# Why did you buy, and is it worth it?



## Kenchele

Now that we've rescinded the timeshare that we bought directly from the developer, we're looking here at gaining information and possibly purchasing on the resale market.

Would you mind sharing your opinions on why you bought the program that you have and whether you find it worth it (versus just vacationing and getting hotel rooms wherever)?  What do you find to be the benefits of owning interest in a timeshare? What are the benefits to the particular program in which you have your timeshare?

Thanks in advance for your opinions!


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## DeniseM

Here is a better way to go about this-

What to buy questions for new buyers:  http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208742


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## Kenchele

Oh. Sorry! More than wanting to know "what we should buy," I was wondering what people love about theirs or about vacation ownership in general.


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## Gophesjo

I hate hotel rooms now that I have spent years staying in timeshare units, because the timeshare units generally have all of the comforts of home.  I have had points memberships, but now have deeded fixed or floating weeks.  I have one deeded ownership that I visit every year, and three other deeded unit ownerships that I trade, using the independent exchange companies.  I have a Platinum RCI membership, and have been a member of II, but dislike both companies because of excessive costs.  If I had Marriott or Hilton tastes I might feel differently, but what I have to trade and what I can generally get for it through the exchange companies I trade with suit me just fine.  That said, I have offered one of my ownerships back to the developer through their take back program, and will replace that ownership with a points product if the deed back actually goes through.  

I bought my first timeshare through a developer about thirty years ago, and when I realized that it wasn't worth 10% of what I paid for it, I let it go back to the developer, and then took a hiatus from timesharing for about twenty years.  What I have had, and now have, ever since getting back into the market has been acquired on the resale markets.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely, except for that first purchase back in the day. 

One last thing, my favorite gift to give family and friends is exchange company deposit credits.


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## rhonda

Fun question! I look forward to reading the stories that are to come in response!

Our first timeshare purchase was in 2000, four years following our first-ever "timeshare tour."  We chose Worldmark the Club with the following dewey-eyed reasons:
Forced vacation time.  ("Gotta use it -- we've already paid for it!" ... every year.)
We live in prime Worldmark territory (Western States).  We liked having plenty of drive-to locations.
We liked the tagline of the flexible points system: "_any size unit, any season, any length-of-stay_"
We liked the promise: "_like new, every time_."  (Yes, we've found this largely true.)
We liked the idea of bonus-time (booking last-minute stays on cash rather than points).
Yes, Worldmark was an excellent choice for us!  In 16 years of ownership, we've had ~125 stays at 40+ Worldmark properties and many exchanges through RCI/II.  We studied all available resources (owner education workshops, printed guides, etc), learned the system well and make great use of our Worldmark.  

Key benefits of ownership and our usage pattern, looking back:
Kitchens!  We love cooking together on vacation.  We didn't have time to cook together at home -- but developed this as a hobby while on vacations.  _Yeah!_ for having fully equipped kitchens while on vacation!
Separate bedroom from living room.  Yeah!  The night owl can enjoy longer morning sleep while the early bird putters about in the kitchen/living room.
In-room laundry.  Yeah!  We can pack less and feel great.
Familiarity.  It is strangely comforting to know a place before you've ever been there.  We are _confident_ of the resort/unit quality, the unit amenities, etc.  This familiarity made it easy to book road-trips up/down the Pacific Coastline or across Western States ... hopping from one WM to the next.
LARGE units.  We really enjoy booking 3BR or 4BR units, or even multiple units, for large family gatherings.  Seriously: these gatherings would NOT happen if we had to use hotel rooms.  Timeshare gives us sufficient space and comfort for all to enjoy themselves.  We can be "together" and "apart" in just the right proportion.
Well, that is our first timeshare ... but each timeshare purchase had its own purpose, allure, justification.  I might jump back in on the conversation later with reasons behind our follow-on purchases.


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## sue1947

Timesharing saves me money as it costs me less in fees than it would cost for motel rooms.
I travel more because motel rooms get old really quickly; cooking in a hot pot on the bathroom counter and washing things out in a sink is only good for a couple of days.  Timeshares give me the option to really explore a location with a comfortable place to come home to at the end of the day.  A full kitchen, laundry and a living room to settle into instead of propped up on a bed.  

However, it isn't for everyone and that is where you need to take a closer look at the questions at Denise's link.  You need to be able to plan a year in advance, more if you want school holidays, and I think that is the part that does in most timeshare owners.  If you want a week on the beach for summer and you don't start thinking about it until April; then timeshares aren't for you.  The maintenance fees are forever, so thinking about what your life will be in the future when everybody, kids and adults, are older is important.  How easy is the timeshare to get rid of later or will it transition as you age?  Those questions really go to your specific situation and what works for me may not apply to you.

Sue


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## DeniseM

Kenchele said:


> Oh. Sorry! More than wanting to know "what we should buy," I was wondering what people love about theirs or about vacation ownership in general.



And you are welcome to ask it, but the problem is that it is an extremely broad question, and what is a great timeshare for one person, may be a horrible choice for you.

There is no universal consensus about what is the "best," timeshare because everyone's budget, taste, and travel preferences are so different.

We developed the questions, to focus on what would work the best for you.


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## bogey21

Gophesjo said:


> I bought my first timeshare through a developer about thirty years ago, and when I realized that it wasn't worth 10% of what I paid for it, I let it go back to the developer, and then took a hiatus from timesharing for about twenty years.  What I have had, and now have, ever since getting back into the market has been acquired on the resale markets.



Very similar to my story.  Originally bought from developer; became disenchanted; sold during time when selling was a viable option; bought 6 Fixed Week, Fixed Unit Weeks resale at HOA Independents at places I wanted to visit every year.  

My general parameters when I bought was a maximum $1,000 purchase price and MFs in the $500 range.  If I were to do it in today's market, I would set my maximum purchase price (including closing expenses) at $500 and raise my target for MFs to be less than $750.

Why this strategy?  Three reasons (1) less money at risk; (2) relatively low annual costs; and (3) little loss on disposition.

George


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## artringwald

Our story may be different from others, but we bought because we found a property we really liked.

In 2000, we were looking for a place to stay in Poipu for a group of 7. Two of the people would get migraines if it was too hot, so we had to find a place with AC. We discovered that not too many places in Poipu have AC, and the best deal for us was to rent two 2-bed timeshare units at the Point at Poipu. Back then rentals at P@P were easy to find. We really enjoyed the stay, but when we went back in 2004, most the rental agencies didn't book Poipu anymore. We finally found one, but before we attended our first presentation, we had decided to buy from the developer (before we found TUG). It must have been the easiest sale the guy ever made. A day later I stopped by the Timeshare Resale office in Koloa and was amazed how much less the resale units were going for, even though back then developer timeshares were cheaper, and resale units were more expensive. We followed the instructions and rescinded before we had left to go home. We got the call from the developer, they threw in more perks and incentives, and convinced us to buy from them. It was more expensive than resale, but we could immediately book next years trip, and they put our deeded week into their points base Club program which made it easy to book other resorts.

We never really regretted buying from the developer, but after discovering TUG, we purchased two additional weeks through resale at P@P. We've stayed there every year since, and have always been able to book 2-bed oceanfront units with fully equipped kitchens at a property we love. Plus we've been able to used the points to stay at a variety of other attractive destinations. There's no way we could have done what we wanted without the timeshare purchases.  

On the downside, we are now committed to a lifetime of ever increasing maintenance fees. Timeshares aren't easy to rent, and even harder to sell or give away. It works for us, but is certainly not recommend for everyone.


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## VegasBella

I started getting interested in timeshares because of the kitchens. I had been renting suites and condos and homes almost purely for a kitchen. There are a lot of reasons I like having a kitchen. 

