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Waiohai - Ocean view - some better than others?

L

lcargnoni

TUG Member
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Location
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Hi everyone,

We are renting an ocean view unit from the owner (checking in on April 3).
We've never visited Waiohai and looking forward to the visit.

Based on your experiences, which buildings, sides, floors are better than others for ocean views? For what should we push for if provided an opportunity?

Conversely, are there floors, sides, building that might be suboptimal for a ocean view?

Your feedback are appreciated and welcome.

Regards,
Larry C

Any other tips on Waiohai appreciated too.
 
Here is a map of the buildings at Waiohai. And, yes some oceanviews are better than others. The rooms that face directly out to the ocean would be the best but they are usually given to owners. Hales 4, 5, 6 & 7 in my opinion are the leasted desired OV rooms. The view for 5, 6 & 7 are facing outward away from the center. This side of the resort over looks the public beach parking lot. For Hale 4 it is very far back from the beach. I'd ask for Hale 1 or 2. Good luck.

http://www.marriottvacationclub.com...orts/marriott-waiohai-beach-club/pdfs/map.pdf
 
I think some of the islandview units are much better situated than the oceanview because the grounds at Waiohai are beautifully landscaped. We were there for two weeks, two units each week. We thought the best views were from the interior facing left-corner top-floor of Hale 4 and the two side-by-side 2nd-floor units in Hale 5 facing that interior lagoon, and our least favorite was the oceanview exterior facing 4th-floor unit in Hale 6.

I'm sure the direct oceanfront units from Hales 1 and 8 are the primo spots and I'd guess that it would be very difficult to be placed there while exchanging. But since you're renting from an owner, you're able to ask the owner (or call yourself) to put in a request for the best possible oceanview. Maybe you'll get lucky. :)

{edited to add} My best tip for Waiohai is to treat yourself to that chocolate molten lava cake or whatever it's called for dessert from the onsite restaurant - yum! Best tip for Kauai is to get the Kauai Revealed book and read the sections about exploring the island before you get there - every single path and beach is included with detailed directions to get there. Second-best tip, don't miss the drive through Waimea Canyon, and follow the book's directions to go all the way to the second major outlook. Awe-inspiring.
 
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SueDonJ said:
.... {edited to add} My best tip for Waiohai is to treat yourself to that chocolate molten lava cake or whatever it's called for dessert from the onsite restaurant - yum! Best tip for Kauai is to get the Kauai Revealed book and read the sections about exploring the island before you get there - every single path and beach is included with detailed directions to get there. Second-best tip, don't miss the drive through Waimea Canyon, and follow the book's directions to go all the way to the second major outlook. Awe-inspiring.
Click to expand...

Great. I have been contemplating Hilton Head, St Kitts or Aruba for early summer 2011, but all of a sudden I want to go back to Kauai. :)
 
Thank you everyone for the input and feeedback. I called over and while they have us as guests under the owner, they won't accept any requests until check in (which makes sense) and only will accept requests from the owner. I emailed the owner and asked if they would consider making a request.

Upon questioning, the person answering the phone told me that all of the Hales were excellent ocean view units. He seemed put out that he was talking to me at all.
Larry C
 
I always request Hale 1 and Hale 8 for my renters. These past two years one has ended up in Hale 6 last summer and another in hale 4 this past February. I was not happy with their placement since they were not exchangers. I will be there in a week. I plan to get there early in the day (we arrive the night before) and make sure we get a decent room with a view this year. Last year we showed up at 7:30pm and all that was left was an interior room on the 4th floor of Hale 7. It was considered an ocean view.
 
Ask the owner to call his/her Marriott Vacation Ownership Advisor or Marriott reservations, and have them add notes of your requests to the reservation with that day's date on it.
 
Hale 8 OV is good too. There's a little view of the public parking lot, but it's easy to ignore.

"At checkin" is way too late. Everything is cast in concrete by then, and the desk people know that if they change anyone, there will be someone later who won't get what he should.

I send a fax on the Monday ten days before checking. Once I sent a box of See's candy. I don't know if it helped, but the room was nice.
 
I got the survey a week or so ago asking for my preferences for my stay next week. I received this email in response.

Aloha from the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club!

Thank you for your villa location preferences which we received and have noted accordingly to your reservations. Please note that villa assignments are made on the day of arrival and are not guaranteed prior to your arrival. However, we will assign the best possible villa we have available. Should you have any additional requests, please contact the Front Desk directly at (808) 742-4400. Please do not respond to this e-mail.

Monika
 
Hi everyone,
The owner did fax their preference - Hale 1 and we ended up on the 3rd floor overlooking pool, beach...not too bad....
Larry C
 
Good luck with the room request. Got to Waiohai last night and none of my preferences were honored. Not happy about that. :mad: At least I'm in Kauai now. :)
 
If you bought Oceanview, then you will recieve oceanview, but at Waiohai there's a huge difference between some of the "oceanview" units.
 
Grounds & Ocean

To each their own, but we rather liked the 4th floor of Hale 4. You had some view of the ocean and a great view of the grounds. Hales 1 & 8 may have ocean views but you miss the view of the pretty impressive grounds.

There was also less foot-traffic/noise in Hale 4 and right next to the parking garage.

