Tugger klpca Inspired Us-Booked 5 weeks in Hawaii

[JanT]

Fellow Tugger klpca posted a few days ago that they were willing to be the guinea pig and they booked a Hawaii week with an AC. Well, we've been on the fence since all the ACs dropped into our account with Hawaii weeks available. We went back and forth as we read about Tuggers luv_Maui and frank808 enjoying their lengthy stays there but we were in the middle of trying to sell our house and couldn't get away. We sold our house about 6 weeks ago and closed 2 weeks ago. We're sitting around our apartment trying to piece together a plan for the future since we're not going to buy another house for a couple of years. We just want to travel and not be tied down for awhile. Obviously Covid-19 has thrown a monkey wrench into most travel but we'll do what we can.

So....today we were talking about those ACs still sitting there and that II had extended them and how we should take advantage of them. We looked at each other and said, "Should we? Of course, we should!" So, I got on-line and put together a 5 week trip to Ko'Olina using 3 ACs and 2 weeks we had traded to go to Florida in December. We will never have this opportunity again - at least not at this price. Even factoring in maintenance and exchange fees, and the cost of the ACs it was still a magnificent deal - about $2500 for 5 weeks in a 1 BR. Renting those same 5 weeks through Marriott.com would cost between $15K and $17K just for the unit themselves. All of the weeks but 1 are Mountain View except for 1 which is OV. If things are slow, I'm hoping we might get an OV room for our whole stay. If not, well....we'll still be in paradise.

I would be lying if I didn't say we have some trepidation about traveling but we have been incredibly careful since the beginning of all this mess and will continue to do so in order to protect ourselves and others. We will get our Covid test at the 72 hr mark and make sure it's the rapid test. If worse comes to worst, we'll go and quarantine for 14 days. We'll still have 3 weeks beyond that to enjoy ourselves.

Thank you klpca for leading the way!!

 

[Tank]

Sounds awesome !
Enjoy

Dave

 

[klpca]

Fellow Tugger klpca posted a few days ago that they were willing to be the guinea pig and they booked a Hawaii week with an AC. Well, we've been on the fence since all the ACs dropped into our account with Hawaii weeks available. We went back and forth as we read about Tuggers luv_Maui and frank808 enjoying their lengthy stays there but we were in the middle of trying to sell our house and couldn't get away. We sold our house about 6 weeks ago and closed 2 weeks ago. We're sitting around our apartment trying to piece together a plan for the future since we're not going to buy another house for a couple of years. We just want to travel and not be tied down for awhile. Obviously Covid-19 has thrown a monkey wrench into most travel but we'll do what we can.

So....today we were talking about those ACs still sitting there and that II had extended them and how we should take advantage of them. We looked at each other and said, "Should we? Of course, we should!" So, I got on-line and put together a 5 week trip to Ko'Olina using 3 ACs and 2 weeks we had traded to go to Florida in December. We will never have this opportunity again - at least not at this price. Even factoring in maintenance and exchange fees, and the cost of the ACs it was still a magnificent deal - about $2500 for 5 weeks in a 1 BR. Renting those same 5 weeks through Marriott.com would cost between $15K and $17K just for the unit themselves. All of the weeks but 1 are Mountain View except for 1 which is OV. If things are slow, I'm hoping we might get an OV room for our whole stay. If not, well....we'll still be in paradise.

I would be lying if I didn't say we have some trepidation about traveling but we have been incredibly careful since the beginning of all this mess and will continue to do so in order to protect ourselves and others. We will get our Covid test at the 72 hr mark and make sure it's the rapid test. If worse comes to worst, we'll go and quarantine for 14 days. We'll still have 3 weeks beyond that to enjoy ourselves.

Thank you klpca for leading the way!!

I'm so happy for you! It's a golden opportunity and I'm glad that you went for it!

 

[PamMo]

@JanT five weeks in Hawaii sounds wonderful! @klpca is my heroine, too!

