posted 08-29-2004 11:18            

As for the view, I can't justify paying $10k more for an Ocean view. Does it really matter? It seems that if there's availability, I can reserve an Ocean front or view when I book at the home property (Maui). I'm very flexible in terms of when I take my week. For those of you who have bought Island Views, do you regret it? Have you received Ocean views depending on the week you booked? Does it really matter considering I don't plan on spending all my time in the room?

I've also read that several of you have exchanged one week with your starwood property for several weeks via II. How is that possible? I haven't been able to determine when reading the materials.

Do you find it difficult to rent your unit if needed?

How challenging has it been for you to exchange for a week at another Starwood resort, specifically, St. Johns or Bahamas?

What is the Avon, CO property like? Is it close to the slopes?

Thank you in advance for your feedback... this does seem to be a GREAT source of shared information!!

nboyle

posted 08-29-2004 13:31               

120K is a pretty good incentive for Maui..island view too. I've never heard of an incentive that high. We got 80K for our oceanview last year.If you really want the incentives and Starpoint conversion option, then it's a fine way to go. However, you can probably find an oceanview resale for $39K. I haven't heard of any island views for resale yet, but they probably will show up soon.

We bought oceanview. The view defintely matters to us, but it's all personal opinion. Oceanviews and oceanfronts would, generally speaking, be more desirable from a rental perspective. If you purchase island view, then I don't know what the upgrade possibilities are. Since the building with the island views isn't complete yet, I don't think anyone can say whether they have had any luck with requesting a different view and getting it...yet.

Most Starwood owners on this board have had good luck exchanging into other SVN properties at the 8-month mark...you just need to be flexible and call early. This may change as there are more Starwood owners out there, but who knows? Nothing is guaranteed.

Good luck with your decision. We love our timeshare and can't wait to go later this year!

posted 08-29-2004 17:12            

I'm buying into the property because 1) I love Maui, 2) St. John's was not available, 3) I want to provide a means for family (parents, brother + his family) to vacation once in awhile together without the overhanging worry of cost for them. I also love the flexibilty of the program to split up my lockup and go to a different destination for the 2nd week.

posted 08-29-2004 18:13               

2. Sadly, you're wrong (not really sadly!). You stated that 120,000 points gets you 12 days in a category 4 hotel. That's because you're new to this!. With Starwood, when you redeem points for four nights, the fifth night is free, so the 12 nights actually is 15 nights.

3. I'm happy to hear that you already know about and have the Starwood AMEX card. We also got 120,000 points (for Kierland) and then charged it to the card for a total of 152,000 points, almost 20 nights in my book and worth somewhere between $5,000 - 6,500. Sort of takes out the sting.

4. It's kind of funny - one of the reasons we buy these things is so that we can have vacations for LIFE and then pass it along to our kids, etc. We're talking about decades of vacations. Then we brag about how we saved a few thousand dollars initially. We argue on this board about whether to buy from the developer or if resale is the ONLY way to go. Yeah, I don't like to waste money either, but if this is what you want and you know it, amortize what you think you'll pay extra over the years, moderate that by the fact you get to buy it when you want it and also have some points to cushion the blow, and let 'er rip!

5. You're right - Denist is the best!

Good luck
Steve

posted 08-29-2004 18:40            

I think you seem to have explored the pros and cons very well. I would say though that from a rental as well as a resale value, you are going to face a tougher time renting and/or selling an Island view unit. The units themselves are also much closer to the main road and potentially louder. I also think that since the Starpoints option does not transfer to a potential resale owner, you are paying a heavy premium for that feature which you cannot expect a potential buyer to compensate you for. The initial incentive points are compelling, as long as you are comfortable knowing that you really are paying for those incentives.

Personally, I think you would be much better served purchasing an Ocean View resale and renting your unit out if you feel the need to vacation elsewhere. The other really nice benefit of that is that you can pocket the cash and pay for rooms elsewhere and accumulate even more points.

posted 08-29-2004 19:52            

Good points about the Island View in a rental or resale situation. Here's what I figured from my personal standpoint... renting the unit is just one option. I can also trade within the SVN for the same amount of options -- unless I misunderstand, I get the same amount of options regardless of the view. I can deposit the WEEK within II which again is view-agnostic. According to Starwood, I can still get a unit with an Ocean Front or View provided I'm willing to request a week within the 8 month window as opposed to the 12 month owners window -- is this sound logic based on the wealth of experience out there? If so, it's okay with me because I don't have kids and am therefore not bound to the school-year inflexibilities. Then it's just a matter of resale and, like Steve, I plan on holding onto the ownership for 40-50 years. I'm thinking it'll work to my benefit in the long run.

As for road noise, there are alway earplugs for sleeping and I'll still be in Maui!

posted 08-29-2004 22:02               

I would not count on getting an ocean view unit if you buy an island view. Remember, that with the new SVO program, those with elite status will get the best units first - that is guaranteed. You have to own two or more weeks for elite status. So not only are you competing with WKORV owners who bought ocean view or ocean front, you are also competing with ALL Starwood owners with elite status who exchange into Maui and request OV or OF.

As far as the 8 mo. window goes, it is very difficult to get anything in the summer or any holiday week, after 8 mos. out, because then you are competing with ALL SVN owners. What if you wait until then to book and then everything is gone? I know from personal experience, that summer weeks are almost all gone by 8 mos. out. If you can be very flexible (and you say you can) maybe it won't be an issue. But since you want to take family members, can they be that flexible?

