gumnaam

I am looking at booking this from Marriott.com

SacTownGuy

My point exactly. Too many people significantly overvalue points and nights and thus will pay hundreds of dollars more per night. Go to redweek, ebay, tug, etc... and rent a Marriott timeshare. You will be amazed at how much actual money you will save. Sometimes you still get the elite night credits. You don't get the "free" breakfast but saving a few hundred a NIGHT should cover that cost!

ehallison

The OGG Courtyard is indistinguishable from any mainland Courtyard. I wouldn't recommend staying there for even one night (which we did, and wished we'd paid extra and gone straight to our resort).

The Courtyard on Kauai is lovely, and is almost what I'd consider a resort - beachfront (although not a fantastic beach), nice pool, local entertainment around the bar each evening, and the resort fee actually provides useful amenities like cooler and beach chair rentals for excursions around the island.

But to answer the OP's original question, they don't provide breakfast because they are a Courtyard.

braddqq

Specifically I want to stay at like the Marriott Ocean Club in Maui or the Waiohai in Kauai.... it seems if it's a timeshare property the points are worthless, correct?

Jon Maiman

Not worthless but very difficult to find availability. I have done award stays at Kauai Lagoons (wonderful Ritz Carlton Grade TS) and Maui Ocean Club Napili Towers. I also found availability for Ko'Olina (SP?) and Kauai Beach Club though went to the previously mentioned properties instead. In order to find availability you need to start looking early (approx. 1 year out), check often, be willing to string multiple reservations together as you find availability for some days, be somewhat flexible on the dates, and be persistent.

That said it has been a few years since I booked any MR award stays at any TS property (Hawaii or elsewhere) and I do believe availability has gotten tighter in general. It may be related to more of the Marriott Timeshare Owners converting over to the Destination Points System from the Weeks System. MVC holds all of that inventory in trust and tends to try to either rent it directly or deposit into exchange companies (e.g. it doesn't show up as MR award availability).

In any case before you throw in the towel, keep checking for a while. You may get lucky and find something. Another thought, if you're driving factor for a TS is a kitchen and more space, you should also consider the brand new Residence Inn in Wailea. Good Luck!

--Jon

hhoope01

Not necessarily. Award availability for any MVCI property (Marriott's timeshare arm) is different than for a 'hotel'. Marriott doesn't "own" the room nights at a timeshare, the owners do. If an owner wants to use their week(s) or if they want to rent it out, or if they want to trade it in for a week somewhere else, Marriott has no real say in that and still doesn't have access to the room.

The primary way Marriott will be able to offer award room nights is when an owner trades in their week for Marriott points. The problem with that is some MVCI properties are more expensive to own then other properties (i.e. Hawaii for example). Owners of those more expensive properties are much less likely to offer up their week(s) for points. They will want to use, trade or rent their week instead. Some locations where costs are much lower and have more timeshares to choose from (i.e. Orlando is a good example), you might be able to find award inventory more plentiful.

With all that said, I have personally used points for stays at the Kauai Beach Club, Waiohai and Ko Olina, all in Hawaii. So they do show up. I stayed earlier this year for a week at the Aruba Ocean Club (the Surf Club also had availability as well, but I preferred the Ocean Club.) I've stayed at the St. Kitts Beach Club, Legends Edge (in Panama City Beach, FL), the BeachPlace Towers (Ft. Lauderdale) and have stayed at the Imperial Palms in Orlando a few times. I've always liked using points at MVCI properties and will usually get a 2-bedroom unit (though the Imperial Palms is an all 3 bedroom property).

So it is possible. Some places it will be easier. Others you might have to wait years to find a week.

homeyG

Hi Everyone,

I just started to churn and get into points and wanted to ask the experts on here for their opinion. I booked a trip to Maui in early January for 6 days and was looking at the Wailea Beach Resort in Maui for the stay. Between me and my wife, we have 100,000 Marriott points and we also have about 25,000 SPG points. So I was looking to see what people thought of my plan. I plan on converting the SPG points to Marriott which will give us a total of 175,000 points. I plan on using those for a 4 night stay, costing 160,000 and we would get a 5th night free. For the other night we will find a cheap hotel to stay. Would this be an effective use of those miles? Also, i'm Canadian so the room at the resort are $700 CDN per night. Open to any suggestions people might have.

Thanks

SkiAdcock

Welcome to FT! Hopefully someone will answer your question. I think your plan sounds like a good one, but perhaps others can chime in.

