# Marriott’s OceanWatch – what a timeshare should be like!



## PerryM (Jul 19, 2009)

Had a huge family reunion at OceanWatch – relatives had 3 units there and we stayed at Sheraton’s Broadway Plantation.  Had a fantastic time at OceanWatch (where we spent all our time).

My brother-in-law bought OceanWatch 5 years ago – bought pre-construction and a garden view (2 platinum and 1 gold).  Used it 4 years as ocean view and this year as garden view (but really ocean view - a special deal 4 years ago).  Exchanged into 2 II units this year which turned out to be ocean view too.

Anyway, the resort is first class, on the beach and everything is just first rate – what a timeshare should be.  Marriott is offering $3,000 discount and lots of MRPs for new units.  Resales are about 75% - 80% of Marriott sales.  He could sell his units at a profit right now if he wanted.  MFs are still below $1k.

We stayed at the Sheraton – an OK resort miles from the beach.  Didn’t go to their sales presentation but hit the Marriott and got $150 in VISA cards and $25 off Ruth’s Chris.

The salesrep brought up the new Points system and I promptly told him that until Marriott actually released the Points system we would never buy Marriott – too many unknowns.  He was stunned and was ready to disparage resales (just a guess) but I kept telling him that Marriott brings up the rumors all the time – why should anyone buy into a system that isn’t tested?

Beyond that I was proud that I convinced my brother-in-law to buy Marriott and they expect 30+ more years of fantastic vacations at OceanWatch.  Well done Marriott.

This is how all timeshares should work....


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 19, 2009)

PerryM said:


> Had a huge family reunion at OceanWatch – relatives had 3 units there and we stayed at Sheraton’s Broadway Plantation.  Had a fantastic time at OceanWatch (where we spent all our time).
> 
> My brother-in-law bought OceanWatch 5 years ago – bought pre-construction and a garden view (2 platinum and 1 gold).  Used it 4 years as ocean view and this year as garden view (but really ocean view - a special deal 4 years ago).  Exchanged into 2 II units this year which turned out to be ocean view too.
> 
> ...



We were at SBP 7/4 and drove by MOW. WOW, it's a stunning resort.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 19, 2009)

PerryM said:


> Resales are about 75% - 80% of Marriott sales.  He could sell his units at a profit right now if he wanted.  MFs are still below $1k.



I am not sure how long resales would stay at this level, if they even are right now. There probably are not a lot of resale closings happening at Ocean Watch.

Most resorts in their early days hold their resale value well (at least the Marriott's). Not so much because people are willing to pay that much, but more so because sellers aren't willing to sell at a huge loss so early. Once the resort hits the 10 year mark the resales values tend to really drop more as more and more people start to sell and the market becomes flooded. People at that point are willing to sell for much less.


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## cds62 (Jul 19, 2009)

Perry, I have to agree with you about the quality of Oceanwatch. Since our initial purchase (pre-construction) we have enjoyed every stay at Oceanwatch. I agree with you that it is one of the finest timeshare resorts I have ever stayed at including DVC and HGVC. 
I love owning a house in Myrtle Beach, but I will miss the vacations at Oceanwatch.


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## dougp26364 (Jul 19, 2009)

Great point to bring up PerryM. That is not wanting to buy until AFTER Marriott releases it's "points" exchange program. The news from weeks owners in the Pacific is that Marriott wants them to pay over $4,000 to transfer their weeks ownership into the Asian points program. Why would anyone want to pay now and risk also having to pay again later.


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## Big Matt (Jul 19, 2009)

I think the other thing that is unique about this place is the lack of trading.  I only have three reference points, but they are all the same.  Each of my three friends own there.  One owns two platinum weeks, one owns one, and one owns a gold week.  Not one of them has ever traded their unit for points or with II.  If this is at all representative of the larger owner pool, then you won't see a lot of resales for a while.



dioxide45 said:


> I am not sure how long resales would stay at this level, if they even are right now. There probably are not a lot of resale closings happening at Ocean Watch.
> 
> Most resorts in their early days hold their resale value well (at least the Marriott's). Not so much because people are willing to pay that much, but more so because sellers aren't willing to sell at a huge loss so early. Once the resort hits the 10 year mark the resales values tend to really drop more as more and more people start to sell and the market becomes flooded. People at that point are willing to sell for much less.