For starters, *I am one of those people who wakes up hungry.* I like coffee right away and then a few minutes later I want breakfast. But I'm often awake earlier than the rest of the family AND I don't want to get dressed until AFTER I eat breakfast. So even when I stay in hotels I bring breakfast bars or bagels or fruit things that *I can eat first thing in the AM while still wearing my PJs.*

Then also, having spent my college years waiting tables, restaurants often don't appeal to me the way they might to others who have never done a service industry job. To me, they often take too long and I get frustrated with mistakes etc. Plus, I very often tip way more than is common (as a result of knowing what it's like to get stiffed etc) and so *dining out just costs me too much money and time* - I'd rather do other things. Example: I just spent 5 days in Laguna Beach and we went out to eat twice. Everything else was eaten in our room or was a packed lunch. And both those places we went out to did not have table service.

Then of course there are the issues of food preference and health. With our own kitchen we can eat exactly what we want, when we want, and how we want - we can stay healthier too.

OK so onto the specific timeshare purchases...

My family (mom, aunts) was selling the vacation home that I visited as a child and I started getting nostalgic. *I really wanted my son to have a similar experience of memories at a specific place* (rather than a new hotel each time). Additionally, I realized that many times we would plan a vacation only to cancel at the last minute - I knew this wouldn't happen as much with a timeshare since you either use it or lose it, you can't just cancel last minute as easily.* The "forced vacation" concept is not wise financially, but it can be very practical, particularly for those of us with (semi) workaholic spouses. *My previous minor interest in timeshares grew and I started doing more real research.

We decided we wanted to own at Carlsbad Inn and I did a lot of investigation. I was coming to the conclusion that what we wanted wasn't available at the price we wanted. So I started to settle and that's how I ended up with my first two ownerships: Riviera Beach and San Clemente Inn. 

I kind of set up some criteria for what I wanted: southern California, Summer, large rooms that sleep 4-6, resort has a pool, kitchens, walking distance to the beach. And then I easily found a handful that met my criteria on eBay for super duper cheap. We bought two. 

Then a miracle happened and the ownership we really really wanted was available: a Summer unit at Carlsbad Inn for sale at a reasonable price. We grabbed it and were over the moon. We absolutely LOVE that place. FYI, Carlsbad Inn is all fixed week fixed unit. And I think that's great!

The last one is a deal that's almost complete. For years I've been saying that wee should go to New Orleans every two years or so. But it doesn't seem to happen, things get in the way. Well, earlier this year we finally took our son to NOLA and we stayed at a friend's house. We had a good time but it would have been so much better if we had stayed in a hotel or timeshare. Our friend's house was not safe for kids (despite the friend claiming it was - he just doesn't understand kids) and the location was a pain in the butt during Mardi Gras (locked in "the box"). So we vowed that if we returned we would stay in a hotel. Then I saw a posting for a free fixed week ownership in NOLA during the week our family would most enjoy visiting posted here on TUG in the Bargain Deals forum. So we're in the process of getting that week too. 

To recap: *the ownerships we value the most are fixed week, fixed unit *in desirable places during desirable times. *We like timesharing for the kitchens, the "forced vacation", and the consistency for creating family memories.* We also appreciate a good value but to be honest if we didn't timeshare then we would just take fewer vacations and/or stay at places that weren't as nice. *We don't actually "save" any money by timesharing - we just get more for our money.*


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## rhonda

Returning to add our stories on timeshare purchases #2 and #3:

#2.  Purchased in 2001, a fixed summer week at a coastal resort.
Purchase reasons/justification:
High value trader in RCI. Depositing the high value summer week would allow me to perform online searches of RCI's inventory -- something I was not able to do using Worldmark's Confirm First exchange feature. 
Day Use of resort amenities.  As we lived nearby, we did visit often, at first, to use the pool, fitness center, sauna, hot tubs and various activities.
Got around 1-in-4 rules.  A good chunk of SoCal resorts are owned/managed by this property's developer. Inbound exchange guests are restricted to 1 exchange w/in the resort group every 4 years.  Owning w/in the resort group provided a workaround to the restriction.
EOY.  Buying an every-other-year interval was a perfect frequency complement to our existing Worldmark.
Was it worth it?  Yes, for the first several years.  More recently, changes in the systems (both the resort property's policies and RCI's exchange characteristics) have tarnished the gleam.  Long term, this purchase was a mistake.

#3. Purchased in 2002, a South Africa trader.
Purchase reasons/justification:
Cheap, resale purchase.
Low dues, partly due to US Dollar <> South African Rand value.
RCI Trade value far outpaced the annual costs.
Was it worth it?  YES.  Having a super cheap RCI trader was a BLAST.  We got about 6 trades total -- with some real "great trades" among them.  Over time, the resort itself fell victim to a South African developer "take-over."  Losing our favorite trader was emotionally ugly but not a financial threat.

Stories #4, #5 and #6 ... in future chapters.


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## VegasBella

DeniseM said:


> And you are welcome to ask it, but the problem is that it is an extremely broad question, and what is a great timeshare for one person, may be a horrible choice for you.



I think the OP just wanted to start a discussion. I don't think they're taking this thread as the end-all, be-all of their own TS purchase. It's a great topic for discussion and I hope others chime in on why they bought what they bought.

I, for one, have long thought the list of questions ought to begin with "Why do you want to buy?" Because the answer to that one question can help with a lot of the other issues. It's also a lot more interesting to read and chat about IMO  than many of the other questions.


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## Tahiya

*Saving money and staying in great places*

We originally got interested in timeshares after doing a promotional stay at Eagle Crest Resort in Oregon, where we live.  Most of the reasons given by other responders apply to us.  We like to travel, and would spend the money on rental homes if we didn't own timeshares.  We like having a separate sleeping area, a kitchen, laundry facilities, a pool, and the ability to invite friends and family to join us at no cost to them.  We like going different places, and don't want the hassle/expense of owning a vacation home.

By owning mid-range, but nice, timeshares such as Worldmark, and high season weeks in popular areas with little supply, we have been able to keep our average costs per night affordable (i.e. less than it would cost to rent a house or apartment.)  We have also exchanged into timeshares that we would not pay full freight to own or rent.  It may be worth noting that when we went to Europe, we didn't use timeshares, since Airbnb had better locations and reasonable prices.


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## Kenchele

rhonda said:


> Returning to add our stories on timeshare purchases #2 and #3:
> 
> #2.  Purchased in 2001, a fixed summer week at a coastal resort.
> Purchase reasons/justification:
> High value trader in RCI. Depositing the high value summer week would allow me to perform online searches of RCI's inventory -- something I was not able to do using Worldmark's Confirm First exchange feature.
> Day Use of resort amenities.  As we lived nearby, we did visit often, at first, to use the pool, fitness center, sauna, hot tubs and various activities.
> Got around 1-in-4 rules.  A good chunk of SoCal resorts are owned/managed by this property's developer. Inbound exchange guests are restricted to 1 exchange w/in the resort group every 4 years.  Owning w/in the resort group provided a workaround to the restriction.
> EOY.  Buying an every-other-year interval was a perfect frequency complement to our existing Worldmark.
> Was it worth it?  Yes, for the first several years.  More recently, changes in the systems (both the resort property's policies and RCI's exchange characteristics) have tarnished the gleam.  Long term, this purchase was a mistake.
> 
> #3. Purchased in 2002, a South Africa trader.
> Purchase reasons/justification:
> Cheap, resale purchase.
> Low dues, partly due to US Dollar <> South African Rand value.
> RCI Trade value far outpaced the annual costs.
> Was it worth it?  YES.  Having a super cheap RCI trader was a BLAST.  We got about 6 trades total -- with some real "great trades" among them.  Over time, the resort itself fell victim to a South African developer "take-over."  Losing our favorite trader was emotionally ugly but not a financial threat.
> 
> Stories #4, #5 and #6 ... in future chapters.



Rhonda, thanks! Keep em coming!


