I’ve often been asked about “what is the best timeshare on Maui”. This article will give you the main features of the three name brand timeshare companies on Maui which are all located on Ka’anapali Beach.
The first Maui timeshare is the Hyatt Residence Club Ka’anapali on the south end of Ka’anapali beach and located next to the Hyatt Hotel. This is a newly constructed Maui timeshare property which was completed in December 2014. It’s a beachfront 12 story, 131 unit property and consists of one, two and three bedroom units which are not lock-off units. There is a swimming pool on the property, a fitness center and convenience market. The Hyatt Hotel next door has several restaurants, a spa and shopping.
The 131 units at this Hyatt timeshare resort consist of 19 one-bedroom Ocean View and Mountain View units, the 100 two bedroom units and 12 three bedroom units are all Ocean view and are located in the tower as follows:
3 Bedroom upper residences are located on floors 5 – 12 (total of 8)
3 Bedroom lower residences are located on floors 1 – 4 (total of 4)
2 Bedroom upper residences are located on floors 9 – 12 (total of 34)
2 Bedroom middle residences are located on floors 5 – 8 (total of 36)
2 Bedroom lower residences are located on floors 1 – 4 (total of 30)
1 Bedroom Mountain upper residences are located on floors 5 – 10 (total of 5)
1 Bedroom Ocean upper residences are located front side on floors 5 – 10 (total of 6)
1 Bedroom Mountain lower residences are located on floors 1 – 4 (total of 4)
1 Bedroom Ocean lower residences are located front side on floors 1 – 4 (total of 4)
All the units at this Hyatt timeshare resort come with a full and complete, gourmet kitchen with matched appliances, washer and dryer and spacious balconies or lanais.
Hyatt Residence Club Ka’anapali
How the Hyatt timeshare reservations program works:
You purchase a specific week (fixed week) in a one, two or three bedroom unit with a pre-set floor level assignment of lower, middle or upper.
After you purchase a specific week, you would get a unit for that week in the upper, middle or lower level – whatever level you had selected at the time of your purchase.
You do not have to make any reservations because you purchased a fixed week.
What you can do is “float” that week or select a different week.
The Hyatt timeshare reservation program works with an 18 month reservation window. For example, you have a January week and own week 1 at the Hyatt Vacation Club. The Home Resort Preference Period or HRPP will entitle you to select a different week 12 to 6 months prior to your “use week”.
As an example, you own Week 1 in 2017 but, you want a different week. You can start your reservation request on Week 1 of January, 2016 for any time from then until June 30, 2017. The request for any week in 2016 through June of 2017 gives you that 18 month reservation window and you have the ability to do that at your home resort 12 to 6 months in advance.
There is also a point based value associated with your Hyatt timeshare deeded week which is based on the particular size unit and demand of the week you have purchased. During the Home Resort Preference period, this point valuation gives you the option to use the points for this period for a smaller unit and then you can use the remaining points at another location.
Also, there is a period between 6 months in advance to one day in advance which is the Club Use Period or CUP. You have the option to make a reservation at any other Hyatt Vacation Club property in their network. So if you chose not to use your entire points or any of the points at your home resort, you can use those points at any of the other Hyatt Vacation Club resort locations.
You also have the option to exchange using Interval International.
If you bought a Hyatt timeshare direct from the Developer, you can convert those points into Hyatt Gold Passport Points to use at Hyatt Hotels elsewhere. The ability to convert into Hyatt Gold Passport Points is not available to a Hyatt timeshare resale purchaser.
All the other Hyatt timeshare reservation benefits are exactly the same as if you bought from the Developer.
Hyatt Residence Club Ka’anapali Annual Fees – All units are Ocean with the exception of some One Bedroom Mountain
1 Bedroom Ocean – lower level Annual $1,811.78
1 Bedroom Mountain – lower level Annual $1,772.26
1 Bedroom Ocean – upper level Annual $1,686.60
1 Bedroom Mountain – upper level Annual $1,773.41
2 Bedroom – lower level Annual $2,393.59
2 Bedroom – mid-level Annual $2,405.90
2 Bedroom – upper level Annual $2,407.97
3 Bedroom – lower level Annual $4,187.65
3 Bedroom – upper level Annual $4,302.45
For information on the Hyatt Points Chart and Points Value Chart, click on:
Hyatt Points Chart and Points Value Chart for Hyatt Residence Club Resort Listings
The next Maui timeshare resale property is the Marriott Maui Vacation Club which is located right next to the Hyatt timeshare property also on Ka’anapali Beach. There are two phases to this Marriott timeshare resale – the hotel conversion phase and the Lahaina and Napili Towers which were constructed as purpose built Marriott timeshares.
