WKORV vs. WKORVN

[baccachew]

Hey All,

I've been lurking for sometime and learning a lot! This board has such a wealth of information. We are currently in Maui and had a chance to take the Starwood presentation for the WKORVN property. Currently we own a 2 bedroom lock-off at Kahana Falls, but I am just tired of this property. Mainly because the beds really really suck and I had back surgery this year and just can't handle it anymore. So we are seriously considering buying a 2BR EOY at Westin but through resale. I almost fell over when the salesperson said the island view EOY was 36,000 knowing that I could buy resale for half that.

Anyway...I haven't seen the original villas for some years now and was wondering if there is any advantage between the two?

Also can anyone recommend a good broker for Maui?

Thanks so much!
Becca

 

[Fredm]

Welcome to TUG!

There are a couple of threads that offer comparisons of the two Maui resorts.
Hopefully someone can quickly help with their location.

Units at the original WKORV resort are larger by about 120 sf.

The two differences worth keeping in mind are:

- Island View at WKORV can be terrible, while Island View at WKORV-N is quite nice. Many do have some view of the ocean.

- WKORV-N villas have two furnished lanai. One each suite.
WKORV villas have only one lanai. No lanai for the guest suite.

 

[Denise L]

I'll chime in...the original property has full ovens and the North property has convection/microwaves.

We like ovens , but I'm also biased because we own at the original WKORV and have never stayed at the North property yet.

During Easter this year, everyone was over at the WKORV pool and the North pools were not full at all.

Fred Messreni is a broker I would recommend.

Good luck with your purchase. We absolutely love the Heavenly Beds!

 

[LisaRex]

I compared the two properties awhile back in this thread:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=521693&postcount=13

My honest assessment after staying in the north side and touring the south side:

Both are great. Personally, I'd negotiate the very best deal I could with the best view I could afford in my pre-established budget. Don't be afraid to approach OV/OF owners whose listing price far exceeds your budget. After month of getting no bites, you might be surprised how low people might be willing to go to unload their properties, esp now that MFs are due. It's a buyer's market and you should capitalize on it.

Remember that once you pay for the unit, all owners pay the same MFs. So my one caveat is that if I wanted IV, I'd stay away from the south side. The parking lot/highway views there are truly awful.

 

[LisaRex]

Recapping my thread above, with a few additions/changes:

WKORV

• Resort is older, with its first building in 2003
• Entryway is more opulent
• The villas have more square footage compared to north side.
• They offer a handful of OF "deluxe" (now also reportedly being called "premiere") units that are a few hundred feet larger than the standard 2 bdrm, with an equally impressive lanai (25 x 7.5'), but also cost a few hundred $ higher in MFs.
• One section coded IV faces a very crowded parking lot, with truly awful views.
• The main pool has slides, which is a big attraction for children, which usually means more crowds.
• Buildings are perpendicular to the ocean, which gives the OF units a better view, but at the expense of OV and IV units.
• The two sides of the lock-out share a small common foyer. This might cause concern if you have young children because it's akin to having two distinct hotel rooms.
• The lanai only comes with the 1 bdrm side; the studio side just has a jut-out that you can walk onto, but not sit. The exception is the OF villas; the studios on these do have a true lanai.
• The decor is a neutral pallet and blonde furniture (reminds me of Floridian interior design)
• There are lots of windows to let in natural light
• The table seats 6
• Each side of the lock-out has a King bed
• 2 data ports and wireless capability
• Lighted tennis courts
• This side offers an owner's lounge that owners can use after checking out to shower/change before catching later flights
• Kitchen offers a full oven in the 1bdrm side and a micro/convection oven on the studio side
• Hallways are more like hotel hallways (inside/air-conditioned)
• MFs are slightly lower than the north side