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## gailo (Jul 19, 2009)

*Hotel*

I would like the opinion of the hotel near Ocean Watch - have a Cat6 to burn
Is it connected to the timeshare?


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## ownsmany (Jul 19, 2009)

glad to hear it is nice there.  We are going at Thanksgiving.  How is the weather then?  Any idea how many of the rooms are ocean front / view?


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 19, 2009)

ownsmany said:


> glad to hear it is nice there.  We are going at Thanksgiving.  How is the weather then?  Any idea how many of the rooms are ocean front / view?



Try weatherunderground, good site for historical weather data. Use it frequently myself, to give myself a "packing" baseline before I can start watching accuweather/weather.com actual forecasts. 

I do know it was really cold through out the South Thanksgiving 2006. We froze our bums off at WDW, one of the DVC'ers was at HHI(the pool was steaming).


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## ownsmany (Jul 19, 2009)

Twinkstarr said:


> Try weatherunderground, good site for historical weather data. Use it frequently myself, to give myself a "packing" baseline before I can start watching accuweather/weather.com actual forecasts.
> 
> I do know it was really cold through out the South Thanksgiving 2006. We froze our bums off at WDW, one of the DVC'ers was at HHI(the pool was steaming).



I must have been at WDW the same thanksgiving.  We were tempted to buy winter coats for the kids why were we done there.


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## LordCambridge (Jul 19, 2009)

PerryM said:


> Resales are about 75% - 80% of Marriott sales.



I should know this by now, but your reference to 'resales', do you meaning buyer and seller are non-Marriott?  If so, that's a huge number.


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## thinze3 (Jul 19, 2009)

LordCambridge said:


> I should know this by now, but your reference to 'resales', do you meaning buyer and seller are non-Marriott?  If so, that's a huge number.




Platinum annual 2BR *asking* price is $16.5K on Redweek.


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## wsrobinson (Jul 19, 2009)

thinze3 said:


> Platinum annual 2BR *asking* price is $16.5K on Redweek.



if this is indicative of typical resales, they're not selling for 75-80 percent of current Marriott asking price.


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## PerryM (Jul 19, 2009)

LordCambridge said:


> I should know this by now, but your reference to 'resales', do you meaning buyer and seller are non-Marriott?  If so, that's a huge number.



Sadly I already pitched the Marriott price list so I can't quote them.

Here are Redweek Resales and MyResortNetwork Resales.

When I compared them on vacation last week resales seemed to be about 75%+ of the current Marriott sales price.  This does NOT account for the $3k discount offered last week.  Throw in the MRPs and its probably cheaper buying direct from Marriott than resale.

Folks are always getting in hot water and the high resale price seems to indicate that there is a ready supply of buyers - just a guess since I really don't follow the prices.


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## PerryM (Jul 19, 2009)

thinze3 said:


> Platinum annual 2BR *asking* price is $16.5K on Redweek.



There are 4 views at MOW - ocean front, ocean side, garden view, and special garden view from 5 years ago which allowed ocean side until the buildings were built.  Each commands a different price.  Also EOY.


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## PerryM (Jul 19, 2009)

dougp26364 said:


> Great point to bring up PerryM. That is not wanting to buy until AFTER Marriott releases it's "points" exchange program. The news from weeks owners in the Pacific is that Marriott wants them to pay over $4,000 to transfer their weeks ownership into the Asian points program. Why would anyone want to pay now and risk also having to pay again later.



I was waiting for the salesrep to bring up the Points system and asked why Marriott keeps bringing up the topic - they are simply shooting themselves in the foot.  

I'd like to hear from any Marriott salesreps reading this thread the wisdom of bringing up a theoretical Point exchange system - it has no bearing today and if it impacts resales then that would be a negative impact on Marriott ownership.  Eventually EVERY Marriott week is sold or changes ownership.  We are mortals and die, get sick, divorce, get into financial hot water, and might not want to saddle our kids with $1k MFs for the rest of their natural life.

I asked our salesrep why he brought up the topic and he couldn't come up with a reason - they just seem to want to dredge it up iall the time; seems stupid to me.


