longhorn11

Sorry the Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, the one you mentioned.

I'll give them a call to check it out, seems like a good deal. Did you have to listen to a sales pitch?

Si_Ting_ca

It didn't say on my invitation or any subsequent correspondences. But if I do, they'll have to give me a boatload of SPG points for my time!

8tracks

I received what looked like a standard SVO solicitation for this property for 5 nights: $798 + points/ Avis, etc. I called and was happy because the dates we will be there (booked to stay at the Sheraton) were available, until I realized I thought the offer was for the Villas, but instead it read "A 6-day, 5-night stay at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali" and pictured the Resort & Spa.

This isn't an SVO property, right? Are SVO solicitations common for non SVO properties? I'm just curious.

lkar

Nope, not an SVO property, but this is a fairly common offer. We did it once. It was pretty much exactly as advertised. 5 nights at the Westin, a voucher that covered about 2/3ds of our rental car, and another goodie or two. There was no requirement to do a timeshare presentation at the Villas. They did leave a message or two asking if we were interested, and I think the offer was pretty generous -- maybe like $100 or so at the spa, etc. They shuttle you over to the villas, I think, and the requirement was a 90 minute presentation. We declined, and they didn't press. Other than that, there was no catch at all, and it was a very good deal. I'm not sure if the deal you got is the same -- maybe the timeshare pitch is mandatory now.

You won't get points for your stay and I don't think status means anything. They gave us the absolute lowest category room, and even within the category, I think we had the lowest room -- it was parking lot view on a low floor in the older of the two buildings. We came back to the desk and they upsold us ocean view for, I think, about $99 a night, which nearly doubled our price, but it was still a good deal. To get into the beach tower, they wanted like $300 per night. Also, to add on nights is essentially at rack rate, although you're free to book them separately.

All in all, I thought this was a good deal -- it was exactly what they said it would be and I was happy with it.

atjsfo

Wow - how do you get this offer? $800 for 5 nights seems too good to be true.

atjsfo

Wow - I'd love to get this deal. I don't suppose it is transferable. How do you get on whatever list was used for this? (I'm guessing I didn't get it because I'm gold? Or maybe because I've never stayed at that property before? Or maybe it is sent out to a random set of people?)

Thanks,
Tony

atjsfo

It looks like Cash and points is no longer an option for either westin or sheraton Maui (though it *is* available for the westin villas). Can anyone confirm - perhaps my searching skills need some help!

Thanks,
Tony

RLG

Cash and points is offered by the hotels when they expect to have unsold rooms and are willing to offer a big discount to sell some. In my experience, availability comes and goes at all properties.

RLG

Need to brush up on those searching skills

I see availability for many dates in late August and September 2012. Remember, cash and points is a huge discount, so the hotel isn't going to offer it for rooms they expect to sell at full price.

atjsfo

Wow, thanks RLG! I don't know what I was doing before. It is interesting that the last two weeks of August are available at the Westin but the available September dates are fewer - makes me wonder if I just need to wait a little while and more September dates will open up?

Tony

conroy

I just got back from a trip to Maui where I stayed first at the Westin Villas (the timeshare SVO place) and then at the Westin Maui (the hotel). I thought I'd post up a few observations about the two in case it is useful to others considering trips to Maui.

Some background details - I am SPG Plat and I have a 6-year old. I also brought along my parents on this trip. So I booked 2 rooms (1 for parents, 1 for my family with my daughter staying in the room). I stayed at the Westin Maui for 2 nights and the Villas for 5 nights.

At the Westin Maui, I was put into a corner suite (used 2 suite night upgrades). I tried to upgrade both rooms but only one cleared. The suite was in the north tower (room number x91) which had 3 balconies and a full separate master from the living room. The view from the room was spectacular - view of the ocean and the mountain. My parents got a room down the hall which also had a very, very good view (same view, just 1 balcony).

Overall the hotel was very good - everything I expect from the Westin brand (my favorite non-luxurycoll brand out of the SPG properties).

The checkin was no-nonsense - they had one room ready and checked us in to that immediately even though we arrived early (12-1pm). When the suite was ready we got into that one later. They had said they would call me when it was ready, but I went down to check later and got the keys before they had a chance to do so.

