# What non-HGVC timeshares do you own



## Arimaas (Jan 24, 2018)

Was considering adding another system to my portfolio just to have some options (I have been looking at Wyndham since I live in Metro NY and HGVC doesn't really have very much within day trip distance). Just wondering what other systems some of you folks own, and what you like/don't like about it.


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## buzglyd (Jan 24, 2018)

Just bought a Vistana Villages Bella resale. The locations are a nice compliment to the HGVC system.

I also own Carlsbad Inn (GPX) and Gaslamp Plaza Suites (VRI/Trading Places).


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## Arimaas (Jan 24, 2018)

buzglyd said:


> Just bought a Vistana Villages Bella resale. The locations are a nice compliment to the HGVC system.
> 
> I also own Carlsbad Inn (GPX) and Gaslamp Plaza Suites (VRI/Trading Places).



I was reading about the Vistana resale. There's some kind of quirk that has to do with voluntary vs mandatory club and exchanges?


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## buzglyd (Jan 24, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> I was reading about the Vistana resale. There's some kind of quirk that has to do with voluntary vs mandatory club and exchanges?



Yes read the information in the Vistana forum. Only a handful of resorts transfer with points. Easy to find though.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 24, 2018)

+1 Vistana is a good compliment to HGVC with locations on Maui, St. John, Atlantis Bahamas, Steamboat, Arizona.

We are currently closing on Vistana Westin OF resale on Maui. This property is  a mandatory property. We look forward to II for Marriott, Hyatt and Four Seasons for cash getaways and limited trading of our studio lock off.

Hilton is a more flexible system.


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## JohnPaul (Jan 24, 2018)

We own in a variety of systems because they each offer their own attributes.  However, we live in California so some of these may not be as useful for you.

*Vacation Internationale*  - We are Prestige Platinum which gives us amazing perks but would cost a fortune to get now.  Mostly Western US, Canada and Mexico.  No housekeeping fees but a $20 reservation fee.

*Worldmark* - This ownership is extremely versatile.  Something like 90 resorts now but concentrated in the west.  Favorites include Park City (very limited number of units) and the Camlin in Seattle.  People complain about pressure to do sales presentations during your stay but just say no.

*HGVC* - W 57th St and The Residences in Manhattan - sounds like not something your interested in based on your location.

*Shell Vacation Club (West)* - love this for San Francisco, Napa and San Diego - also access to Hawaii and other resorts.  MF are a bit high but they are operating in expensive places.  Have used their version of bonus time for midweek hotel room at Inn at the Opera in San Francisco for $30 per night plus $17.50 reservation fee (and you get breakfast).

*Vistana (Sheraton Mountain Vista in Avon (Beaver Creek), CO)*  - Probably the one I'd give up first.  It is a voluntary resort which means that the ability to have StarOptions, which are points that let you use other properties or other seasons and unit types, will not transfer with a sale.  Anyone that buys this from us will have to use 7 days in the season/unit size we own.  At a Mandatory resort, the StarOptions go with the sale.  Bought a fairly inexpensive developer every other year summer week to get some ski days at Beaver Creek.  Being every other year with a club fee every year makes the MF a bit high for what we get. However, we like the property.  We also like that we got Gold status with Starwood and Marriott due to our purchase.  Late checkouts (SPG) and free breakfasts (Marriott) are handy.

We also own *Sedona Pines *(Sedona, AZ)* and Oakmont Resort *(Pigeon Forge, TN) for RCI points with low MF.  Let's us do some exchanges, especially for skiing in Colorado. 

Now that we are retired, we are spending over half our time in timeshares.   Good luck on your search.  There are a ton of options depending on what is important to you.  I'm personally a fan of point systems that let me book what I want/where I want/for however long I want with no exchange fees but everybody is different.


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## hurnik (Jan 24, 2018)

Some friends of mine own Worldmark and I thought they just recently (or were going to) changed something about being able to book NYC hotels or something with Worldmark points.  I may have mis-heard her, but she wasn't happy apparently.


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## Panina (Jan 24, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> Was considering adding another system to my portfolio just to have some options (I have been looking at Wyndham since I live in Metro NY and HGVC doesn't really have very much within day trip distance). Just wondering what other systems some of you folks own, and what you like/don't like about it.


Instead of another system you could get a southwest Florida affiliate in hgvc.  This way you have a strong trader in interval and can also enroll it as part of hgvc if you want.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 24, 2018)

Panina said:


> Instead of another system you could get a southwest Florida affiliate in hgvc.  This way you have a strong trader in interval and can also enroll it as part of hgvc if you want.



A very interesting idea!  Can you elaborate i.e.

1) Which affiliate gives you the best bang for the buck - what is the Vegas  of southwest Florida in terms of MF/point and buy-in cost? If you had to purchase one for a strong II trader/high point HGVC what would you buy?  and ballpark how much?

2) How many points in HGVC are they worth?

3) Can you get II trades easily into Marriott, Vistana, Hyatt in prime locations?

4) Is it better to buy resale? or to buy from affiliate to get to HGVC Elite?

5) How difficult are these to sell or give away when you don't want it anymore?


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## frank808 (Jan 24, 2018)

We also own Marriott, Disney Vacation Club, Grandview in Las Vegas for RCI points and Christmas Mountain to generate RCI points/TPU and Interval deposits.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## BigDave (Jan 24, 2018)

We also own Disney Vacation Club and love it.


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## Panina (Jan 24, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> A very interesting idea!  Can you elaborate i.e.
> 
> 1) Which affiliate gives you the best bang for the buck - what is the Vegas  of southwest Florida in terms of MF/point and buy-in cost? If you had to purchase one for a strong II trader/high point HGVC what would you buy?  and ballpark how much?
> 
> ...



I will tell you what I have...
I purchased a 2 bedroom flex winter week in Eagles Nest, Marco Island.  It flexes week 5-16. 
Weeks 5,6,14,15,16 gets 5000 points, weeks 7-13 gets 7000 points. 

I have not traded it yet in interval but I know it will be a great trader based on another  1 bedroom unit I own on Marco Island.  It is at Sunrise Bay, which is a non rated resort in interval, and not considered as high in prime time and is a fabulous trader in interval.

I have tried to use the points on my other hgvc week for trading thru the hgvc RCI portal and have had little success with trades.

With my 1 bedroom on Marco Island I have traded often  into Marriott’s, Hyatt’s and have seen Vistanas available.

I purchased resale through auction, paid  $3650 a year and a half ago.  This was a great price as through the resort they were asking $12,000 which was negotiable.  Patience and active looking made me find this. Elite to me has no value.

For what I purchased I feel I could easily get my investment back. Giving it away I would have many takers.

I personally do not look at mf/point price cost.  Ok, everyone I understand why you do.  I believe buy what you would be happy to use if you weren’t trading and buy something that you can find a new home for easily if needed.

I currently also have a regular hgvc week and if I had to do it again I would get an affiliate instead.  The affiliates have a choice whether to participate or not.  I like that option that I am thinking of gifting my current week and getting another affiliate. My mf is $1113.


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## Tamaradarann (Jan 24, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> Was considering adding another system to my portfolio just to have some options (I have been looking at Wyndham since I live in Metro NY and HGVC doesn't really have very much within day trip distance). Just wondering what other systems some of you folks own, and what you like/don't like about it.



I also live in Metro NY and not only HGVC not have options nearby, tim


CalGalTraveler said:


> +1 Vistana is a good compliment to HGVC with locations on Maui, St. John, Atlantis Bahamas, Steamboat, Arizona.
> 
> We are currently closing on Vistana Westin OF resale on Maui. This property is  a mandatory property. We look forward to II for Marriott, Hyatt and Four Seasons for cash getaways and limited trading of our studio lock off.
> 
> Hilton is a more flexible system.