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## bobcat (Jul 20, 2009)

*Oceanwatch*

UP late and checking on time share places to go with deposited weeks. Just traded for Oceanwatch second week of August. Going to HH for Labor Day week and staying at the  Barony oceanside.  Sometimes it is just luck.


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## Cathyb (Jul 20, 2009)

OK, being a West Coast Marriott owner -- where is Oceanwatch??


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## FlyerBobcat (Jul 20, 2009)

*Myrtle Beach, South Carolina*

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Here is a general link also, with a list at the bottom......



Cathyb said:


> OK, being a West Coast Marriott owner -- where is Oceanwatch??


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 20, 2009)

thinze3 said:


> Platinum annual 2BR *asking* price is $16.5K on Redweek.



Saved the new Marriott site, one of you posted earlier this month.

On the Oceanwatch page, they give a little teaser on pricing. I think the low end is $13,000 ish, high end $44,000.

Looked at the calendar, they sell a Plat Plus week(4th of July), plus Plat.


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## kxknj (Jul 20, 2009)

*No comparison*

I stayed at Broadway Plantation on a preview and wasn't too impressed a few years ago. Not close enough to beach for me, not resort-like as well. Fortunately my wife convinced me to visit Marriott OceanWatch while we were there. After our tour, the secluded location and beachfront access really persuaded me to buy, which we did a few months later. Still bought direct after some research comparing resell vs direct from Marriott. Probably would buy next timeshare resell though. Must say that we've thoroughly enjoyed our ownership so far. Had great vacations so far, especially since location is less than a days drive for us. As far as I am concerned, no comparison between Sheraton Broadway Plantation and OceanWatch. Not even close.

kxknj


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 20, 2009)

kxknj said:


> I stayed at Broadway Plantation on a preview and wasn't too impressed a few years ago. Not close enough to beach for me, not resort-like as well. Fortunately my wife convinced me to visit Marriott OceanWatch while we were there. After our tour, the secluded location and beachfront access really persuaded me to buy, which we did a few months later. Still bought direct after some research comparing resell vs direct from Marriott. Probably would buy next timeshare resell though. Must say that we've thoroughly enjoyed our ownership so far. Had great vacations so far, especially since location is less than a days drive for us. As far as I am concerned, no comparison between Sheraton Broadway Plantation and OceanWatch. Not even close.
> 
> kxknj




We stayed at SBP, we had a unit with the new furniture. We were there over 4th of July and the pool was never that busy. Seen more people in a pool at Thankgiving at WDW and the weather wasn't as good. :hysterical: 

Starwood was pretty agressive  with the tours(I'm a *wood owner) had to go through some Wyndham-like BS to get the parking pass. 

Would I stay at SBP again, probably not. Scouted out the Wyndhams and MOW. 

MOW is definately the place to stay in MB IMHO.


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## gailo (Jul 20, 2009)

*Hotel*

Sorry to re-post but is the hotel next to the timeshare? Has anyone stayed there?


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## timeos2 (Jul 20, 2009)

*Don't believe the hype - find actual sales for facts*



wsrobinson said:


> if this is indicative of typical resales, they're not selling for 75-80 percent of current Marriott asking price.



Perry tends to way overestimate the theoretical resale value of resorts he likes. You are correct that resales are likely no where near 70% of current retail. Until a sale is actually made any number is meaningless. If it matters go search record sites for recorded deeds and sometimes you can actually know what they sold for. Also closed eBay auctions (if any) and other sources. Anyone can speculate what the resale is but reality is nearly always far lower - usually dramatically lower. Buying based on those supposed values may leave you high and dry should you ever decide/need to sell. Ask the sellers who ae trying to move Marriotts or any other resort today....


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## Chemee (Jul 20, 2009)

gailo said:


> Sorry to re-post but is the hotel next to the timeshare? Has anyone stayed there?



Yes, it's next to the timeshare.  I haven't stayed there (we are OW owners) but we have used some of their amenities.  It is very nice.  The pool has a water slide & there's a pool side bar/restaurtant.

I believe there are reviews on tripadvisor.com.


