yvr76

Mrs. YVR and I just stayed here recently for her birthday. This resort seems to get mixed reviews, but our stay was positive.

I booked 5 days on points, and upon checkin we were upgraded to an ocean-front (beach tower) junior suite ^ (if you're checking in late and notice you're pre-upgraded it's a good idea to call the hotel so they don't give your room away to another Plat).

Our flight back to YVR left at 9:40pm, and although our suite had someone else coming in that day, they moved us at noon to another room and let us stay there until 6pm. Very appreciated since at a resort property, they're not obligated to even guarantee 4pm.

The gym/spa are essentially connected, which is nice if you want to use the steam room or shower after a workout (this is not the case at the Sheraton, where they are in separate buildings).

We used the 'green' option of not having our room cleaned, getting 500 starpoints each night. Note you can only use this 3 nights in a row, then you must have the room cleaned on the 4th night.

If you want to do anything on the island, don't bother with the concierge or the travel desk. We went whale watching and also did a helicopter tour and in both cases saved some $ by either booking online or going with a different company than they recommended.

Timeshare 'pushing' is prevalent throughout (not just at the Westin, but also the Marriot down the road etc.) If you pick up your welcome gift at the concierge, just tell them politely that you're not interested. We actually went (my friends bought at the Westin Villas so I was curious to see the property and I wanted the 7500 starpoints), but with no intention of buying.

I'm a bit torn on the resort fee. It's $25/day and includes the standard towel service, 2 bottles water/day, internet, parking etc. They do however offer some Platinum discounts (10% room service, 20% off cabana rentals, 10% off spa treatments etc.), free access to Premium internet (I couldn't tell any difference), and access to the spa amenities (steam, sauna, whirlpool, showers) even if you don't book a treatment. The last perk is great, as it's $25/person/day otherwise so I would consider this a suitable 'alternate amenity'.

Dining is decent, but not much variety. We went quite often for lunch and a couple dinners due to convenience, but also went into Lahaina where the options are more diverse and the food better.

One glaring negative was the lack of a Gold/Plat line at the front-desk. A couple times the line was quite long and I had to wait 15 minutes to just get an interim copy of my room folio. Per spg.com, I don't see this as a stated Gold/Plat benefit, and my experience has never been good on this front at any hotel.