New Photo Album: DRI Ka'Anapali Beach Club

[dougp26364]

I have posted a new photo album from our recent stay at DRI's Ka'Anapali Beach Club. To see the album click the link below and it will take you to our Smugmug album.

http://dougp26364.smugmug.com/Trave...March/47873391_SN6Xwn#!i=3968804579&k=MVjhjzz

 

[pedro47]

Thanks for sharing your outstanding pictures. Looks like you enjoyed your week.

 

[Quimby4]

Wow, what was your room # ? Looks like a great view!
Never mind, I see #412.

When looking at the building map which side is the ocean on ?
#408-#412 front the ocean?

 

[slip]

Great photo album, Thanks for sharing. Hard to leave views like that.

 

[GrayFal]

Doug, as always. Thanks for posting. What a great unit you had! Did you book directly thru DRI or was this a RCI trade ?

 

[artringwald]

KBC looks as spiffy as ever! Is all the construction done? Really enjoyed the excellent photos. We'll be staying there with some 1st timers next February so I'll share your album with them.

By the way, don't you love SmugMug?

 

[BevL]

I'm also wondering who you had to kill to get that view.

Thanks very much, we got an RCI trade into that resort for our son and DIL to be for their honeymoon in August. Hoping to get them something other than a dumpster type view but it looks lovely.

Are the cabanas for rent? Or it almost looked like a masseuse in one of them.

And how was the food and drink options at the resort?

Thanks

Bev

 

[artringwald]

I'm also wondering who you had to kill to get that view.

Thanks very much, we got an RCI trade into that resort for our son and DIL to be for their honeymoon in August. Hoping to get them something other than a dumpster type view but it looks lovely.

Are the cabanas for rent? Or it almost looked like a masseuse in one of them.

And how was the food and drink options at the resort?

Thanks

Bev

There's plenty of food and drink options at KBC. There's a bar & grill next to the pool, snack bar and takeout inside, nice restaurant inside, another nice restaurant in the neighboring resort, and Duke's is a short walk away. Across the street is a grocery store and several fast food places. ABC store is just a block away. Whaler's Village is 3 miles away with many dining options.

 

[dougp26364]

Wow, what was your room # ? Looks like a great view!
Never mind, I see #412.

When looking at the building map which side is the ocean on ?
#408-#412 front the ocean?

Yes, 408 - 412 face the ocean.

 

[dougp26364]

Doug, as always. Thanks for posting. What a great unit you had! Did you book directly thru DRI or was this a RCI trade ?

Direct with DRI. The VIP check in tried to entice us into an owners update by saying that owners would soon be able to guarantee/reserve a specific room when making reservations. I'm not certain how that's going to work. Wild horses couldn't drag us to another owners update at this point in our lives. It will be at least another 2 years before we contemplate returning. I guess we'll find out when the time comes to book a room again.

 

[dougp26364]

KBC looks as spiffy as ever! Is all the construction done? Really enjoyed the excellent photos. We'll be staying there with some 1st timers next February so I'll share your album with them.

By the way, don't you love SmugMug?

construction appears to be a long way from done. The lobby with the coy ponds is blocked off and the atrium is covered by a thick white tarp. There is a large crane on the side of the building but, it hasn't moved during our time here. I'm not certain what they're doing but it appears as if they're putting a roof over the open atrium. IMHO that will destroy some of the charm of this resort, assuming that's the case.

 

[dougp26364]

I'm also wondering who you had to kill to get that view.

Thanks very much, we got an RCI trade into that resort for our son and DIL to be for their honeymoon in August. Hoping to get them something other than a dumpster type view but it looks lovely.

Are the cabanas for rent? Or it almost looked like a masseuse in one of them.

And how was the food and drink options at the resort?

Thanks

Bev

They do have massage options available in one of the cabanas. I don't know if they rent them or if they're first come first served. We never wanted to use one. I suspect they're available on a rental basis.

Food options at the resort are adequate. There is a nice restaurant, a pizza option and they have a breakfast buffet. One night during the week they offer a seafood buffet. We did not partake in any of these options. Most of the time we were out and about but, even when we weren't we would find other places less expensive that we liked.

As to who we had to kill to get this unit, being Silver Elite members probably helped along with booking as far in advance as allowable. We actually had 2 rooms this trip, our son is in 404, which is the corner deluxe ocean view which has the side view of the ocean looking over the pool. The advantage of that unit is that there's a window over the couch which provides more light. Of the deluxe ocean view units that overlook the pool, it's one of the nicer ones.

 

[BevL]

Thank you.

 

[TUGBrian]

wow thats a heckova view!

 

[jerry1050]

As an owner at KBC, I do request an usually get, a specific room. All the rooms facing the pool have spectacular views. Only those on the back, facing the hills, don't have ocean views but are cheaper, but no less comfortable. The cabanas are for rent. The rooms that have a view of the dumpsters are semi ocean and are north facing. 412 is a corner and therefor had both, full ocean and side view up the beach. There is great snorkeling right in front of the resort as well as elsewhere on the island. The coffee place in the strip mall is wonderful as is the pizza place. There is a farmers market and a coffee company within walking distance. It's a great resort with a wonderful location. Can't wait to go next week!

 

[kmij]

photos

thanks for the great photos, as usual, doug. I wished that I were going back to HI. we just got home mid march and that trip seems sooo long ago!!
the views are gorgeous!! we did enjoy them.
jean

 

[ccwu]

Direct with DRI. The VIP check in tried to entice us into an owners update by saying that owners would soon be able to guarantee/reserve a specific room when making reservations. I'm not certain how that's going to work. Wild horses couldn't drag us to another owners update at this point in our lives. It will be at least another 2 years before we contemplate returning. I guess we'll find out when the time comes to book a room again.

