Which is better - Westin North (KAN) or Westin Villas (KAA)

[krmlaw]

or does it not matter too much ...

 

[krmlaw]

and OMG im so excited i can SEE THEM!!!! HAHAHAHAHAH

 

[tschwa2]

As an exchanger through II, you should always expect an island view and if you wind up with an ocean view/side/front consider yourself super lucky. WKORV has island views that consist of the "dreaded parking lot view" See this thread from last August

 

[krmlaw]

if you are a starwood owner (another resport) on an II exchange, do you have a better shot at avoiding the parking lot than a non-owner?

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

We love KAN, but would be perfectly happy with KAA, even with a parking lot view.

Honestly, we spent most of our time, including dinners, down on the lounge chairs by the lawn, so it was a perfect view.

There are pros and cons to each unit/building, I believe. We have stayed in building 6 with a partial view of the ocean, but the incinerator noise was disturbing.

Also stayed in building 6 with a view of the koi pond. Very nice, but no sun as our room was north facing (husband prefers this, I do not).

Most recent stay was in Building 8, oceanfront. Very nice, but we sleep with the door open and 2 of the nights people were a bit loud on the beach walk. Not too but, just something to consider since our little one is a light sleeper.

I've been in a parking lot view room. It also has an ocean view and great sunset views in the winter.

Coming up with cons for the KOR is always a stretch. It can be done, but overall, they are inconsequential.

If you catch an early flight from CA, you can do a pre-check in. I've found that my room requests were filled because we had an early check in. I think a Friday check in might help with that as well. Any phone requests have been ignored.

I should note, I am not a Starwood owner (yet, under contract).

 

[DeniseM]

Here is a comparison of the two resorts - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=521693&postcount=13

They are quite similar, and as a trader, I don't think you can afford to be too picky.

With a II trade you have no priority for view, but as a Starwood owner, you have a better chance.

 

[gregb]

The difference is the ovens in KAA, but the trade off is some rooms have parking lot views. On KAN, there are no ovens, but also no parking lot views. Also, on KAA, the studios don't have a real lanai, but on KAN they do. We own KAN

Greg

Here is a comparison of the two resorts - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=521693&postcount=13

They are quite similar, and as a trader, I don't think you can afford to be too picky.

With a II trade you have no priority for view, but as a Starwood owner, you have a better chance.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

They have real ovens in KAA? I did not know that. Never quite got the hang of of the convection/microwave thing.

The lack of lanai would almost be a benefit to us. Our son was very excited to stand on top of a chair as soon as he went outside this year. Scary. But, like I said, we spend little time inside the actual room. I would love a first floor room looking at the koi pond in KAN. That way, we can enjoy a mini lawn outside our door.

 

[cdn_traveler]

and OMG im so excited i can SEE THEM!!!! HAHAHAHAHAH

Totally agree with you! Congratulations again on your SDO purchase. Pretty sure that this may not be your one and only Starwood timeshare that you'll buy - they are pretty addictive.

It would be totally awesome if you could get two weeks to make your flight totally worth it. Spend one week on the North, and one week on the South and then you'll know which one you prefer for next time.

We've stayed at North once and 3 times on South side. The pirate pool is nice, but my DD, who is 3 now, preferred the kids pool on the South side because it was warmer. I personally don't have a preference. Just appreciated the fact that we were lucky enough to be in Maui, and staying at the Westin.

 

[krmlaw]

thanks everyone! im assuming they are close, can you walk between then and use the pool at each other?

and the oven might be a seller for me.

we are thinking one week here and one week on kauai.

that comparison is great, thanks for the link!

 

[Henry M.]

Yes, you can walk between the properties and use the pools on both.

 

[DeniseM]

thanks everyone! im assuming they are close, can you walk between then and use the pool at each other?

They are on the same property: Bldg. #2-4 = WKORV (South) Bldg. #5-8 = WKORV-N (North)

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

thanks everyone! im assuming they are close, can you walk between then and use the pool at each other?

and the oven might be a seller for me.

we are thinking one week here and one week on kauai.

that comparison is great, thanks for the link!

We have never NOT set off the smoke alarm using the convection oven. Last year it was french fries. The three that weren't burnt were nice an perfectly crispy, but the remaining 30 fries were black as night and smoking up a storm. Maybe I should go to Lowe's this year and get a lesson on how to cook with that contraption.

You can walk and use any of the pools, with the exception of the pool by building 8 which only adults can use (too bad, it is really warm).

The pirate ship pool is between buildings 6 and building 2. You can even walk through Building 2 to get there (or vice versa).

 

[gregb]

The Studios at KOR (KAA) do have a sliding door, and if you are very thin, you might squeeze onto them. They a sometimes called "Jenny Craig" Lanais. So you will still have to watch your son, even on the south side.

Greg

 

[spuppy]

My opinion is that the comparison referenced below is slightly biased in favor of WKORN versus WKORV-N.

Some corrections and clarifications:

The comparison referenced below says WKORV-N has Queen beds in the studios, but that information is out-of-date. For all of my stays, the studio side of my lock out at WKORV-N had king beds.

The comparison says the WKORV-N "windows are much smaller and let in less natural light". I am at WKORV-N and 90% of all exterior walls in my unit are windows. My 2-bedroom unit has 3 sliding glass doors and a floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. This is the same at WKORV.

The comparison lists "wireless capability" for WKORV. This is also true of WKORV-N.

