What's the best way to buy into Pahio at Shearwater?

[Neil]

We recently returned after a week at the Westin Princeville. The Westin is a beautiful resort, but nothing compares to the views from The Shearwater. We were able to tour a couple of the units while they were being cleaned and fell in love with the views. Here are my questions:

1. What sources have others used to purchase at Shearwater? There are currently no units available on ebay and units on redweek were very limited. Would it be advisable to go through a timeshare resaler?

2. What prices can I expect to pay for the various units? Has anyone been tracking ebay sales of Shearwater?

3. Do owners sell their actual units or do they sell by what floor they are on?

4. Does Pahio (now Wyndham) honor the owners' requests to stay in a particular unit?

 

[LisaH]

I feel the same way about Westin Princeville and Shearwater and that's why I am an owner at Shearwater. To answer your questions:

1. Redweek, Vacationtimesharerentals, and myresortnetwork all have listings for Shearwater, and local Hawaiian resellers also have them (both Maui and Kauai).

2. The price usually is around 8K-15K for a 2BR annual, with the 1st floor units the cheapest and 3rd floor the most expensive. I am sure once in a while, a week will pop up on ebay and the price is probably more towards the lower end or even lower that the range I mentioned above.

3. Weeks are deeded into three classes: garden (1st floor), lanai (2nd), and penthouse (3rd), and they are sold accordingly.

4. You actually reserve a particular unit within your deed specification (garden, lanai, or penthouse), and you get the room you reserve at the time of check-in. Occasionally you get an upgrade upon request but this is not easy to achieve during peak season (summer, holiday weeks).

 

[DeniseM]

Also consider an ocean front unit at Pahio Kauai Beach Villas - you can buy these weeks for $1 on ebay with a little patience.

Here is the beach (this was taken from our Lanai.)

Another Lanai view - straight out from the lanai:

 

[rickandcindy23]

We own Shearwater, just had to have it after getting lucky with an exchange.

I see every conceivable date I want at ten months out through RCI Points and highly recommend that as a way to get Shearwater. Read the reviews on TUG and there is a more info button there to see unit designations for different days of the week. That info may now be defunct, with the new Wyndham takeover. There are actually check-ins of every day of the week now.

You might want to check ebay often and take your time. There aren't many weeks on ebay, but they go dirt cheap.

My recommendation would be to own RCI Points at the cheapest price per point possible (maintenance fees) and trade in that way. Top seasons, such as summer, are a measly 109,500 points. Low season is 82K. Exchange fee is $139.

 

[Neil]

Thanks for your responses. That's exactly the information I was looking for. I didn't notice that the 3rd floor units were any bigger than the other units. Are they just called penthouses because they are on the 3rd floor?

Also consider an ocean front unit at Pahio Kauai Beach Villas - you can buy these weeks for $1 on ebay with a little patience.

We already own a 1 BR/2BA ocean front at KBV. We were thinking of adding an extra week at Shearwater on the north shore and spend two weeks on Kauai. One week is never enough! Plus the two bedrooms at Shearwater would allow our kids and grandkids to come join us.

I'll take your advice and be patient.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Shearwater is all about pleasing the exchangers, in my opinion. It's not bad for us, because we exchange into Shearwater.

We went to the breakfast during our last stay, this is where the staff tried to sell us activities, and owners around us had first-floor units and checked in the same day we did. We had the penthouse as exchangers.

Our two owned weeks are first floor, so that is what we would have gotten as owners.

The penthouses are the same size, with only one being a 3 bedroom that is larger. The difference is the vaulted ceilings, which seem to always be a bit dusty.....okay sometimes really, really dusty, with hanging cobwebs. It's our (Rick's really) only complaint about the cleanliness of Shearwater, and the housekeepers are too small to clean up there, so it doesn't get done.

My husband uses the barstools and cleans the ceiling fans, then he goes about the unit cleaning the soffit above the kitchen cabinets, and the windows that are up high, too. I don't care about cobwebs. It's him. And he doesn't mind one itsy bit about cleaning things, so I tell him to go for it. He now even brings his own rags from home.

"Oh, if we are going to Shearwater, I need to get my cleaning rags." :rofl: Other people bring salt and pepper, and Rick brings rags.

 

[Conan]

I see every conceivable date I want at ten months out through RCI Points and highly recommend that as a way to get Shearwater.

My recommendation would be to own RCI Points at the cheapest price per point possible (maintenance fees) and trade in that way. Top seasons, such as summer, are a measly 109,500 points. Low season is 82K. Exchange fee is $139.

Sounds like RCI Points is the way to go.
Can you exchange specifically for the top floor? Or get it at checkin?

Thx

 

[LisaH]

Is there a 1-in-4 restriction for Pahio? I know week exchange definitely does but not sure about using RCI points. The reason Cindy is able to exchange into Shearwater repeatedly is because she is a Pahio owner.

Also, it's probably not realistic to expect a penthouse assignment as an exchanger, especially during peak season. Again, Pahio seems to give its owners special considerations in getting the best possible units when exchanging back to Pahio resorts.

 

[GregT]

Does anyone have pictures from Shearwater?

Denise, those are great pictures from KBV -- thanks!

 

[rickandcindy23]

Is there a 1-in-4 restriction for Pahio? I know week exchange definitely does but not sure about using RCI points. The reason Cindy is able to exchange into Shearwater repeatedly is because she is a Pahio owner.

Also, it's probably not realistic to expect a penthouse assignment as an exchanger, especially during peak season. Again, Pahio seems to give its owners special considerations in getting the best possible units when exchanging back to Pahio resorts.

No more 1-in-4, and RCI Points is exempt from 1-in-4.

 

[jjmanthei05]

Does anyone have pictures from Shearwater?

Denise, those are great pictures from KBV -- thanks!

Over on wyndhamowners.org there are 3 posts with pictures under Shearwater.

Jason

 

[jacknsara]

... 2. The price usually is around 8K-15K for a 2BR annual, with the 1st floor units the cheapest and 3rd floor the most expensive. I am sure once in a while, a week will pop up on ebay and the price is probably more towards the lower end or even lower that the range I mentioned above.
...

Aloha,
We paid less than $2K on ebay for an even year Shearwater garden (first use 2012) last spring and thought we did all right until a month or two later someone bought the equivalent with first use 2010 for about half; I think MFs might have been included in that deal. Several bidders were involved in ours. Lucky they quit bidding when they did or it would have cost us more.
Point is that Shearwater units do occasionally appear on ebay. If you are prepared to pay a fair price (snipe or agent bid), you might get it for much less than you expect.
I guess I should update our profile.
Jack