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## Kenchele

VegasBella said:


> I think the OP just wanted to start a discussion. I don't think they're taking this thread as the end-all, be-all of their own TS purchase. It's a great topic for discussion and I hope others chime in on why they bought what they bought.
> 
> I, for one, have long thought the list of questions ought to begin with "Why do you want to buy?" Because the answer to that one question can help with a lot of the other issues. It's also a lot more interesting to read and chat about IMO  than many of the other questions.



Yes, I'm finding the stories very interesting!


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## Kenchele

artringwald said:


> Our story may be different from others, but we bought because we found a property we really liked.
> 
> In 2000, we were looking for a place to stay in Poipu for a group of 7. Two of the people would get migraines if it was too hot, so we had to find a place with AC. We discovered that not too many places in Poipu have AC, and the best deal for us was to rent two 2-bed timeshare units at the Point at Poipu. Back then rentals at P@P were easy to find. We really enjoyed the stay, but when we went back in 2004, most the rental agencies didn't book Poipu anymore. We finally found one, but before we attended our first presentation, we had decided to buy from the developer (before we found TUG). It must have been the easiest sale the guy ever made. A day later I stopped by the Timeshare Resale office in Koloa and was amazed how much less the resale units were going for, even though back then developer timeshares were cheaper, and resale units were more expensive. We followed the instructions and rescinded before we had left to go home. We got the call from the developer, they threw in more perks and incentives, and convinced us to buy from them. It was more expensive than resale, but we could immediately book next years trip, and they put our deeded week into their points base Club program which made it easy to book other resorts.
> 
> We never really regretted buying from the developer, but after discovering TUG, we purchased two additional weeks through resale at P@P. We've stayed there every year since, and have always been able to book 2-bed oceanfront units with fully equipped kitchens at a property we love. Plus we've been able to used the points to stay at a variety of other attractive destinations. There's no way we could have done what we wanted without the timeshare purchases.
> 
> On the downside, we are now committed to a lifetime of ever increasing maintenance fees. Timeshares aren't easy to rent, and even harder to sell or give away. It works for us, but is certainly not recommend for everyone.



I enjoyed reading your different perspective. Thanks for sharing!


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## Finntastic

I bought  Marriott from developer (1500 points) in moment of weakness. That being said I do feel it has opened a whole new world of vacationing to me!  We have used it twice since buying and have brought family with us each time  Love the space and full kitchens. More then anything I do love the amenities.  We only can do I week a yr at present so I love getting a beautiful resort for that week. It is an escape from reality for me. I am at my cottage while writing this, and while we are in a beautiful area with clean, fresh water and sand beach we spend half our "vacation" repairing and maintaining.  Time sharing is more vacationey. Last time we booked a room with our 3 kids(20,17,10) I was at the front desk booking second room within a half hour!


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## LurkerBee

Here is a funny story of how my father got into timesharing - my uncle was working in sales at a timeshare near my grandparents house.  My grandmother bought a week for my father. Why? Because my mother hated to come visit and didn't want to stay in my grandparents house.  So the timeshare was the gift that kept giving - my parents would have to come spend a week there every year.:hysterical: 30-ish years later, my father still owns that week.  My parents are divorced, my grandparents have passed, but my dad and my step mother go every year.  They have never traded it, wouldn't even know how. But they go every year without fail.

As for me - I'm still getting my feet wet in owning.  However, we have stayed in timeshares many times.  I use to book through getravelop.com, which is now herosvacationclub.  Over the years, it seems like selection has gotten worse, or I have gotten pickier.  So I'm looking into purchasing now.  My goal is for the timeshare week to take care of our "must be somewhere warm and sunny for the winter solstice" need.  We generally rent timeshares or condos because my husband is an earlier riser - he is up between 4 and 5 and wants his coffee ASAP. I like to be left alone in a quiet room until about 9.  Can't do that in a hotel.  Like someone above said - making coffee in your PJs while the spouse et al sleep in is priceless!


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## missyrcrews

*One small resort for us*

My parents have owned timeshare since 1991.  I knew that I did NOT want floating weeks like they had....too much work!  But I liked the timeshare concept.  At first, we traveled on guest certificates from them.  And then we bought at ONE independent resort at a place we wanted to return every year.  In 2001, we paid $1200 for a week that often falls during our spring break.  We used that for several years, trading when the week/break didn't line up.  Once I felt fairly RCI savvy, we did some Last Call and Extra Vacation weeks.  These were great....we have 4 children, and the savings over 2 hotel rooms/restaurant meals was significant.  We were hooked!

We added a summer week at the same resort in 2012.  Best decision ever!  We love having the same unit/same week every year....we don't ever plan to trade that one.  We paid more (around $5000, if memory serves)....but it was money well spent in terms of quality of vacation...it's a large sleeps 8 unit, and then kids love to go to this resort in the summertime.

Then I won a week at a giveaway at the resort.  It's in late October, so we've never used it...always trade.  It trades well enough to give us an early summer week somewhere in New England most years.  

And finally, I bought a week from Sumday last spring.  It cost $29.99, and usually falls between Christmas and New Years.  The weeks this doesn't fall correctly, we'll either just go for part of the week, or trade for February break.  

Again, all of these are at the same resort.  My family enjoys visiting the same region every year....my kids are creatures of habit!  We are not Disney fans...my strategy would have been different if I was trying to trade into those kinds of spots.  

Good luck as you research!


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## presley

After a few years of buying, trying and selling timeshares, I finally figured out exactly what I want. While I do enjoy my timeshare stays, I also enjoy cruising, staying in nice hotels and camping. Timeshares got us started on taking regular vacations. Now that the habit is set, I don't need them as much.

We recently stayed in our favorite home resort, Carlsbad Seapointe Resort. We love that place. For us, it is like owning a condo at the beach without any of the hassle. I was walking along the beach and thinking about how much I enjoy that timeshare. I actually wished I owned a summer fixed week (I own a spring week and traded for this stay) there and not any other timeshares. I would love to stay there every year and only trade out once in a while. In many ways, that resort is the destination. It's across the street from the beach, has excellent ocean views on the balcony (unless you end up with one of the bottom floor units) and is overall laid back. 

I'm in a weird situation where I have to keep my Marbrisa in order to keep my Seapointe in HGVC. I don't like Marbrisa, but I still use the HGVC for other places. Last night, my husband and I were talking about our timeshares (he was asking me if we could stay at Seapointe for a week every summer or if I could buy a week like that and get rid of everything else) and I basically decided that if I ever go a couple years without needing to use HGVC, I'll go ahead and drop Marbrisa and keep Seapointe as just a plain fixed week.

Originally, I got into timesharing because it forced us to take vacations. Now that we do take vacations, I don't really need to own timeshares, although, it is still nice, especially when I have a condo across the street from the beach.


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## rhonda

missyrcrews' story is a perfect launch into the story of our 4th timeshare purchase: _for the love of a single, independent resort._

#4:  Sometime prior to late 2002, our WM switched exchange affiliation from RCI to II.  We signed up for both and I found a local resort, through the II catalog, that I simply had to visit.  It called to me: a ranch resort with ~2500 acres, horses, hot springs, history, and more.  Attempts to exchange in against WM failed, possibly due to "quality filters" protecting the WM owner from exchanging into a perceived dump. ;-)  The resort I was trying to visit was, ummmm,  "_rustic_." 

We thought to book the resort directly for an upcoming milestone birthday (mine) and drove 1.5 hours up from the San Diego coastal region into the hills.  The security guards at the gate refused us entry, "Owners ONLY" and we turned back to try the reception desk.  Refused again, we tried the sales office, thinking, "We'll take a TOUR and ask to purchase a trial weekend through them?"  SHOCK:  The sales fellow wouldn't tour us.  After a brief chat he straightened his shoulders and ended the conversation with, "You wouldn't like it here."  What?  This property is all I've been dreaming about for months!  I _know_ I'd love it here.  I guess we just aren't the "right KIND of people?"  Who does that these days?  