I have to agree that if you are looking for a different system you want to get one that trades with II so you have that segment of the timeshare world covered since HGVC trades with RCI.  In addition to HGVC we only own a 2 BR at Misner Place which is in the South Florida city of Weston. FL.  While that resort also trades with RCI we have RCI points which has enabled us to make some excellent  exchanges.  For those RCI points we just recently reserved 2 weeks in the Kaanapali Beach Club for April 2019.


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## csodjd (Jan 24, 2018)

I feel so inadequate. I just have a Marriott Maui week in addition to 6200 and 8400 pt HGVC weeks.


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## Helios (Jan 24, 2018)

Starwood and Marriott.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 24, 2018)

csodjd said:


> I feel so inadequate. I just have a Marriott Maui week in addition to 6200 and 8400 pt HGVC weeks.



LOL..."inadequate" and Marriott Maui sounds like an oxymoron...


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## 1Kflyerguy (Jan 25, 2018)

We have Marriott Destination Points.  I really like Hawaii, and Marriott is a nice compliment to HGVC,


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## Tamaradarann (Jan 25, 2018)

csodjd said:


> I feel so inadequate. I just have a Marriott Maui week in addition to 6200 and 8400 pt HGVC weeks.



Since you own both RCI and II perhaps you can speak to the benefits of having access to both system for trades, extra vacations, getaways etc.


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## Caligirlfrtx (Jan 25, 2018)

JohnPaul said:


> We own in a variety of systems because they each offer their own attributes.  However, we live in California so some of these may not be as useful for you.
> 
> *Vacation Internationale*  - We are Prestige Platinum which gives us amazing perks but would cost a fortune to get now.  Mostly Western US, Canada and Mexico.  No housekeeping fees but a $20 reservation fee.
> 
> ...




What is the quality of Shell? I've been considering it.


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## csodjd (Jan 25, 2018)

Tamaradarann said:


> Since you own both RCI and II perhaps you can speak to the benefits of having access to both system for trades, extra vacations, getaways etc.


I've got two weeks at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Just recently added one week at Marriott Maui Napili Tower. I can't speak to the benefits of access to both trading systems because, so far, I've not had reason or desire to trade. Where would I go that's better than Hawaii, ocean front, 2-bedroom, etc.? 

I will say this. Now that I have access to II, I've browsed through both RCI and II and, first impression, is that II has a lot more to offer. Nicer places, nicer timeshares. But, that's also based on my biases of where I find interesting and desirable. I can't say that another person wouldn't come to a very different conclusion. Another factor though is that the Marriott Maui 2-bedroom oceanfront is a premium spot/room, and it's a lockoff unit into a 1-bedroom and a studio, each of which has high trading value on II. So, it can be traded to two weeks at a lot of top-notch places. (But, note that Marriott MF are about double that of Hilton.)


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## hurnik (Jan 25, 2018)

I'd love to own a Marriott, but the buy-in is expensive (IMO) especially if you tack on the cost for a resale to be allowed to book like a regular owner.
I briefly thought about Worldmark as a "cheap" way to access II.  Specifically for Maui and Caribbean, although with the hurricanes in the Caribbean, not sure if it's wise at this point (I'll have to check the Caribbean sub-forum and see how the islands have faired).

Yeah, an HGVC affiliate may let you do that, but I think the resale costs for the affiliates that have II access is about 2-3x the price of Worldmark.

But I will say this thread is very informative.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 25, 2018)

I am learning a LOT from this discussion.  Tuggers are awesome!

Thanks @hurnik for the idea on Worldmark for II.  I hesitate to add yet another system to my portfolio - too many moving parts. 

HGVC affiliates with II sounds attractive (even if slightly higher) because it could kill two birds with one stone. Special thanks to @Panina for info on FL affiliates. Biggest issue is that I am on the west coast so would not regularly visit FL so if they limited trading we would be stuck.

Are there any affiliates on the West Coast or is Bay Club associated with II?


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## frank808 (Jan 25, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> I am learning a LOT from this discussion.  Tuggers are awesome!
> 
> Thanks @hurnik for the idea on Worldmark for II.  I hesitate to add yet another system to my portfolio - too many moving parts.
> 
> ...


Bay club is RCI only.  Buy a marriott resort in florida platinum season and use that as a trader in II.  That is what i do with my marriotts.  Complements hgvc nicely.

Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 25, 2018)

Thanks, so Bay Club on the big island is II?  We would enroll with HGVC but if II trading were feasible in addition to HGVC this might justify the higher maintenance fee.  

Similar to the Maui Marriott response, our Westin OF maint fee is so high that trading in II or even within Vistana is not worth it. We will trade the studio lock-off sparingly and mostly use or rent it out.


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## jnsrusty (Jan 25, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> I am learning a LOT from this discussion.  Tuggers are awesome!
> 
> Thanks @hurnik for the idea on Worldmark for II.  I hesitate to add yet another system to my portfolio - too many moving parts.
> 
> ...



Grand Pacific Palisades, Grand Pacific MarBrisa and Carlsbad Seapointe Resort are both affiliates on the West Coast that, in addition to trading with HGVC, can also trade with Grand Pacific Exchange (GPX).  GPX is a small exchange, but there are several timeshares located in California and 3 in Hawaii.  GPX also offers Insider Weeks, which are discounted, cash weeks.  It all depends on what you are looking for, but if you are specifically looking for West Coast options and I would add, even more specifically Southern California, one of the HGVC/GPX affiliates might be worth looking into.  We own at MarBrisa, which we love, but in addition to trading in HGVC, we also like to take advantage of the Insider weeks that GPX offers.  You can find some amazing deals!


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## JIMinNC (Jan 25, 2018)

I'll address this from a slightly different angle - we are in the process of adding HGVC as a supplement to our Marriott ownership. We've owned Marriott since 2014 - an off-season week in Hilton Head, Marriott Destination points, and are just now working on closing on the purchase of a Maui Ocean Club 2BR EOY unit. We're also adding a 7000 point HGVC contract at SeaWorld (closed last week; waiting on HGVC to transfer ownership) to give us access to HGVC. Hilton will offer us more options on the Big Island of Hawaii and in Waikiki, and give us access to some other places at a lower ongoing occupancy cost than Marriott points.

As to the other question of II vs. RCI, we have been RCI members since 1999 with an ownership at Kaanapali Beach Club. We sold that KBC right after we bought our Marriott points, but still have 51 RCI TPUs left over that we haven't been able to use yet. We keep paying to extend the expiration date so as not to lose them. We had two trips we had to cancel, and that has contributed to the long carryover on these TPUs. Other than the HGVC locations, we are singularly unimpressed with RCI. The quality is spotty - at best - and, other than a known brand like HGVC, we have found it hard to find consistent quality in RCI. Disney is obviously another quality RCI option, but those are difficult to find and since our kids are both basically out of the nest, Disney has limited appeal (My wife is still a big Disney fan, and we may from time to time do an 'adults' trip to Orlando, until grandkids come along, but HGVC and Marriott will serve us adequately there.)

Because II has Marriott, Westin/Vistana, and Hyatt, I think they have more quality offerings than RCI, but there's plenty of junk in II as well and it's overall, a smaller exchange company than RCI. We have only used II to trade to other Marriotts, though. I suspect that someone hoping to buy into an II resort just to trade into Marriott/Westin/Hyatt may want to consider that all of these resort groups have some sort of internal trading priority that gives other owners within each group priority over traders from outside those groups. So while it is certainly possible to trade into these high-quality systems as a non-member of each group, you would be behind other owners in that system. So, I think it's best to pick the resort system that works best for you for the internal booking/trading, with any external trades you can get as a bonus.


