# Samoset Resort



## Mayble (Oct 3, 2016)

Hi,

I have two units on hold for this resort.  Check-in May 25 2018 and check-in September 29 2018.  I will only be keeping one of the weeks.  Which week would be nicer weather wise?  Also, what would the crowds be like in May or September, I don't want to be there it's going to be a ghost town.  Thanks for your help!


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## MabelP (Oct 3, 2016)

II or RCI?


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## silentg (Oct 3, 2016)

Mayble said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have two units on hold for this resort.  Check-in May 25 2018 and check-in September 29 2018.  I will only be keeping one of the weeks.  Which week would be nicer weather wise?  Also, what would the crowds be like in May or September, I don't want to be there it's going to be a ghost town.  Thanks for your help!



If it was me I would go in May, I like that time of year in New England. There would probably be more people too since it falls close to Memorial Day.
Silentg


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## Mayble (Oct 3, 2016)

MabelP said:


> II or RCI?



RCI weeks.


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## Mayble (Oct 3, 2016)

silentg said:


> If it was me I would go in May, I like that time of year in New England. There would probably be more people too since it falls close to Memorial Day.
> Silentg




Thank you.  I was leaning towards May.  It's end of May, So I would think the weather would start to warm up by then.


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## NKN (Oct 3, 2016)

I live here.  May weather can be very iffy in Maine.  Spring weather is historically cooler than Fall weather.  I'd go in September.

Nkn


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## theo (Oct 3, 2016)

*Yessa!*



NKN said:


> I live here.  May weather can be very iffy in Maine.  Spring weather is historically cooler than Fall weather.  I'd go in September.



I live here too --- and I agree wholeheartedly with NKN.  September.

Fwiw, we just finished a late September week at Samoset ourselves (September 23-29, to be precise). Weather was spectacular except for a drizzly first half of Tuesday. Anything and everything (charter sailboats, shops, fairs, restaurants, farmer's markets, etc.) were all still very much alive and well and conducting their business --- and there are certainly still *plenty* of out of state license plates and confused-looking tourists around.  Foliage is nowhere near peak yet (although this has been a strange year anyhow due to unusual drought conditions here). Generally, things don't really slow way down and begin to wrap up for the "season" until around Columbus Day, except perhaps that some of the big "Windjammers" not heading south for the winter may start their lengthy and labor-intensive "winterizing" process a bit sooner.  

I would choose September over May, but Maine weather is always an unpredictable roll of the dice anyhow --- perhaps even more so *two years* in advance.    

P.S. If RCI will reveal unit identification to you, any top floor Samoset unit is less noisy and preferable to the lower two floors; equally true in every one of the three (wood, noise-transmitting) timeshare buildings. That may also be a factor to consider if you care and if you can accurately learn the respective unit locations from RCI. There are no "floating" week ownerships at Samoset, only fixed weeks so, in essence, RCI knows right now *exactly* what (very few) units / weeks were "deposited" and now presented to you as available for "exchange". It might be worth your while to attempt to extract from RCI those two unit identifications / locations for inclusion in your decision process. The Samoset front desk absolutely will not (and absolutely cannot) do anything at all for you in regard to making any unit changes at (or after) check-in. Check-in to the timeshares is actually handled by Samoset Hotel (i.e., *not* timeshare employed) personnel and those Hotel personnel, although always very friendly and very competent, understandably will *not* ever move any exchanger into someone's owned (but *not* deposited for exchange) unit / week, even if it's vacant, without that unit / week owner's prior knowledge and overtly expressed consent --- which they will *not* endeavor to obtain.


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## Dollie (Oct 4, 2016)

*Another Mainer*

I too live in Maine.  In May the ocean is colder than in September.  Afternoon sea breezes will be cooler than in September.  May is really not “in season” yet.  Check up on the activities (lobster, lighthouse, puffin, whale, windjammer cruises; gardens; etc) you might want to do to see when they run/are open.  They really don’t put the summer boats in until the end of June and start pulling them at the end of September.  If you’re a hiker, you are more likely to run into black flies in May.  Because of the colder waters, lobster is more expensive in May than in September.  May will be less crowded, less traffic.  

It’s really up to you; investigate what you want to see and do; check availability so you’re not disappointed, then make your decision.  I enjoy both months in Maine.


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## WinniWoman (Oct 4, 2016)

I vote for September as well. Only been to Maine once (was there in mid April), but travel to New England several times per year and September is the warmer and better month for sure.


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## Mayble (Oct 4, 2016)

Thanks for all the feedback.  I've decided to keep the September week.


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## MabelP (Oct 4, 2016)

Good decision.

I spoke to a woman who grew up in Bangor today. She said September would be a better pick.