But at the end-of-the-day, it's a great resort, no matter what villa you're in!!
 
OutAndAbout said:
To each their own, but we rather liked the 4th floor of Hale 4. You had some view of the ocean and a great view of the grounds. Hales 1 & 8 may have ocean views but you miss the view of the pretty impressive grounds.

There was also less foot-traffic/noise in Hale 4 and right next to the parking garage.

But at the end-of-the-day, it's a great resort, no matter what villa you're in!!
Click to expand...

Yep, we loved the view from up in the top corner of Hale 4:
DSC02620.jpg


(Whoa, sorry the pic is so big - it's the first time posting one on this laptop and it looks like I need to adjust settings somewhere.)
 
In Photobucket you can edit the picture size.

Nice view by the way. Those two balconies straight ahead on the top floor with no roofs above are the two rooms we had las time there. We loved the view of the mountains with clouds, rain and rainbows. That's Hale 8. We also loved the fact that the ocean was just a few steps away. For quietness you can't beat Hale 4. Boy, do I want to go back!

.
 
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Hale 4

we own islandview and always stay in Hale 4 on the second floor - can't beat it, great view (over the landscaping) of the ocean - better than an inland-facing view from a building closer to the beach. I'd rather have that then take a chance with oceanview of looking over a parking lot!
 
Found a couple of quick shots!

Hale 8 looking straight toward Hale 4. Too cloudy to see the mountains.

P1020857.jpg



Hale 8 looking left.

P1020858.jpg
 
Are all the Hale 4 units facing inward? I would think that would be a good possibility for a Marriott to Marriott exchange in May, but I don't want to be looking at the parking lot.
 
Former Cruiser said:
Are all the Hale 4 units facing inward? I would think that would be a good possibility for a Marriott to Marriott exchange in May, but I don't want to be looking at the parking lot.
Click to expand...

No. Hale 4 is the building that has the infamous view of the parking lot. Not the parking lot that face the beach, but the actual Waiohai parking lot on the back of Hale 4. Hale 3 is all garden view but has no units on the back of the building. It has great views and is right by the parking lot (for parking, not for viewing.) We enjoyed staying in that Hale. It has the same garden view as Hale 4 but prbably without an ocean glimpse.

The only time we had a unit we didn't love was a first floor garden view in Hale 5. Everyone who parked on that side of the resort walked by the patio. Had it been an upper floor it would have been fine, but on the lower floor it was too visable. Still had a great time, but would have preferred a higher floor for more privacy.
 
My favorite is when I get a Hale 1 - it's still kind of quiet off to the side, but the views are really nice. I have seen a lot of chickens over on that side if that bothers you, though, but I find it kind of entertaining :)

I've had a really crappy OV where I could not see the ocean in Hale 2 (low floor, close to Hale 1). I can't believe that room is classified as OV. It was a great IV location, though. Pretty sad that the room cost an extra 10K to buy and I know they charge renters a premium for those iffy views, too. Poor view classification seems to be rampant in the industry. I wish I could have the room that shows up on my deed in Hale 1:)
 
We stayed at Waiohai on a promotional trip several years ago. Didn't purchase there, but we certainly enjoyed our visit. The Waiohai resort is quite small compared to any other MVCI location I have visited, which only adds to the serenity of the place. The photos posted in this thread remind me that the island of Kauai is pretty hard to beat for natural beauty.

Understandably, the non-owners at Waiohai are assigned the less-desirable views. Our unit was in Hale 7 facing the public beach parking lot, but even that was not terrible (we could still see the ocean). As others have stated, the "Ocean View" label at Waiohai may be an exaggeration for many of the rooms. But whether or not you can actually see the ocean, I should think that any unit facing the interior would be fine - the gardens are so beautiful to look at. Personally I would not want a ground floor unit because of the compromised privacy when people are walking past.
 
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gblotter said:
Personally I would not want a ground floor unit because of the compromised privacy when people are walking past.
Click to expand...

I think in general the higher floor rooms are better for views. That being said, I've been in a ground floor on Hale 1 that was lovely (over near where they just redid that hotel), and the only privacy invasion was from chickens. They can be pretty loud in the morning, and you are just that tiny bit closer than the higher up rooms! One convenient thing about ground floor on Hale 2 is some still have views and you can get to the pools, ocean, & outdoor grills pronto (no carrying your food to grill down the stairs or elevator!). However, there is always the risk that your ground floor room will be badly placed for either privacy or views...

Ground Floor Hale 1, standing right outside the lanai:
IMG_0062.JPG
 
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molemay said:
Aloha from the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club!

Thank you for your villa location preferences which we received and have noted accordingly to your reservations. Please note that villa assignments are made on the day of arrival and are not guaranteed prior to your arrival. However, we will assign the best possible villa we have available. Should you have any additional requests, please contact the Front Desk directly at (808) 742-4400. Please do not respond to this e-mail.
Click to expand...

It's interesting how this differs with how Maui Ocean Club assigns their rooms. Between 1 and two weeks out, room assignments are made based upon the owner's preferences and how early they made their reservation. When I reserve at 13 months, I almost always get my first choice, otherwise at least my second choice. Do all resorts make up their own rules?
 
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