We went to Paris for my birthday weekend.

On return, I began scouting for a resale at the resort and researching all I could find on how their ownership model worked.  I decided that I strongly wanted an "Every ODD month" ownership -- but finally found an "Every EVEN month" instead on eBay.  I bought that gem for $1 plus my closing costs.  By August 2003, I returned to the property as an OWNER and entered the gate for the _very first time_.  Years later we found the Odd month membership and added that, too, giving us year-round access.  Whoo-hoo!

So why did I love that property?  Let's say it was a unique model of "country club meets timeshare."  It was sold as timeshare (deeded property) but run like a country club with an unmatched set of resort amenities. Owners had access, in their ownership months (odd/even), to _everything_:
HORSES!!  One could join a guided trail ride ... or complete the ranch's "Independent Rider" training and exam.  As Independent Riders, we could "check out" ranch horses as if we were wranglers: fetch'em yourself from the paddock, clean and tack them, ride out ... return ... and put them away.  No more "nose to tail trail rides."  The ranch offered such beautiful spaces to explore on horseback.  This was my #1 draw, my path back to horses and horsemanship w/out having to own the horses directly.  Of course, the ranch was happy to board an owner's horse at a really great price (far, far, far below similar boarding facilities) which I later enjoyed as I purchased my favorite ranch horse and later added a 2nd horse to our lives. 
Hot Springs!  Historic, natural (no chemicals added) and simply marvelous!  A great hangout after horseback riding!
Tennis courts.
Golf Course and driving range.
Private airport for owners and glider rides.
Historic cantina and restaurant.
Charming cottages from the 1880's and, more recently added units from 1980's.  We preferred staying in the older units when traveling _alone_ but the newer units when traveling with friends and family.  The units were simply adorable with thick stucco and wooden beam contruction, huge stone fireplaces, etc. 
Miles and miles of trails to explore -- by foot, by bicycle or by horse.
FRIENDS!  This is where the Country Club aspect kicked in -- I formed great friendships at the barn, others formed great friendships at the golf course.  Any time you showed up you were certain to run into at least a few familiar faces.  You might not have recognized everyone at the pool -- but you were certain to know the people at your favorite venue: barn, air strip, golf course, tennis courts, etc.
Was it worth it / Did I love it?  Absolutely!  We gathered the entire family there, booking up to 5 units at a time, to celebrate just about everything: Holidays, birthdays, milestones.  No other "timeshare" compared.  It wasn't just a place to visit -- it was "coming HOME."  It was, for me, CAMELOT.  It changed my life.

_It changed my life?_  Yes!  Like many other owners, we purchased a second home in the area.  I'm now here full-time, with the horses, some chickens, a garden, etc.  While the resort itself closed down in 2012, I'm still living in the "glow": I have dear friendships from the ranch; I have the horses and a possibly budding career related to them; I am living my dream.

So WM, our first timeshare, introduced me to the Ranch through the II catalog.  And the rest is history.  My history, a love story.


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## WinniWoman

First off, we are weeks owners so our view is somewhat different than someone in a points system. We like the simplicity of weeks. We just show up at the resort during our weeks. No having to reserve them a year ahead of time or anything like that.

We were introduced to timesharing by my parents who owned at a timeshare on the Connecticut shoreline - 2 fixed summer weeks 30 and 31. We spent lots of summers there with them and our son had wonderful memories of it. My mom purchased it from the developer with a small inheritance from her mom,. My mom always wanted a cottage on the ocean but never could afford it, so this was the next best thing. She loved it so much! Once she gave us a week to exchange for St. Lucia and another time she exchanged into Florida for a Disney trip for all of us. But those were the only times she exchanged it.

We vacationed twice at the resort (Smugglers Notch) we finally bought at in 1999. Our son was young and we loved the family catering atmosphere and we loved the state of Vermont in general. The children and adult programs are unmatched anywhere and that was a big factor in our decision, especially with an only child. It is a 6 hour drive from our home- so no airfare to deal with. It was a brand new community they were building there and we were able to pick the unit/view we wanted. Yes- we bought from the developer, but because we were young (I was 43) even with the high purchase price and including the maintenance fees it actually paid for itself and then some all these years. And- even though our son is 28 now, we all still go year after year to our home resort- our son visits with us for a few days. We all still love it! It is like having a second home for us since we can't afford a second home- and to be honest- it is great not having to take care of and having the expenses of a second home anyway! The added bonus is we can exchange if we want to.

Our friends had also purchased at the resort (however an every other year usage) so that factored into our decision as well. When we bought, we bought the same fixed summer week as they did. This week (prime summer week 30) and the unit we have has a high trading value supposedly, though we never trade it. We no longer belong to RCI because we don't exchange a lot anymore, but if we do we use some of the small independent exchange companies like DAE and Trading Places.

The purchase also came with a floater week- an off-season week- attached to the fixed summer week we own. In other words if we wanted a summer week every year we had to also take a floater week and pay maintenance on that as well. This worked out great in our situation though it wasn't obvious at first. We got to use our fixed summer week every year and because our son was in school during the floaters it forced us to exchange and we traveled all over the country on that week- usually in summer as well- or during spring break. We went to places like Hawaii, Arizona, Maine, Virginia, Florida, etc. 

Now that we are older and our son is grown, we actually like using the floater at our home resort as well. Usually it is in the fall and sometimes- like this past June- it is in spring- beautiful those times of year in New England.

As for our other resort (Pollard Brook)- well- that we just acquired as a freebie last year- that week falls directly after our Vermont week (same check in/check out day- Sunday)and is a 2 hour drive from there- so we check out of Vermont and then check-into New Hampshire. We also had rented at this resort a few times from a private points owner before our ownership. It has the added bonus of being just 25 minutes from where our son lives. It is also in a state (NH) where we are considering retiring to so we intend to do a lot of exploration in that regard as well.

As for owning vs. renting a hotel room- well- we just love having a condo- 2 bedrooms- 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and living room, a balcony, etc. We have lovely views. It is so comfortable and we can spread out and we can have friends visit with us. Having that kitchen helps save a ton of money on meals and is also very convenient. For example, we mostly like having breakfast in before we get going for the day.  Having just spent a few days at a hotel I can say that meals out were the most expensive part of the whole trip! And- having laundry appliances in the unit and in the building in the case of our NH timeshare is great- less packing of clothes- really great.

We love going to a place we are familiar with and we enjoy immensely and is easy to get to and now when we want to go on additional trips we rent from other owners for the most part instead of exchanging. We usually do our 3 weeks of timeshares and then rent to go somewhere else another week and /or for the XMAS holiday. We have rented timeshares in Yellowstone and Scotland, among other places.

Having a timeshare forces us to vacation every year. It is already paid for. If we didn't own one I think there would be many years that we maybe would have said we can't afford it or shouldn't spend the money. This way, it is in our budget and pretty much already pre planned.


----------



## WinniWoman

VegasBella said:


> "I started getting interested in timeshares because of the kitchens. I had been renting suites and condos and homes almost purely for a kitchen. There are a lot of reasons I like having a kitchen.
> 
> For starters, *I am one of those people who wakes up hungry.* I like coffee right away and then a few minutes later I want breakfast. But I'm often awake earlier than the rest of the family AND I don't want to get dressed until AFTER I eat breakfast. So even when I stay in hotels I bring breakfast bars or bagels or fruit things that *I can eat first thing in the AM while still wearing my PJs.*
> 
> Then also, having spent my college years waiting tables, restaurants often don't appeal to me the way they might to others who have never done a service industry job. To me, they often take too long and I get frustrated with mistakes etc. Plus, I very often tip way more than is common (as a result of knowing what it's like to get stiffed etc) and so *dining out just costs me too much money and time* - I'd rather do other things. Example: I just spent 5 days in Laguna Beach and we went out to eat twice. Everything else was eaten in our room or was a packed lunch. And both those places we went out to did not have table service.
> 
> Then of course there are the issues of food preference and health. With our own kitchen we can eat exactly what we want, when we want, and how we want - we can stay healthier too."
> 
> 
> I can relate- to the food/kitchen/eating out comments.When I am on vacation unwinding from my hell- hole job schedule I like to be in my pj's having my tea- and a second cup also-and having my breakfast while sitting out on our balcony and staring at the view.
> 
> Also- when we exchanged into Hawaii once for over 21 days (2 islands)- do you know we only ate out once- at a Luau? This really helped keep the costs of the trip down.


