WKORV/WKORV-N vs WPORV

[FlyKaesan]

If you had choice, which would you choose and why?

 

[Henry M.]

Very much a personal preference, but I prefer Maui to Kauai and thus WKORV/N, if I had to pick just one. I go to Maui every year and visit Kauai every few of years.

I prefer WKORV due to the beach access and the snorkeling in front of the property. WPORV is more laid back and quiet. Read some of the recently published reviews on this forum. they are right on target. There is not a single answer to your question and it really depends on what YOU want from Hawaii. I'd make my decision more based on the island I like vs. the specific property. Both properties are nice.

If you haven't been to the islands, you'd be better off visiting before making a decision and spending several tens of thousands of dollars sight unseen. There is a big difference between all the different islands.

 

[dss]

That is excellent advice. We own EY at WKORV and EOY at WPORV. We haven't been to WPORV yet but we have been to Princeville before and the two areas are so different.

Factoring out the large differences in the properties and the Island, from a purely SVN standpoint, if we could only own at one place and it was in the budget, I would buy resale OF at the original WKORV as I think those are the some of the best units on any of the Islands, with spectacular views, extra space, etc... They are also holding their value reasonably well as there is less inventory when compared to the OV units (especially at WKORV - less so at WKORV-N). If you decide not to go one year, they are reasonably easy to rent as well for a decent premium over the OV units. You do have to accept that you paid a stiff premium both in purchase price and in maintenance fees for OF so trading within SVN is generally going to be a bad idea. With WPORV, being a voluntary resort, you are going to either buy resale (with no SVN access) or pay the developer premium and go in knowing you are going to lose a higher percentage of resale value as it is a voluntary resort. One of the (many) reasons we bought EOY there was to shield us from some of that depreciation.

To me it boils down to what matters most to you. Once you determine which Island/Property you prefer, you need to figure out how critical having access to the ownership reservation window (8-12 months out) and the view category (for WKORV) is going to be for you. There are a lot of different strategies to access Hawaii via SVN. If you determine that you are flexible on schedule and view isn't important, you could likely buy at Kierland for around $20k on the resale market (with much lower MFs) and trade into both WKORV and WPORV reasonably well.

We went through a similar process before determining to buy where we wanted to go most (every) year which was WKORV on the resale market. I hope this help...

 

[vacationtime1]

WKORV/WKORVN vs. Marriott Waiohai?

I have stayed at WKORV and Waiohai and have walked WPORV. Although I agree with pretty much everything in the previous posts -- especially that it really comes down to your own personal preferences -- unless you are absolutely set on Starwood, the Waiohai is more similar to WKORV/N than WPORV is and should be in your decision matrix.

WKORV/N and Waiohai and are both right on the beach; WPORV is not. Both have good snorkeling (I don't know about WPORV and Anini Beach). All four are premium properties. The relative weakness of Waiohai is that the 2 bd. units do not lock off.

I especially agree with dss's economic analysis. If money is not a central consideration, WKORV-OF will guarantee you a spectacular view every year; neither WPORV nor Waiohai can do that. If money is the central issue, Kierland will serve you well. Waiohai OV is less expensive resale than any of the Starwood Hawaii properties for OV resale.

Decisions, decisions. Perhaps you need to do some on-site research.

 

[DeniseM]

I think FlyKaesan is just looking at this from an exchangers perspective, rather than buying.

Kauai is my favorite island, but WKORV is my favorite resort.

As an exchanger, I'd be delighted to get any one of the three resorts.

 

[DeniseM]

FlyKaesan - Now I'm very, very confused, because I see this list at the bottom of some of your newer posts:

Flagship Atlantic City Ocean Front, WestGate Town Center 4 br, Star Island 3 br, Westin Maui 2 br; X studio. Freeport, Bahamas; Cebu Philippine; Jeju Island S. Korea;

Are you an owner at one of the Starwood resorts on Maui???? If so, why are you looking for an exchange?

 

[ciscogizmo1]

I recently came back from WPORV and Waiohai.... and I own at WKORV

Maui and Kauai are such different islands that to me it is personal preference on which island you'd want to go to. I'd be happy to be at any 3 locations but it does depend on the time of year for me...

Between WPORV and Waiohai in summer... WPORV wins hands down. The week we were at WPORV the weather was perfect and the snorkeling on the the North Shore is excellant. The water was tame enough for my 7 year old to be able to handle. The following week at Waiohai... my 7 year old couldn't even put her foot into the water. The waves were much rougher. She felt comfortable snorkeling on the North Shore but wasn't on the South Shore.

So, for Kauai I'd carefully read the weather and ocean patterns and make sure it consides with your vacation goals. Maybe snorkeling isn't one of your goals. Maybe it is surf boarding and if that is the case in the summer Waiohai would be a better choice.

All 3 places are beautiful but have some minor differences that would help you planning a vacation. Now, if you were asking to own... I would not own at WPORV because of that whole voluntary and mandatory thing.

But in the grand scheme of things... owning or exchanging to any of the 3 would be fine with me...

Tina

 

[FlyKaesan]

FlyKaesan - Now I'm very, very confused, because I see this list at the bottom of some of your newer posts:



Are you an owner at one of the Starwood resorts on Maui???? If so, why are you looking for an exchange?

No, I am not an owner. I have been there and I am just keeping in track.

 

[FlyKaesan]

I think FlyKaesan is just looking at this from an exchangers perspective, rather than buying.

Kauai is my favorite island, but WKORV is my favorite resort.

As an exchanger, I'd be delighted to get any one of the three resorts.

I would love to own WKORV but it's out of my budget. But one day, I might own Westin/Starwood/Sheraton TS after studying and see what fits best for me.