When doing a timeshare exchange to Maui, the choices of the resorts that are on the beach are very limited, making an already difficult exchange even harder. The Sands of Kahana, while not the nicest timeshare resort, is one that has more exchange availability than the others. You’ll find it in Interval International and its code is SOK.  It used to be affiliated with RCI as well, but no longer.

Interval International has it listed as a 5 star. I’d rate it a 3 Star timeshare property.  I believe the 5 Star rating is due more to its location and demand than the luxe of the property.  The condos, and the resort itself, need updating and sprucing up. It’s going downhill from the nice resort it used to be. 

But, if you don’t expect a really nice 5 star resort like the Westin or Marriott, the Sands of Kahana can be an acceptable exchange just because there are so few timeshare resorts on the beach in Maui.

You can read about it in Trip Advisor.  As usual, the reviews are very mixed.

What the resort does have going for itself is its location on Kahana beach, the on-site restaurant, bar, bar-b-ques, tennis courts and activities desk.  Also, the condos are very spacious with very well equipped kitchens.  It is also near the Farmer’s Market, restaurants, Napili Bay for snorkeling and beautiful Kapalua.

The Sands of Kahana has much more exchange availability than the much more difficult to get Westin or Marriott in nearby Kaanapali Beach.  Those of you that own very high quality timeshare resorts and apply all of the suggestions, techniques and strategies I recommend in my exchange guide should request only the much nicer Westin and Marriott properties and leave out the Sands of Kahana.

The rest of you should request all 3 plus Diamond’s Kaanapali Beach Club, which I’ll review later.  You’ll still need to apply all of the strategies in my timeshare exchange guide book to get these very difficult resorts, but you should be successful if you do.

While staying at the Sands of Kahana have at least one breakfast at The Sea House on Napili Bay.  This is one of my favorite restaurants and is just 3 miles north of the resort right before you get into the beautiful Kapalua area.  This tranquil restaurant has great food that’s well priced, a friendly staff, a beautiful view of Napili Bay and great service all to the sounds of gentle Hawaiian music.  Don’t miss Mama’s Ribs and Chicken and Maui Tacos in the Napili Shopping Center for fast food and take out. 

I just read a post on a blog about donating your timeshare to a charity for a tax deduction.  I haven’t looked into the recommended charity Donate for a Cause, but on the surface, it looks like a good one.  Here’s my response:

“I’m all for helping charities like Donate for a Cause, but rather than walk away from your timeshare with only a small deduction, you’d be better off learning how to use your timeshare correctly.

The number one reason quoted for buying a timeshare is for exchanging it.  Ironically, the number one reason quoted for wanting to sell a timeshare is frustration with the exchange process. 

I’ve done nearly 50 timeshare exchanges with RCI and Interval International in 17 years, the last one to the Westin on Kaanapali Beach in Maui.  If I would have had to pay for the 1 bedroom out of my pocket, I would have been out $600/night.  Because I’ve discovered how to work the exchange system, I only paid $129 for the entire week.

Yes, I had to pay a maintenance fee of $600/year, but altogether this added up to about one night’s stay.

Timeshares, like most anything else, work well if you learn how to use them properly.  So don’t blame the timeshare for not working but the timeshare owner for not learning how to use it properly.”

Certainly, if you’re not going to use your timeshare anymore or leave it to your heirs, leaving it to charity would be a good thing.  If you do go down that road rather than reselling it, make sure you check with the BBB near the location of the charity to see if it is legitimate.  Call the charity to see how much of each dollar goes to overhead (read saleries and such) and how much actually goes to the charity itself.

In the meantime, learn how to become an exchange expert by getting my guidebook “The Insider’s Secrets to Exchanging Your RCI Timeshare.”

You have already spent thousands of dollars purchasing your timeshare.  Don’t throw even more of your hard earned money by making 3 of the biggest mistakes when you go to sell it. Since you found your way to this report, you’re probably selling your timeshare
because you’re now unhappy with it.  Unfortunately, you’re probably going to be disappointed in your return of investment as well. 

The timeshare re-sale, or secondary market, is young and not only flooded with people desperate to sell, but also with extremely unethical re-sale companies that prey upon them.

 Selling a timeshare can be extremely difficult, and in some cases, impossible.  The FTC has cited a survey that found only 3.3 percent of owners reported successfully reselling their timeshares for a price they were happy with during the last 20 years. Many timeshare resale firms claim consumers can save 50 percent to 90 percent off retail prices. Therefore, buying a secondhand timeshare from an individual
owner can be a bargain but selling a timeshare is a losing proposition. 

“Consumer Reports” July 2003

What Makes Selling A Timeshare So Difficult?

The two things that make the re-selling of a timeshare so difficult are that the supply of available resale weeks greatly outweighs demand, and the fact that nearly 50% of the price of a timeshare purchased from the developer went into the marketing costs.  Simply put, if you paid $15,000 for a timeshare, $7,500 of the purchase price was for marketing.  Because the market is flooded with re-sales, you’d be lucky to get $3,000 on the secondary market.  After commissions and closing costs $2,000 is a more realistic number.  You can expect a little more if you own a brand named timeshare like Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton or Westin/Starwood and less if you own a really bad one.

The next 3 posts will shed light on 3 common mistakes that many people make when selling their timeshare that can cost them thousands of dollars.  If you contemplating selling your timeshare don’t miss the rest of this series.  The timeshare resale industry is rife with unethical resale companies that will tell you anything to get into your pockets so you need to be informed.  Learn how to distinguish between a legitimate and unethical timeshare resale company.