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## Beachspace (Aug 29, 2017)

Thoughts on owning a week in Samoset during January? Is there a lot of stuff to do there? Or are the harsh winters make it miserable? Thinking of purchasing one. MF under $400 for the week for a 1 bedroom, seems like a steal but maybe I'm missing something. (I know summers there are amazing, but what about skiing in Maine?)

Thanks!


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## WinniWoman (Aug 29, 2017)

deleted


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## WinniWoman (Aug 29, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> Thoughts on owning a week in Samoset during January? Is there a lot of stuff to do there? Or are the harsh winters make it miserable? Thinking of purchasing one. MF under $400 for the week for a 1 bedroom, seems like a steal but maybe I'm missing something. (I know summers there are amazing, but what about skiing in Maine?)
> 
> Thanks!



I wouldn't. It's on the coast and it is cold. No skiing there either.


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## mdurette (Aug 29, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> Thoughts on owning a week in Samoset during January? Is there a lot of stuff to do there? Or are the harsh winters make it miserable? Thinking of purchasing one. MF under $400 for the week for a 1 bedroom, seems like a steal but maybe I'm missing something. (I know summers there are amazing, but what about skiing in Maine?)
> 
> Thanks!




If you want to ski....better locations in New England to buy.


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## Beachspace (Aug 29, 2017)

mpumilia said:


> I wouldn't. It's on the coast and it is cold. No skiing there either.


There website says there is skiing where the golf course is. 

Otherwise, you're saying it's a Summer place mainly??


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## theo (Aug 29, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> Thoughts on owning a week in Samoset during January? Is there a lot of stuff to do there? Or are the harsh winters make it miserable? Thinking of purchasing one. MF under $400 for the week for a 1 bedroom, seems like a steal but maybe I'm missing something. (I know summers there are amazing, but what about skiing in Maine?)
> 
> Thanks!



While I love Maine and own at Samoset myself, I would not purchase (or want) a Samoset timeshare week in January.  Harsh weather, not a lot to do.

Camden Snow Bowl is relatively nearby, but it's very small and coastal weather being what it it is, skiing may more often resemble ice skating than skiing. There are no other ski areas within convenient driving distance of Samoset.

Fwiw, I also don't think a winter week would have much exchange value in II or RCI either. Because of the absence of an oven beneath the stovetop burners in Samoset unit kitchens (there is a dishwasher in that space instead), the exchange companies seem to regard Samoset units as having only "partial kitchens". There is nothing "partial" about the kitchens there to us, but exchange value seems to suffer from that "label" anyhow. We don't exchange, so we don't care.

If something you read indicates that there is skiing where the golf course is located on the (completely flat) Samoset Resort property, that reference must necessarily be to cross country (not downhill) skiing. You cannot downhill ski on completely flat terrain. 

I would not say that Samoset is a "summer place only". Early fall is actually our favorite time of year there. Winter and early Spring however, not so much...

Fwiw, the Health Club on site at Samoset is open in winter and available for owner use at no additional charge during your period of occupancy. Lots of exercise equipment, weights, TV's, indoor pool, hot tub, saunas -- but that's probably not enough of a reason to *buy* a January week there. YMMV.


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## WinniWoman (Aug 29, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> There website says there is skiing where the golf course is.
> 
> Otherwise, you're saying it's a Summer place mainly??



Well- maybe cross country skiing!


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## Beachspace (Aug 29, 2017)

Ok thanks everyone. I was about to buy that $1 timeshare with free closing on eBay..I assumed there was a catch for a 4 star hotel.. Only $375 MF, I figured I could do well renting it ($1000+ or exhange) until my toddler is able to fly up there.


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## Mayble (Aug 29, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> Ok thanks everyone. I was about to buy that $1 timeshare with free closing on eBay..I assumed there was a catch for a 4 star hotel.. Only $375 MF, I figured I could do well renting it ($1000+ or exhange) until my toddler is able to fly up there.




I would not want to purchase a winter week in Maine.  If you ever want to trade you will get very little value for your week in RCI or II.


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## Mayble (Aug 29, 2017)

Thought I would update my original post.  I ended getting a late June week in 2018.   I think the weather will be much nicer in June than May.  I am very excited!


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## Panina (Aug 29, 2017)

Mayble said:


> Thought I would update my original post.  I ended getting a late June week in 2018.   I think the weather will be much nicer in June than May.  I am very excited!


Congratulations and I am sure you will enjoy it at that time of year.


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## tonyg (Aug 30, 2017)

June is a better bet than May. We were there in mid June this year and it was rather hot- usually it is more moderate. I own 2 weeks in Maine- week 23 and week 25 and prefer going in week 23 as it is less crowded. I'm a big fan of September and will be heading to Maine in 16 days for my September week.


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## theo (Aug 30, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> I was about to buy that $1 timeshare with free closing on eBay..I assumed there was a catch for a *4 star hotel*.



