# [2006] What is the toughest resort to get?



## JillChang (Jan 17, 2006)

Just out of curiosity, what is the toughest area and toughest resort to trade into?

and I mean all across US, Mexico, Caribbean, Europe.....


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## mariawolf (Jan 17, 2006)

Based on what I have read here it appears to be St. John, Harborside and the Starwood Hawaii locations but that is only based on my info through TUG.


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## Big Matt (Jan 17, 2006)

Any Disney Vacation Club Resort during Christmas week.


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## Bill4728 (Jan 17, 2006)

The Marriott in London is so hard that II pulled it from their list a places you can exchange.


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## timeos2 (Jan 17, 2006)

*The # 1 value in all of timesharing. They even get their own color (Blue)*

According to some any beach resort on the east coast in January and February    (I don't agree)  I assume you are talking about weeks systems and then almost any area in summer and holiday periods can be very tough to get if you desire a specific resort not just anything available. 

But if you have the right number of points any resort is fairly easy to get. Take the points you need and make a timely request. Works with them all - even DVC! 

There is no one resort that is "the toughest" because things change. But DVC in Orlando on weeks during a holiday use time are going to be tough for sure as would Manhattan Club on July 4th week or a Cape Cod week between weeks 26 and 32. Where do you want to go changes what may be seen as  "the toughest".


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## Carol C (Jan 17, 2006)

In II I'd say  Harborside Atlantis,  Aviara in Carlsbad, Ocho Cascadas in PV, and Marriotts in Hawaii during holiday weeks (especially  Maui, a really hard trade).  In RCI Manhattan Club is hard to get for the really nice weather times in NYC. St. John is hard to get too. I've never seen The Homestead in Virginia available through RCI. There are lots of tough trades out there, and they get tougher every day  as RCI puts inventory out for sale to the general public via Sky Auction and other venues. That's why it's best to buy the most bang (aka trade power) for the buck.


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## gmarine (Jan 17, 2006)

JillChang said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity, what is the toughest area and toughest resort to trade into?
> 
> and I mean all across US, Mexico, Caribbean, Europe.....





There are certain places that are impossible to trade into because units will never be deposited during certain weeks.

DVC Christmas week among them. Also I believe an owner of Four Seasons said that summer weeks at Aviara are never deposited.


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## luckybunny (Jan 17, 2006)

timeos2 said:
			
		

> According to some any beach resort on the east coast in January and February    (I don't agree)  I assume you are talking about weeks systems and then almost any area in summer and holiday periods can be very tough to get if you desire a specific resort not just anything available.
> 
> But if you have the right number of points any resort is fairly easy to get. Take the points you need and make a timely request. Works with them all - even DVC!
> 
> There is no one resort that is "the toughest" because things change. But DVC in Orlando on weeks during a holiday use time are going to be tough for sure as would Manhattan Club on July 4th week or a Cape Cod week between weeks 26 and 32. Where do you want to go changes what may be seen as  "the toughest".



Are you saying as long as you are on points you can get into DVC during Xmas? which according to a few people, is really tough.  I mean unless you have DVC points, how much RCI points will that take?

I don't know if I want to go to St. Johns, but Marriott in London!....sounds good!!!!


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## timeos2 (Jan 18, 2006)

*Points systems offer the cahnce at it all*



			
				luckybunny said:
			
		

> Are you saying as long as you are on points you can get into DVC during Xmas? which according to a few people, is really tough.  I mean unless you have DVC points, how much RCI points will that take?
> 
> I don't know if I want to go to St. Johns, but Marriott in London!....sounds good!!!!



Not RCI Points for DVC but DVC Points.  The secret to obtaining the "unobtainable" is to own points in that system. Those are the people who can freely decide that the premium rates those types of use periods carries are worth it for a visit while the actual owners of that time spend all the points they got at other locations. It works perfectly. The issue with weeks type trades are there are less than 5% of the year that are that good - and everyone wants it. So the 5% don't give it up as they would be trading down while the 95% can't get it because it is never deposited. And even if it was occasionally an extremely small percentage would actually see it available and the rest are disappointed. Weeks are set up to disappoint while points are set up to deliver vacations.  

The only remaining problem is the explosion of individual points systems - such as DVC, Grand Vacations, Shell - there are many others - that are too small to really offer much but limit the availability to the larger systems such as RCI Points. Eventually that also will have to be addressed as the value to any trade system is a large quantity of locations and unit sizes. This fragmenting of small systems works against that and won't be marketable for very long.