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## JIMinNC (Jan 25, 2018)

frank808 said:


> Bay club is II only.  Buy a marriott resort in florida platinuma season and use that as a trader in II.  That is what i do with my marriotts.  Complements hgvc nicely.
> 
> Sent from my SM-T217S using Tapatalk



I think this is incorrect. Bay Club is only RCI.


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## frank808 (Jan 25, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Thanks, so Bay Club on the big island is II?  We would enroll with HGVC but if II trading were feasible in addition to HGVC this might justify the higher maintenance fee.
> 
> Similar to the Maui Marriott response, our Westin OF maint fee is so high that trading in II or even within Vistana is not worth it. We will trade the studio lock-off sparingly and mostly use or rent it out.


Sorry auto correct got the best of me.  Meant RCI only.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## buzglyd (Jan 25, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Thanks, so Bay Club on the big island is II?  We would enroll with HGVC but if II trading were feasible in addition to HGVC this might justify the higher maintenance fee.
> 
> Similar to the Maui Marriott response, our Westin OF maint fee is so high that trading in II or even within Vistana is not worth it. We will trade the studio lock-off sparingly and mostly use or rent it out.



I think a Vistana Villages with 81000 might work for you. You can use the points for Vistana's system or exchange the whole week in II. You can pick one up for $1500 or less. Mine is a EOY odd year and I got it for $100.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 25, 2018)

buzglyd said:


> I think a Vistana Villages with 81000 might work for you. You can use the points for Vistana's system or exchange the whole week in II. You can pick one up for $1500 or less. Mine is a EOY odd year and I got it for $100.



Thanks, I will check it out. What is the annual maintenance fee on this? Do you have to pay Vistana club fees if you already own a Vistana unit?


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## buzglyd (Jan 25, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Thanks, I will check it out. What is the annual maintenance fee on this? Do you have to pay Vistana club fees if you already own a Vistana unit?



About $1400 for an annual. I don't believe you have to pay another club fee but I'm no expert since I just purchased mine. Just make sure it's a Bella or Key West phase because none of the others come with Star Options.


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## dsmrp (Jan 26, 2018)

I have 2 Vistana units in addition to my Bay Club one.  Sometimes I wish I had more HGVC points and less Vistana, but I'm sure it'll flip next year.  I guess I'm one of the few who prefers the Big Island to Maui


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## SmithOp (Jan 26, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> We sold that KBC right after we bought our Marriott points, but still have 51 RCI TPUs left over that we haven't been able to use yet. We keep paying to extend the expiration date so as not to lose them. We had two trips we had to cancel, and that has contribute/



Keep your eye on the sightings forum coming up in March, HGVC will have a bulk deposit for 2019 and I’m sure you can find something to spend your 51 tpus on.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## JIMinNC (Jan 26, 2018)

SmithOp said:


> Keep your eye on the sightings forum coming up in March, HGVC will have a bulk deposit for 2019 and I’m sure you can find something to spend your 51 tpus on.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro



That's the exact plan. Hoping to be able to use the March RCI HGVC bulk bank to find a Big Island week to pair with the Marriott Maui Ocean Club unit we're buying and hope to book for March 2019. We could also use our recently acquired HGVC points to book the Big Island when Club Season opens, but I would rather burn the RCI TPUs first, so we can close our old standalone RCI account. That will also let us use the HGVC points for something else.


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## SmithOp (Jan 26, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> That's the exact plan. Hoping to be able to use the March RCI HGVC bulk bank to find a Big Island week to pair with the Marriott Maui Ocean Club unit we're buying and hope to book for March 2019. We could also use our recently acquired HGVC points to book the Big Island when Club Season opens, but I would rather burn the RCI TPUs first, so we can close our old standalone RCI account. That will also let us use the HGVC points for something else.



I used to own SVR fixed week and got 56 tpu one year.  I was able to pick up 2 weeks back to back at Kingsland.  I added on a bonus week at KBC and a rental at Shell Holua.  We were so chill after a month in Hawaii...

OP: I’m down to just the one HGVC contract now, but I kept the separate RCI and Interval accounts.  I’ll just use last calls/AC/Cash Getaways/ TUG LMR to add on weeks now.  I can still log in to my GPX account, that one is gone too.  

My advice if you want to add on is to be picky about what you take, make sure they will be easy to get rid of in the future.  I got rid of 4 contracts easily because they were desirable weeks and traders.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## GTLINZ (Jan 26, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> Was considering adding another system to my portfolio just to have some options (I have been looking at Wyndham since I live in Metro NY and HGVC doesn't really have very much within day trip distance). Just wondering what other systems some of you folks own, and what you like/don't like about it.



I own Hyatt (HRC) in addition to HGVC - and they are the only two in my modest "portfolio". Just like HGVC, there is no points restriction using their club points with a resale.  They are not large, but have 4 locations in Key West, then Bonita Springs Fl (not directly on the ocean but take a ferry to a private island and it has a lazy river), San Antonio, Sedona, Tahoe, Carmel, Maui, Colorado, etc.  I have been to Bonita Springs and Key West and loved it.  I bought a lower point property mostly as an II trader -  because it has very high trading power and I was not impressed with RCI either and wanted access to II and HRC.  Just like with HGVC, you have to do external (II) trades thru their website and cannot upgrade - it is points per unit size.  We often travel off season in FL, and Marriott (and many Hyatt) studios are bigger than HGVC and sleep 4 with a sleeper sofa.  We often do shorter trips since we have friends and relatives to visit while we are in FL.

If I ever expand more, I would likely buy another Hyatt and not HGVC. The reason is that I think Hyatt has the best system for fixed week in that you own a SPECIFIC unit and week - so you are guaranteed the same room and view if you choose to pay for it. In fact, you can choose to reserve part of YOUR week (4,3,or 2 days) and still get your unit and the extra points to boot.  So you will find inventory is high seasons is minimal in a place like Key West since most folks use their week. If you are like me and use points, you cannot "save" or "borrow" them easily like you can in HGVC - but you can put them into Interval and they are good for 2 years after you owned week as long as you do it 4 months before your owned week.

They are currently trying to implement a new points program, which is not going well. Resales are not easy to get past ROFR either, but like HGVC is easier with a low points package.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 26, 2018)

SmithOp said:


> My advice if you want to add on is to be picky about what you take, make sure they will be easy to get rid of in the future.  I got rid of 4 contracts easily because they were desirable weeks and traders.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro



Great advice. What do you consider the attributes of timeshares that are desirable weeks and traders to sell?

FWIW, it would be nice if we could somehow access the average time on market, volume of sales per resort per year (i.e. how often people buy) similar to ROFR.net tool or  $MF/point spreadsheet.


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## JohnPaul (Jan 26, 2018)

Caligirlfrtx said:


> What is the quality of Shell? I've been considering it.



I think the Shell properties are kind of eclectic, especially in the West club as many of the properties are urban.  Vino Bello in Napa is probably their premier property and it is very high quality.  Purpose built and beautifully done.  Many of the other properties that we use are conversions of one sort or another.  The Donatello in San Francisco was/is a hotel and they are very nice very large studio/hotel units.  Suites at Fisherman's Wharf was a 60's apartment building.  Furnished nicely and great location but small bathroom and kitchen.  We love Inn at the Park in San Diego.  It was a hotel conversion.

I think the Hawaii properties are a bit more traditional timeshare and appear to be nice quality.  Our niece said nice things when we sent them for their honeymoon.  We've even stayed in the New Hampshire property.  While I felt the best outside the unit feature was that it was in the middle of nowhere, the unit was very nice.

