So What would everyone recommend for an inexpensive time share for a family with a 3 year old, preferably within a few hours drive of Long Island, NY?
Also is there any such thing as a timeshare that does week-end stays instead of full weeks? I'm totally new to this stuff. My wife owns a time share in Hilton Head... but Im clueless and would love to have a goto place for quick get aways.
What do you recommend, and if anyone is trying to get out of something - spam me!
Pete
Not enough information with which to offer you many solid or specific recommendations, but I'll offer a few thoughts for your consideration anyhow:
1. Timeshare "intervals" are generally sold as full weeks. You can however buy into a "points-based" contract (e.g., a Wyndham UDI contract) which would enable you to "spend" only
some of your annually allocated points for stays on a "per night" basis --- if and when space is available at your facility of interest. I'm not suggesting that this is a cost effective approach, as each individual night's stay will use up considerably more than 1/7 of a weeks' allocated points), but it's an option nonetheless.
2. Specific location and / or season matter ---
a lot. For a specific example, do not believe for one moment that you are ever going to gain access to summer weekends on Cape Cod via timeshare ownership (unless of course you actually buy a deeded, fixed summer week on Cape Cod, which would certainly
not be "inexpensive").
3. With all due respect, you may want to "zero in" and more specifically define your particular geographic range of interest, season(s) of interest, unit size requirements, your budget for a purchase and your budget / pain threshold for mandatory (and annual) maintenance fees.
Frankly, I think that before spending money, you'd be well served by instead first spending some time reading through these forums and building for yourself a solid knowledge base about various timeshare programs, companies, options, reservation policies, and total costs of ownership before considering purchasing
anything. You can't just acquire that knowledge by osmosis and there are no simple, "one size fits all" answers; there are many complexities, flavors and limitations to timeshare ownership. Also remember that once purchased (regardless of initial acquisition cost, even if initially acquired
for free), annual maintenance fees are forever --- and you should probably assume increases to those fees by 4-6% (at a minimum) each and every year.
I'd also strongly recommend renting a timeshare before actually buying one, in order to better learn and experience for yourself exactly what you need / want / like / dislike in a property or "chain" of properties, as well to help better determine what time(s) of year you are most likely to want to go there. Also keep in mind that your 3 year old will soon enough have a school schedule that you'll need to consider and work with in making travel plans.
As far as "family friendly", all timeshares allow and welcome children, but few timeshare facilities within your geographic range (north to south, that's approximately Maine through Delaware, at best --- dunno about to the west) are going to have lazy rivers or child care, kiddie pools or other such things specifically for children, as
sometimes found at
some properties. Also, from an occupancy limit standpoint, please remember that the 3 year old "counts" (no matter how cute, small or quiet s/he may be), so don't even bother to consider any studios with a 2 person occupancy limit if 3 of you intend to be there --- that won't fly.
I hope
some of this input is of help and / or interest to you. Others will surely offer their own thoughts, perspectives and suggestions. Good luck.