The property is dominated by a series of pools and waterfalls that are quite spectacular. My daughter came up and yelled at me "they have pink flamingos!" and then ran off to see what else was there. The ambiance of the place is very much a resort. They have 5 pools and I admit I spent most of my time relaxing by them - I went there to relax and I am now quite relaxed . The ambiance of this place is really quite special and it is more "over the top" than the Westin Villas down the road (more details on that later).

I used the breakfast amenity option for my plat. gift. This was a no-brainer - since I booked 2 rooms they offered me 2 breakfasts/room/day. They have two options:
* a basic fixed plate continental option that is free. it has some pastries and yougurt and granola.
* +15/day gets you the buffet.

I actually ate the full buffet and just stuffed myself. I didn't even really want lunch after doing so. You can't get a full lunch for $15 near the property, so depending on your eating habits you may wish to consider this. The buffet is quite good and has a full selection (including some Japanese options, though perhaps not quite as many as I remember from 2 years ago when I visited the Westin in Honalulu).

I was given the option both days to eat breakfast over in the tropica (which faces the ocean). I am guessing they did not do this for everyone and perhaps is a status-based thing. If you get the option, take it .

I also ate lunch and snacks at the ono bar and grill - the food was fine, just expensive. coctails were $10, more expensive than the westin villas.

the pools are quite nice - there are big and little slides and my daughter spent most of the time going down them and having a blast. The big slide is much larger than the equivalent big slide at the westin villas (and faster). They have a contest for the kids at 9am each day to time everyone going down the slide which a lot of the kids liked.

Ambiance/Clientele: This is one area where there were some differences between the westin and westin villas. The Westin Villas is a SVO place and there are a ton of starwood people doing the timeshare sales stuff - you have to either embrace that or avoid it. I came to relax and not be sold, so I avoided it. There was no sales pitch at the normal Westin. The typical customer at the villas was a family with younger kids (they have a kiddy pool over there with a pirate ship, for example, which is quite cool). The normal Westin had a bit older group and, as Mrs. Conroy described it, a bit more designer swimsuits and accessories on the ladies . There were also plenty of kids of all ages at the Westin, just a slightly different crowd. There were more obvious displays of wealth at the Westin from different parts of the world (Japan and also various regional parts of the USA) - there was less foreign clientele at the villas (which makes sense since buying a timeshare may be less of their interest).

There are more commercial entities off the shore at the Westin with boats (sunset cruises, parasailing, etc). There seemed to be less snorkling - I only tried snorkling at the villas and I had a GREAT time doing that there. YMMV - I can't give you much advice other than "I saw fewer people doing it at the normal westin".

So lots of good things. I'll point out a few "negatives", though they were not large - I noticed these things where perhaps I did not notice them at other westins:
* there was some confusion about breakfast one morning between the wait staff and my wife and daughter were not served for 10+ minutes after sitting down. This was partially "my fault", as my parents had started eating at a different table and then come over to sit with us when we showed up for breakfast. There was also confusion about which meals we wanted, though it was recorded on the paper that was on the table. So I'll call this "imperfect". Other days were great and everyone was very nice and efficient.
* as I swam around the pool, I noticed a few fit + finish things that could be maintained a bit better - missing tiles, stains on the waterfalls that need pressure washed, etc. You didn't notice them unless you looked but the pools could use a bit of maintenance.
* similarly, some of the outlets in my room were so loose as to not hold plugs in them anymore. These should be replaced as a safety issue IMO.

* it was pretty windy the two days we were there and there was a LOT of pressure through the room when the patio doors were open. hard to open the front door to the suite. Not exactly something they could fix. This wind also caused some amount of wind noise at night when trying to sleep, but it was more something i noticed than something that bothered me. The hotel is not brand new and I expect a few of these sorts of things. If they were to do a renovation, perhaps they can get doors that would have tighter seals to mitigate.

The area was super-nice and food was expensive pretty much everywhere. I ate at Roy's (within walking distance) and I also ate at a restaurant in the whaler's village(?) next door. Roys was roys, and the other place was fine and had a nice view of the water. The places that I ate earlier in the week that I liked:
* ululanis shave ice down on front street - excellent shave ice
* star noodle - it was fancy and not cheap and we had to wait 45 minutes to get a seat (go early!), but the food was worth the wait IMO and was unique.
* aloha mixed plate - also on front street, cheapest option. sit outside with sunglasses and the food was local and good.
* mama's ribs and rotisserie (up north on the main road a few stoplights). This was a kid favorite and great for take-out. I had a half chicken and it was more than I could eat.