Take a look on their website (www.shellvacationsclub.com).  I think you can see the resorts without logging in.  The pictures are pretty accurate.

Be aware that Shell has a number of individual clubs (West, Hawaii, Americana and Pacific).  Each have their own MF structure and ability to book at 12 months in your own club.  At 9 months you can book anywhere in Shell.  Be sure you know what you are buying.


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## GregT (Jan 26, 2018)

I agree with others that Marriott is a great complement to HGVC and that II is superior to RCI.  I keep my Worldmark because it trades extremely well, and trade it in II and for HGVC bulk banks. 

I do want to put in a plug for Starwood.  The quality of the properties is excellent and, like HGVC, the point system can be acquired relatively inexpensively.  Until HGVC Maui comes online, Starwood is a great way to access Maui for the resale StarOption buyer. 

Timeshares rock!

Best,

Greg


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## capjak (Jan 26, 2018)

Open HGVC and Westin Maui and Sheraton Vistana and Marriott Grande Vista and Disney Beach Club and Saratoga Springs.  Each has its purpose.  I recommend buying something you can use. My 

Marriott I like to trade it is a three bedroom which is unusual for trading so has higher power and is part of Florida club. 
Disney’s I rent to reduce my fees on other timeshares and Westin/Sheraton is for an annual 3 weeks on Maui which is where I am right now looking at the Ocean from my balacony


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 26, 2018)

capjak said:


> Open HGVC and Westin Maui and Sheraton Vistana and Marriott Grande Vista and Disney Beach Club and Saratoga Springs.  Each has its purpose.  I recommend buying something you can use. My
> 
> Marriott I like to trade it is a three bedroom which is unusual for trading so has higher power and is part of Florida club.
> Disney’s I rent to reduce my fees on other timeshares and Westin/Sheraton is for an annual 3 weeks on Maui which is where I am right now looking at the Ocean from my balacony



Wow. I am jealous!  BTW...What do you use your HGVC for?  What do you consider its best and highest use?


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 26, 2018)

There is a rumor that Marriott Vacation Club has a bid to acquire Interval International which also owns Vistana/Starwood and Hyatt timeshares. See Marriott thread for details.  https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php...der-activism-merger-talk-merged.256217/page-3

Although it is tempting to add more to our portfolio, I am going to let the dust settle on our new Westin Kaanapali/Vistana/II relationship and see what II cash getaways offer before adding another property in one of these 3 systems.

I also want to see how the HGVC system plays out with Maui and Ocean Towers (OT) e.g. I wonder if BI properties such as high point Kingsland resale values will temporarily dip with the addition of Ocean Tower similar to what happened with Lagoon/GI and West57/Residences when ROFR was relaxed and owners trading up added to market supply.  Alternatively, if OT or GI high point units offer low maintenance fees, it may be worth consolidating our position once resales fully emerge.


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## alexadeparis (Jan 26, 2018)

In addition to HGVC I own Vistana, Hyatt, Shell, Wyndham, some TPU generators for trades (trades used by family and friends) and soon a Marriott. HGVC, Shell, Hyatt and Vistana are for internal trades ONLY, and Marriott will be for both internal trades and premium II trades. Wyndham is used equally as often for internal trades as it is for an RCI trader.


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## csodjd (Jan 26, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> I also want to see how the HGVC system plays out with Maui and Ocean Towers (OT)


Is this something on the map?


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## Nomad420 (Jan 26, 2018)

I bought retail at the Iron Blosam at Snow Bird/Alta because I ski.  The Cliff next door is more upscale but both are very nice particularly if you ski.  MFs are high but what else is new.   I have fixed weeks which I like at that location.  Buying retail at the Blosam was extremely cheap, I bought in 2007 and people were dumping them for MFs back then (many were just defaulting on there units as well).  I usually use my units there but they do have a rental pool that will get you pennies on the dollar if you enter into it.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 26, 2018)

csodjd said:


> Is this something on the map?




OT: They are starting pre-sales now - expected to open in 2019.  See the HGVC thread on this. https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/new-timeshares-at-waikoloa.268391/

Maui: Rep told us that current project is dead (but who knows?) With all new construction and waiting for resale pricing, we won't see anything for years. That's why we pulled the trigger on Westin/Kaanapali.


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## csodjd (Jan 26, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Maui: Rep told us that current project is dead (but who knows?) With all new construction and waiting for resale pricing, we won't see anything for years. That's why we pulled the trigger on Westin/Kaanapali.


Yes. I was waiting for their project. When it died, that's when I bought at the Marriott.


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## SmithOp (Jan 26, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Great advice. What do you consider the attributes of timeshares that are desirable weeks and traders to sell?
> 
> FWIW, it would be nice if we could somehow access the average time on market, volume of sales per resort per year (i.e. how often people buy) similar to ROFR.net tool or  $MF/point spreadsheet.



Its a constant moving target, I try to follow TUG threads on buying/selling/trading.  There is the former RCI rep spreading his wisdom, I tend to agree with his advice on fixed high demand weeks.  I owned Vistana fixed week 12 which hit the week before Easter every few years, XMas and NYE weeks are good too.  He also advises summer beach fixed weeks in low supply areas.

The few Sheraton/Westin that provide SOs are a good bet.

Vegas Grandview rci points gets high marks if you can find the right one 2br 122k points.

CA beach weeks are all high demand low supply, even the float weeks if you book our September second summer when all the crowds have dissipated.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## JIMinNC (Jan 26, 2018)

GregT said:


> Starwood is a great way to access Maui for the resale StarOption buyer.



Greg, is Maui really a reasonable expectation for a resale StarOption buyer? Last year when I was evaluating whether to add either a HGVC or Vistana/Westin to complement our existing Marriott ownership, everything I read on the VSE Board was how hard it was for StarOption owners to book the Maui Westins at the 8 month StarOption booking point, except in the shoulder seasons like May or November/early December. As a result, we opted to buy resale EOY at Marriott Maui Ocean Club and a 7000 point HGVC SeaWorld resale for the Big Island/Waikiki. Working on finalizing both as we speak.


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## GregT (Jan 26, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> Greg, is Maui really a reasonable expectation for a resale StarOption buyer? Last year when I was evaluating whether to add either a HGVC or Vistana/Westin to complement our existing Marriott ownership, everything I read on the VSE Board was how hard it was for StarOption owners to book the Maui Westins at the 8 month StarOption booking point.



It is challenging but if someone is flexible about travel dates and unit sizes, I believe they can book WKORV.   I was able to book a 10 night reservation in a 1BR for June 2017 (but didn't keep the reservation) -- I booked online when the system loaded (it loads the night before).  However, there weren't any 2BR units available and even the 1BR and Studios were gone by the following morning.

But it is possible -- it's kind of like booking HHV -- you have to be on it exactly when the inventory loads.    And I really like WPORV, and prefer it to Marriott Waiohai/Kauai Lagoons/Kauai Beach Club.  It's my favorite Kauai property.

All that being said, I really like your MOC purchase and your 7,000 HGVC point purchase.   You're going to create lots of options for yourself with your ownership.

Best,

Greg


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## JIMinNC (Jan 27, 2018)

GregT said:


> And I really like WPORV, and prefer it to Marriott Waiohai/Kauai Lagoons/Kauai Beach Club.  It's my favorite Kauai property.



Is WPORV any easier to book than WKORV-N/S on Maui? What do you like better about it versus Marriott Waiohai/Kauai Lagoons/Kauai Beach Club? We've never stayed on the north shore of Kauai since that's considered the rainy side of the island.


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## GregT (Jan 28, 2018)

Yes, availability at WPORV with StarOptions has been very accessible. 