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## missyrcrews

*YES!!!!*



mpumilia said:


> VegasBella said:
> 
> 
> 
> "I started getting interested in timeshares because of the kitchens. I had been renting suites and condos and homes almost purely for a kitchen. There are a lot of reasons I like having a kitchen.
> 
> For starters, *I am one of those people who wakes up hungry.* I like coffee right away and then a few minutes later I want breakfast. But I'm often awake earlier than the rest of the family AND I don't want to get dressed until AFTER I eat breakfast. So even when I stay in hotels I bring breakfast bars or bagels or fruit things that *I can eat first thing in the AM while still wearing my PJs.*
> 
> Then also, having spent my college years waiting tables, restaurants often don't appeal to me the way they might to others who have never done a service industry job. To me, they often take too long and I get frustrated with mistakes etc. Plus, I very often tip way more than is common (as a result of knowing what it's like to get stiffed etc) and so *dining out just costs me too much money and time* - I'd rather do other things. Example: I just spent 5 days in Laguna Beach and we went out to eat twice. Everything else was eaten in our room or was a packed lunch. And both those places we went out to did not have table service.
> 
> Then of course there are the issues of food preference and health. With our own kitchen we can eat exactly what we want, when we want, and how we want - we can stay healthier too."
> 
> 
> I can relate- to the food/kitchen/eating out comments.When I am on vacation unwinding from my hell- hole job schedule I like to be in my pj's having my tea- and a second cup also-and having my breakfast while sitting out on our balcony and staring at the view.
> 
> Also- when we exchanged into Hawaii once for over 21 days (2 islands)- do you know we only ate out once- at a Luau? This really helped keep the costs of the trip down.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had to come second (or maybe it's a third by now!) this view.  With 4 kids and two adults, meals would be SO expensive for a week.  And I do not find eating in a restaurant to be the same relaxing experience as it used to be when my husband and I could go ALONE!    I don't make gourmet meals on vacation (the kids wouldn't eat those anyway) but still, we eat well, and save a ton of money.
> 
> I had to stay in a hotel in May when I took my daughter to a regional gymnastics competition.  ONE NIGHT cost about 1/3 of my maintenance fee for a week, and it was decidedly not a fancy place.  Yep...I'm spoiled by timesharing.
Click to expand...


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## linpat

My first brush with timesharing was at Wyndham, then Fairfield Bay in central Arkansas. It was fixed week only and I persuaded my husband to pass on it since he was reluctant to take vacation due to family pressure.

Time passed, daughter and I moved, husband was now ex-, and Wyndham had gone to the points system. My first timeshare (mid 1990s)was developer points because I didn't know any better, and because TUG and the resale market had not come into their own. The other 3 have been resale - thank you TUG.

TS let me meet my daughter for 3 weeks in Europe and the UK during her Study Abroad year, and at the RCI exchange cost only. We've enjoyed traveling to the Rockies, to the Northeast, Alexandria, and Williamsburg among others.  The freedom to have separate bedrooms and bathrooms along with a full kitchen gave us the options to eat in or go out - something a hotel room does not allow. I am fortunate that my job that includes around 6 weeks of vacation per year and timeshares are a huge incentive to use those days and not let them go to waste.

While the daughter is off starting her own life and career we do plan timeshare meet-ups for the future.  She's already put in dibs for the timeshares when I no longer want them or am able to travel easily.


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## Kenchele

So many perspectives and great stories.  Thanks!  I am also an early riser and would love to get breakfast started before everyone is up.  Also, having the washer/dryer so less packing is key!


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## ronparise

DeniseM said:


> And you are welcome to ask it, but the problem is that it is an extremely broad question, and what is a great timeshare for one person, may be a horrible choice for you.
> 
> There is no universal consensus about what is the "best," timeshare because everyone's budget, taste, and travel preferences are so different.
> 
> We developed the questions, to focus on what would work the best for you.



Denise

I agree the question "what is the best" is an impossible question to answer, because "best" implies just one.  and each of us have different criteria and circumstances.. I cant even tell you whats best for me (lots are good, nothing is the single "best"

But the OP didnt ask whats best, or great or for a consensus.  The op asked "What did you buy and is it worth it"

This is a fun question, just asking for the experiences of the group. The answers are for me mind blowing  or at least mind opening,  causing me to consider a whole range of possibilities other than the narrow little box Ive put myself. Thanks to the OP for asking


----------



## taterhed

We bought into Marriott (2 units, Kauai and Orlando) for one simple reason:  we love to travel and we like upscale and consistent quality accommodations.

We got tired of searching for the perfect hotel or resort, hoping it would have enough room and amenities to meet our needs/expectations and searching thru 1000's of rental/VRBO/Resort ads etc. 

Marriott has tons of great destinations, affiliation with II (the best exchanges) and provides a great trading platform.  You always know what to expect.

Like others above, we love our coffee, our cocktails and our 'gourmet' food--all made by us, in our room (on the grill etc...) and served when and how we want it.  We travel for business, and get tired of expensive meals, expensive drinks and lousy coffee.  When we go out, we like to pick and choose and go when and where we want--not because we have-to or need-to (no kitchen).  

When we travel we like having friends come along too.  Asking your friends to come join you (just buy a $1500 hotel room) isn't a good solution in rentals (timeshare rentals excepted).  Booking a 2br or another unit for friends/family is easy and doable.  After being on TUG for a while, renting seems like an equally easy  task--just a bit more expensive for some locales (HI).

Sometimes I feel like making a reservation.  Period.  Other times, I feel like turning my 3br MGR into 2 weeks in Hawaii.  This provides me with the 'thrill of the chase' but also lets me maximize my vacation dollars.  Same for Worldmark:  how can I make my lowly WM points become a 4 star week in Kauai?  Easy.  Interval International.  Yes, it costs money, but no-where near the cost of a rental week.  Not for everyone.

Finally, others above have hit it on the head:  have $$$$ in your pocket does not necessarily make you take family vacations.  Ask me how I know.  Having timeshare weeks/points DOES make you take vacations--or at least realize what you are giving up when you can't use them.  Being forced to plan vacations and time-off is the best thing that ever happened to me.  So sad it didn't happen 10 years earlier.  I lost a good bit of family time to work and piddling around the house on vacation.  YMMV, but I feel strongly about this.  Teach your family (or relatives) to take vacations, build strong annual memories of vacation/together time and hopefully it will stick with them and their families too.  Sorry, soapbox time.

Rent and see yourself.  If it clicks--buy the one that feels right.


----------



## silentg

Kenchele said:


> Now that we've rescinded the timeshare that we bought directly from the developer, we're looking here at gaining information and possibly purchasing on the resale market.
> 
> Would you mind sharing your opinions on why you bought the program that you have and whether you find it worth it (versus just vacationing and getting hotel rooms wherever)?  What do you find to be the benefits of owning interest in a timeshare? What are the benefits to the particular program in which you have your timeshare?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your opinions!