Westin Villas net positives:
* the pools there were larger and had more seating than the normal westin - both were fine, but there just seemed to be more space at the villas to grab some chairs and enjoy.
* the kitchenette was a great positive to have so I could not have to eat out every meal - we ate out for dinner and did bfast + lunch in the room. supermarket food is still expensive but cheaper than eating out.
* the villas had the timeshare sales thing which I just avoided/ignored since I'm not in the market.
* the villas was a _bit_ cheaper for drinks and such. still expensive by normal standards.

I think both options are good but it depends a bit on what you want out of your stay. I got to enjoy the balcony more at the villas due to the wind at the westin, but that may have been just the weather I got.

I hope this helps others planning future trips!

Conroy

I also ate at the restaurant

bocastephen

Excellent report, thank you!

What room upgrade (if any) did you receive at the Villas. Did they tell you what the Platinum breakfast option was and the buffet upgrade cost?

conroy

I did c+p for both rooms at the villas. I was put into adjacent units one with a separate living area, a bedroom with 2doubles, and a balcony. The other unit was a king plus couch. My ambassador likely did that upgrade as I understand c+p have different rules for booking.

I took points since we were making breakfast each day and had a kitchenette in each unit.

I enjoyed sitting on the patio at the villas each morning. It had only a view of the kiddy pool and a tiny view of the ocean, but the landscape was still nice and it was relaxing.

One last detail. A delivery truck would do the beep beep backup thing at the normal Westin about 630am each day. At the villas there was some generator sound in the morning that I think was the Italian restaurant on prem.

2ndTOTY

Just finished a stay a few weeks ago at the Westin Villas and I was very very impressed.

First, the package promo (for $800) is a steal of a deal. All together (through the time-share presentation, the 7000 point bonus and this 4000 point bonus card that you can get stamped at various locations around the resort) it is possible to net 18,500 points out of the trip. If you value these at 3.5 cents a piece, that comes close to making the trip budget neutral.

Room was nothing amazing (I could see a small small sliver of the ocean by leaning my head about a foot past the railing on the balcony) but it's a short walk down to the pool and the beach which are both very nice. Resort immediately to the north has a slightly nicer pool and might be worth the walk if you're seeking a decent infinity pool. On site restaurants leave a little to be desired but there are plenty of amazing dining options on the island--in particular, the much raved about high-end sushi place (forget the name, just ask the concierge) a few miles north of the Westin is exceptional. Definitely would also get a rental car if you come--no need to tell them that you're parking, as no permit is required.

Staff is very friendly and helpful. I particularly liked Leah who went out of her way to be of service and is a real asset to this property. Not interested in purchasing a TS here (the deal is quite bad, IMO, and they definitely bend the truth a little bit--I was told 80,000 starpoints (the number you can get by trading in your timeshare week under their flex plan) was enough to get me seven nights in 'the nicest hotel in Paris')--but if you just nod and smile it's easy to get out of there without too much hassle.

wildeflowers

Hi, all, new here. I just booked a stay at the Westin Ka'anapali for December using SPG point and requesting a suite upgrade with our Suite Night Awards. We've used points before, but I've never done the suite upgrade thing. Does anyone know how likely or unlikely it is that we will be able to use those/get upgraded? Since we're going to be there over Christmas, I am hoping to have a little extra space for our family and since we continue to celebrate our son's win over cancer.

We are platinum members, and I'm interested in how nice the suites are, as how we are treated on this trip will help my husband decide which hotel group he uses fairly exclusively next year. He had been using Hyatt quite a lot, but I found out that they have all but 2 days of our trip blacked out currently at the Hyatt Maui resorts and that's the reason we are using spg points instead! The points don't do us any good if we can't use them. He can choose nearly any chain as he spends a great deal of time in Hong Kong, so much that he nearly had to pay income taxes in Hong Kong last year. We want to make sure that if he's spending that much time at a hotel, that the rewards are worth it.