The hotel conversion phase has one bedroom and two bedroom units with the following amenities on the property – swimming pool, fitness center and a restaurant.
The one bedroom and two bedroom units in the hotel conversion phase description:
Marriott Maui Ocean Club
The one bedroom units consist of two hotel rooms, two full bathrooms and each unit in the one bedroom units has a partial kitchen which consists of a microwave, a small refrigerator, dishwasher and a kitchen sink. The living room has a sofa that pulls out into a bed and a dining area that seats up to 4 people. The master bedroom has a king bed and a full bath.
The two bedroom lock-off units have a third hotel room with a bath which can be used as a second bedroom or can be used as a studio lock-off to get a second week of vacation. This third room has a king bed, a sofa pullout, a microwave and a small refrigerator and sleeps up to 4 people.
There are no washers and dryers in these Marriott timeshare units however, there are washers and dryers on the property in each building and there is also a communal kitchen in the lobby which has two burner electric cooktops, microwave and kitchen sinks.
2015 Annual Fees for Marriott Maui Ocean Club Original Phase:
1 Bedroom: Annual $1,846.80
2 Bedroom/3 bath lock-off: Annual $2,031.56
The Marriott timeshare vacation ownership program is a floating week timeshare program where there are two seasons. Platinum Season is floating weeks 1 – 51 and Platinum Plus includes week 52 which is New Year’s week. If you purchase Platinum Plus ownership that entitles you to book any week of the year and Platinum ownership entitles you to book any week of the year with the exclusion of week 52.
The second phase at this Maui timeshare resale at Marriott Maui Ocean Club is the Lahaina and Napili Towers, which were purpose built Marriott timeshares are two and three bedroom lock-off units which have a full kitchen, washer/dryer in the living room and the lock-off part of each unit is the studio part which has a king bed, a sofa pullout, a kitchen sink, microwave and small refrigerator. There are complimentary washers and dryers on various floors of the Lahaina and Napili Towers.
2015 Annual Fees for Marriott Maui Ocean Club Lahaina Villas:
2 Bedroom lock-off Annual $2,276.12
3 Bedroom lock-off Annual $2,731.34
2015 Annual Fees for Marriott Maui Ocean Club Napili Villas
2 Bedroom lock-off Annual $2,276.12
3 Bedroom lock-off Annual $2,731.34
At Lahaina and Napili Towers, Platinum season is floating weeks 1 – 50 and week 51 and 52 can be purchased as either fixed or floating time. In the Lahaina and Napili Towers there are fixed weeks and floating weeks. If you buy a floating week you can choose any week 1 – 50 at that resort.
The Marriott timeshare reservation system has two programs for making reservations. One is called Legacy Week ownership and the other is the Destination Club Points ownership program.
The Legacy Week program is where you purchase a unit in a particular size, season, view category, annual/biennial at a particular resort. The Destination Club Points program is a point based program which gives you a beneficial interest in a land trust that is comprised of inventory of all the Marriott Vacation Club properties.
The Legacy Week program entitles you to make a reservation at your Home Resort in the season and unit type you own up to 12 months in advance. If you own multiple weeks in the Marriott Vacation program then you can book up to 13 months in advance consecutively – you can book your weeks at your Home Resort in the season and type of unit you own.
Marriott allocates half their inventory for people who can book up to 13 months in advance. The other half is for people who own single weeks and can book up to 12months in advance.
All exchanges are done through Interval International and if you purchased directly from the Developer you have the option to convert into Marriott Reward Points. Or if you purchased a resale or retail prior to June 20, 2010 you have the option to convert into the Marriott Destination Club Points program.
If you purchased a Destination Club Points program you don’t own at a specific resort, you own in a Club. This entitles you to make reservations at any Marriott timeshare resort any number of days in any size unit, any view type (if applicable) based on the number of points you have. As a Marriot Destination Club Points owner you can make reservations up to 13 months in advance.
What is the difference between purchasing a Marriott timeshare resale versus retail?
If you bought a Legacy Week after June 20, 2010 you have the ability to make a reservation at your home resort just like if you bought from the Developer, whether it is 12 months in advance or if you own multiple weeks you can book up to 13 months in advance. If you want to make any reservations to go to another resort, then you have to enroll in Interval International and make that exchange. If you are a resale purchaser you do not have the option to convert into Marriott Reward Points and you don’t have the option to participate in the Marriott Destination Club Points Program.