WKORV-N

• Resort is newly built, with occupancy beginning mid-2007 and being complete in early 2008.
• Units are smaller (1 bdrm side is 150 sq. ft smaller than original property and studio is 79 sq. feet smaller), with the living room and master bedroom taking the biggest reduction.
• There are no "deluxe" units on this side.
• Kiddie pool has a pirate ship but no slide (and no lazy river). The pool tends to be less crowded and draws a more adult crowd.
• Buildings are angled, which give OV and IV owners a better view but a lesser view for OF when compared to original
• Some buildings labeled OF are better described as OV
• Each side of the lock-out has a door leading directly to the hallway, plus a common door (think of adjoining rooms in a hotel), which might be preferable for parents with young kids.
• Each side of the lock-out has its own lanai, with the studio lanai being smaller than the 1 bdrm side
• The decor is more modern -- darker, with cherry wood and black stained furniture (reminds me of "W" hotels - stark lines and "clean" vs. "warm.")
• Fewer windows to let in natural light
• Dining room table only seats four
• There's a king bed in the 1 bdrm side and a queen in the studio side.
• Flat screen tv's and four data ports (vs. 2), plus high speed internet
• No tennis courts, but you can use the sister property's. (Only 2 for the entire property!)
• Full service spa on site
• Kitchen has a micro/convection oven (e.g. the 1 bdrm side does NOT have a full oven.
• Open air hallways
• Confusing layout and few elevators
• The north side of bldg 7 faces a permanent green space so the ocean views are nice on this side. However, beyond the green space and empty lot of WKORV-III is a new condo development, so you might also have views of cranes/construction. (I doubt you'd be bothered by construction noise.)
• Some people have reported the smell of sewage on the north end.

 

[capjak]

Hey All,

. I almost fell over when the salesperson said the island view EOY was 36,000 knowing that I could buy resale for half that.

Anyway...I haven't seen the original villas for some years now and was wondering if there is any advantage between the two?

Also can anyone recommend a good broker for Maui?

Thanks so much!
Becca

Both sides are nice. I would not worry about facilitaties etc.. as both sides can use each other's pool etc.. and they are close enough that it is not a huge inconvience.

Also at this time I would think you could get an EOY Ocean View for around 10,000 if you shop. I own island view at the North Property, but would not purchase Island view at Original due to chance of getting parking lot view.

Also Ocean View will rent easier than Island if you decide to rent out one year.

Lastly I would guess that the Original side will be coming up on assessment for refurbishment sooner than the North (obvivously).

 

[spuppy]

On the north side, each side of the lock-out had king beds when I visited over thanksgiving. I had 4 studios units and 2 1-bedroom units, and they all had the same king-sized bed.

Some other comments:
* The tennis courts are close to the lobbies of both resorts. It doesn't make much difference whether you stay at the north side or south side.
* The Lanais on the 1-bedroom unit on the north side have large tables and enough chairs (4 to 6) to dine comfortably outside. The south side units are limited to 2 chairs and a small side table, which is better suited for drinks but not a meal.
* I've stayed at the north side several times and never smelled sewage.
* The south side is adjacent to a public park with a picnic area and beach access that attracts some crowds.
* Many of the IV units on the north side have ocean views.
* The owners lounge is available to visitors staying at the south and north side.
* The north side has two restaurants: a fine dining restaurant next to the koi pond and a casual dining bar & grill with outdoor seating near the ocean. The south side has a single casual dining restaurant with outdoor seating near the pool.
* The north side just opened a new fitness center next to the spa.

Question for LisaRex:
I was confused by your statement that the north unit has "Fewer windows to let in natural light"? What was that based on? My rooms on the north side had full length windows across all walls facing the outside. I did not detect any lack of natural light.

Recapping my thread above, with a few additions/changes:

WKORV

• Resort is older, with its first building in 2003
• Entryway is more opulent
• The villas have more square footage compared to north side.
• They offer a handful of OF "deluxe" (now also reportedly being called "premiere") units that are a few hundred feet larger than the standard 2 bdrm, with an equally impressive lanai (25 x 7.5'), but also cost a few hundred $ higher in MFs.
• One section coded IV faces a very crowded parking lot, with truly awful views.
• The main pool has slides, which is a big attraction for children, which usually means more crowds.
• Buildings are perpendicular to the ocean, which gives the OF units a better view, but at the expense of OV and IV units.
• The two sides of the lock-out share a small common foyer. This might cause concern if you have young children because it's akin to having two distinct hotel rooms.
• The lanai only comes with the 1 bdrm side; the studio side just has a jut-out that you can walk onto, but not sit. The exception is the OF villas; the studios on these do have a true lanai.
• The decor is a neutral pallet and blonde furniture (reminds me of Floridian interior design)
• There are lots of windows to let in natural light
• The table seats 6
• Each side of the lock-out has a King bed
• 2 data ports and wireless capability
• Lighted tennis courts
• This side offers an owner's lounge that owners can use after checking out to shower/change before catching later flights
• Kitchen offers a full oven in the 1bdrm side and a micro/convection oven on the studio side
• Hallways are more like hotel hallways (inside/air-conditioned)
• MFs are slightly lower than the north side