DH and I have been very hesitant to travel during the Covid lockdowns, but afer 7 months of staying at home, we're on our first trip right now. We've cancelled so many reservations this year, we hate to count them up. On this trip, we've found it's been very easy to socially distance, but we don't need a lot. We've changed things up a bit and are eating all our meals in our timeshare. We're LOVING hiking and biking again in our favorite places! I am really surprised at how much "lighter" I feel after months of quarantining at home. Go and enjoy!!!!

 

[frank808]

Contact me if you want to meet up. You can call villa 10717 and leave a message if I am not in. BTW when are you planning to be here? There is also the daily Transient Accommodations Tax that Marriott will collect. This is will add a little to your cost estimate for lodging.

 

[JanT]

Thank you, klpca! I hope your trip works out as well!

I'm so happy for you! It's a golden opportunity and I'm glad that you went for it!

 

[JanT]

frank808, we will definitely get in touch with you. We're arriving on Oct 16th and leave on Nov 20th. I'm hoping our Covid test will come back in time so we don't have to quarantine at all but we'll see what happens. And oh yes, the ol' TAT gets collected but even with that, the cost is well below what we would pay if renting directly from Marriott, from a private party, or if we had to own that many weeks to get there for that length of time. We used a EOY 1BR Marriott Kauai week (that we actually just sold back to Marriott but still retained use for this year) and a EOY 1 BR SDO Silver week that was free to us years ago (that we actually deeded back to SDO this year but retained use for this year) to trade in. The rest of the weeks were via the ACs. It's kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity so we decided to roll with it. Looking forward to meeting you!

Contact me if you want to meet up. You can call villa 10717 and leave a message if I am not in. BTW when are you planning to be here? There is also the daily Transient Accommodations Tax that Marriott will collect. This is will add a little to your cost estimate for lodging.

 

[JanT]

PamMo,

We, too have been very hesitant to travel during all of this. We've hardly left the house actually, which worked ok for us because we were trying to sell our house, etc. But, being home all the time after a couple of rough years where we were pretty much tied at home, we were kind of getting to the end of our rope. So, the house sold and here we are - temporarily in an apartment while we wrap some things up - bored out of our minds and we just decided to go for it. Like you, we will change things up, cook in our unit more, get out away from people, and try to wind down after a very stressful few years.

I'm so glad you are getting the opportunity to be away after having to cancel so many reservations. It may not be quite you'd planned but it sounds like you're having a wonderful time. We have to make the best of the situation for certain. And I think you're right about feeling better just getting to be out and about.

Thank you for the encouragement and enjoy your trip!

Jan

@JanT five weeks in Hawaii sounds wonderful! @klpca is my heroine, too!

DH and I have been very hesitant to travel during the Covid lockdowns, but afer 7 months of staying at home, we're on our first trip right now. We've cancelled so many reservations this year, we hate to count them up. On this trip, we've found it's been very easy to socially distance, but we don't need a lot. We've changed things up a bit and are eating all our meals in our timeshare. We're LOVING hiking and biking again in our favorite places! I am really surprised at how much "lighter" I feel after months of quarantining at home. Go and enjoy!!!!

 

[presley]

Sounds awesome and I saw on the news last night that Hawaii will accept a negative COVID19 test beginning October 15? I guess it's just a matter of how long it takes to get the results since the test has to be within 72 hours of entering Hawaii. Hopefully, the turnaround time where you live is quicker than it has been around here.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Ko Olina is much more fun than an apartment! Lucky you! I hope your test comes back okay and you can go and enjoy the island. Woohoo! Too bad Polynesian Culture Center is probably not open. Dole Plantation, too. Loved that lunch we had there. I can never do that loco moco again. Too much food!

