Which Marriott Maui Timeshare?

[SueDonJ]

Sorry, just kidding with you, but just HAD to do it. :hysterical:
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

But, I'm with you I really like having a full kitchen: I'm spoiled too.

No worries, I'm laughing right out loud with you! :hysterical: :hysterical:

So maybe I do have a little spoiled bee-yatch in me but if I have to wear the SB nametag then so do you!

 

[MOXJO7282]

If I had to prioritize what we like most when traveling, I'd say it's a full kitchen hands-down no contest. We love cooking and eating together, sitting around the table for hours after dinner, whether it's just Don and I or a whole gang of family with us.

We do too, and we do that frequently at the MOC, just with the BBQ grills. There is a great oceanfront area with several picnic tables that is between the Molokai bldg and Napali bldg. They even play hawaiin music to enjoy.

We have numerous meals here, a few lunches and dinners each trip so it's not like you can't still have sit down dinners at the MOC. Then we'll do take out or leftovers a few times and enjoy eating in the unit or at the beach side restaurant that has tables you can use. Again right on the ocean.

This is also a big part of our TS approach. What we love to do is really treat ourselves to very nice self prepared meals and cocktails (champange, shrimp cocktail, filet mignon or similar) or take out from places like Publix (their $5 bucket of fried chicken is amazing) or Fresh Market in HHI(the GO is our 2nd favorite spot) and its still much, much cheaper than eating out.

 

[thinze3]

Susan, I too feel there is something special at Waiohai. That laid back Hawaiian feel is almost mesmerizing. It takes days to quit daydreaming once you get back home.

We have been to all four of the Marriott resorts now and each member of my family would probably pick a different resort.

 

[MOXJO7282]

I'd have to be to go all the way to Maui and sulk that a Marriott resort just isn't good enough! I honestly don't think it could ever happen - the longer we do this Marriott timesharing thing the more I find that there's something to appreciate about every one of the resorts, and they're all worth trying at least once. But it's like gblotter says, there is something for everyone and not every thing about every resort will appeal to every person.

This is so true. We've been to many Marriotts and if we could fit them in we would to go back to eat one. Its just that we love certain ones so much, like MOC and GO that we can't stay away from those two or try another.

Would we love Waiohai or Ko Olina, I have no doubt, but never as much as MOC or GO because those places are just so special to us.

 

[FlyerBobcat]

Is the balcony on the 1BR oceanfront unit in the Molokai wing one large continuous balcony -- spanning both of the "old" hotel rooms?

 

[gblotter]

Is the balcony on the 1BR oceanfront unit in the Molokai wing one large continuous balcony -- spanning both of the "old" hotel rooms?

No, there is a divider between the balconies for each room - not continuous.

 

[FlyerBobcat]

No, there is a divider between the balconies for each room - not continuous.

Thanks.... but I'll admit I was not expecting that answer. Some pictures I've seen make the balconies appear quite modern, so I guess I just expected the
1BR balcony to be continuous. Thx

 

[gblotter]

Thanks.... but I'll admit I was not expecting that answer. Some pictures I've seen make the balconies appear quite modern, so I guess I just expected the 1BR balcony to be continuous.

Here is an excellent photo of the Ocean Front units in the Molokai wing. It shows the balconies well (including the dividers between each room).

see http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1420400464075946734KFyxeB and http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1420400841075946734eiujsG

 

[FlyerBobcat]

Here is an excellent photo of the Ocean Front units in the Molokai wing. It shows the balconies well (including the dividers between each room).

see http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1420400464075946734KFyxeB and http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1420400841075946734eiujsG

Those are great photos... So I just rented a 1BR OceanFront at Maui Ocean Club. Looking at those photos (especially the second one), can someone explain a few things on these Molokai OFs.

• Does the ground floor has all walk-out units?
• Looks like the second floor would get limited sunshine. Correct?
• What's with the 3rd thru 5th rooms sticking out there? Are the balconies that much bigger? Or maybe the entire rooms are just offset more towards the water?

TIA

 

[gblotter]

• Does the ground floor has all walk-out units?

Yes

• Looks like the second floor would get limited sunshine. Correct?

Correct. Both the first floor and second floor have very deep balconies which would limit sunshine. This is true only for Ocean Front and only for the Molokai wing. The added bonus of those roomy balconies more than compensates for the sunshine factor.

• What's with the 3rd thru 5th rooms sticking out there? Are the balconies that much bigger? Or maybe the entire rooms are just offset more towards the water?

The balconies on the higher floors are not bigger. The rooms are offset as you speculated.

 

[FlyerBobcat]

Thanks gblotter...

While I'm at it, and thinking about a room location request... What are the positives and negatives of the various OceanFront room locations in the Molokai and Lanai wings?

 

[m61376]

This is so true. We've been to many Marriotts and if we could fit them in we would to go back to eat one. Its just that we love certain ones so much, like MOC and GO that we can't stay away from those two or try another.

Would we love Waiohai or Ko Olina, I have no doubt, but never as much as MOC or GO because those places are just so special to us.

haha- I guess you still have vacation grilling on your brain :rofl:

 

[gblotter]

Thanks gtrotter...

While I'm at it, and thinking about a room location request... What are the positives and negatives of the various OceanFront room locations in the Molokai and Lanai wings?

Molokai wing is preferable over Lanai wing in my opinion. Molokai wing has very nice/lush landscaping in the interior courtyard. Molokai wing is also less of a hike to get to your room.

I don't have any recommendations for specific room assignments. Because I don't own an Ocean View unit, I haven't paid much attention to that. Perhaps others can comment.