Cheers.

leew

Just a couple of comments: the Wialea Mariott charges a resort fee and charges for parking. So points won't cover the whole stay. Also, there are no "cheap" hotels on Maui that are worth staying at. The Courtyard at the airport is very nice, but pricey. You might be able to score a one night points stay at the Maui Ocean Club, but the Courtyard is 40k points. Good luck. The Sheraton on Kaanapali is great, don't know if 40k SPG points will get you into there, but you might try.

s0ssos

First, is there availability?

homeyG

Thanks for the input guys. There was availability as recently as a few days ago.

s0ssos

Yes, do it. It is hard to find Marriott properties giving you a cent per point value

TommyC80

The CY is fine for a night, but it's a hike to get to most places - the exception being Hana. If you're planning a drive on the Road to Hana, spending an evening at the CY isn't a bad idea. Especially if you have a late arriving flight the night before and you want to knock Hana out the next day.

That said, I wouldn't fly all the way to Maui to spend multiple nights at CY. It's sandwiched between two roads and right next to the airport. Not a very "Hawaii" experience.

Also, the fact that this place is a Category 7 is a joke. It used to be a great use of certs when it was a Cat 5...but the points requirement is completely out of whack now. I agree that it is expensive for a CY. I've seen cash rates on par for a basic room at the RC in Kapalua on certain nights.

It's actually 35k points.

I think Wailea is nicer than Kaanapali. They both have a "master planned community feel" and I don't mean that in a good way, but Wailea is a bit more civilized than Kaanapali. The hotels, pools, shopping, restaurants, etc at Kaanapali beach make me feel like I'm at Disney World.

If you do book in Kaanapali at the Ocean Club, I suggest spending a little time in Kapalua to get away from the overly commercialized scene in and around the Marriott. Kapalua is a 10 minute drive but feels a million miles away.

SkiAdcock

I'm piggy-backing a bit on this thread/taking it slightly off topic in terms of points but hope you all will forgive me. I'm in the midst of updating the exec lounge sticky (spent 8 hours one day doing all the int'l - am using the month of Oct to do the domestic as that requires me to call the Marriott properties individually in addition to checking their websites).

Thought I'd take a chance & see if anyone had updates on these Hawaiian properties, as the updates are really outdated. Any updates much appreciated & date you know the info was true.

* Honolulu-Oahu / Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa / NO LOUNGE; Gold & Plats receive 1 breakfast coupon per day (full buffet) good for only 1 person as part of $30 resort fee, no luck in requesting 2 per day; see property thread for other items included in fee; 07/16 update

* Kauai / Marriott Resort / NO LOUNGE; report that $25 resort fee is waived for Plat (if have a car, would be charged for parking); 11/11/12 update

* Kauai / Courtyard / Plats get free brekkie & free parking; 11/12/13 update

* Kohala / Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection / No Lounge; 10% discount on breakfast buffet at Manta Restaurant; free wifi; see property thread wiki for other bennies; 05/15 update

* Waikoloa-Hawaii / Marriott Resort & Spa / NO LOUNGE; $25 resort fee covers self-parking, internet, & local long distance calls-09/12 update; Plat report: Given 2 coupons for breakfast buffet, also Plat discounts: 50% off the buffet, discounts on cabana rentals and free use of the steam room in the spa, re: $25 resort fee - I was just charged for parking ($18 self; $21 valet); 12/12 update

* Wailea-Maui / Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa / Platinums can get a discounted breakfast for $24.50; 12/13 update

Cheers.

afbond03

I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a 7 night package for Marriott. I am thinking of using my 100k UR to get us to Hawaii. Maui is the destination I think I want, I lived on Oahu for 3 years and traveled to the Big Island so was thinking Maui or Kauai since I never made it to them. It will be myself, wife, 5 and 3 year old traveling.
Anyways, back to the issue at hand. I like the idea of the Residence Inn Maui Wailea because of the suites and kitchenette. This would allow us to make some of our own meals and save some money. Downside: Driving to the beach, not a full on resort pool feel, etc. We will have a car so the driving really isn't that huge. Now the Wailea Beach Resort would give me that on the beach feel you'd want in HI, downside smaller rooms and no way to cook our own food. Also, seems the garden view or resort room is what I would have to get without paying out of pocket, I am a Gold member thanks to my SPG AMEX but not sure if I would even get an upgrade at Wailea. So what say you experts? Suck it up and go for the Wailea or go for room and being able to make some of our own meals at the Residence Inn? Looking at going around August 17. Thanks!