The comparison lists "Lighted tennis courts" for WKORV, and while technically the tennis courts are on the WKORV border, they are basically equidistant from the lobbies of both WKORV and WKORV-N.

The comparison states that the "studio is 79 sq. feet smaller" at WKORV-N, but according to starwood, the difference is 20 sq ft. The overall difference between the two is 170 sq ft, but probably half of the extra space at WKORV is shared foyer.

The comparison says "the lanais [at WKORV-N] are smaller than its sister property". That may be true of the 1-bedroom side (not sure, because they look very similar on the floor plans), but the lanai on the studio side of WKORV-N is much bigger than at WKORV, which has a vestigial lanai.

For WKORN-N, the comparison says, "Not sure if they'll have a workout room." To clarify, both WKORV and WKORV-N have workout rooms.

For WKORV-N, I would comment that many of the island view units actually have nice partial ocean views and none have parking lot views, whereas many island view units at WKORV have parking lot views.

Here is a comparison of the two resorts - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=521693&postcount=13

They are quite similar, and as a trader, I don't think you can afford to be too picky.

With a II trade you have no priority for view, but as a Starwood owner, you have a better chance.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

From my experience, the wireless connection from building 8 (north) was useless. I was told it was because I was using Apple products (iphone, ipad). Don't know about that, but had to run off 3G the whole time.

 

[krmlaw]

thanks ... so some one bedrooms dont have full balconies?

 

[Henry M.]

All 1br have balconies. The difference is in the studios.

Most studios in the south property only have a sliding glass door and no balcony. The studios of the ocean front units do have a balcony.

Studios in the north property do have a small balcony that fits two chairs and a small table.

 

[krmlaw]

ok so im safe with a one bed then - thanks

 

[Ken555]

From my experience, the wireless connection from building 8 (north) was useless. I was told it was because I was using Apple products (iphone, ipad). Don't know about that, but had to run off 3G the whole time.

Absolutely incorrect. Did the staff tell you this falsehood? They have intermittent wireless problems regardless of what brand your equipment is... I wrote a long post about this in a recent other thread when I was there earlier this month.

 

[gregb]

Wireless access is a problem in most concrete building, not just WKORN. If you have trouble with Wireless in your room you have several choices.

One, go onto the Lanai, as that usually will get you better reception.
Two, go down by the pool, as there is good service there.
Three, use the wired Ethernet cable (RJ45) in your room. You will usually get better throughput with wired connections than wireless connections.
Four, bring along a wireless Access Point or Router and setup your own wireless network for your room.

Greg

 

[Ken555]

Wireless access is a problem in most concrete building, not just WKORN. If you have trouble with Wireless in your room you have several choices.

One, go onto the Lanai, as that usually will get you better reception.
Two, go down by the pool, as there is good service there.
Three, use the wired Ethernet cable (RJ45) in your room. You will usually get better throughput with wired connections than wireless connections.
Four, bring along a wireless Access Point or Router and setup your own wireless network for your room.

Greg

Regardless, as I posted elsewhere the problem at WKORV is that they installed quite cheap systems that require constant maintenance (I had a long chat with the in house tech about the problems from a technical standpoint and he shared some of the issues he deals with constantly). The end result is that they should replace the wireless system with a more modern system that can handle the requirements of our ever increasing wireless needs, but have not done so yet.

As an example of how silly the system is at WKORV, every few rooms there is a "sled" connected to the phone in the room which is the wireless access point. Any guest can easily disconnect this unit (and often do, from what I learned) and therefore the wireless is no longer as good in the surrounding rooms since they need to find an access point further away. When I was there earlier this year my unit had one of those sleds, and it required replacement because "the units suck" and they are often rebuilding and trying to replace them with spare parts and bandaids. There are many other great systems designed for hotels and WKORV will eventually need to spend some money to improve the underlying system.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

I could get the Westin Lobby connection to work...barely...but could not sign onto the guest connection. I called the help desk, and they informed me it was because I was using an iPad.

Not that big of a deal, as we used the 3G connection the whole time. Normally I wouldn't care at all, but I was obsessively waiting for an email and checking a website status the whole 10 days I was there. Turns out, my email/update status came via a phone call at 7am on the day we were leaving. So much for watching the pot boil.

Back to KAA vs. KAN, both have pros and cons. However, imo, the cons are so minor that it's not worth being concerned about, especially as a non-owner of KOR who is trading in. Can't wait to return in January!

 

[DavidnRobin]

I am not as techno savvy as Ken, but I am not buying into their reason that it is because of using an iPad. Makes no sense as they pick-up the same WiFi signal. I am going with Ken here - WKORV/N did not consider increasing bandwidth usage - as well as how their system is handled.

 

[Ken555]

I am not as techno savvy as Ken, but I am not buying into their reason that it is because of using an iPad. Makes no sense as they pick-up the same WiFi signal. I am going with Ken here - WKORV/N did not consider increasing bandwidth usage - as well as how their system is handled.

Yup. Not only that, but I had no difficulty getting my iPad on their wireless network a few weeks ago. I was able to use it in the restaurants and in the rooms (while the wireless signal there was functional). So, once again, it seems misinformation is spreading from tech support. Even the iPhone has no problem getting on their wireless. The reason for this is that both offer the ability to login as if it's a computer- the WKORV system doesn't know or care that it's a iPhone or iPad (btw, I also got my Kindle on their wireless without difficulty). However, an Apple TV, for example, does not permit the web page authentication screen to display, so you can't connect it directly to their network.