, which owned the Embassy brands. EVR also had locations on Kauai (now Poipu Point), Lake Tahoe, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, and Scottsdale.

When Hilton Corp bought Promus Corp in the 2000/2001 timeframe, they no longer needed the Embassy Vacation Resort Brand since they already had HGVC. As I recall, I think the Myrtle Beach and Scottsdale EVR locations may have had different ownership, so they ditched the Embassy name and were transitioned to Sheraton/Starwood. The Signature/Sunterra developed locations on Kauai, Maui, and Orlando stayed with Sunterra.

Hilton had great interest as I recall in the Embassy Vacation Resort on Maui and had negotiated a deal with Sunterra to acquire the property, totally renovate it, and convert it to HGVC. But the post 9/11 travel recession coupled with some purchase accounting rule changes brought on by the Enron scandal scuttled the deal and Sunterra removed the Embassy name and changed the name to Kaanapali Beach Club.

The kitchens at KBC have been vastly improved since the beginning. At first they just had a mini-fridge like the Marriott Maui Ocean Club has in their older sections, plus a dishwasher, microwave, etc. Sometime after the HGVC conversion deal fell through, Sunterra did their own major renovation and we had to pay an $800 or so assessment to cover it - in addition to new furnishings and modernized bathrooms, islands were added in the kitchen as well as a full sized refrigerator. Some newer 2BR conversions on the third and fourth floors also got small cooktops as I recall, but to my knowledge cooktops have not been added to the 2BR units on floors 8 and 9. We haven't been out since 2011. I don't think any of the 1BR units have cooktops, but all have the full size refrigerators, microwave, and dishwasher, etc.

For a number of years the Embassy Suites Maui was operating both as a hotel and a timeshare...some floors were timeshare and some floors hotel. Took quite awhile for them to get all the units redone as timeshare. But it originally was 100% hotel when it first opened.