WKORV-N

• Resort is newly built, with occupancy beginning mid-2007 and being complete in early 2008.
• Units are smaller (1 bdrm side is 150 sq. ft smaller than original property and studio is 79 sq. feet smaller), with the living room and master bedroom taking the biggest reduction.
• There are no "deluxe" units on this side.
• Kiddie pool has a pirate ship but no slide (and no lazy river). The pool tends to be less crowded and draws a more adult crowd.
• Buildings are angled, which give OV and IV owners a better view but a lesser view for OF when compared to original
• Some buildings labeled OF are better described as OV
• Each side of the lock-out has a door leading directly to the hallway, plus a common door (think of adjoining rooms in a hotel), which might be preferable for parents with young kids.
• Each side of the lock-out has its own lanai, with the studio lanai being smaller than the 1 bdrm side
• The decor is more modern -- darker, with cherry wood and black stained furniture (reminds me of "W" hotels - stark lines and "clean" vs. "warm.")
• Fewer windows to let in natural light
• Dining room table only seats four
• There's a king bed in the 1 bdrm side and a queen in the studio side.
• Flat screen tv's and four data ports (vs. 2), plus high speed internet
• No tennis courts, but you can use the sister property's. (Only 2 for the entire property!)
• Full service spa on site
• Kitchen has a micro/convection oven (e.g. the 1 bdrm side does NOT have a full oven.
• Open air hallways
• Confusing layout and few elevators
• The north side of bldg 7 faces a permanent green space so the ocean views are nice on this side. However, beyond the green space and empty lot of WKORV-III is a new condo development, so you might also have views of cranes/construction. (I doubt you'd be bothered by construction noise.)
• Some people have reported the smell of sewage on the north end.

 

[LisaRex]

Question for LisaRex: I was confused by your statement that the north unit has "Fewer windows to let in natural light"? What was that based on? My rooms on the north side had full length windows across all walls facing the outside. I did not detect any lack of natural light.

The south side has windows on the sides; the north only has windows on the front. I didn't notice any lack of light, either, but they aren't as well lighted as the south side.

 

[spuppy]

How can you have windows on the sides unless you have a corner unit?

If you compare the floor plans for the south and north on mystarcentral.com, the window layout are identical. Both have one full-length window parallel to the outside and a large sliding door at a 45 degree angle that opens to the lanai.

The south side has windows on the sides; the north only has windows on the front. I didn't notice any lack of light, either, but they aren't as well lighted as the south side.

 

[LisaRex]

How can you have windows on the sides unless you have a corner unit?

The buildings are not square. The south side has windows on the sides where the villas jut out. They do not have windows on the sides of the north building. Next time you're there, you'll see what I mean.

 

[spuppy]

The north also has windows on the side where the villas jut out. They are at an angle just as the south side. They are also visible in the floor plan, and in the photos of the unit interiors on mystarcentral.com.

The buildings are not square. The south side has windows on the sides where the villas jut out. They do not have windows on the sides of the north building. Next time you're there, you'll see what I mean.

 

[larue]

I'll chime in...the original property has full ovens and the North property has convection/microwaves.

We like ovens , but I'm also biased because we own at the original WKORV and have never stayed at the North property yet.

During Easter this year, everyone was over at the WKORV pool and the North pools were not full at all.

Fred Messreni is a broker I would recommend.

Good luck with your purchase. We absolutely love the Heavenly Beds!

Do the North properties have a stovetop for cooking? Or just a limited kitchen? Thanks

 

[LisaRex]

Do the North properties have a stovetop for cooking? Or just a limited kitchen? Thanks

On the north side, the 1 bdrm has a full kitchen (full size fridge, dishwasher, sink) with the exception of an oven. You have a 4 burner stovetop and an over the counter microwave/convection combination oven in lieu of a stove. The studio side also has a baby dishwasher, a standard size fridge, smaller stovetop (2 burners??) and a microwave/convection oven.

I have a micro/convection oven at home and there is a learning curve. You can bake just like an oven, but you have to set the temperature 25 degrees lower and set the time to about 3/4 of the normal time. For instance, if you normally bake cookies for 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven, you'd cook them for 8 minutes in a 325 degree oven in a convection oven. Also consider that you are limited by the size of the appliance. When we bought a Costco ready-to-bake pizza, for instance, we had to cut it up into four sections to bake it.

Remember, that the both sides have grills to use as well. The one by Bldg 8 tended to be far less crowded than the one by Bldg 6.

 

[larue]

Thanks for the additonal information!

 

[tomandrobin]

Remember, that the both sides have grills to use as well. The one by Bldg 8 tended to be far less crowded than the one by Bldg 6.

We used the grills 5 out of our 7 nights during out trip in October. The grills are heavily used and sometimes you may have to wait 30 minutes to use one of them.