Regarding the value of Starpoints. Another poster said the real value of 120,000 points is 15, level 4, hotel nights. For the sake of argument, let's say that 15 nights has an one-time value of $3,000. (You can actually get a level 4 hotel on Priceline for less.) If you can buy an oceean view resale for $3,000 or less than the developer's cost, (and I think you can) a resale is a better deal. Maybe I just missed it, did you say what the price was?

If I had it to do over again, I would buy resale and I would definitely get ocean view again. (And I do own a resale SVN TS as well.)

------------------
Denise

posted 08-29-2004 22:29               

You are definitely doing your homework, so whatever decision you make, it sounds like you will be a happy camper. Yes, the 2-bedrooms get the same amount of StarOptions at this point in time. I agree with Denise Mayer...8 months out is becoming a challenging time to get Maui. I'm starting to worry about getting what I want 12 months out (don't know what week I want yet for 2005, which doesn't help much). But, if you can be very flexible, or opt to go somewhere else other than Maui if you can't get in, then it will probably work out fine. Is the price between $35-37K for the Island View? I know Ocean Views are $47,900.

It sounds like renting your week isn't such an issue, and if you are happy with Island View, then it sounds great. I remember all the Maui rentals I have stayed in and only a handful have been Ocean View. Too expensive for us. We had views of parking lots & trees. When we bought our timeshare, Island View had just been released at $34,500. My husband and I figured out that over the years, the extra $10K would be worth it.

If you are set on a developer purchase, then go for it. We did. I don't regret it. Sometimes those first timeshare purchases have to be from a developer because it seems safer and more reputable than resale. We looked for resale for 6 weeks and then found one after it was a done deal. If we would have waited another month before purchasing, we probably would have gone the resale route. But we got our incentive points and made a lot of new friends along the way.

posted 08-30-2004 17:02            

What REALLY made the difference was the HUGE pressure press I received today from the sales team when I messaged to them I would not be sending them the paperwork to make their monthly sales goals. They offered me 10k more starpoints and sent several emails to both work and personal emails begging me to get the documents sent in today and not to worry about having them notarized. Good grief!

posted 09-03-2004 15:19               

Re: should you buy...well, that depends on whether you want to convert to Starpoints every other use year and whether you want the Starpoint incentives. Most people on this board will tell you that the points aren't worth the money you save buying resale. Current list price for a resale 2-bedroom OV is about $38,900, but I don't think that there is currently any inventory at that price. You'd need to be patient in waiting for one to come along. Last year when we bought from the developer, we didn't want to wait for a resale, so we bought and are happy!

If you buy, will your usage year be 2005? I hear that all of 2005 is now sold out so they are selling 2006 only.

posted 09-03-2004 15:41               

We bought from Starwood in early 2002 and we are happy with our purchase, but if I were in your position now I would rescind and research further.

Sara

posted 09-03-2004 16:11               

quote:

---

Originally posted by skim118:
...you can get the deal you have anytime from Starwood.

---

I just wanted to add that if 2005 occupancy is all sold out, then Debra won't be able to get the same exact "deal" later from Starwood. Her usage year would be 2006. However, they are going to build that new timeshare extension right next door, so no doubt Starwood will keep selling in Maui for the next few years. A developer purchase will be available.

Yes, resale prices are much better, I'd buy another one if I could afford it!

posted 09-03-2004 16:30               

quote:

---

Originally posted by surfmom2:
I am also considering whether to go forward with my purchase of the OV 2 bed at the Westin Maui. I only have a day to send in my recinding paperwork. How valuable are the points? I got 60,000 and the purchase price is $47,900. Any help on sorting this out

---

6,000 Star Options are worth about 6 nights in a level 4 hotel, like the Sheraton or Westin, so maybe $1,200. I would bargain for the most points if I was going to buy, but I don't think the incentive points should influence whether you buy or not. If I had it to do all over again, I would go for a resale. You will save at least $5,000 and that is a lot more than the $1,200 value of the StarPoints. There was a guy that posted here recently that wants to sell his EY 2 bdm. for $40,000.

posted 09-03-2004 18:15               

If you are buying for the Starpoint conversion and don't plan to visit Maui often, I'd consider buying at a less expensive Starwood, like Kierland or Mission Hills. You get a little bit less on the Starpoint conversion (72K? maybe) but more incentive points and a current selling price of less than $30K. You'd have to wait until the 8-month window to reserve everywhere but your home resort (12 months out).

posted 09-04-2004 07:22            

I think you could easily save $10k on a Maui resale. Putting that aside, the years you would consider converting them into hotel points you could also easily rent out the villas and use that cash to stay anywhere you want. I travel a lot for work and cherish my Starpoints and that is what attracted me to the Starwood program to begin with. The more reading I did on this site (thanks again everyone) the more the math on a developer purchase, especially these days when they border on $50k with very few incentives, just doesn't add up in my opinion.

Either way, they are great villas and a great program...good luck with whatever path you choose to take...

posted 09-07-2004 21:57               

In Hawaii, you are guaranteed the StarOptions, but not the StarPoints. This means that you can still trade in the Starwood network, but you can not exchange for Westin Rewards points.

I was not able to use the 2004 booking (too late for my purposes) but I was able to split the unit and sell the weeks on eBay. You can probably expect to get $1K for the small side, and $1.5K for the large side.