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## wsrobinson (Jul 20, 2009)

timeos2 said:


> Perry tends to way overestimate the theoretical resale value of resorts he likes. You are correct that resales are likely no where near 70% of current retail. Until a sale is actually made any number is meaningless. If it matters go search record sites for recorded deeds and sometimes you can actually know what they sold for. Also closed eBay auctions (if any) and other sources. Anyone can speculate what the resale is but reality is nearly always far lower - usually dramatically lower. Buying based on those supposed values may leave you high and dry should you ever decide/need to sell. Ask the sellers who ae trying to move Marriotts or any other resort today....



That stmt mirrors the minor research I did.  Just looking at asking prices on Redweek (which tend to be alot higher than eBay) it looks like asking price is about 60-65 percent of Marriott's current sale price.  There are 3 Platinum units for sale on Redweek (tossing out the oddballs at 29K and 38K respectively).  Two oceanview (20.5K and 19.5K) and one garden view (16.5K).  The percent looks to be in line with Surfwatch which is in the same age range.


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## fillde (Jul 20, 2009)

*Question*

Oceanwatch looks similar to Oceanpointe. While having never stayed at oceanwatch it looks like Marriott designed one after the other. I thought oceanpointe was nice but not overwhelming. An example would be the entrance to the villa(the ground floor). It was dirty and unattractive. The two elevators were slow and it was hard to find the stairs.
Also, Oceanpointe seemed isolated. No town to walk around.
 I must say the pool and beach were nice at Singer Island, but then again I like the beaches on the west coast of Florida better. Examples would be Sanibel, Longboat Key and Sarasota.
What makes Oceanwatch so special ?


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## pedro47 (Jul 20, 2009)

After reading this thread I can not wait until Oct. 2009 to view this resort.  Even the villas over looking the garden areas sounds great.


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## KathyPet (Jul 20, 2009)

You can ASK anything you want for a resale unit.  What you get is a entirely different story.


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## Chemee (Jul 20, 2009)

fillde said:


> Oceanwatch looks similar to Oceanpointe. While having never stayed at oceanwatch it looks like Marriott designed one after the other. I thought oceanpointe was nice but not overwhelming. An example would be the entrance to the villa(the ground floor). It was dirty and unattractive. The two elevators were slow and it was hard to find the stairs.
> Also, Oceanpointe seemed isolated. No town to walk around.
> I must say the pool and beach were nice at Singer Island, but then again I like the beaches on the west coast of Florida better. Examples would be Sanibel, Longboat Key and Sarasota.
> What makes Oceanwatch so special ?



I have never been to the west coast of FL & only to OP once so I can't do a direct comparsion.  However, I can tell you what makes OW special to us (we bought on the 1st day of sales):

- #1 by far is the staff.  Everyone is extremely friendly & no request is looked down upon.  OW has a wonderful, wonderful GM - Mike Reilly.  He has been there from day one along with alot ot the other staff.  It's so nice to see the same people year after year.  Mike always has time for you & values your comments/concerns because they help make the resort better.

- location.  There are parts of MB that are very touristy, but that's not where OW is at.  It was built on Grand Dunes property, which is an upscale, non-commerial area (check out www.granddunes.com).  It's nothing like the area around OP.  

- beach - since OW is located on Grand Dunes property, the beach area is isolated and not crowded (you'll see this on the Grand Dunes map) even though the beaches are public.  The Grand Dunes Club, OW, & the Marriott hotel are all next to each other, but they have there own beachfronts.  Around them are private residences so no spill over from other resorts/hotels.     

- resort - beautifully constructed & phenonmally maintained.  You'll daily see the staff cleaning grounds, straightening chairs, cleaning the pool, etc.


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## bcat (Jul 20, 2009)

We're staying at Ocean Watch this week.  I also have to say that we are very pleased with this resort.  We own Disney and have been to other Marriotts in Scottsdale, Las Vegas, Kaaui and Oahu.  This place stacks up nicely with any of those.

We bought a Platinum Oceanfront resale here about 4 years ago.  At the time there were very few resales available.  They had just completed the 2nd building.  Now they have completed 4 of the planned 5 buildings and the 5th is under construction.

There are 4 different views here: Oceanfront, Oceanside, Oceanview and Gardenview.  Oceanfront and Oceanside are in the 3 buildings on the ocean with the Oceanview and Gardenviews located in the back 2 buildings.