Of course, if you buy from the Developer then you have the option to exchange through Interval International, convert into Marriott Reward Points or you have the option to enroll into the Destination Club Points program and participate in their benefits.
What are the benefits of the Destination Club Points program?
Owners can use their points at any Marriott Vacation Club property at any time, in any size unit, for any number of days or exchange through Interval International or convert into Marriott Reward Points for hotel stays at Marriott locations worldwide, cruises, car rentals and discounts.
What is the difference if you purchase a Marriott Destination Club Points package on the timeshare resale market?
There is absolutely no difference if you buy a Marriott Destination Club Points timeshare resale versus buying from the Developer.
To view Marriott Destination Club 2016 Points Chart, click on:
Marriott Destination Club 2016 Points Chart
Both the Marriott timeshare and Hyatt timeshare properties are within a short walking distance to the Whaler’s Shopping center which is where you’ll find world class shopping and dining. There is also a golf course nearby, the Kaanapali Golf Course.
The third name brand company, Westin/Starwood, has three resorts approximately a mile north of Whaler’s Shopping center on north Ka’anapali Beach. This Westin timeshare has two resorts which are completed – the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas and Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North. The third Westin timeshare resort is adjacent to the North Villas and is called the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas which is currently under construction and is expected to be completed the summer of 2017.
Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort
At Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas, often called the South Villas, and Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North there are several swimming pools, a fitness center, spa, tennis courts, casual dining, fine dining and convenience markets located at both of these properties. The Westin timeshare resale resort also provides complimentary, hourly shuttle service to Whaler’s Village, Lahaina Cannery Mall and into Lahaina Town every day. Those benefits are available to you when you are a guest at either of the Westin timeshare resort villas.
There are two types of units at Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas south – one bedroom units and two bedroom lock-off units. The lock-off unit gives you the ability to split your unit and make it a two week vacation with one week in a studio and one week in a one bedroom unit. The two bedroom lock-off features a full kitchen, washer/dryer in the living room. The second bedroom has a kitchenette, which consists of a two burner cooktop, full size refrigerator, dishwasher, washer/dryer, a full bath, king bed and sofa pullout. The configuration of the unit gives you the option to split it into two units and get two weeks of vacation.
2015 Annual Fees for Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas – South:
1 Bedroom Premium Annual $2,018.90
2 Bedroom lock-off Premium, Ocean Front Annual $2,331.46
2 Bedroom lock-off Premium Annual $2,331.46
2 Bedroom lock-off Deluxe Annual $3,169.86
2015 Annual Fees for Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas North:
2 Bedroom lock-off Annual $2,616.93
How the Westin timeshare program works:
You buy in a particular view type category and size of unit which entitles you to make a reservation at your home resort 12 to 8 months in advance in the type of unit you own. These are floating week timeshares entitling you to book any week 1 – 50 unless you specifically purchased week 51 or 52, which are called Event Weeks.
If you make reservations less than 8 months in advance at your home resort, you can stay for any number of days, in any unit size, based on the number of StarOptions and you can check in and check out any day of the week. Each unit size at Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas and Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas North has a StarOption value which gives you the ability to also exchange into other Starwood Vacation Resorts. There are 19 other locations that you can make an internal exchange into 8 months in advance.
Because the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas and Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North are classified as Mandatory Resorts in the Starwood Vacation Club Network system, when you purchase a Westin timeshare resale you have the ability to internally exchange into any of these locations. You can also bank or rollover your unused StarOptions.
The only benefit that is not transferrable to a Westin timeshare resale purchaser at these Mandatory resorts is the right to convert into Starpoints or hotel points.
Following is a list of the Westin timeshare Mandatory resorts:
Harborside Resort at Atlantis, Phases I and II
Sheraton Vistana Villages – Bella and Key West phases only
Westin St. John, Virgin Grand / Hillside phase only
Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas
Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North
Westin Kierland Villas
The newest Westin timeshare property under construction is called the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas and it will not have lock-off units. It will have one, two and three bedroom units and will be considered a Voluntary Resort. When timeshare resales become available at this resort, anyone who would purchase a Westin timeshare resale at this location will not have the ability to make internal exchanges into other Starwood properties.
For information regarding the Westin Starwood Right of First Refusal, click on:
Westin Starwood Right of First Refusal 2015
These are the three major Maui timeshare properties located on Ka’anapali Beach.
You may also like to view the video below:
Video:
Syed Sarmad, Principal Broker for Advantage Vacation
