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Marriott's Kauai or Marriott's Ko Olina

S

sd2734

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Location
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How does Ko Olina stack up vs. Kauai Beach Club?
Also, in general terms which island is better overall? We've been to the Kauai Beach Club and we have a pretty good feel about Lihue and the island of Kauai, but never been to Oahu.... We found Kauai to be pristine very picturesque and a little bit sleepy, but very relaxing. How is Oahu and the resort?
 
I was at Ko Olina in 2003 shortly after it opened and thought it was very nice. I will be there next week, so looking forward to escaping winter. Ko Olina compares quite favorably to KBC, IMHO, it is purpose built and has full kitchen facilities as opposed to KBC. If you like having a Marriott hotel and it's facilities available to you, as is available at KBC, you do have the Ihilani hotel on lagoon #1 a couple of blocks away (the Ko Olina resort is located on lagoon #4). I believe, though I'm not sure, that you can charge things like dinner at the Ihilani to your room at Ko Olina.

If you've never been to Oahu, you owe it to yourself to take in the naval tour of the pearl harbor and the arizona memorial. The battleship Missouri is also worth a visit (just around the corner from the arizona memorial and reachable by car). Ko Olina is located west of the HNL airport and is the site of the new Disney resort which opens in either Aug or Oct of this year. The north shore is a fun place to see and the Polynesian Cultural Center is on the north east side of the island. Waikiki is definitely ground zero for the tourist scene, but if you've never been there, it's worth a half day visit. Other sites worth the time are the Bishop Museum and Punch Bowl.

As you can see you have your pick of things to do, so you won't be bored.
 
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I will be going to Ko Olina for the first time this summer. So, I am also looking forward the the experience. The question of which island is better is one that comes up occasionally in the Hawaii forum. Everyone is different. I do not like what I personally consider pure tourist traps like the Cultural Center. I like Pearl Harbor due to its history, but I am not a fan of the big crowds in the Waikiki area. I wish the Big Island had a nice Mariott resort because I love the Big Island.
 
I have not stayed at KBC but have stayed at the other Kauai one, stayed at MOC and stayed at Ko Olina twice. I prefer Ko Olina. It's really peaceful, excellent weather, and the resort is beautiful. As I have stated in other threads the lack of good restaurants is a detriment but there is a Roy's, a Chuck's steakhouse, a couple restaurants at the JW, a new Mexican restaurant and Disney is opening in August. If it weren't for the uncertainty with MF's I would be buying at Ko Olina but for now I'll keep renting. I should add I dislike Waikiki but the rest of Oahu offers incredible variety.
 
mas said:
If you've never been to Oahu, you owe it to yourself to take in the naval tour of the pearl harbor and the arizona memorial. The battleship Missouri is also worth a visit (just around the corner from the arizona memorial and reachable by car). Ko Olina is located west of the HNL airport and is the site of the new Disney resort which opens in either Aug or Oct of this year. The north shore is a fun place to see and the Polynesian Cultural Center is on the north east side of the island. Waikiki is definitely ground zero for the tourist scene, but if you've never been there, it's worth a half day visit. Other sites worth the time are the Bishop Museum and Punch Bowl.

As you can see you have your pick of things to do, so you won't be bored.
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I agree with the above post. We traded into Ko Olina a few years back and loved it. The area continues to develop as well. Some people don't like Oahu because it is more developed and populated, but the history is great. you can also get away from everything if you want to. The north shore is nice and you drive through the sugar cane fields to get there. Other things not mentioned are the Iolani Palace, which is the only palace in the US. It is also used as headquarters for Hawaii 5-0. You can tour it. If you like to hike, go inside Diamond Head (an extinct volcano) and hike up to the WWII gun turrets for an outstanding view of Waikiki and that side of the island. The hike only takes about 30-45 minutes, but bring water. Snorkling is great at Hanama Bay, which is out past Diamond Head. It is touristy, but worth the time. The drive past Diamond Head and Hanama Bay is very scenic too. If you want night life and the city feel you can go to Waikiki.

