Point at Poipu Resort Walk

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Art, you always post such beautiful pictures of P@P. It's been on my bucket list for a while now because of your posts. Thanks for the latest installments.

I'll pop in with a some of my comments about why we love Point at Poipu - with the idea to help you know if it has what you want or not.

Point at Poipu was initially developed as a whole ownership condo project. The parcel of land in Poipu Kai was zoned for residential development, not resort development.

Just as the project was nearing completion, Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai, and the project was devastated. The developer tanked, and Kauai government was faced with a problem. When Poipu Partners proposed resurrecting the project as a timeshare resort, the county was willing to modify the zoning to allow the project to be converted to timeshare.

That's important (at least to us) because when you visit Point at Poipu, it's not like you are visiting a resort. Instead it's like staying at a residential ocean front condo. To us, the feeling at Poipu is totally different than at Kaanapali, because Kaanapali is now and always has been a resort. It starts with the approach to the resort. You are driving through a residential neighborhood, with houses on the inland side of Pe'e Road and condos on the ocean side. When you arrive at Point at Poipu, it's just another condo. A larger project, to be sure. But the scale is consistent. No towering builing. No neon lights. No adjacent convenience stores.

So when we come back to Poipu, we always have this feeling that we are returning to our own ocean front condo - not to a resort. Point at Poipu often gets marked down in TUG reviews or at other sites because it doesn't provide all of the amenities people expect at resorts, There isn't an on-site spa. There aren't on site restaurants. There isn't room service. There aren't palapas at the beach and swimming.

To us those aren't detriments; those are advantages. We feel like it's a second home, not a resort. We're pretty simple people, and Poipu is a resort that meets our sensibilities, with the advantages that it is ocean front in Kauai. I sense that I'm not alone in these sentiments, because I know that Point at Poipu generates similar passions among other owners.

*****

Back in 1999 when we knew that we wanted to go back to Kauai regularly and that a resale timeshare would be the way to do it, we narrowed things down to Kauai Beach Villas, Marriott Lihue (where we were staying), Point at Poipu, and Lawai Beach resort.

We immediately eliminated Marriott, because that was a hotel. We did visits at each resort (not tours, just stopped in and asked to look at units). We visited Poipu last, and as soon we arrived at the property we felt good. It's in a residential neighborhood, and the resort just fits in with the neighborhood. When we looked at some of the rooms we were sold. It was exactly the space that we could see ourselves occupying as a second home, and returning to over and over again.

I even allowed myself the fantasy of imagining that in ten to fifteen years we might have adult children and grandchildren staying with us. Well, that fantasy has become reality, and over the years we have added to our DRI ownership so that we can accommodate family members who are staying with us.

I have conveyed to my family that when I die there is a special place to me on Kauai, not far from Point at Poipu, where I would like to have my ashes scattered (taking reasonable precautions to avoid a Big Lebowski redux). It would be my dream to have all of my remaining family together there for a final celebration in a place that we all have known and loved. After that, if they want to retain our ownerships or disclaim them, I certainly won't care. I know that I will have received the value from our ownerships that we desired.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Art, you always post such beautiful pictures of P@P. It's been on my bucket list for a while now because of your posts. Thanks for the latest installments.

I'll pop in with a some of my comments about why we love Point at Poipu - with the idea to help you know if it has what you want or not.

Point at Poipu was initially developed as a whole ownership condo project. The parcel of land in Poipu Kai was zoned for residential development, not resort development.

Just as the project was nearing completion, Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai, and the project was devastated. The developer tanked, and Kauai government was faced with a problem. When Poipu Partners proposed resurrecting the project as a timeshare resort, the county was willing to modify the zoning to allow the project to be converted to timeshare.

That's important (at least to us) because when you visit Point at Poipu, it's not like you are visiting a resort. Instead it's like staying at a residential ocean front condo. To us, the feeling at Poipu is totally different than at Kaanapali, because Kaanapali is now and always has been a resort. It starts with the approach to the resort. You are driving through a residential neighborhood, with houses on the inland side of Pe'e Road and condos on the ocean side. When you arrive at Point at Poipu, it's just another condo. A larger project, to be sure. But the scale is consistent. No towering builing. No neon lights. No adjacent convenience stores.

So when we come back to Poipu, we always have this feeling that we are returning to our own ocean front condo - not to a resort. Point at Poipu often gets marked down in TUG reviews or at other sites because it doesn't provide all of the amenities people expect at resorts, There isn't an on-site spa. There aren't on site restaurants. There isn't room service. There aren't palapas at the beach and swimming.