 

[amy241]

Fellow Tugger klpca posted a few days ago that they were willing to be the guinea pig and they booked a Hawaii week with an AC. Well, we've been on the fence since all the ACs dropped into our account with Hawaii weeks available. We went back and forth as we read about Tuggers luv_Maui and frank808 enjoying their lengthy stays there but we were in the middle of trying to sell our house and couldn't get away. We sold our house about 6 weeks ago and closed 2 weeks ago. We're sitting around our apartment trying to piece together a plan for the future since we're not going to buy another house for a couple of years. We just want to travel and not be tied down for awhile. Obviously Covid-19 has thrown a monkey wrench into most travel but we'll do what we can.

So....today we were talking about those ACs still sitting there and that II had extended them and how we should take advantage of them. We looked at each other and said, "Should we? Of course, we should!" So, I got on-line and put together a 5 week trip to Ko'Olina using 3 ACs and 2 weeks we had traded to go to Florida in December. We will never have this opportunity again - at least not at this price. Even factoring in maintenance and exchange fees, and the cost of the ACs it was still a magnificent deal - about $2500 for 5 weeks in a 1 BR. Renting those same 5 weeks through Marriott.com would cost between $15K and $17K just for the unit themselves. All of the weeks but 1 are Mountain View except for 1 which is OV. If things are slow, I'm hoping we might get an OV room for our whole stay. If not, well....we'll still be in paradise.

I would be lying if I didn't say we have some trepidation about traveling but we have been incredibly careful since the beginning of all this mess and will continue to do so in order to protect ourselves and others. We will get our Covid test at the 72 hr mark and make sure it's the rapid test. If worse comes to worst, we'll go and quarantine for 14 days. We'll still have 3 weeks beyond that to enjoy ourselves.

Thank you klpca for leading the way!!

How do you know they will accept the rapid test?

 

[luv_maui]

we too booked a week at Ko’Olina just to check it out. Never been to Ko’Olina, just hotels in Waikiki about 25+ years ago. Let’s hope the Covid testing program is in place and no false positives! will definitely check in with frank808, assuming we make it there.

 

[echino]

I wouldn't say that Ko Olina is a good stand alone destination where you could spend a week on site. I liked Ko Olina as a very comfortable base for exploring Oahu.

 

[klpca]

I wouldn't say that Ko Olina is a good stand alone destination where you could spend a week on site. I liked Ko Olina as a very comfortable base for exploring Oahu.

We are very busy vacationers and rarely spend much time at a resort (hiking, snorkeling, kayaking is what we are there for). We stayed at Ko Olina in Dec 2016 and because of the weather we had to stay put for awhile. I surprisingly liked the resort. I liked how spread out the resort was, I liked the lagoons, and walking between the resorts. I even liked the pools (and I am not a pool person). We also went on a great but very, very muddy hike at Ka'ena Point which wasn't too far away. It was just a really pleasant resort. I was pretty surprised at how much I liked it. When (if) we go there in November we plan to use it as a base, but if things are closed because of covid I figure that at least the resort a is nice place to stay.

 

[frank808]

PamMo,

We, too have been very hesitant to travel during all of this. We've hardly left the house actually, which worked ok for us because we were trying to sell our house, etc. But, being home all the time after a couple of rough years where we were pretty much tied at home, we were kind of getting to the end of our rope. So, the house sold and here we are - temporarily in an apartment while we wrap some things up - bored out of our minds and we just decided to go for it. Like you, we will change things up, cook in our unit more, get out away from people, and try to wind down after a very stressful few years.

I'm so glad you are getting the opportunity to be away after having to cancel so many reservations. It may not be quite you'd planned but it sounds like you're having a wonderful time. We have to make the best of the situation for certain. And I think you're right about feeling better just getting to be out and about.

Thank you for the encouragement and enjoy your trip!

Jan

You will enjoy your time here. Great resort and very nice even if you ha e to quarantine. Vol_90 will attest to having a great slquatantine stay here. If you have to quarantine you will probably be on the same floor as we are. We got this unit when we arrived home in July and have stayed put even though our quarantine is over.