I like that I can book a 1BR at WPORV, which aren't available at Waiohai or Kauai Lagoons.  KBC does have 1BR units, but the units at WPORV are much nicer.

Separately, we love Hanalei Bay, which is very convenient from WPORV, and there are some terrific beaches on the north side.  It definitely rains up in Princeville, but it has never disrupted our vacation.  Typically, it rains for 15 minutes and then the sun is back (but we go in June).

Independent of the properties themselves, I prefer the predictability of point systems (which is why I love HGVC).  WPORV is very accessible with StarOptions.  I view the Marriott point system as very expensive for Hawaii properties, and am reluctant to spend my precious Marriott points when I can easily access an equivalent property in a more economical manner.  For the same reason, I can't see myself staying at Marriott Waikoloa over HGVC Kings Land. This may not apply to others, and may just be my quirk.

Best,

Greg


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 28, 2018)

This is very helpful information.

What is the best way to trade for a 2BDRM at WPORV or Waiohai in June/July in 2019? Are such units readily available via staroptions / II? or II Cash Getaways?

Alternatively, Would we have better chances trading Hilton points via RCI to get a Wyndham Kauai property?  (need recommendations) 

Other ideas?  We don't plan to regularly visit Kauai.


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## JIMinNC (Jan 28, 2018)

GregT said:


> Yes, availability at WPORV with StarOptions has been very accessible.
> 
> I like that I can book a 1BR at WPORV, which aren't available at Waiohai or Kauai Lagoons.  KBC does have 1BR units, but the units at WPORV are much nicer.
> 
> ...



Thanks Greg. Very, very helpful. With WPORV being 148,100 SOs for a 2BR and 81,000 for a 1BR, a fairly cheap resale mandatory SVV Bella/Key West 2BR worth 81,000 SOs suddenly would look like a reasonably economical way to access Kauai. May have to add that to my list of future options.

Our goal is the ability to book 3 weeks in Hawaii EOY. Our 7000 "new" HGVC points give us access to Bay Club/Kohala Suites/Kings Land/Ocean Tower on the Big Island, and our pending EOY Odd Marriott MOC gets us Maui. So two weeks down and one to go! For Kauai, an EOY Odd Marriott Waiohai for about $3000-$3500 looks appealing, and maybe the StarOptions could be an alternate path. A second week at MOC has some appeal as well, but unless it could be enrolled in Marriott's points system cheaply (not likely), it wouldn't offer us access to Kauai.

We hope to have our EOY Odd Marriott MOC in our account by the end of February so we can start looking for a March 2019 week on Maui. Then, instead of using our HGVC for the Big Island in 2019, we hope to take advantage of the usual HGVC RCI March 2019 bulk bank to burn some leftover RCI TPUs that we need to get rid of, and snag one of the HGVCs in Waikoloa (recognizing we still have the HGVC points as a back-up). Since we don't yet own anything specific for Kauai, we'll  either just go for two weeks in 2019, or rent a few Marriott Destinations Points to add to our remaining 2019 DPs to book Marriott Kauai Beach Club (if we decide on 1BR) or Marriott Waiohai (if we determine we need a 2BR). Leaning toward the DP option right now, we just need to figure out if one or both of our kids might join us for one of the weeks. Using owned/rented DP points would cause the Kauai week to be the most costly of the three weeks, so before the 2021 use year we'll need to figure out a longer term strategy for that third week.


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## Denise L (Jan 30, 2018)

Just recently purchased our HGVC 7800 points (Elara) because I wanted to use it to get to NY.  Our other purchases have adhered to the "buy where you want to go" advice, so when we wanted to go to Maui, we bought Vistana (SVO) WKORV in 2012, retail price.  Everything else has been resale.  We bought a Sheraton Desert Oasis (SDO) for II trading.  Then we wanted to go to Walt Disney World, so we bought DVC (Beach Club Villas), and we added on the DVC in Anaheim because we wanted to stay at the Villas at the Grand Californian.  Then we wanted to stay at the Hyatt in Tahoe and Carmel, so we bought Hyatt Incline Village.  We usually always stay at our home resorts except with our SDO trader, and now with the HGVC Elara points.  Just practiced using them to get West 57th Street for a few nights in March.


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## Tamaradarann (Jan 30, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> Thanks Greg. Very, very helpful. With WPORV being 148,100 SOs for a 2BR and 81,000 for a 1BR, a fairly cheap resale mandatory SVV Bella/Key West 2BR worth 81,000 SOs suddenly would look like a reasonably economical way to access Kauai. May have to add that to my list of future options.
> 
> Our goal is the ability to book 3 weeks in Hawaii EOY. Our 7000 "new" HGVC points give us access to Bay Club/Kohala Suites/Kings Land/Ocean Tower on the Big Island, and our pending EOY Odd Marriott MOC gets us Maui. So two weeks down and one to go! For Kauai, an EOY Odd Marriott Waiohai for about $3000-$3500 looks appealing, and maybe the StarOptions could be an alternate path. A second week at MOC has some appeal as well, but unless it could be enrolled in Marriott's points system cheaply (not likely), it wouldn't offer us access to Kauai.
> 
> We hope to have our EOY Odd Marriott MOC in our account by the end of February so we can start looking for a March 2019 week on Maui. Then, instead of using our HGVC for the Big Island in 2019, we hope to take advantage of the usual HGVC RCI March 2019 bulk bank to burn some leftover RCI TPUs that we need to get rid of, and snag one of the HGVCs in Waikoloa (recognizing we still have the HGVC points as a back-up). Since we don't yet own anything specific for Kauai, we'll  either just go for two weeks in 2019, or rent a few Marriott Destinations Points to add to our remaining 2019 DPs to book Marriott Kauai Beach Club (if we decide on 1BR) or Marriott Waiohai (if we determine we need a 2BR). Leaning toward the DP option right now, we just need to figure out if one or both of our kids might join us for one of the weeks. Using owned/rented DP points would cause the Kauai week to be the most costly of the three weeks, so before the 2021 use year we'll need to figure out a longer term strategy for that third week.



Wow, I couldn't keep up with your agenda with weeks here and there and family coming or not and when I saw that you were worrying about how to deal with a third week in 2021 I knew your were a long term planner which is required to get the best benefits from timesharing.  We also plan far ahead and although we only own 2 HGVC weeks in Las Vegas and 4 HGVC weeks in Florida we are able to use our timeshare points to stay in the Hilton Hawaiian Village for a great number of weeks every winter.  

However, we have a friend who has a condo in Honolulu that we mentioned last Thursday that we booked 2 weeks in Maui in April 2019.  Her response was, I am having a hard time figuring out what I am going to do this weekend.  Well some people can use timeshares to their best advantage, and some people can't.


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## JIMinNC (Jan 30, 2018)

Tamaradarann said:


> Wow, I couldn't keep up with your agenda with weeks here and there and family coming or not and when I saw that you were worrying about how to deal with a third week in 2021 I knew your were a long term planner which is required to get the best benefits from timesharing.  We also plan far ahead and although we only own 2 HGVC weeks in Las Vegas and 4 HGVC weeks in Florida we are able to use our timeshare points to stay in the Hilton Hawaiian Village for a great number of weeks every winter.
> 
> However, we have a friend who has a condo in Honolulu that we mentioned last Thursday that we booked 2 weeks in Maui in April 2019.  Her response was, I am having a hard time figuring out what I am going to do this weekend.  Well some people can use timeshares to their best advantage, and some people can't.



Yes, I've learned in almost 20 years of ownership that advance planning is necessary. Drives our kids crazy. Was asking our son on the phone tonight if he would like to go with us to Hawaii in March 2019, and it was like - "I guess, but I have no idea what I'll be doing next month. That's over a year away..." 