It seems like most of the people we meet here are owners.  We were told (by a salesperson) that MOW has one of the highest rate of owners using their week each year.  We have used our week here every year since we purchased.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 20, 2009)

bcat said:


> We were told (by a salesperson) that MOW has one of the highest rate of owners using their week each year.  We have used our week here every year since we purchased.



They along with the GMs at almost all of the resorts make this claim. This is not uncommon though in the first several years at a new resort.


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## Swice (Jul 21, 2009)

*people DO use their weeks here*

People who buy Myrtle Beach do typically use their weeks.    I have some co-workers who have tried for years to get into "any" timeshare at Myrtle Beach and have had trouble.     Granted, they don't have good trading power, but still, there's little available inventory at MB.   That's why II always offers bonus weeks for MB.

Oceanwatch is simply in the best possible spot at Myrtle Beach.   Very Very nice!


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## dmaxdmax (Jul 25, 2009)

I've been keeping my eye out for a platinum oceanside villa and they are few and far between.  There are either a small number of units or so beloved by their owners that they are loathe to sell.  Or both.


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## wsrobinson (Jul 25, 2009)

wsrobinson said:


> Two oceanview (20.5K and 19.5K) and one garden view (16.5K).  The percent looks to be in line with Surfwatch which is in the same age range.



These look to be very reasonable starting points for negotiation....Good Luck!!!


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## twiles1216 (Jul 26, 2009)

Hello everyone,

My family and I just returned from MOW and went through their sales pitch.  I have the current price list in front of me.  I will list the "list price" and then what they offered it to me for "Platinum only":
Ocean Front = $44,900, offered to me for $35,000, + 250000 pts, + first year maintenance fees paid
Ocean Side = 38,400, offered to me for $31 or 32K, + 220,000 pts + first year maintenance fees paid
Ocean view and garden view I did not price.

Anyway, hope this helps with prices at MOW.

Ted


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 26, 2009)

twiles1216 said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> My family and I just returned from MOW and went through their sales pitch.  I have the current price list in front of me.  I will list the "list price" and then what they offered it to me for "Platinum only":
> Ocean Front = $44,900, offered to me for $35,000, + 250000 pts, + first year maintenance fees paid
> ...



Thanks for the info


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## dmaxdmax (Jul 26, 2009)

twiles1216 said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> <snip>
> Ocean Front = $44,900, offered to me for $35,000, + 250000 pts, + first year maintenance fees paid
> ...



Hi Ted - Thanks for the info!  Does first year maint refer to 2009 with new fees due 1/2010?  Thanks again

Dave


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## PerryM (Jul 26, 2009)

Getting today's listings from Redweek and MyResortNetwork and filtering out the flaky descriptions, they are:

Ocean View Platinum $20,000, $20,000 $21,000  $20,500 $20,000 $19,500 

Ocean Front Platinum $30,000 $35,000 $29,000 $38,000 Marriott wants $44,900 or resales are  about *74%*

Ocean Side Platinum $24,000 Marriott wants $38,400 are about *63%*

Garden View Platinum $20,000 $17,000 $16,500



Percentages based upon Marriott sale price

Ocean Front Platinum $30,000 $35,000 $29,000 $38,000 Marriott wants $35,000 or resales are  about *94%*

Ocean Side Platinum $24,000 Marriott wants $32,000 are about *75%*


If I get more current prices I can come up with more percentages.


If you want to buy resale those are the asking prices - if you are a great negotiator you can reduce the price, if not that's what the asking prices are.

But with the MRPs thrown in Marriott is going to be a great buy right now - if you feel inclined to buy.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 26, 2009)

While those are asking prices, I would bet that very few sales actually happen with resale prices at those levels. People just won't buy them. There are probably very very few buyers for those resale unit, if any at all. So those prices are really meaningless. Those looking to buy resale will just wait it out another few years when more units start to hit the market and prices drop. People selling now are trying to sell on the premis of what their salesman told them. "This is an investment and they will only go up in price". Resale buyers are not that gullable.


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## twiles1216 (Jul 26, 2009)

Dmaxdamx,

Good question!  Maintenance fees paid would have been for 2010.