The hotel and the timeshares at Samoset really have nothing at all to do with one another, beyond all being located on the same large parcel of property. Timeshare occupants obtain their unit keys at the hotel desk, but may never set foot inside the hotel portion of Samoset at any other time during their stay (except maybe to go to the restaurant on the lower level of the hotel).  The timeshare units are certainly nice enough, most with great ocean views, but the timeshare buildings and operations really have nothing to do with the (...yes, very nice) hotel or hotel operations. The timeshare offices are not even located in or near the hotel, but in a  stand alone structure near Building I of the (3 separate) timeshare buildings.


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## Beachspace (Aug 30, 2017)

theo said:


> The hotel and the timeshares at Samoset really have nothing at all to do with one another, beyond all being located on the same large parcel of property. Timeshare occupants obtain their unit keys at the hotel desk, but may never set foot inside the hotel portion of Samoset at any other time during their stay (except maybe to go to the restaurant on the lower level of the hotel).  The timeshare units are certainly nice enough, most with great ocean views, but the timeshare buildings and operations really have nothing to do with the (...yes, very nice) hotel or hotel operations. The timeshare offices are not even located in or near the hotel, but in a  stand alone structure near Building I of the (3 separate) timeshare buildings.



So they have their own facilities and can't use all the hotel stuff like Pool, HealthClub, etc?


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## theo (Aug 30, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> So they have their own facilities and can't use all the hotel stuff like Pool, HealthClub, etc?



No, there aren't "separate" facilities. Timeshare occupants and hotel guests use the *same* pools (indoor --- and in season, outdoor) and the same Health Club. When I use the Health Club, I get a locker by exchanging my timeshare unit key for a locker key, reversing the process when leaving the Health Club.

There is nothing "off limits" to timeshare occupants at Samoset vs. hotel guests --- except for actual occupancy of the hotel's rooms, of course.
I don't believe that *either* hotel guests *or* timeshare occupants get any discounts or tee time priority at the beautifully landscaped 18 hole championship golf course on site. We don't golf, so we don't care (but we enjoy walking the oceanside hole cart paths in the evening when there is no one out on the course).


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## theo (Aug 30, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> Ok thanks everyone. I was about to buy that $1 timeshare with free closing on eBay..I assumed there was a catch for a 4 star hotel.. Only $375 MF, *I figured I could do well renting it ($1000+ or exhange)* until my toddler is able to fly up there.



You would be hard pressed to rent out a Samoset timeshare unit in January --- at *any* price. Many (most?) timeshare units there sit vacant in winter months.
As mentioned previously, low exchange value in RCI or II (Samoset is dual affiliated) for a January week would not justify acquisition (IMnsHO) , despite low maintenance fees. The "deal" may seem attractive at zero acquisition cost, but its' use and value could still ultimately be a disappointment. I'd pass. YMMV.


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## Beachspace (Aug 30, 2017)

theo said:


> You would be hard pressed to rent out a Samoset timeshare unit in January --- at *any* price. Many (most?) timeshare units there sit vacant in winter months.
> As mentioned previously, low exchange value in RCI or II (Samoset is dual affiliated) for a January week would not justify acquisition (IMnsHO) , despite low maintenance fees. The "deal" may seem attractive at zero acquisition cost, but its' use and value could still ultimately be a disappointment. I'd pass. YMMV.



Great, thank you so much. The people on this site are so helpful!!


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## theo (Aug 31, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> Great, thank you so much. The people on this site are so helpful!!



Glad to help and you are most welcome! Some of us here (among whom I will certainly count myself) have made a few (or more than a few) regrettable mistakes along the way in the course of becoming inhabitants of "Planet Timeshare". It is somehow gratifying to at least be able to help others avoid making some of those *same* mistakes.

Acquisition of resale timeshares is easy (often *too* easy), but divesting of ownership later --- not so much. In the meantime, maintenance fees are eternal (and they generally increase virtually every year by a minimum of 4-6%), so it's both wise and of direct benefit to proceed slowly and with caution, well informed and with both eyes wide open, "acquiring" *only* what will truly and reliably be of genuine use and / or value to you. Good luck in your quest!


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## missyrcrews (Aug 31, 2017)

Beachspace said:


> So they have their own facilities and can't use all the hotel stuff like Pool, HealthClub, etc?


No...you can use the pool, spa, etc.  It really is a great place!  We spent April break (mid April) there several years ago, and would love to go for Feb break some year.  It's only about an hour from our home...but in a direction that we never usually travel.  If I could get a 2BR there for Feb break week, I'd buy it...but to use, not to trade.


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## LisaH (Aug 31, 2017)

We used the pool and hot tub facilities at hotel last year. It was very nice with great views.


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