 

[gwhamm]

On our last trip to MOC in July we were in the Molakai wing and stayed in room 2018. We had a great room assignment with a very nice view of the ocean, even though I own Mountain/island view. I was told that room numbers ending in 16 -20 were the island view rooms. Rooms with lower number were considered ocean view. I made notations regarding such so I know which rooms to request in the future.

 

[FlyerBobcat]

Thanks for all the information...

 

[tiel]

Just to summarize for those who may not already be aware ...

Maui Ocean Club is a single property with two different types of timeshare buildings.

MMO is a conversion of Marriott hotel rooms. The original building includes three sections: Molokai, Maui and Lanai. There is a kitchenette but no full kitchen. No washer/dryer in the unit - use communal laundry room instead.

MM1 is on the same grounds and shares facilities with MMO, but the two new towers (Lahaina and Napili) are purpose-built timeshare buildings with full kitchens and washer/dryer in the unit.

Recent refurbishment in 2011 has resulted in a similar interior decorating style for all the units - whether in the original building or the new towers.

I previously posted my opinions comparing MMO and MM1 - attached below:

-----------------

The new towers are very nice indeed, but have a distinctly different feel from the original building.

Biggest positives of new towers:
- Full size kitchen
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Beautiful lawn area facing the ocean with palm trees and many lounge chairs
- No overcrowding problem at the Napili and Lahaina tower pools

Biggest negatives of new towers:
- Feels more like an apartment complex, less like a resort
- Noticeably smaller rooms
- Tile floors in the living/dining area (cold/sterile)
- Sleepy, feels detached from the rest of the resort (some may prefer this)
- Smallish pools next to Napili and Lahaina towers are under-utilized, boring (some may prefer this)
- Towel service but no food/beverage service at the Napili and Lahaina tower pools
- Very imposing parking garage structure looms over the Lahaina tower pool
- Lots of wind at the Napili tower pool during the afternoons

Biggest positives of the original building:
- Significantly larger rooms
- Bigger balconies
- 3 bathrooms with a 2-bedroom unit
- 2 bathrooms with a 1-bedroom unit
- Close proximity to hotel-style services (valet parking, bellman service, food/beverage service) gives a resort feel to the main building
- We like the feeling of being in the center of activity
- We like close proximity to the large central "super-pool" and the kiddie pirate ship
- We like the lush interior courtyard landscaping in the Molokai wing
- We really like the view out over the central pool and beyond to the ocean.

Biggest negatives of the original building:
- No full kitchen - kitchenette only. Mini-fridge is too small for a large family.
- No washer/dryer in the unit
- Overcrowding at the central pool is common
- Getting a lounge chair can sometimes be a challenge
- Not a fan of the Lanai wing interior courtyard - even with the decorative sails it can feel like a prison block with all the railings
- Can be a long walk from the elevator to your room (especially in the Lanai wing)

It all boils down to personal taste. Overall, we much prefer the hotel conversion units in the original building. We don't use a kitchen much while on vacation, so the smallish kitchenette is fine for breakfasts and lunches. Using a communal laundry room enables us to do several loads at once to get it all done quickly. We understand if others feel differently - to each his own.

Have any of these things changed significantly? We will be attempting to make our reservations for 2015 in the next few days, and are trying to decide where to stay. We have enough points for only a 1-bedroom mountain view or lower in either section, and will probably be spending a fair amount of time at the resort (no kids), as we've been to Maui multiple times and seen most of what we want to see.

Ultimately it all comes down to availability, but if we have a choice it'd be great to have current information upon which to make our choice. Any updates to the above info or further suggestions would be appreciated.

BTW, I am addicted to whale watching, including the land-based kind where I sit in a lounge chair near the beach with my binoculars. Don't know if this would impact where we stay, but I thought I'd mention it, just in case. Need shade for this too, as I am susceptible to sun poisoning from the strong HI sun!

 

[bastroum]

Only update is a communal kitchen area located by the elevators at the Lobby Level of the Molokai Tower.. There are stove tops (no ovens) that are available for your use. It's also easier to get back and forth to the Laundry Room from the Molokai Tower. The extra bathroom is a big deal for us.

 

[MOXJO7282]

Have any of these things changed significantly? We will be attempting to make our reservations for 2015 in the next few days, and are trying to decide where to stay. We have enough points for only a 1-bedroom mountain view or lower in either section, and will probably be spending a fair amount of time at the resort (no kids), as we've been to Maui multiple times and seen most of what we want to see.

Ultimately it all comes down to availability, but if we have a choice it'd be great to have current information upon which to make our choice. Any updates to the above info or further suggestions would be appreciated.

BTW, I am addicted to whale watching, including the land-based kind where I sit in a lounge chair near the beach with my binoculars. Don't know if this would impact where we stay, but I thought I'd mention it, just in case. Need shade for this too, as I am susceptible to sun poisoning from the strong HI sun!

To me it comes down to what do you value more a 2nd bathroom or a full kitchen and laundry. If it were just for 2 maybe 1bathroom cuts it but we really do like the 2nd bathroom and don't cook too much on vacation and even then BBQ and laundry is free and convenient enough so for us it would be the original but some choose the kitchen and laundry over 2nd bath.

 

[n777lt]

Have any of these things changed significantly?

The only other minor update I can see is that there is a bar near the Napili pool that has some limited food offerings. Not as extensive as the main pool area, more limited hours, and I don't think they do pool-side service (you have to walk the 10 yards to place your order), but still means you can at times get a drink and noshes without leaving the immediate area.