I'm actually not really _planning_ that much for 2021 yet, it's just that since we're buying an EOY-Odd Maui unit, that sort of commits us to an every odd year Hawaii trip. So, if we want to try to stay 3 weeks each time, we know we'll need a longer term solution for that third week by the next trip. Marriott points are great for flexibility, and I don't mind using them for Kauai in 2019, but they are a more expensive way to do recurring types of trips when compared to HGVC points or resale Marriott weeks.


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## csodjd (Jan 30, 2018)

I've already calendared out 2019. Need to book the timeshares a year in advance. With a busy golf schedule that I already know will be taking me to Scotland the first week of August (and my wife wants to go to Ireland before or after Scotland), and three weeks in Hawaii that have to be booked in 2018, it's hard not to plan a year+ in advance.


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## JIMinNC (Jan 30, 2018)

csodjd said:


> I've already calendared out 2019. Need to book the timeshares a year in advance. With a busy golf schedule that I already know will be taking me to Scotland the first week of August (and my wife wants to go to Ireland before or after Scotland), and three weeks in Hawaii that have to be booked in 2018, it's hard not to plan a year+ in advance.



Sorta the same here - don't have anything booked for 2019 yet - but have a high-level plan in place that should come together as 2018 rolls along - hoping to book three weeks in Hawaii in March 2019, a non-timeshare trip to see the U.S. Open in Pebble Beach in June 2019 combined with some time in Napa/Sonoma and maybe Yosemite, and an already-requested Marriott II exchange to Marriott Newport Coast in Sept/Oct. May also try to work in three or four nights in Vegas at HGVC Elara with a few days after that in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. Probably another TBD trip for fall 2019, hopefully somewhere using our HGVC points - but we have until next year this time to figure that one out.


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## Cyberc (Jan 30, 2018)

Denise L said:


> Just recently purchased our HGVC 7800 points (Elara) because I wanted to use it to get to NY.  Our other purchases have adhered to the "buy where you want to go" advice, so when we wanted to go to Maui, we bought Vistana (SVO) WKORV in 2012, retail price.  Everything else has been resale.  We bought a Sheraton Desert Oasis (SDO) for II trading.  Then we wanted to go to Walt Disney World, so we bought DVC (Beach Club Villas), and we added on the DVC in Anaheim because we wanted to stay at the Villas at the Grand Californian.  Then we wanted to stay at the Hyatt in Tahoe and Carmel, so we bought Hyatt Incline Village.  We usually always stay at our home resorts except with our SDO trader, and now with the HGVC Elara points.  Just practiced using them to get West 57th Street for a few nights in March.



Hi Denise

You might already know this, but booking NYC can be difficult as we non-owners can only book W75 45days out and then the availability can be limited.


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## csodjd (Jan 30, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> Sorta the same here - don't have anything booked for 2019 yet - but have a high-level plan in place that should come together as 2018 rolls along - hoping to book three weeks in Hawaii in March 2019, a non-timeshare trip to see the U.S. Open in Pebble Beach in June 2019 combined with some time in Napa/Sonoma and maybe Yosemite, and an already-requested Marriott II exchange to Marriott Newport Coast in Sept/Oct. May also try to work in three or four nights in Vegas at HGVC Elara with a few days after that in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. Probably another TBD trip for fall 2019, hopefully somewhere using our HGVC points - but we have until next year this time to figure that one out.


That's a great trip, though a bit late for Yosemite Falls to be active. No more Hilton in Napa... it burned down. Sit behind the 8th green or 14th green at Pebble. Two great places to see the good, bad and ugly up close!


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## JIMinNC (Jan 30, 2018)

csodjd said:


> That's a great trip, though a bit late for Yosemite Falls to be active. No more Hilton in Napa... it burned down. Sit behind the 8th green or 14th green at Pebble. Two great places to see the good, bad and ugly up close!



Hmm...that's good info about Yosemite Falls. I knew that the fall season is a bad time for waterfalls, but I would have thought the falls would have still been flowing that early in the summer season. When do you think the best time is for a Yosemite visit? I was already a little nervous about the June crowds, so maybe that might be a location to append to a future trip and just focus 2019 on the US Open and Napa/Sonoma.

We were at the 2010 US Open the last time it was at Pebble so I know all about 8 and 14. The 14th green was brutal that year - great pin-high shots wound up rolling off the green - and that approach shot on 8 may be the most spectacular in the world. It can be a frustrating experience watching US Open golf at Pebble with all of the single-sided fairways and huge crowds, but the venue is so spectacularly beautiful, I have to go back one more time.


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## csodjd (Jan 30, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> Hmm...that's good info about Yosemite Falls. I knew that the fall season is a bad time for waterfalls, but I would have thought the falls would have still been flowing that early in the summer season. When do you think the best time is for a Yosemite visit? I was already a little nervous about the June crowds, so maybe that might be a location to append to a future trip and just focus 2019 on the US Open and Napa/Sonoma.
> 
> We were at the 2010 US Open the last time it was at Pebble so I know all about 8 and 14. The 14th green was brutal that year - great pin-high shots wound up rolling off the green - and that approach shot on 8 may be the most spectacular in the world. It can be a frustrating experience watching US Open golf at Pebble with all of the single-sided fairways and huge crowds, but the venue is so spectacularly beautiful, I have to go back one more time.


I've been lucky enough to play the course well over 100 times. 14 is the hardest par-5 I've played, and I've played all over the world, including in two US Senior Opens. 

I've found Yosemite best in May. If you were to go before the Open, depending on the snow pack (this year there's about 0"!) it may still be good. It's all about the melting snow. You'd have to start there and end your trip in Carmel, with Napa in the middle. By July Yosemite Falls are generally pretty dried up and gone by August unless there's a LOT of snow.


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## JIMinNC (Jan 30, 2018)

csodjd said:


> I've been lucky enough to play the course well over 100 times. 14 is the hardest par-5 I've played, and I've played all over the world, including in two US Senior Opens.
> 
> I've found Yosemite best in May. If you were to go before the Open, depending on the snow pack (this year there's about 0"!) it may still be good. It's all about the melting snow. You'd have to start there and end your trip in Carmel, with Napa in the middle. By July Yosemite Falls are generally pretty dried up and gone by August unless there's a LOT of snow.



Thanks for the Yosemite advice. Pebble is on my bucket list to play one day. I'd probably shoot 120, but it's all about the experience, right?


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## Arimaas (Jan 30, 2018)

After reading all the posts, it doesn't seem like many people in the HGVC system are also in the Wyndham system. I try to read the Wyndham board to get a sense of their system, but it is very confusing. Like I said in the OP, I was looking at Wyndham because of the drivable properties to NY, but it doesn't seem to be a very reliable system.


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## Mosescan (Jan 30, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> After reading all the posts, it doesn't seem like many people in the HGVC system are also in the Wyndham system. I try to read the Wyndham board to get a sense of their system, but it is very confusing. Like I said in the OP, I was looking at Wyndham because of the drivable properties to NY, but it doesn't seem to be a very reliable system.


I've considered other systems, but the HGVC system is so easy to use and I'm happy with the resort selection so I'll likely stick with just Hilton for now.


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## csodjd (Jan 30, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> Pebble is on my bucket list to play one day. I'd probably shoot 120, but it's all about the experience, right?


Eh... at about $550, not sure just walking around the course in the evening before sunset isn't a better option. Play Spyglass. Avoid Spanish Bay. Walk around Pebble. And best golf deal in the area are the two courses at Fort Ord.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 31, 2018)

Mosescan said:


> I've considered other systems, but the HGVC system is so easy to use and I'm happy with the resort selection so I'll likely stick with just Hilton for now.



