# "Cottage" Exchanges thru RCI



## beejaybeeohio (Dec 30, 2016)

Has any Tugger traded for one of the cottages that are listed in the RCI online directory for the British Isles?  I've often noticed availability for November and other off-season months, but nada in spring, summer and early fall.  Hoping for a match to my ongoing for the last week of October- the "old" RCI website had a cottage specific dropdown to select when entering a search, but no more.

Barb


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## Pompey Family (Dec 31, 2016)

The last week of October is half term school holidays in the UK. I suspect it will be almost impossible to find a match for that week.


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## beejaybeeohio (Dec 31, 2016)

We ran into that problem with the May bank holiday in 2015.  UKRE came through with an exchange for us at Whitbarrow Village then, but our son now has our Fitzpatrick's t/s so can't use them again.  Interestingly, RCI has extra vacations available at several MacDonald's resorts that week for $1000.

I'm also searching in Germany, Italy & Switzerland, but have been since 2/17 without a match!  Recently lowered unit request from a 2-bedroom to a 1, so that might help for something


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## geist1223 (Jan 1, 2017)

If you tried self-catering cottages. We have gone that route both in Ireland and Scotland. We found them through a simple online search. 2 years ago we spent a good week during April in a one bedroom cottage on a working farm just outside of Inverness. The same farm also had a 2 bedroom cottage and a 3 bedroom cottage. Several years ago we had a self-catering cottage in Portmagee on the Ring of Kerry.


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## Laurie (Jan 2, 2017)

How many travelers, and if 2, can you use a studio? I only mention because a few years ago I had an exchange into Venice, onto which I wanted to piggyback something for last week of October. On a lark, I booked a very cheap extra vaca, about the cost of the exchange fee, at one of the Mondi Ferienclub places, #1535, in (near) Merano, Italy - Alps but a sunny microclimate. It was peak leaf, sunny, warm, and spectacular - colorful leaves, golden vineyards. We met a German couple who vacations in the area every year the last week of October, and I could see why.  

This place may only have studios. We drove over to the Dolomites area of the Italian Alps, where we'd been previously during the summer and loved. In Oct it was colder and past peak leaf there. 

I didn't see availability for this resort just now, but it might be worth considering. We also returned to Venice and Rome same trip, but in some ways the Merano week was my favorite, maybe because it was so unexpected.


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## silentg (Jan 2, 2017)

I'm surprised you let your son take Fitzpatrick's! That is our favorite timeshare! But as long as it stays in the family....
Silentg


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## beejaybeeohio (Jan 2, 2017)

Laurie said:


> How many travelers, and if 2, can you use a studio? I only mention because a few years ago I had an exchange into Venice, onto which I wanted to piggyback something for last week of October. On a lark, I booked a very cheap extra vaca, about the cost of the exchange fee, at one of the Mondi Ferienclub places, #1535, in (near) Merano, Italy - Alps but a sunny microclimate. It was peak leaf, sunny, warm, and spectacular - colorful leaves, golden vineyards. We met a German couple who vacations in the area every year the last week of October, and I could see why.
> 
> This place may only have studios. We drove over to the Dolomites area of the Italian Alps, where we'd been previously during the summer and loved. In Oct it was colder and past peak leaf there.
> 
> I didn't see availability for this resort just now, but it might be worth considering. We also returned to Venice and Rome same trip, but in some ways the Merano week was my favorite, maybe because it was so unexpected.



Hi Laurie-  We could take a studio at several resorts I am interested in, but am reluctant to do so since we like have separate sleeping/living rooms.  Plus we are using 39 tpu's to search with and the studios are running in the range of 12 or 13 for Germany, so we should have plenty for the size unit we want. So frustrating when nothing is coming through!

And to Geist- hate to rent when we should be able to exchange!! We have done so in Rome as well as the Pacific Northwest and NZ with great experiences.  



silentg said:


> I'm surprised you let your son take Fitzpatrick's! That is our favorite timeshare! But as long as it stays in the family....
> Silentg



He & his wife had been thinking about a timeshare purchase and when they stayed at FCHH in May, they fell in love with Ireland.  I'd been wanting to relinquish FCHH, since it's mf was higher than our PnP week and worth fewer tpu's.  They are happy & so are we.  With FCHH dual-affiliated, I am encouraging them to join II rather than RCI.


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## beejaybeeohio (Jan 2, 2017)

Laurie said:


> How many travelers, and if 2, can you use a studio? I only mention because a few years ago I had an exchange into Venice, onto which I wanted to piggyback something for last week of October. On a lark, I booked a very cheap extra vaca, about the cost of the exchange fee, at one of the Mondi Ferienclub places, #1535, in (near) Merano, Italy - Alps but a sunny microclimate. It was peak leaf, sunny, warm, and spectacular - colorful leaves, golden vineyards. We met a German couple who vacations in the area every year the last week of October, and I could see why.
> 
> This place may only have studios. We drove over to the Dolomites area of the Italian Alps, where we'd been previously during the summer and loved. In Oct it was colder and past peak leaf there.
> 
> I didn't see availability for this resort just now, but it might be worth considering. We also returned to Venice and Rome same trip, but in some ways the Merano week was my favorite, maybe because it was so unexpected.



Hi Laurie-  We could take a studio at several resorts I am interested in, but am reluctant to do so since we like have separate sleeping/living rooms.  Plus we are using 39 tpu's to search with and the studios are running in the range of 12 or 13 for Germany, so we should have plenty for the size unit we want. So frustrating when nothing is coming through!

And to Geist- hate to rent when we should be able to exchange!! We have done so in Rome as well as the Pacific Northwest and NZ with great experiences.  



silentg said:


> I'm surprised you let your son take Fitzpatrick's! That is our favorite timeshare! But as long as it stays in the family....
> Silentg



He & his wife had been thinking about a timeshare purchase and when they stayed at FCHH in May, they fell in love with Ireland.  I'd been wanting to relinquish FCHH, since it's mf was higher than our PnP week and worth fewer tpu's.  They are happy & so are we.  With FCHH dual-affiliated, I am encouraging them to join II rather than RCI.


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## silentg (Jan 2, 2017)

They will probably just keep going back to Ireland. We have been twice. This is our forth year of owning. Exchanged with another TUG member for Maui and this year trying to do the same. Going back in 2019.We don't have an exchange company with that week.
Silentg


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