Ok, since you asked I will share our timeshare history with you. My family used to rent cottages when I was growing up in Massachusetts . We would go each summer with other relatives who also rented cottages, was fun. We would go  one or two weeks each summer. Lots of fun. As the cousins grew they rented cottages and I was invited to spend weekends. I loved summer on Cape Cod and New Hampshire. I met my husband who hardly ever took vacations, we started taking vacations together, I would plan and he went along. After we were married I saw an ad for a timeshare weekend in Vermont only 9 dollars! Was on a whim we said lets go look we had an 15 month old and a few days away sounded good, especially since my husband worked a lot. So we drove up to Vermont to a very rural place. Seasons at Sugarbush, I was not impressed  was a long ride, baby was restless we made several stops etc. To my amazement my DH was enthused with the whole thing. We would be able to vacation each year, this was the selling point to me, he would have to take a week off each year for a vacation. Anyway we got a right to use lease for 30 years and it was 4 th of July week. We had no money which is why I thought it was a bad deal. But I asked my parents for a loan and we paid in installments. Everyone was paid in 6 months. Then the following year we stayed at our new timeshare and it was great. There were a few years that we exchanged thru II and we had another baby so our little one bedroom was exchanged for 2 bedrooms. It was a prime red week 4th of July or week 27. I was the planner still am for vacations.  I found TUG in the early 90's and enjoyed sharing stories and info on timeshares. They got me interested in South Africa timeshare called Dikhololo. We bought a dirt cheap red week and used it for trades thru RCI. I have retired the kids are grown and on their own, DH is still working but gets vacation time, so we travel more and we have acquired more timeshare weeks. The best advice I can share is buy where you want to stay. We no longer have the Vermont week, or Dikhololo, but the timeshares we own have small maintenence except for HIVC we use that week with IHG to take bonus nights at hotels. Sorry I am going on too long. PM me or maybe I should write a blog?
Silentg


----------



## Kenchele

silentg said:


> Ok, since you asked I will share our timeshare history with you. My family used to rent cottages when I was growing up in Massachusetts . We would go each summer with other relatives who also rented cottages, was fun. We would go  one or two weeks each summer. Lots of fun. As the cousins grew they rented cottages and I was invited to spend weekends. I loved summer on Cape Cod and New Hampshire. I met my husband who hardly ever took vacations, we started taking vacations together, I would plan and he went along. After we were married I saw an ad for a timeshare weekend in Vermont only 9 dollars! Was on a whim we said lets go look we had an 15 month old and a few days away sounded good, especially since my husband worked a lot. So we drove up to Vermont to a very rural place. Seasons at Sugarbush, I was not impressed  was a long ride, baby was restless we made several stops etc. To my amazement my DH was enthused with the whole thing. We would be able to vacation each year, this was the selling point to me, he would have to take a week off each year for a vacation. Anyway we got a right to use lease for 30 years and it was 4 th of July week. We had no money which is why I thought it was a bad deal. But I asked my parents for a loan and we paid in installments. Everyone was paid in 6 months. Then the following year we stayed at our new timeshare and it was great. There were a few years that we exchanged thru II and we had another baby so our little one bedroom was exchanged for 2 bedrooms. It was a prime red week 4th of July or week 27. I was the planner still am for vacations.  I found TUG in the early 90's and enjoyed sharing stories and info on timeshares. They got me interested in South Africa timeshare called Dikhololo. We bought a dirt cheap red week and used it for trades thru RCI. I have retired the kids are grown and on their own, DH is still working but gets vacation time, so we travel more and we have acquired more timeshare weeks. The best advice I can share is buy where you want to stay. We no longer have the Vermont week, or Dikhololo, but the timeshares we own have small maintenence except for HIVC we use that week with IHG to take bonus nights at hotels. Sorry I am going on too long. PM me or maybe I should write a blog?
> Silentg



For me, it's not too long at all! I love getting the information.  Just like Rhonda posted several to share her experiences in various timeshares, it's great to hear your experience.  It's awesome that your husband got the vacation bug after you guys started timesharing and sounds like you have made some great memories together.


----------



## Kenchele

taterhed said:


> We bought into Marriott (2 units, Kauai and Orlando) for one simple reason:  we love to travel and we like upscale and consistent quality accommodations.
> 
> We got tired of searching for the perfect hotel or resort, hoping it would have enough room and amenities to meet our needs/expectations and searching thru 1000's of rental/VRBO/Resort ads etc.
> 
> Marriott has tons of great destinations, affiliation with II (the best exchanges) and provides a great trading platform.  You always know what to expect.
> 
> Like others above, we love our coffee, our cocktails and our 'gourmet' food--all made by us, in our room (on the grill etc...) and served when and how we want it.  We travel for business, and get tired of expensive meals, expensive drinks and lousy coffee.  When we go out, we like to pick and choose and go when and where we want--not because we have-to or need-to (no kitchen).
> 
> When we travel we like having friends come along too.  Asking your friends to come join you (just buy a $1500 hotel room) isn't a good solution in rentals (timeshare rentals excepted).  Booking a 2br or another unit for friends/family is easy and doable.  After being on TUG for a while, renting seems like an equally easy  task--just a bit more expensive for some locales (HI).
> 
> Sometimes I feel like making a reservation.  Period.  Other times, I feel like turning my 3br MGR into 2 weeks in Hawaii.  This provides me with the 'thrill of the chase' but also lets me maximize my vacation dollars.  Same for Worldmark:  how can I make my lowly WM points become a 4 star week in Kauai?  Easy.  Interval International.  Yes, it costs money, but no-where near the cost of a rental week.  Not for everyone.
> 
> Finally, others above have hit it on the head:  have $$$$ in your pocket does not necessarily make you take family vacations.  Ask me how I know.  Having timeshare weeks/points DOES make you take vacations--or at least realize what you are giving up when you can't use them.  Being forced to plan vacations and time-off is the best thing that ever happened to me.  So sad it didn't happen 10 years earlier.  I lost a good bit of family time to work and piddling around the house on vacation.  YMMV, but I feel strongly about this.  Teach your family (or relatives) to take vacations, build strong annual memories of vacation/together time and hopefully it will stick with them and their families too.  Sorry, soapbox time.
> 
> Rent and see yourself.  If it clicks--buy the one that feels right.



That last paragraph... "have $$$$ in your posket does not necessarily make you take family vacations."  Great note.  Yep, I know that there will always be other uses for the $$$ but we have to determine what's really important.  We have had a few family vacations that really bring our blended family together.  I wish we had started sooner too. But I think we still have some time to enjoy!


----------



## Kenchele

ronparise said:


> Denise
> 
> I agree the question "what is the best" is an impossible question to answer, because "best" implies just one.  and each of us have different criteria and circumstances.. I cant even tell you whats best for me (lots are good, nothing is the single "best"
> 
> But the OP didnt ask whats best, or great or for a consensus.  The op asked "What did you buy and is it worth it"
> 
> This is a fun question, just asking for the experiences of the group. The answers are for me mind blowing  or at least mind opening,  causing me to consider a whole range of possibilities other than the narrow little box Ive put myself. Thanks to the OP for asking



Glad you're enjoying the discussion and that it's helpful to both experienced TUGGERS and a newbie like me.  I think that what I'm also learning is that people buy their first timeshare and then continue to learn and maybe do something different next time around.  We keep thinking about how the big benefit is in getting something that we can enjoy and really USING it.  

The discussions about fixed weeks are eye-opening to me because I think that we were (and still are, actually) leaning towards points because I like the idea of going to different places.  In my younger days, accommodations mattered less but I REALLY like the relaxation offered at the timeshare resorts.  I also like that there are activities.  

Thanks and please keep the stories coming!


----------



## AwayWeGo

*We Used To Know Everything About Timeshares.  Now We Know Practically Nothing.*




Kenchele said:


> Why did you buy, and is it worth it?


Those questions & this discussion topic are making me think I should dig out an old piece I wrote back when I thought I knew a thing or 2 about timeshares -- that is, when I thought I knew lots & figured I had virtually mastered the system.  