Have a safe flight and see you in about a month.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[frank808]

we too booked a week at Ko’Olina just to check it out. Never been to Ko’Olina, just hotels in Waikiki about 25+ years ago. Let’s hope the Covid testing program is in place and no false positives! will definitely check in with frank808, assuming we make it there.

Ok maybe if everyone's stay overlaps we can have a mini tug meet up. Of course no more than 5 people with social distancing guidelines

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[amy241]

Ok maybe if everyone's stay overlaps we can have a mini tug meet up. Of course no more than 5 people with social distancing guidelines

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

That sounds like fun - not sure if our dates overlap with yours but we are there from 11/15 - 12/13.

 

[kckaren21]

I wish I could go to Ko'olina again! I booked a TS tour so that I could view the property ( got $50 to spend on property at Aulani and free parking) The area is beautiful and I wouldn't mind being 'stuck' there, just not quarantined in room.

 

[controller1]

We will get our Covid test at the 72 hr mark and make sure it's the rapid test.

How do you know they will accept the rapid test?

My understanding now is that a rapid test is not performed by a CLIA approved lab which is what is required by Hawaii.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Kaiser told me they could get the test back in less than 48 hours. We were going to go late August through about now, but our trip had to wait because we would have had to sit in our room. Not fun.

I am hoping our February trip does not require tests or quarantines. But I will do what I must to go.

 

[frank808]

That sounds like fun - not sure if our dates overlap with yours but we are there from 11/15 - 12/13.

Will be here. Give me a PM or call 10717 on the house phone.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[amy241]

Will be here. Give me a PM or call 10717 on the house phone.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Will do! My name is Amy and my husband is Glenn.

 

[frank808]

I am frank.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Kapolei]

I got two weeks starting on Halloween.

 

[klpca]

Fellow Tugger klpca posted a few days ago that they were willing to be the guinea pig and they booked a Hawaii week with an AC. Well, we've been on the fence since all the ACs dropped into our account with Hawaii weeks available. We went back and forth as we read about Tuggers luv_Maui and frank808 enjoying their lengthy stays there but we were in the middle of trying to sell our house and couldn't get away. We sold our house about 6 weeks ago and closed 2 weeks ago. We're sitting around our apartment trying to piece together a plan for the future since we're not going to buy another house for a couple of years. We just want to travel and not be tied down for awhile. Obviously Covid-19 has thrown a monkey wrench into most travel but we'll do what we can.

So....today we were talking about those ACs still sitting there and that II had extended them and how we should take advantage of them. We looked at each other and said, "Should we? Of course, we should!" So, I got on-line and put together a 5 week trip to Ko'Olina using 3 ACs and 2 weeks we had traded to go to Florida in December. We will never have this opportunity again - at least not at this price. Even factoring in maintenance and exchange fees, and the cost of the ACs it was still a magnificent deal - about $2500 for 5 weeks in a 1 BR. Renting those same 5 weeks through Marriott.com would cost between $15K and $17K just for the unit themselves. All of the weeks but 1 are Mountain View except for 1 which is OV. If things are slow, I'm hoping we might get an OV room for our whole stay. If not, well....we'll still be in paradise.

I would be lying if I didn't say we have some trepidation about traveling but we have been incredibly careful since the beginning of all this mess and will continue to do so in order to protect ourselves and others. We will get our Covid test at the 72 hr mark and make sure it's the rapid test. If worse comes to worst, we'll go and quarantine for 14 days. We'll still have 3 weeks beyond that to enjoy ourselves.

Thank you klpca for leading the way!!

Well, turnabout is fair play. You inspired me to add an additional week - this time at Waiohai. Again I am not counting on going (well maybe a bit) but I figured that worst case they will extend the AC for 12 months so it's a bit of a win-win. I was holding the week and asked my husband "should I book it?" and he said "go ahead" and when I told him that I did it, he told me that I was crazy, lol.