To us those aren't detriments; those are advantages. We feel like it's a second home, not a resort. We're pretty simple people, and Poipu is a resort that meets our sensibilities, with the advantages that it is ocean front in Kauai. I sense that I'm not alone in these sentiments, because I know that Point at Poipu generates similar passions among other owners.

*****

Back in 1999 when we knew that we wanted to go back to Kauai regularly and that a resale timeshare would be the way to do it, we narrowed things down to Kauai Beach Villas, Marriott Lihue (where we were staying), Point at Poipu, and Lawai Beach resort.

We immediately eliminated Marriott, because that was a hotel. We did visits at each resort (not tours, just stopped in and asked to look at units). We visited Poipu last, and as soon we arrived at the property we felt a visceral connection. It's in a residential neighborhood, the resort just fits in with the neighborhood, and it just felt good as we arrived. Then when we looked at some of the rooms we were sold. It was exactly the space that we could see ourselves occupying as a second home, and returning to over and over again. Since we just walked up, the unit we saw was just one that happened to be available; it was a partial ocean view and even at that we could see that it was a place that we could adore.

I even allowed myself the fantasy of imagining that in ten to fifteen years we might have adult children and grandchildren staying with us. Well, that fantasy has become reality, and over the years we have added to our DRI ownership so that we can accommodate family members who are staying with us.

I have conveyed to my family that when I die there is a special place to me on Kauai, not far from Point at Poipu, where I would like to have my ashes scattered (taking reasonable precautions to avoid a Big Lebowski redux). It would be my dream to have all of my remaining family together there for a final celebration in a place that we all have known and loved. After that, if they want to retain our ownerships or disclaim them, I certainly won't care. I know that I will have received the value from our ownerships that we desired.

 

[artringwald]

Ditto on everything Steve said. When we arrive, it feels like we're coming home. Some people may not like the Point at Poipu because it is not directly on a beach, the rooms have basic, but not deluxe furnishing, and the noise from your upstairs neighbors travels through the floors. In spite of all that, when we first rented there in 2000, we liked it so much, when we went back in 2004 we decided to buy a timeshare week (from the developer ), and have never regretted it. After we discovered TUG, we bought 2 more weeks the sensible way, through resale. Here are the top 10 reasons why it is the resort is our favorite vacation destination.

1. We get mesmerized sitting on the lanai and watching the waves crashing on the rocks. I’d rather have a resort on a rocky shore than one on a beach.
2. It’s a short walk to the light beacon on top of the hill where you can watch awesome sunsets. It’s one of the few places in Hawaii where you can watch the sunset or sunrise over the water. We’ve seen several green flashes at sunset and one at sunrise.
3. It has something you won’t find at most resorts: a pool with swimming lanes.
4. If you don’t feel like cooking or going out, you can go down to the pool and get cheeseburgers and mai tais.
5. It has an adults only hot tub that is actually hot, and also has a view of the ocean.
6. Even though it’s often booked to capacity, it never feels crowded (except if you’re trying to find a parking spot after 8 PM).
7. It’s a good place to watch whales, sea turtles, and monk seals.
8. It’s close to Poipu Beach Park, once voted America's Best Beach. One side is safe for small children, and the other side is great for snorkeling.
9. They offer free guided hikes. For the resort hike, the guide identifies and gives some cultural background of the many flowers and plants on the property. The costal hike goes past the Hyatt, up on the cliff overlooking Shipwrecks Beach, and along ancient sand dunes that have been hardened and compacted into spectacular limestone ledges and cliffs.
10. We don't often need it, but it does have A/C. When the trades stop blowing and it gets hot and humid, it's a must. Many of the condos and timeshares in Kauai don't have A/C.

 

[artringwald]

Did you get one of your requested oceanfront units this year? We checked in on Sat and did not get one of our requested units even though we reserved 360 days ahead at 12:01 am. We got a unit close to the construction and finally were moved a day later. No corner units available.

For the 2nd week we were there, we had also booked a partial ocean view week for a friend and asked that they get a room in the same building as us. The office called us at our room the day before our friend's arrival, and said 8-301 was available, which was next door to us, but it faced directly into the construction. They suggested giving them 1-204 instead. I was amazed that they called and actually asked which room I thought they would prefer. That's great customer service. :whoopie: I choose 1-204 for them, and it couldn't have worked out better. He has back problems and liked the short walk to the parking lot. Besides, their room had a great view. I took a picture from their lanai one evening, much better than looking at construction.

 

[wilma]

Thanks for the info Art, we are looking forward to the construction being over! We love the upstairs corner units and love to sit and stare at the ocean too!