Much has changed since then -- some of it in the system itself, some in me & The Chief Of Staff & in our ideas about timeshares & timeshare vacationing. 

Rather than rewrite the original story, I'll do the short version before adding more recent reflections. 

We learned by doing, not by studying the situation before deciding.  It started with a bunch of promotional timeshare tours in 2002.  We had a nice time in Orlando & Ft. Lauderdale & Las Vegas, but we did not buy any timeshares because the prices were too high & also because we don't like high-pressure sales pitches.  But we liked what we saw at the resorts, specially Vacation Village At Parkway, scene of our Orlando-Kissimmee timeshare tour. 

Driving away after the Vacation Village At Parkway sales pitch, we spied a highway billboard that said *. . .* 

_*TIMESHARES
BUY RESALE
SAVE THOUSANDS*_​
*. . .* & the rest is history.  When we got home, we called the number on the billboard & came _this close_ to buying, sight unseen, a 2BR fixed week at Isle Of Bali (later renamed Ron Jon & now known as Liki Tiki). I forget the details, but before that deal went through we discovered TUG & made internet contact with John Chase, HOA-BOD president at Cypress Pointe Resort (Orlando).  Through him we bought (sight unseen) a 3BR floating prime-season week at Cypress Pointe for about $3*,*000 less than the resale price for Isle Of Bali. That got us started, not only on having fun with timeshares but also on a friendship with John Chase that developed & grew for the rest of his life.  (He passed away in April 2014.  He is remembered with fondness & respect, & he is greatly missed not only by us but by a solid segment of TUG-BBS, where he was a frequent & valued participant. May he rest in peace.)

Very soon we took our 1st Cypress Pointe vacation, & were _wowed_ by how nice the place turned out to be -- better than expected in all respects.  Naively, we signed up for the Owner Update.  We we owners, so why not?  Little did we know at the time that Owner Update is secret code for High Pressure Sales Pitch.  (Live & learn.)  

At the update, we were shown Phase II right across the street -- & were _wowed_ even more by the added size & features.  When we got home, we sniped in a winning bid on eBay for a Phase II unit comparable to the Phase I unit we already owned -- comparable except $1*,*750 or so cheaper!  Then we resold our Phase I unit for the amount we paid for it. 

Later, we bought back into Phase I when somebody on the internet offered, for $500, a biennial copy of what we previously owned.  The offer included that's year's paid-for use of the unit, so we grabbed it.  We owned on both sides of the street & our empire was growing. 

By then we were into TUG & TUG-BBS & started picking up hints & suggestions, including the _Tiger Trading Power_ of timeshares in South Africa.  So we bought 1 of those.  It came with 5 years of paid-up RCI membership, & we started getting exchange reservations at nice USA timeshares right away. 

Instead of using our outstanding Phase II timeshare in Orlando, we rented it out for enough to pay maintenance fees with enough left over for RCI _Last Call_ & _Instant Exchange_ reservations for our own off-season vacations -- practically vacationing free. 

We found out about RCI points & scoured eBay for a low-points & low-cost points timeshare just as a toe-hold into the points system.  We soon found 1, bought it, & the rest of that is also history. 

For the next few years, we thought we were timeshare masters -- buying low, renting high, & enjoying luxury vacation accommodations at Motel 6 & Super 8 rates (or less).  

But things change.  Maintenance fees at our points timeshare escalated way out of proportion so that our deed became a negative value.  Fortunately the resort agreed to take our unit back via quitclaim deed, so we quickly became ex-owners & that was that.  We got a replacement points unit (eBay) & kept on getting bargain _Last Call_ & _Instant Exchange_ reservations.  (As it happened, our eBay replacement points unit was at Vacation Village At Parkway -- the very spot where we caught the timeshare bug in the 1st place.  We had stayed there a few times via Last Call, etc., & at last we were owners -- but for _w-a-a-a-a-y_ less than the high-pressure timeshare sellers wanted back in 2002.)

More things changed.  It got harder to find renters for our outstanding Phase I & Phase II units at Cypress Pointe, & the margin shrank between what we paid in maintenance fees & what we collected in rent.  Instead of waiting for the whole thing to turn into a losing proposition, we decided to downsize.  We gave Phase II to a fellow TUG member, who got lots of TPUs out of it.  We abandoned our South Africa resort when it quit being a timeshare -- we could no longer use it for RCI exchanges so we totally let it go with no correspondence, no more payments, no nothing.  (If there are repercussions from doing so, we have not yet found out about it.)  

John Chase's death in 2014 coincided, randomly or not, with a move by the timeshare company of record to exert more control at Cypress Pointe, to the extent of getting a court ruling that it could vote in HOA-BOD elections using company-owned units despite its predecessor company's binding agreement not to vote.  With that ruling in hand, the timeshare company voted its candidates in & the independent directors out -- the end of an era.  The Chief Of Staff & I faced the music & deeded back our prime-season Phase I biennial unit to the timeshare company.  As a non-owner, I could no longer serve on the Phase I owner advisory committee, to which board president John Chase got me appointed just a couple of years before.  So our separation from Cypress Pointe is complete except for the memories. 

We sold our Vacation Village At Parkway triennial 2BR points unit & replaced it with a Grandview At Las Vegas triennial 1BR points unit -- i.e., went for roughly half the points at roughly half the annual cost.  And today that triennial Grandview points unit is all the timeshare we have left.  If someday we decide we need more, there's always eBay & the _Bargain Giveaways_ section of TUG-BBS.  

Was -- is -- it worth it?  Are there lessons to be learned from our story that might benefit others?   Maybe.

Number One is Buy Timeshares Resale.  Get the same thing as full-freight, or the equivalent, or something even better, for pennies on the full-freight dollar.  Full retail prices for timeshares are grossly inflated for a product whose open-market value is nowhere close to what the timeshare companies charge.  Many timeshares have a true open market value close to zero, yet the timeshare companies charge many thousands of dollars for them.  The only reason people go for it is because of the high pressure razzle-dazzle & ballyhoo that cloud the mind & shut off any opportunity for real-world comparison shopping.  

Next is an oft-overlooked reality which is related, namely that no matter how much you pay There Is No Such Thing As A New Timeshare.  By the time you show up & check in, other people will have previously been staying right there in _your_ timeshare unit.  That's _used-used-used_ any way you shake it -- & there is no sense whatever, as in none, in paying new prices for used items.  (BTW, the late John Chase said he actually did stay in a brand-spanking new timeshare unit 1 time.  It was a new unit where nobody had stayed before in a new building at a large timeshare resort.  He was staying there via RCI or possibly I-I exchange.  When an owner eventually showed up to stay there in due course, that unit would have been occupied by who knows how many occupants before an owner checked in?)

Above all, thanks to our timeshare experience we now hate to settle for mere hotel-motel accommodations, not only because timeshares offer more space & more amenities but also because even PriceLine hotels cost lots more than off-season timeshares via _Last Call_, etc.  

As long as we can keep on enjoying luxury timeshare vacations at Motel 6 & Super 8 rates, we're apt to keep on timesharing.  With the escalation of exchange fees, etc., at RCI, who knows how much longer that will be the case?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## rhonda

Love your story, Alan.  Thanks for the reminder that we should let go of <things> before they become losing positions.  Sigh.  It is likely time (or even past time) for me to unload timeshares #2 and #5.  Sigh.  Heavy Sigh.


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## klpca

I am a much more recent owner - we've only been timesharing for 5 years. We have always been regular travelers so timesharing was a logical next step for us.  I am an accountant.  I like to get the most for our money, and after paying over $250 per night for a couple of average condos in south Maui during the depths of the recession (2008/09) I started thinking about timeshares. We had bought and rescinded WKORV in 2006 and our neighbors owned a Marriott in Palm Desert so I began looking into resales on eBay. I was shocked to discover that I could buy at the same resort as my neighbors for pennies on the dollar. I admit that I went on a bit of a spree. I have since sold some and bought some others that work better for us. 