Thanks for the nice pictures.

I do not know what they are talking about in your VIP. They lie. I am platinum elite owning KBC 6 weeks (by points that equivalent to 6 weeks.) I used to be able to get room ending with '08' all the time (reserved 13 months in advance and marked on note what room I want.) I called trying to confirm my room assignment for my upcoming May trip. They told me that all room ending with '08' was taking. I asked about what about my reservation 13 month in advance and that they promised (when I upgrade from gold to platinum status years ago) with my platinum status that I definitely would get the room I requested. They just said sorry that with the new system (changed to new system after I booked) that you could select a room number when making reservation. I was not happy. Wonder what they would assign to me with my deluxe ocean view reservation. It is a long trip from NY to Hawaii, so we usually go there every other year. We stay in KBC at Maui, stay in Hilton at Big island and Waikiki. I feel Hilton system (as elite plus, owning mostly Hawaiian resorts) is better than Diamond now with diminished DRI Platinum elite perks (the DRI platinum private telephone line and the online chat are still better. Got the answer faster even they can not do too much. They did manage to change my room to a corner unit in St. Maarten Flamingo BR when the resort put me in the 1 bedroom on top of the bar and we could not sleep with the noise.) When I am trying to reserve 13 months in advance in KBC, unless you reserve on the first few hours when it is open for owner reservation, most of the top units are taken. I called the platinum elite service asking for help, they said that they could not help. They resort did say when checking in, the platinum elite had priority (if too many platinum elites fighting for the same unit, they took the earlier reservation for assignment, and so far... sound fair.)

 

[Ken Maurer]

We stayed in 1019 this past January. It doesn't have the frontal ocean view, but still has the great view up the coast. We've been staying at KBC (among other places) for the past 6-7 years and, despite the pressures to schedule another owners update, it always feels like coming home. It was our first timeshare, which we bout on the cheap through a TUG listing. Back then DRI was much easier about letting people who purchased on the secondary market integrate their holdings with the rest of The Club. Today, they make it almost prohibitively expensive today.

Because we try to use airline miles for as much of our personal travel as possible, we tend to book as far ahead as possible. We're currently booked at The Point at Poipu (Kauai), Sea Village (Hawaii), and KBC for this coming winter (all directly thgough DRI). When we booked our reservations at The Point and KBC (Both DRI managed), we were automatically given the option of reserving a particular room.

My understanding is that they've got significant renovations planned for quite some time. Among other things they're relocating the fitness center toward the beach front, and the replacing the current small hot tub with a larger one mauka side of the pool.

 

[dougp26364]

We stayed in 1019 this past January. It doesn't have the frontal ocean view, but still has the great view up the coast. We've been staying at KBC (among other places) for the past 6-7 years and, despite the pressures to schedule another owners update, it always feels like coming home. It was our first timeshare, which we bout on the cheap through a TUG listing. Back then DRI was much easier about letting people who purchased on the secondary market integrate their holdings with the rest of The Club. Today, they make it almost prohibitively expensive today.

Because we try to use airline miles for as much of our personal travel as possible, we tend to book as far ahead as possible. We're currently booked at The Point at Poipu (Kauai), Sea Village (Hawaii), and KBC for this coming winter (all directly thgough DRI). When we booked our reservations at The Point and KBC (Both DRI managed), we were automatically given the option of reserving a particular room.

My understanding is that they've got significant renovations planned for quite some time. Among other things they're relocating the fitness center toward the beach front, and the replacing the current small hot tub with a larger one mauka side of the pool.

They DEFINATELY need a bigger hot tub. I'd have had to smear myself with Crisco and put on a Speedo to have a chance to wedge myself into that tiny hot tub with everyone else.

The last day I noticed what appeared to be work on the new location in the Ohana Tower for the fitness center.

 

[dougp26364]

We also had our son in unit 404. I have updated our album with a few pics from his unit which denote the differences in view between the ocean facing Deluxe Ocean View and those on the side overlooking the pool with a view towards the ocean. Units 404 to 412 are considered Deluxe Ocean View and all require the same points for DRI owners. IMHO, when Embassey originally set up these units and then after Sunterra took over, they messed up by not assigning the ocean facing units a higher value, and thus eliminating the compition between owners to get an ocean facing Deluxe Ocean View unit vs the ocean side Deluxe Ocean View units.

the *04 units are unique in that there is a window over the couch, allowing for more light in the living room with a view back inland. As far as the ocean side Deluxe units it's perhaps the nicest IMHO because of the window over the couch.

 

[pedro47]

We also had our son in unit 404. I have updated our album with a few pics from his unit which denote the differences in view between the ocean facing Deluxe Ocean View and those on the side overlooking the pool with a view towards the ocean. Units 404 to 412 are considered Deluxe Ocean View and all require the same points for DRI owners. IMHO, when Embassey originally set up these units and then after Sunterra took over, they messed up by not assigning the ocean facing units a higher value, and thus eliminating the compition between owners to get an ocean facing Deluxe Ocean View unit vs the ocean side Deluxe Ocean View units.

the *04 units are unique in that there is a window over the couch, allowing for more light in the living room with a view back inland. As far as the ocean side Deluxe units it's perhaps the nicest IMHO because of the window over the couch.

Thanks Doug for your update of room 404. Room 404 does looks very nice.

 

[taterhed]

great pics...thanks for the wonderful info!

 

[bobpark56]

Which KBC units are ocean view? Deluxe ocean view?

Which Ka'anapali Beach Club unit numbers are ocean view? Which are deluxe ocean view?

Thanks. --bp