Ted


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## grochmal (Jul 26, 2009)

Just throwing in my $0.02 worth, but I recently bought an Oceanview for $11k, so the prices that are shown above seem high.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 26, 2009)

grochmal said:


> Just throwing in my $0.02 worth, but I recently bought an Oceanview for $11k, so the prices that are shown above seem high.



This is proof of why asking prices are completely meaningless. What matters is actual sales. You can't base value off of what other people are asking for something. If this were true we would all own far more expensive timeshares.


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## chuckles (Jul 26, 2009)

gailo said:


> I would like the opinion of the hotel near Ocean Watch - have a Cat6 to burn
> Is it connected to the timeshare?



I was just at Oceanwatch 2-weeks ago.  Marriott's myrtle beach hotel is next-door to Oceanwatch.   Look for the "Costa Verde Drive" address, and you'll have the right one.

The beach, ocean, and weather were beautiful 7/12 - 7/18


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## chuckles (Jul 26, 2009)

grochmal said:


> Just throwing in my $0.02 worth, but I recently bought an Oceanview for $11k, so the prices that are shown above seem high.



I agree.  Last fall, I picked up my platinum oceanfront for about 20k.  Back then, the retail price was around 40k, and the incentives weren't anywhere near what they are now. 

The other thing I might add is that at the sales presentation a couple of weeks ago, I was told that the front buildings are sold-out for platinum, so they wouldn't have been able to sell me what I wanted, even if the prices have come down to be competitive with the resale market. 

With the price breaks and new point incentives, I have to admit that they're trying hard to compete with the resale market.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 26, 2009)

chuckles said:


> With the price breaks and new point incentives, I have to admit that they're trying hard to compete with the resale market.



I don't think they are really trying to compete with the resale market but rather to stay above water. Even in this economy, very few people know about the resale market for timeshares. They needed to bring the prices down to move inventory given the current market conditions. Even if there was no resale market, they would have to bring prices down.


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## PerryM (Jul 27, 2009)

*Numbers, numbers, where are the numbers*

I understand that any owner can ask any amount of money for their week for sale - but where are the verifiable sale prices?

I don't know of such a resource so we are stuck with asking prices.

You can't just throw them out and proclaim them worthless when there is no alternative.  Marriott owners at this resort want 75% - 90% of the Marriott price - Wyndham owners want 5% of the Wyndham price.  The asking prices mean a great deal.

I, personally, would not pay 75% resale price nor 50% but at 25% I'd start to get itchy; even in this market.

So as bad as the asking price is in determining what is really going on I know of no better numbers.


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## dioxide45 (Jul 27, 2009)

There are a number of Ocean Watch listed in the ROFR database. While these may not all be completed sales, they did have to be agreed upon contracted prices.


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## PerryM (Jul 27, 2009)

dioxide45 said:


> There are a number of Ocean Watch listed in the ROFR database. While these may not all be completed sales, they did have to be agreed upon contracted prices.



The problem here is that not 100% are reported - just a small sample and we don't know if the sale actually took place and if the price was accurate.

When sellers state an asking price you can be 100% assured that they don't want a price larger than that asking price.  

I would have no problems using MLS sale price - that would be a more confident number to me.

But whatever folks feel confident in basing their sale is at least a stab at something more than guessing.


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## pwrshift (Jul 27, 2009)

Do you have full access to the hotel amenites while at the TS?  Is there a shuttle to/from the hotel - or is it close enough to not be needed?  Trying to make a comparison to Canyon Villas, Desert Springs and the new Lakeshore Reserve for shared resources with a JW and/or Ritz.  BeachPlace is right next to a Ritz but you can't share amenities.

Brian



Chemee said:


> Yes, it's next to the timeshare. I haven't stayed there (we are OW owners) but we have used some of their amenities. It is very nice. The pool has a water slide & there's a pool side bar/restaurtant.
> 
> I believe there are reviews on tripadvisor.com.


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## Chemee (Jul 27, 2009)

pwrshift said:


> Do you have full access to the hotel amenites while at the TS?  Is there a shuttle to/from the hotel - or is it close enough to not be needed?  Trying to make a comparison to Canyon Villas, Desert Springs and the new Lakeshore Reserve for shared resources with a JW and/or Ritz.  BeachPlace is right next to a Ritz but you can't share amenities.
> 
> Brian



No shuttle necessary, it is adjacent.  Also, FYI, the hotel is a franchisee.  You can not use the pools because they want to avoid overcrowding.  However, seems I recall reading a few yrs ago that you could in off-season since there are no overcrowding issues.  Maybe someone else can clarify since we do not go in off-season. 

