Hey Hawaii members

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Looking at maybe going back to Hawaii for a vacation and was wondering if anyone has info for the big island such as a good timeshare resort. Mahalo!

 

[Richard L]

Gary,

When I go to the Big Island I stay on the Wiakoloa Beach Resort area. It consists of a bunch of resorts including huge Hilton and Marriot resorts along with a lot of smaller ones. I have stayed at the Aston Colony condos which was a great deal. They are 1, 2 and 3 bedroom completely furnished condos with living rooms, Kitchens with dishes, pots, pans, refirgerator, oven, cooktop, and dishwasher, dinning areas, patios, balconies, multiple baths, and even a full sized washer and dryer....Just like home. They have daily Maid service to change sheets and towels and do the usual cleaning.



The first time I went to the Big Island, I stayed at the Wiakoloa Beach Hilton Resort (about 5 Hotels on the compound) and I had to buy food in restaurants, etc. The next time I went I rented a 2 bedroom, 2 bath Condo at the Aston Colony at Wiakoloa Beach and it was cheaper than the Hilton Resort. I went to WalMart and bought eggs, bacon, coffee, yogert, fruit, bread and fixings for sandwiches, etc. We made and ate our own breakfast, and could have lunch and snacks without having to go out to a restaurant.



The Aston Colony Villiage has a very nice pool and tennis courts and rarely is there anybody in the pool. A golf course runs right through the middle of the resort. They also have free WiFi, and I brought my netbook so I was able to check my email, and book tours and events going on around the island. I even booked airline tickets and a rental car for a day of Island Hopping to Oahu to visit Pearl Harbor, Waikiki Beach, The North Shore and the Polynesian Cultural Center, etc. That only cost me about $250 for two people, while a similar tour cost about $269 per person.



Wiakoloa Beach is about 25 miles north of Kona, and about 15 miles north of the Airport. There are some resorts in and around Kona, but they are much older and nowhere near as nice, but they charge almost as much.... The Aston Colony Condo's were much newer, cleaner, and nicer and where cheaper than nearly all the resort hotels. There are other Condo's in the Waikoloa Beach area, so if the Aston Colony does not meet your needs, you have others to choose from.



There are a few resorts a little further north of Wiakoloa Beach around the Hapuna Beach area, but they are more expensive, and I don't think they have Condo's.



If you need more info, just let me know. I can even send you some photos of the Condo I rented for a week and you will see that it is clean, modern, well decorated. If you want to see some photos, just let me know and I will send some to your email address.



...Rich

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Thanks for all of the info Richard, we'll do some more research.



Gary

 

[Ed Fenwick]

Aloha Gary, 'don't know about time shares, but I can check on B&B on the Hilo side if you want.

Ed

 

[Richard L]

Gary,

Check out this link to the Aston Colony Villas at Wiakoloa Beach Village. It has 360 degree views of the interior and exterior of the area and describes all the amenities. Furnishings will vary slightly but all everything is clean and comfortable like it was just built and furnished new and you are the first person staying there.



Then check out the prices to rent one of the villas for a week..... Prices vary slightly depending upon when you go, but in August or September the rates are about $184 a night for a 1 Bedroom, and $209 for a 2 Bedroom. Even the cheapest hotel rooms will run you that much or even more. Booking a condo will save you a lot of money on the rent as well as on food since you have a full kitchen.



I booked a 1 Bedroom, but when I got there, they gave me a 2 Bedroom unit.



If you want, I will email you some photos of the villa I stayed in, and you will see that the photos on the website do not lie....It is exactly as it looks when you arrive at your villa.



...Rich

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Thanks again. We own an RCI Gold Crown timeshare in Vegas and are looking to trade for a Hawaiian time share. Our cost should be about $130 for the week. So, if we can do that, we wouldn't need to pay regular fees.

Thanks Ed, trying to save where ever we can.



Gary D.



If we do get there, would like to meet up with all the ST members.

 

[Richard L]

Gary,

I think some of the Aston Colony Villas are privately owned, and the rentals are managed by a property management company?



I did a quick search of RCI Time Shares in Hawaii, and found many in the Kona, Waikoloa areas. I also saw a few that were in the Mauna Loa area which is a resort area just a few miles north of Waikoloa. The website posts reviews for each resort, and you can probably go to the individual resort's websites to get more details about each property. Some of the Kona resorts were reviewed with very high ratings...I suspect those would be newer resorts.



I also noticed that the Hilton Waikoloa Resort is listed as and RCI Time Share. This is a very large resort that I stayed at the first time I went to the Big Island. It's very nice but I felt captive there since you had to ride a shuttle tram from your hotel building to the main lobby building, and then either had to wait for a valet to bring you your car (extra cost) or walk down to a large parking lot at the bottom of the hill....worse walking back up the hill,:cry:



That whole process takes a minimum of 15 minutes and often closer to 30 minutes just to get to your rental car and get off the Hilton property. I just like the freedom of making my own breakfast or lunch and walking out to my car without all the delays.



...Rich

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Thanks Richard, good info on the parking that they don't tell you.