KBC on Kauai is very nice and the resort and facilities are very nice. But the units are hotel conversions and don't provide kitchens. However, it has the largest pool in Hawaii and is extremely nice. It is also located in what you would consider the middle of the island. We haven't stayed there, but toured it, ate dinner and enjoyed walks around the resort.
 
Anyone else? We need some help in deciding if we should purchase a 2 Bdrm with Lock off at Ko Olina Beach Club on Oahu or at the Kauai Beach Club?
Which resort will be easier to rent and for higher $$$ and also which one trades better?
I don’t think that we will go to the home resort on Hawaii more than once every 4-5yrs and in the mean time we would like to trade and/or rent to cover the MF.
 
sd2734 said:
Anyone else? We need some help in deciding if we should purchase a 2 Bdrm with Lock off at Ko Olina Beach Club on Oahu or at the Kauai Beach Club?
Which resort will be easier to rent and for higher $$$ and also which one trades better?
I don’t think that we will go to the home resort on Hawaii more than once every 4-5yrs and in the mean time we would like to trade and/or rent to cover the MF.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't buy either if my intent was not to go more than once every 4-5 years. MF's are high; you can get an effective trader at a lower cost.

I don't know about Ko Olina, but you can rent at KBC for approximately what MF's cost. We own there because we own ocean front, we use it every year, and we like it (a lot); we don't own for the economics.
 
Hmmmm, what Marriott resort will be such a trader?
Just to clarify: I am not looking to use a TS to make money as a rental! However, I would like to rent it in order to offset the MF when we are not there or to trade it to another resort. We love Kauai and the Beach Club, but we just don't like going to the same place EVERY year.
 
MF's in Hawaii are too high to use for a trader. There are other options that will trade very well with much lower MF:
ski week at the Park City Marriotts
Hilton Head in the summer
Newport Coast platinum week

You should look at some other options if you'll only visit Hawaii every 4-5 years.

However, if Hawaii is what you want I'd buy Ko'Olina over Kauai Beach Club. Ko'Olina is newer and has units with a full kitchen & washer/dryer. I'd think you'd be able to rent Ko'Olina for more.
 
sd2734 said:
Hmmmm, what Marriott resort will be such a trader?
Just to clarify: I am not looking to use a TS to make money as a rental! However, I would like to rent it in order to offset the MF when we are not there or to trade it to another resort. We love Kauai and the Beach Club, but we just don't like going to the same place EVERY year.
Click to expand...

So long as it's not a last minute rental you should have no problem renting Ko'Olina for at least your MFs. I rent there often and have only found rentals for less than MFs when they were last minute deals.

With respect to Kauai, from what I have seen you'll be able to rent out the 2br units at Waiohai for more than MFs but 1br units at KBC would be harder to rent out to cover MFs.
 
We have stayed at both. We love both for very different reasons. We own neither.

As an island, I think Kauai is the best of all. So lush and green. There is a reason why so many movies are filmed there - Kauai defines paradise. The island of Oahu just doesn't compare.

As for the timeshare facilities, Ko Olina wins hands down over KBC. Newer, bigger, better in every way. We are going back to Ko Olina in a few weeks.

I agree with other comments that renting is the way to go (especially given all the recent turmoil and uncertainty surrounding Marriott timeshares). However, if you must purchase a week, I would go for Ko Olina. KBC is a much older property (original hotel building dates back to the 1950s). The associated maintenance issues have really punished the KBC owners with high fees and special assessments.
 
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We have stayed at Ko Olina 3 times (first was on a sales package). We loved it so much we bought a week (resale of course), and are currently in escrow on a second week.

We stayed at KBC last year and have no plans to stay there again. Our family of 2 kids and 2 adults were cramped in the KBC 1BR, and the lack of a kitchen and laundry was the clincher. KBC rooms are converted hotel rooms.

Rooms ar Ko Olina are 1000 times better than KBC. Locations of each are very nice. On Kauai, consider Waiohai instead (rooms are identical to Ko Olina), but the location isn't as nice as KBC.

The one thing we will miss at KBC is the early morning koi feedings. The gargantuan pool at KBC is as nice as it looks in the photos, but it's really just a giant pool. Nothing really special for the kids. Ko Olina on the other hand has several pools, one of which has a zero-entry sand area for the kids. Wet & Wild water park is only a 5 minute drive from Ko Olina.
 
