Maui or Big Island March 2013 - any chance?

[lmkucala]

Still trying for Maui or Big Island March 2013

I've been searching every day/multiple times per day for a resort with RCI Points for the last week of March, 2013 (checking in sometime between 3/28 and 3/31) with still no luck?

Is there a timeframe soon that folks think any of this will open up? or at this point should I give up hope and look to book somewhere else during that week?

Any advice/help is appreciated!

 

[Chilcotin]

Did you ever try to set up an ongoing search in points? I had read this couldn't be done but they let me do it. I did it through the special Vacation Village reservation department at RCI. There was no charge to set up the search.

I was able to get a second week on the Big Island by having an ongoing search at the same resort I was able to get through a points booking. This was for January 2013.

 

[lmkucala]

For those interested - I finally got something!

Last week during my several times daily RCI points searches Raintree Kona Reef popped up as available 3/30/13-4/6/13! I did a 24-hour hold on it while I did some quick research and grabbed it! Reviews on TUG were minimal but both TripAdvisor and RCI reviews indicate it is a comfortable resort - in Kailua-Kona walking distance to shops and restaurants and on the beach! It appears it is now just called Kona Reef resort and may be operated by Diamond (vs. Raintree) but frankly I don't care!

I've done a few searches since I booked this and continue to see nothing else pop up so I consider myself extremely lucky! I'm just assuming I was searching at the right time while this popped into inventory.

So excited - the countdown to Big Island next March begins!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Last week during my several times daily RCI points searches Raintree Kona Reef popped up as available 3/30/13-4/6/13! I did a 24-hour hold on it while I did some quick research and grabbed it! Reviews on TUG were minimal but both TripAdvisor and RCI reviews indicate it is a comfortable resort - in Kailua-Kona walking distance to shops and restaurants and on the beach! It appears it is now just called Kona Reef resort and may be operated by Diamond (vs. Raintree) but frankly I don't care!

Kona Reef is, and always has been, just Kona Reef. It happens that Raintree Vacation Club has some inventory at Kona Reef, so what you are seeing identified as "Raintree Kona Reef" is just one of the Kona Reef units that arrived in RCI via Raintree.

Diamond is not involved at all at Kona Reef to the best of my knowledge. Diamond and Raintree have an inventory swapping arrangement, which has resulted in Diamond listing all of the Raintree Resorts as affiliate resorts. But Diamond has no ownership at Kona Reef, and is not involved in resort operations. A limited amount of the Raintree Kona Reef inventory does make it into the Diamond Club through the inventory swapping arrangement I mentioned earlier.

 

[lmkucala]

Kona Reef is, and always has been, just Kona Reef. It happens that Raintree Vacation Club has some inventory at Kona Reef, so what you are seeing identified as "Raintree Kona Reef" is just one of the Kona Reef units that arrived in RCI via Raintree.

Diamond is not involved at all at Kona Reef to the best of my knowledge. Diamond and Raintree have an inventory swapping arrangement, which has resulted in Diamond listing all of the Raintree Resorts as affiliate resorts. But Diamond has no ownership at Kona Reef, and is not involved in resort operations. A limited amount of the Raintree Kona Reef inventory does make it into the Diamond Club through the inventory swapping arrangement I mentioned earlier.

Thanks - interesting as I did not really know how all of that worked - so good to know I guess? Not sure if in my case it really matters? From my perspective I'm just extremely happy to have found something that appears to be a reasonable place to call home on the Big Island for a week!

 

[Aaron Kristen]

For those interested - I finally got something!


So excited - the countdown to Big Island next March begins!

Great for you!!
We also have locked down our travel. We were UNABLE to match our exchange needs through RCI. Went on the resale/rental market, and got 3 consec weeks at the Wyndham Kona Hawaiian.
To wait to try and get that illusive exchange, or not.
A bird in the hand....

countdown for us now as well