You do have access to the hotel, spa, bar, and restaurant along with the ability make charges to your timeshare villa.  HTH.

ETA:  I have been to Canyon Villas and the nearby JW.  That hotel is a gorgeous!  The one in MB doesn't have that much property, but it's beautiful and in a great location.


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## MOXJO7282 (Jul 27, 2009)

chuckles said:


> I agree.  Last fall, I picked up my platinum oceanfront for about 20k.  Back then, the retail price was around 40k, and the incentives weren't anywhere near what they are now.
> 
> The other thing I might add is that at the sales presentation a couple of weeks ago, I was told that the front buildings are sold-out for platinum, so they wouldn't have been able to sell me what I wanted, even if the prices have come down to be competitive with the resale market.
> 
> With the price breaks and new point incentives, I have to admit that they're trying hard to compete with the resale market.



This is obviously a steal of a deal, but really not indicative of anything. As someone mentioned, as great a resource as the ROFR database is, it really is only a fraction of the sales that go on, so its hard to make assumption based on it.

Resale price listings are some indication as well, and we do see alot of those. What they tell me is true pricing is closer to PerryM's assumptions, because while you don't see final sale, you also don't see alot of low ball ebay sales, which tells me sellers are getting something close to their price and haven't become desperate to sell on ebay


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## bwenzel (Jul 27, 2009)

pwrshift said:


> Do you have full access to the hotel amenites while at the TS?  Is there a shuttle to/from the hotel - or is it close enough to not be needed?  Trying to make a comparison to Canyon Villas, Desert Springs and the new Lakeshore Reserve for shared resources with a JW and/or Ritz.  BeachPlace is right next to a Ritz but you can't share amenities.
> 
> Brian



Brian, my friend:

I know what you are looking for, and while I absolutely love OW, do not compare the shared amenities with either of the three you are referring to.  Indeed, you cannot share pools with the hotel, though, they cannot use OW's pool either.  While we were at the pool, a lady and her party we politely asked to leave as they were staying at the hotel.  Fair game if you ask me.

All you can do is dine there and make room charges.  When we checked in, I inquired about a Sunday brunch there and was told they sometimes have them if they are filled to capacity and they have not been due to the economy.  It is beautiful, but not anything near the JW at Desert Ridge.  That property, my friend, if gorgeous! 

Bill


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## twiles1216 (Aug 1, 2009)

*Question on unit views!*

BTW, we were told during our presentation that you could use the pools at the hotel but the hotel guests could NOT use the TS. Need to verify that one with the resort.

Question on views. How is the Ocean side view if you are in the inside. Can you really see any ocean or beach or simply other balconies? I am guessing if you are on the outside facing the hotel or club house next door, you could see a lot of ocean. 

Also, how is the ocean views in the back buildings? Can you see ocean or mostly the buildings and trees in front of them? 

Of course, we only saw the oceanfront model and no other views. We have been searching for photos posted from others, but so far not much luck. Thanks!


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## mbeach89 (Aug 2, 2009)

Here is a view from our Oceanside view ,Conch building, middle of 3 villas  (Room 1014) on the *1st* *floor.*  The pool bar and grill can be seen to the left of photo.  Ocean front balconies of Scallop building can be seen behind the bar and grill.

View attachment 710

*click on pic to enlarge.


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## mbeach89 (Aug 2, 2009)

View attachment 711

Here is another view from our 1st floor Oceanside villa.  The ocean can be seen from this balcony, it just seems "washed out" in this particular pic.  This shows a better view of the pool area and the Starfish building.  

*note:  we requested a low floor because our 2 year old is a climber....and we wanted to be as close to the ground as possible.


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## twiles1216 (Aug 2, 2009)

Thanks so much for posting the ocean side pics on the inside of the buildings! I am sure the view of the ocean gets better the higher you are, but wonder how much better? 

Hopefully someone with some ocean view pics will post them so we can all see how much you can see from the back buildings.

Thanks again!


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