Family friendliness of Hawaii timeshares

[SuperBeav39]

My family owns at Ko Olina and we LOVE it. We have two kids ages 2 and 4 and the resort is perfect for us. However, I know that Marriott has timeshare setups on some other Hawaiian islands as well. How would you compare the other setups to Ko Olina keeping the following criteria in mind:

1) Pool area - Is there any place for a non-swimmer to play in the water (similar to the zero entry, sandy bottom pool at MKO)?
2) Sleeping arrangements - Can 6 fit comfortably (we travel with babysitters ... I mean, Grandparents)?
3) Kitchen - Is it full kitchen with decent grocery stores nearby? With the full family it's important to be able to cook and meal plan.

In my brief research the one resort I'm most curious about is Maui Ocean Club. It looks to fit most of our criteria except I'm really unsure about the kitchen situation.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[vacationtime1]

The older section of the Maui Ocean Club lacks full kitchens as you are aware; I think that is a huge downside with small kids. The newer phases of MOC (Napili and Lahaina Towers) have full kitchens and meet your other specifications.

The Waiohai Beach Club on Kauai also has full kitchens, two full bedrooms, a toddler pool, and a small playground. Kauai Lagoons has the full kitchens (and appears to be a step up in the luxury category); I don't know about its pools and kid areas.

The two Westin resorts on Mauai (WKORV and WKORVN) also meet all of your specs if you are not completely fixated on Marriott.

 

[travelmom11]

Koolina is the best

We are Koolina owners too. We have a 5 year old and one on the way. I've been to waihoia (sp?) on Kauai and for us Koolina always wins. We really just can't get enough at Koolina. We have stayed all over Oahu, even Hilton Hawaiian village and Koolina still wins. If I had to pick another place to stay, I think I would like the Westin kaanapali villas.

 

[rpw]

Maui Ocean Club

We've gone to both KoOlina and MOC (old building) every year since the kids were born.

The Pirate pool is STILL a favorite (even though they are 6 and 8).

While the old section doesn't have a full kitchen, if you get a 2 bedroom you will have service for 8 and 2 college size refrigerators and 2 microwaves. While you can't actually "cook" a meal, you can heat anything that is "precooked". The girls usually have cereal for breakfast and maybe a sandwich for lunch (but I'll admit we probably don't do many lunches or dinners in our room). Also, there are grills at the ground level so some dinners can be cooked.

So while you won't be baking bread, frying up some eggs, or making homemade lasagna while you are there, I think with a tiny bit of forethought (and heating up leftovers from dinners out) not having an oven hasn't really been a big challenge. (not having a washer and drying in the room is probably more difficult).

 

[ciscogizmo1]

We've stayed at Kauai Beach Club, Ko'Olina (twice), Aulani, Waiohai (5 times), Westin Princeville and Westin KOVR (5 times). I've never stayed at MOC but I've swam in the pool many times as our friends own there. If I had to rank them based on your kids' ages for family friendly I would do as follows:

1) Aulani --- the best out of all of them from the lazy river, to the slides, etc. The same a Ko'Olina as the immediate area is lacking with restaurants and things to do.
1) Westin KOVR --- again great pool setup. The ocean isn't man made. I like this.
1) Ko'Olina --- again the zero entry pool but the immediate area lacks in restuarants and things to do. I do like that the area is growing as they have added Target, Costco, etc..
1) Westin Princeville--- the pools are great for little ones but no swimmable beach out front

The above would tie for me with Aulani being on the winner.

2) MOC --- I found the pool area crowded and hard to keep track of your kids. It is several small pools. They have slide which Waiohai doesn't have. The beach out front is not swimmable for little ones. The other risk is that not all the units have full kitchens. However, I thought the older section the one bedroom had big rooms. I felt the rooms at Kauai Beach Club feel more cramped.

3) Waiohai --- They have a toddler pool and playground but no slide or other water feature. The beach out front is swimmable depending on the time of year. They only have 2 bedrooms here but the units are very spacious.

4) Kauai Beach Club --- The pool here is huge but not my favorite. Very big. The beach out front is tame but not like an ocean. It is more like a bay. Also, the room we stayed in was small and cramped.