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## Hoc (Jan 18, 2006)

Carol C said:
			
		

> In II I'd say  Harborside Atlantis,  Aviara in Carlsbad, Ocho Cascadas in PV, and Marriotts in Hawaii during holiday weeks (especially  Maui, a really hard trade).  In RCI Manhattan Club is hard to get for the really nice weather times in NYC. St. John is hard to get too. I've never seen The Homestead in Virginia available through RCI. There are lots of tough trades out there, and they get tougher every day  as RCI puts inventory out for sale to the general public via Sky Auction and other venues. That's why it's best to buy the most bang (aka trade power) for the buck.



I don't know that there's any that can be called "the hardest."  It all depends on the year and deposits.  I traded into the Manhattan Club in winter with a Mexico timeshare, although I have always had to use my San Francisco timeshare or bonus week to trade in during the spring.

I traded into the Westin Maui this October with a bonus week through II.

I traded into Ocho Cascadas at the end of March using an SFX bonus week.

I traded into the Marriott Maui over Labor Day using a South Africa deposit.

I traded into the Marriott Ko'Olina over Christmas via II using my Streamside timeshare.

I see Aviara come up all the time using my Custom House week and my bonus week that I get from the Custom House.

I have never seen St. John come up, and I saw Harborside-Atlantis come up the week before Christmas, but only a month in advance.

Don't get me wrong.  These are all good resorts, and they can be tough trades.  But the toughest?  Not when I got them.  So, it's really just a matter of guesswork.


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## taffy19 (Jan 18, 2006)

Hoc, I really admire your portfolio of timeshares.  You have done some fabulous exchanges too because of it. I love old cities in Europe or NYC or San Francisco too but my DH doesn't so it has no use of even thinking of owning, renting a timeshare there or trying to make an exchange ever.


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## luckybunny (Jan 18, 2006)

Hoc said:
			
		

> I don't know that there's any that can be called "the hardest."  It all depends on the year and deposits.  I traded into the Manhattan Club in winter with a Mexico timeshare, although I have always had to use my San Francisco timeshare or bonus week to trade in during the spring.
> 
> I traded into the Westin Maui this October with a bonus week through II.
> 
> ...



HOC,
you have really got the timeshare exchange worked out as an expert.  I really really admire the trades you just posted.  
But, do you belong to II, RCI, AND SFX?  I mean, isn't it a lot to pay all the MF, membership fee to these exchange companies, and then pay for the exchange?  
you must do a LOT of vacationing!!!
Would you say the trick is like what everyone else say, deposit and request early?  or simply just keep checking until something come up?
And of all these exchanges, which one works the best to get you the "toughest" trade?


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## Carolinian (Jan 18, 2006)

A points system that requires conversion, like RCI Points, makes it less likely to get prime weeks within the system.  That numbers system is too broadly averaged, resulting in a valuation of prime weeks that is too low.  Owners of such weeks will shun such systems.

The choices within a mini-system are far too limited, so they are not an answer at all for many.

Rather than hassle with a ''funny money'' system with contrived valuations like points, I will go either with weeks or the ultimate in flexibility - cash.
The arguments that points advocates make for points apply even more to just using cash.








			
				timeos2 said:
			
		

> Not RCI Points for DVC but DVC Points.  The secret to obtaining the "unobtainable" is to own points in that system. Those are the people who can freely decide that the premium rates those types of use periods carries are worth it for a visit while the actual owners of that time spend all the points they got at other locations. It works perfectly. The issue with weeks type trades are there are less than 5% of the year that are that good - and everyone wants it. So the 5% don't give it up as they would be trading down while the 95% can't get it because it is never deposited. And even if it was occasionally an extremely small percentage would actually see it available and the rest are disappointed. Weeks are set up to disappoint while points are set up to deliver vacations.
> 
> The only remaining problem is the explosion of individual points systems - such as DVC, Grand Vacations, Shell - there are many others - that are too small to really offer much but limit the availability to the larger systems such as RCI Points. Eventually that also will have to be addressed as the value to any trade system is a large quantity of locations and unit sizes. This fragmenting of small systems works against that and won't be marketable for very long.


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## Dani (Jan 18, 2006)

The toughest trade anywhere seems to be the Westin St. John in either II or RCI.   I will also add that a summer week at Gurney's Inn in the Hamptons in New York is very hard to obtain.   While Harborside Atlantis does come up in II from time to time, during a holiday week, you are not very likely to get a week there.  I would also add Ochos Cascades in Puerto Vallarta as Carol mentioned.  A few years ago I traded into the resort in August, but the weather is very oppressive during that time which is one reason I let it go.  So while you may see weeks at top resorts in either RCI or II, the season is really what determines the level of difficulty of the trade IMHO.

    A few short months ago I would have said that a summer week at the Manhattan Club was a tough trade, but all of a sudden we have seen July and August weeks pop up on-line.  We even saw May weeks pop up.  Winter weeks were always available, but that would be low season in my mind.