After looking at most of the major systems (specifically Marriott, Vistana, Hyatt) I believe HGVC is the best in terms of flexibility, they are well run and up-to-date proving that quality is attainable with efficient maintenance fees (MF are bordering on ridiculous at certain Marriott and Vistana resorts), and they strive to be fair to all owners (including resale buyers) which enhances the value and delivers a good experience.

Unlike points offerings at other systems, it would be difficult for HGVC to devalue points at existing resorts because they are fixed to a unit size and view. This avoids the shell games that other points systems deploy and enables owners to get the exact units they want to reserve vs. silver season units that no one wants that have been dumped into these points "portfolios."

Unless you have a specific destination (e.g. Maui or Kauai) where HGVC does not have a presence, I would stick with HGVC.


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## JIMinNC (Jan 31, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> After looking at all of the major systems I believe HGVC is the best in terms of flexibility, they are well run and up-to-date proving that quality is attainable with efficient maintenance fees (MF are bordering on ridiculous at certain Marriott and Vistana resorts), and they strive to be fair to all owners (including resale buyers) which enhances the value and delivers a good experience.
> 
> Unlike points offerings at other systems, it would be difficult for HGVC to devalue points at existing resorts because they are fixed to a unit size and view. This avoids the shell games that other points systems deploy and enables owners to get the exact units they want to reserve vs. silver season units that no one wants that have been dumped into these points "portfolios."
> 
> Unless you have a specific destination (e.g. Maui or Kauai) where HGVC does not have a presence, I would stick with HGVC.



As a literally brand new HGVC owner, I would say my initial impression of the system is spot-on with what you write here. I've compared HGVC and Marriott head-to-head this week in some places where they both have similar accommodations - and in virtually every case, I believe, HGVC offers the better value. I only wish that HGVC had the more extensive and diverse catalog of locations that Marriott Vacation Club does. Marriott's breadth and variety of locations is still better, IMHO - at least for our needs.


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## Mosescan (Jan 31, 2018)

JIMinNC said:


> As a literally brand new HGVC owner, I would say my initial impression of the system is spot-on with what you write here. I've compared HGVC and Marriott head-to-head this week in some places where they both have similar accommodations - and in virtually every case, I believe, HGVC offers the better value. I only wish that HGVC had the more extensive and diverse catalog of locations that Marriott Vacation Club does. Marriott's breadth and variety of locations is still better, IMHO - at least for our needs.


I too wish there was a bigger variety of locations, however I expect to own my TS for a long time, like 30 years or so before passing them on to my kids so I would expect that it will improve with time and as I get closer to retirement in 10 years I'm looking forward to exploring the new offerings they will have by then. For now, with young children, Hawaii and Florida are both great destinations.


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## Oscar923 (Jan 31, 2018)

I am just a timeshare novice, and am trying to learn as much from all the gurus here.  After spending months researching I bought my first time share in 2015 and it was HGVC resale.  It is a flexible system and the MF is reasonable (LV Boulevard).  I have used my HGVC points to stay in Elara, Flamingo, and Paradise in LV, and also Marbrisa and GPP in Carlsbad.  My kids love Marbrisa because of the LEGOLAND next door!

My family also often vacation in Palm Desert even before we got our first timeshare.  There are no HGVC resorts in Palm Desert (not counting trading through RCI).   We used to rent from Marriott.com to get to DSV or Shadow Ridge.  As a matter of fact, I have stayed in all four Marriott Palm Desert resorts multiple times through renting from Marriott.com.  I finally bought a resale Gold week at Shadow Ridge Villages (for summer or Thanksgiving).  This is a case of "buying where you want to stay".  The initial cost was low (practically free) but the MF is relatively high.  As an aside, the trading power of my Marriott week is very strong.  Through II, I traded for a 2018 summer week at Hyatt/Welk Northstar Lodge in Truckee/Tahoe.  I am so looking forward to that. 

Getting hooked to timesharing now, I further bought 12,000 Worldmark credits resale last year.  Worldmark is even more flexible than HGVC and has many locations along the west coast.  They are all in driving distance (I am in California).  I will be vacationing at their Big Bear and Bass Lake (Yosemite) locations this year.   Just thinking where to go and all the wonderful resorts would get me through the day-to-day grind at work.

Family life is great with timeshares!

Oscar


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## Arimaas (Jan 31, 2018)

Oscar923 said:


> Getting hooked to timesharing now, I further bought 12,000 Worldmark credits resale last year.  Worldmark is even more flexible than HGVC and has many locations along the west coast.  They are all in driving distance (I am in California).  I will be vacationing at their Big Bear and Bass Lake (Yosemite) locations this year.   Just thinking where to go and all the wonderful resorts would get me through the day-to-day grind at work.



I wish Wyndham and Worldmark would allow for cross-bookings between the programs. I am on the East Coast so Wyndham would be perfect, but from what I understand, many folks are unhappy with Wyndham, while I hear a lot of good things about Worldmark. Strange, since from what I gather, the parent companies are the same.


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## kukenan (Jan 31, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> I wish Wyndham and Worldmark would allow for cross-bookings between the programs. I am on the East Coast so Wyndham would be perfect, but from what I understand, many folks are unhappy with Wyndham, while I hear a lot of good things about Worldmark. Strange, since from what I gather, the parent companies are the same.



I own Wyndham, bought club wyndham access resale, for personal use I think it's a good system, there is a lot of unhappy people because wyndham stopped the "mega renters", cut some VIP privileges and bring a new web reservation system. As a resale "new" user I'm very please with the system, the units and the resorts available. Resonable MFs and very cheap to buy resale.


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## Oscar923 (Feb 9, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> I wish Wyndham and Worldmark would allow for cross-bookings between the programs. I am on the East Coast so Wyndham would be perfect, but from what I understand, many folks are unhappy with Wyndham, while I hear a lot of good things about Worldmark. Strange, since from what I gather, the parent companies are the same.



You can exchange your worldmark credits for Wyndham resorts, only if you buy credits directly from worldmark.  In other words, you pay a much higher buy-in cost compared to resale. It is just not worth it. Worldmark the club is very different from Wyndham.  Wyndham, I think, is only the developer of the resorts for worldmark. They don’t run worldmark the club.  By the way, I just exchanged through II to a Christmas week at Marriott grand chateau with my worldmark credits.  I would prefer Elara, but grand chateau will do!  Awesome exchange!


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## chriskre (Feb 9, 2018)

I own Disney, Wyndham points, Bluegreen UDI, 
RCI points and an independent beach resort.  
They all have their pluses and minuses.   
I bought to use in places that I like to go except for the BG UDI.
That's strictly a rental/trader.


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## PassionForTravel (Feb 12, 2018)

In addition to HGVC we own Marriott, Starwood, and Worldmark.

Ian


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## GregT (Feb 13, 2018)

PassionForTravel said:


> In addition to HGVC we own Marriott, Starwood, and Worldmark.
> 
> Ian


Good choices


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## Arimaas (Feb 13, 2018)

PassionForTravel said:


> In addition to HGVC we own Marriott, Starwood, and Worldmark.
> 
> Ian



What's your thoughts on Worldmark? I am looking into Wyndham to supplement HGVC because I am on the East Coast. I hear Wyndham is not doing good things to Worldmark....


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## GregT (Feb 13, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> What's your thoughts on Worldmark? I am looking into Wyndham to supplement HGVC because I am on the East Coast. I hear Wyndham is not doing good things to Worldmark....



I love my Worldmark, but I have very specific uses for it (like I do for each of my other timeshares).  It's a fantastic trading property in both RCI and II, and the property locations are very diverse, with some that I can't access with any of the other systems.  Because you can rent credits from others easily, I use Worldmark for family reunions as well, because I can get a bunch of rooms using rented credits.