The diversity of opinion here is wonderful. We own KBC, Waiohai, and WKORV (Westin Maui). We have stayed at Ko Olina and won't hurry back.

KBC rooms are inferior and lack washer/dryers as commented above. But it's not fair to compare a family of four in a one bedroom KBC unit to the same group in a two bedroom unit at any of the other purpose-built resorts.

Waiohai and Westin Maui have the best beaches. Walk out snorkeling at each. KBC is on a bay, not the ocean, although we thought that was better when our kids were young. Ko Olina is on an artificial lagoon; for true ocean swimming or snorkeling, you need to drive 30 minutes to the north shore (which is awesome).

Suites at Waiohai and Ko Olina are very similar as Brian observes, but Ko Olina has lock-off units; Waiohai does not. That is significant for smaller groups, trading, and overall flexibility.

Waiohai and Westin Maui are low rise (4-6 stories); KBC and Ko Olina are high rises.

If you haven't visited all, on site research is both helpful and fun. I still suggest that you rent in the interim, research, and only then, buy.
 
I appreciate all the great feedback and ideas!
I just want to throw in that it is easier and less expensive to get to Honolulu International Airport on Oahu, especially from the East Coast, compared to the 2+ stops in order to get to KBC.
Looks like most folks here recommend Ko Olina for what we intend to do with a 2BR week on Hawaii….?
 
Ko'Olina was what made us fall in love with timeshares. My family also prefers Oahu as an island because of the variety, but the lushness of Kaui, the beauty of Maui. etc., are all outstanding and really a matter of personal preference.

That said, it is a long trip from the East coast. If I lived in California I would have bought there in a heartbeat. But those 12 hour trips are not something I want to do every year, and it doesn't sound like you do either. Given the high MF's I would think twice before buying a Hawaii week to trade or rent 80% of the time.

In fact, although the economy has depressed rental rates, until the past two years there were other locations that commanded higher rental rates. Between 2006 and 2009, when I followed them closely, Aruba rental rates were significantly higher, and while I haven't checked them out closely, I'm guessing that you might find comparable rental rates for other Plat. Caribbean weeks (although Aruba rental rates at least cursorily appeared to be a bit more). You might find that you would enjoy going to the Caribbean almost as much but due to the proximity might use it more often, pay lower MF's, and still have a good rental property when desired.

We decided to purchase in Aruba as an alternative to Ko'Olina, since it was a top trader in II, commanded premium rental rates, was a four and a half hour flight, and it was an island we loved. Well, fast forward a few years- we found we love to return there (even though heretofore I was a very active vacationer, with my family quipping that they always needed a vacation from one of my vacations), I actually discovered the joys of vacationing and just relaxing and reading a book or taking a walk on the beach, and we find ourselves not anxiously trading to go elsewhere, nor do we give up our usage to rent. It is also a great property for direct trading, as we are doing this summer, so that's another option.

Anyway, just food for thought.
 
I have had good success in trading into both resorts on Kauai and to the Maui Ocean Club using a Barony Beach silver and an Aruba Ocean Club gold. The latter works the best. We often go there in December. This year we will be in Maui at the Ocean Club (which does the hotel conversion thing better than KBC) at the end of April through the beginning of May using the Aruba week.

I would second the advice to buy a good trader on the east coast, where you would also like to go, and use it to get into Hawaii.

The first time we went to Hawaii, we were living in Washington DC. The plane ride was so long I thought we have moved in.
 
I was at the ko olina resort last week. First off, the resort is top notch (been here twice, 2009, 2011)...beautiful, clean, and tons of activities to do at the resort. I haven't been to the Kauai beach club, though I know that they don't have a full kitchen..it's a hotel conversion. So, if you like to cook in more then eating out then that Kauai would be a problem.

I suppose if you like to do a lot of island tour than Oahu is the place to be. As for me, i LOVE Kauai and would rather stay there. But, then again, it goes back to what your interests are...if you like the low key, chilling at the beach kind of thing then Kauai is the place. However, If you like be little hipper than Oahu. Plus, the shopping in Waikiki is to die for...LOL

Hope that help.
 
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