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## "Roger" (Jan 18, 2006)

The toughest are among those listed at the back end of each regional section of the RCI book (those that RCI acknowledges have few deposits).  In some cases there are enough deposits to give you a real chance.  In other cases, they are near impossible.  For example, I inquired about one resort.  The VC (now know as a VG) laughed and told me that the whole resort is very small, and, during summer season, almost no one deposits.  She estimated that they might get two deposits total for the month of July.


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## Mel (Jan 18, 2006)

As Rogen suggested, see the back of any section of the RCI directory for "limited availability" resorts.  The thing is, if you're buying to trade, your trade power may be limited due to the resort being listed that way - most people search by location, not specific resort, and if they request specific resorts, those limited availability often don't make it onto their list because they don't expect to get them.

Then of course, if we all start snapping up resales of those resorts, and depositing those week, that increases the supply, and down goes the trade power.  In many cases, the maintenance fees at these resorts are high enough that they are best bought fr personal use, not trade.  And even if the owners aren't going to use them, they are in enough demand that renting the is the better option for the owners.


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## Hoc (Jan 18, 2006)

luckybunny said:
			
		

> But, do you belong to II, RCI, AND SFX?  I mean, isn't it a lot to pay all the MF, membership fee to these exchange companies, and then pay for the exchange?



I got a discount on my II fees through Marriott.  My RCI fees were discounted (3 for 1 or something) through VRI (Nob Hill Inn), and then, when I bought my points resort in Australia, it came with 5 years of both points and weeks' membership in RCI.  So, I'm an RCI member for at least another 6 years or so.  SFX is free.



			
				luckybunny said:
			
		

> you must do a LOT of vacationing!!!



Sometimes too much.



			
				luckybunny said:
			
		

> Would you say the trick is like what everyone else say, deposit and request early?  or simply just keep checking until something come up?



I do both.



			
				luckybunny said:
			
		

> And of all these exchanges, which one works the best to get you the "toughest" trade?



My Nob Hill Inn studio is my best trader through RCI.  My Custom House unit is my best through II.  SFX seems to ascribe equal trade power to anything I deposit.


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## Hoc (Jan 18, 2006)

Carolinian said:
			
		

> A points system that requires conversion, like RCI Points, makes it less likely to get prime weeks within the system.



OK, I'm feeling like this is "Bizarro World" or something.  Steve, for as long as I remember, you have been one of the most vocal critics of the RCI points system, complaining of points "raiding" weeks and taking the best exchanges, so that they are no longer available for weeks traders.  The statement above seems to contradict that.  I'm sure I'm missing something. . . ??


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## Aceldelmon (May 16, 2011)

*What is the toughest resort to get?*

I will go with Big Matt as it is real difficult, any Disney club not only in Christmas time but anytime.


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## tombo (May 16, 2011)

Aceldelmon said:


> I will go with Big Matt as it is real difficult, any Disney club not only in Christmas time but anytime.



In RCI this year Disney has been VERY easy to get. Not Christmas, not New Years week,  but there have been hundreds of weeks available all year. In fact there have been so many DVC weeks available that I think I could have easily exchanged for enough DVC weeks to have stayed in a Disney resort every single week from May to September.

From what I have seen St Johns is rare, New York summer weeks are hard to get, Key West, and Sanibel Island are pretty rare.


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## Carolinian (May 16, 2011)

Hoc said:


> I don't know that there's any that can be called "the hardest."  It all depends on the year and deposits.  I traded into the Manhattan Club in winter with a Mexico timeshare, although I have always had to use my San Francisco timeshare or bonus week to trade in during the spring.
> 
> I traded into the Westin Maui this October with a bonus week through II.
> 
> ...



Agreed about St. John.  Very tough trade.  But you wouldn't know it from the numbers assigned in Points Lite!


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## Carolinian (May 16, 2011)

Hoc said:


> OK, I'm feeling like this is "Bizarro World" or something.  Steve, for as long as I remember, you have been one of the most vocal critics of the RCI points system, complaining of points "raiding" weeks and taking the best exchanges, so that they are no longer available for weeks traders.  The statement above seems to contradict that.  I'm sure I'm missing something. . . ??



Raiding weeks is taking inventory from another system in a highly disadvantageous formula to that system.  That is a different issue entirely to the issue of trying to get prime season owners of fixed weeks to convert to points to put that inventory into the points system.


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## MuranoJo (May 16, 2011)

Perhaps you're aware of this, but this is a thread resurrected from Jan. '06.  
Still an interesting read to go back and see how times have changed...(and how some things are the same)


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## Darlene (May 16, 2011)

I think you also have to factor in the size of the unit.  I see studios or 1 bedrooms for the exchanges that HOC listed, the true test is 2 bedrroms at some of those resorts.


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