I don't love Wyndham, and their ever increasing fees.  I just paid $100 for a housekeeping fee for a spacebank deposit into II -- it's crazy.  But Worldmark gives me a great option to my other timeshares.  Because it's probably only a C+/B- in quality (as compared to B+/A- for HGVC) I don't stay there routinely.  But it's a great complement to the others.

Best,

Greg


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## PassionForTravel (Feb 13, 2018)

We love Worldmark. It's where we have most of our weeks (actually points) and it was the first timeshare we bought. Worldmark's system has locations you won't find in any other system such as West Yellowstone, Santa Fe, and Estes Park. It's also a great trader. We are in agreement with Greg and aren't big fans of Wyndham in fact, we think the worst thing that happened to Worldmark was when Wyndham purchased the developer/manager (Trendwest). But even with all the changes it's still the most flexible system out there. But we are biased, we are westerns at heart. Before we left on our one year full time trip international trip in September we spent most of our vacation time split between the west and Hawaii. In fact the the reason we purchased HGVC, Marriott, and Starwood, was to exchange into Hawaii.

Ian


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## frank808 (Feb 13, 2018)

GregT said:


> I love my Worldmark, but I have very specific uses for it (like I do for each of my other timeshares).  It's a fantastic trading property in both RCI and II, and the property locations are very diverse, with some that I can't access with any of the other systems.  Because you can rent credits from others easily, I use Worldmark for family reunions as well, because I can get a bunch of rooms using rented credits.
> 
> I don't love Wyndham, and their ever increasing fees.  I just paid $100 for a housekeeping fee for a spacebank deposit into II -- it's crazy.  But Worldmark gives me a great option to my other timeshares.  Because it's probably only a C+/B- in quality (as compared to B+/A- for HGVC) I don't stay there routinely.  But it's a great complement to the others.
> 
> ...


Didn't worldmark limit the number of points you could rent per year?

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## GregT (Feb 13, 2018)

frank808 said:


> Didn't worldmark limit the number of points you could rent per year?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


Yes, only 2X your annual ownership but that hasn’t really been a problem yet. 

Best,

Greg


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## Caligirlfrtx (Feb 26, 2018)

Denise L said:


> Just recently purchased our HGVC 7800 points (Elara) because I wanted to use it to get to NY.  Our other purchases have adhered to the "buy where you want to go" advice, so when we wanted to go to Maui, we bought Vistana (SVO) WKORV in 2012, retail price.  Everything else has been resale.  We bought a Sheraton Desert Oasis (SDO) for II trading.  Then we wanted to go to Walt Disney World, so we bought DVC (Beach Club Villas), and we added on the DVC in Anaheim because we wanted to stay at the Villas at the Grand Californian.  Then we wanted to stay at the Hyatt in Tahoe and Carmel, so we bought Hyatt Incline Village.  We usually always stay at our home resorts except with our SDO trader, and now with the HGVC Elara points.  Just practiced using them to get West 57th Street for a few nights in March.


Just curious how your Elara is working out for you. I am considering Elara also. Thanks


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## Denise L (Feb 27, 2018)

Caligirlfrtx said:


> Just curious how your Elara is working out for you. I am considering Elara also. Thanks



So far, so good.  I have a lot of points to use, but I've booked 3 nights in NY via RCI and 3 nights via the Club.  Looking to book the Big Island for 2019.


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## Southegirl (Aug 7, 2018)

...I know this is an old thread, but... I have a question for P. "I currently also have a regular hgvc week and if I had to do it again I would get an affiliate instead. The affiliates have a choice whether to participate or not. I like that option that I am thinking of gifting my current week and getting another affiliate. My mf is $1113." Have you ever tried to trade your affiliate resort for a HGVC week? My sister has Grand Pacific Palisades and would like to trade next years week for another location within HGVC...is this reasonably easy to accomplish?


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## dayooper (Aug 7, 2018)

Southegirl said:


> ...I know this is an old thread, but... I have a question for P. "I currently also have a regular hgvc week and if I had to do it again I would get an affiliate instead. The affiliates have a choice whether to participate or not. I like that option that I am thinking of gifting my current week and getting another affiliate. My mf is $1113." Have you ever tried to trade your affiliate resort for a HGVC week? My sister has Grand Pacific Palisades and would like to trade next years week for another location within HGVC...is this reasonably easy to accomplish?



She would just release her points into the HGVC system and book whatever she can that’s available. Panina would tell HGVC that she would like her points instead of her week. She would then book just like any other HGVC member. She would have had to activate her HGVC account for her week at some point. 

Does your sister have an HGVC membership or is it just a Grand Pacific?


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## Southegirl (Aug 7, 2018)

Just GP, its a deeded week.


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## dayooper (Aug 7, 2018)

Southegirl said:


> Just GP, its a deeded week.



I’m not sure if she can deposit her week like Panina can. Others more knowledgeable than me could answer that question.


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## Panina (Aug 7, 2018)

Southegirl said:


> ...I know this is an old thread, but... I have a question for P. "I currently also have a regular hgvc week and if I had to do it again I would get an affiliate instead. The affiliates have a choice whether to participate or not. I like that option that I am thinking of gifting my current week and getting another affiliate. My mf is $1113." Have you ever tried to trade your affiliate resort for a HGVC week? My sister has Grand Pacific Palisades and would like to trade next years week for another location within HGVC...is this reasonably easy to accomplish?



Even though I own affiliate weeks, there is a reason owning a regular hgvc week is beneficial.  It will always be part of the system. Affiliates can leave, I can recall one in Sanibel that left hgvc and many owners were very upset.  I own affiliates because almost always I will use them and not trade them.  If my goal was most times to trade I would prefer a regular hgvc week.

I have used my points in the hgvc system for other resorts  and thru the hgvc RCI portal with success.

I am not familiar with Grand Pacific Palisade so I can’t comment if it is eligible to be a member of hgvc.  If it is, your sister would have to pay a one time enrollment fee to be a hgvc member, yearly hgvc dues and then she could deposit it into the hgvc system and trade like everyone else.


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## frank808 (Aug 7, 2018)

Southegirl said:


> Just GP, its a deeded week.


Since it is a week in GPP and not in hgvc, you cannot convert that week into hgvc points.  The only way to get into hgvc, would be to trade via rci.  You could also do a private trade with an hgvc owner.

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## frank808 (Aug 7, 2018)

Panina said:


> Even though I own affiliate weeks, there is a reason owning a regular hgvc week is beneficial.  It will always be part of the system. Affiliates can leave, I can recall one in Sanibel that left hgvc and many owners were very upset.  I own affiliates because almost always I will use them and not trade them.  If my goal was most times to trade I would prefer a regular hgvc week.
> 
> I have used my points in the hgvc system for other resorts  and thru the hgvc RCI portal with success.
> 
> I am not familiar with Grand Pacific Palisade so I can’t comment if it is eligible to be a member of hgvc.  If it is, your sister would have to pay a one time enrollment fee to be a hgvc member, yearly hgvc dues and then she could deposit it into the hgvc system and trade like everyone else.


Hgvc might have closed that loophole that would allow you to enroll a GPP week into hgvc a few years ago.

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## Ianneyan (Aug 12, 2018)

JohnPaul said:


> We own in a variety of systems because they each offer their own attributes.  However, we live in California so some of these may not be as useful for you.
> 
> *Vacation Internationale*  - We are Prestige Platinum which gives us amazing perks but would cost a fortune to get now.  Mostly Western US, Canada and Mexico.  No housekeeping fees but a $20 reservation fee.
> 
> ...



I hope to do the same when I retire... have a couple decades to go though!


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