Since our primary motivation has always been financial, I always do my comparison against whatever discount rates I can find, such as travelzoo or booking.com. As long as our per night cost is lower, we're good. And with careful planning, I am able to keep our per night costs much lower. 

Although we own at seven resorts, four of those are every other year ownership. Two of those are near our home so we use those for day use. We still probably own one too many. I haven't decided which one to let go yet.

Before timesharing I was ok with a small condo or hotel room. Boy am I spoiled now. We've had some wonderful trips with friends and family, although our (grown) kids still prefer our camping trips. I honestly don't think that we could go back to the old way. We never expected to like timesharing as much as we do. We love meeting the people at the resorts and find the other owners to be very friendly. It has definitely been worth it and I wish that we had done this while our kids were younger - although they do not agree as our camping years turned them all into outdoorsy types. (In fact my youngest daughter is on the Pacific Crest Trail as we speak). Truthfully I'm glad to have had both experiences...and I'm glad that our next step was timesharing and not RV-ing, which seems like a lot of work to me!


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## bastroum

We used to own second homes. They became expensive and burdensome to maintain. The pressure on ourselves to use them (because we owned them) also became a burden. When we visited these homes there was always work to do to keep them up. We had to worry about maintenance when we were not there. Then in 2000 we purchased a HGVC unit in Honolulu. We bought retail and had no idea what we were doing. The one thing we did notice was that vacationing in a resort was alot more fun than staying in a second home. We now own 18 weeks of timeshares (mostly purchased on eBay) and no second homes. We are retired so we can use all the weeks. The cost to vacation and use these weeks are much less than maintaining vacation homes. Because they're all in resorts it's also a lot more fun. Most of our friends today we have met at timeshare pools. It's a great way to vacation. We are also forced to plan 1 year ahead so it's much more organized than planning vacations any other way. The one downside is there is no appreciation on the real estate. Quite frankly, the vacation experiences are more valuable to us than the money.


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## Tank

*Love the stories, GREAT question!*

We went to Disney in Orlando and gotten suckered into a presentation 20 years ago. 
At the time what sold us was the “investment” that could be passed on to the family. My wife started a new job and this was the year she could not put into her 401 retirement. So we invested into our timeshare that year instead. Made good since at the time, always thinking about our future. 
We know better now, but I’m not sorry we bought, just wiser how I buy. 
It made us plan family vacations, memories that can never be taken away in a roomy villa vs a stuffy hotel room. 

I have been putting a system in place for easy use for my kids to follow if something happens so it truly is the “investment” we intended it to be. With a road map to affordable vacations, and the how too guide for best use strategy.

Yes  - My kids want them when that time comes. 
Hopefully will be a long time before they get them. 

Dave


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## dsexton

*Love Timesharing and Still Learning !*

Would you mind sharing your opinions on why you bought the program that you have and whether you find it worth it (versus just vacationing and getting hotel rooms wherever)?  What do you find to be the benefits of owning interest in a timeshare? What are the benefits to the particular program in which you have your timeshare?

Thanks in advance for your opinions![/QUOTE]

Thanks for asking this question, I have enjoyed reading everyone's responses.

We are fairly new to timesharing (going on 4 years now).  We bought our first timeshare (from the developer unfortunately) in a place we love to visit and close to home (VA Beach).  After that purchase I found TUG and began to educate myself on how to maximize my trading power and even get extra weeks.    I have always loved to travel (my hubby, not so much, thank goodness for lots of girlfriends !), but hated hotel rooms.  I like 'my space'.  Others have commented on the kitchens, which is nice too, but we tend to eat out while on vacation.  The kitchen definitely comes in handy at breakfast, lunch and cocktail hour !

I knew that I would eventually end up purchasing more timeshares, so I began to think about my guilty pleasures  in life (sunbathing on the beach and drinking wine).  Since we already owned a beachfront TS, my focus turned to the wine and I landed on RiverPointe in Napa Valley.  I bought a 2-bedroom lock-off, site unseen on Ebay for $1.  (I would never have done this without reading all the great tripadvisor reviews, which I believe is a requirement before even renting a place).  We visited last year and LOVED it.  It's an EOY usage and I already have friends waiting in line to go with me on the next 3 trips. We live on the East Coast, so I would not have considered this EY, however EOY works perfect.    

As others have mentioned we love taking our friends with us on vacation (we have no kids), so it's nice to be able to invite them to come along and share our condo.  Speaking of no kids, this makes it very easy for us to travel in shoulder seasons which is something to be considered as well.  I'm extremely flexible when trading because I have no limitations and plenty of vacation.  

BTW, I too have been a '2nd residence owner' and in a nutshell, pain in the butt.  Another reason I love timeshares and extremely happy with the 2 we  currently own.    

As I prepare to retire in about 3 years, I'm searching for a couple more timeshares. In my mind I can spread that initial developer purchase price across several timeshares, then it doesn't seem so bad   This is where I'm still learning because I know I want somewhere warm year-around (leaning towards Cancun or South Florida) but I'm having a ball with the research and searching *re-sale* sites.  It's become a part-time job !   

Finally, TUG has been a fabulous resource and I've learned so much.  I encourage you to keep reading and posting !


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## bnoble

Kenchele said:


> Now that we've rescinded the timeshare that we bought directly from the developer, we're looking here at gaining information and possibly purchasing on the resale market.
> 
> Would you mind sharing your opinions on why you bought the program that you have and whether you find it worth it (versus just vacationing and getting hotel rooms wherever)?  What do you find to be the benefits of owning interest in a timeshare? What are the benefits to the particular program in which you have your timeshare?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your opinions!



From our earliest days as a family---a toddler with our second on the way---we've vacationed in either homestyle suite places (e.g. Residence Inn) or renting private homes at the beach. I never understood why parents of young children got single hotel rooms and pretended to be asleep at 8:00 at night while the kids were nodding off. Darn it, it's my vacation too!

Now, we define "roughing it" as having to share a washer and dryer with other units rather than having one to ourselves. During our vacations now, there will be some point at which we are hanging out in the condo, and just enjoying ourselves, and my wife and I will look at each other and say: "Hotel rooms.  How do people do it?"

Now, you don't have to own to vacation this way affordably.  If you can visit places during off- or shoulder season, you can often rent for not much more than---or even less than---the maintenance fees required to own the same time. Renting can also be advantageous if you don't imagine taking a "timeshare" vacation very frequently, as owning works best if you plan to average at least one timeshare stay every year or at most two. But, if you want to travel during peak-demand times, and you imagine doing a timeshare vacation every year, owning can make sense.

I own three weeks. My first week was in a points-based mini-system, and I recommend this model for first-time buyers. I happened to choose Wyndham, but any of them could work; choose based on the set of destinations they offer and see what matches your needs best. One piece of advice you often hear is "buy where you want to stay." The advantage of a mini-system is that to a first order approximation you get to "own" at many different resorts at the same time. Of course, it's often a little more complicated than that, and in some systems/with some products it does matter which resort in the system you own. But, in my case, I can book just about any resort at just about any time of year as long as I do as as soon as the booking window opens. There are a few things that are hard to get this way, but not many, and I haven't run into one yet. 

Wyndham has a great set of resorts, they are located in places I want to visit, and we've found that they hit a good balance between luxury and affordability. They aren't the most posh units you'll find---the Marriotts and Hiltons of the world tend to be nicer---but Wyndham's fees are a bit more affordable than some of those name-brand places. This is just a matter of preference. You might be willing to pay for nicer units, or you might want a system that's even more affordable. 

My other ownerships are at fixed-week/fixed-unit resorts. I bought these primarily for trading, though I would also happily stay at them if that's what worked in a given year. When I bought them, the trading landscape was quite a bit different.  I still get good use out of them---we are spending two weeks in Hawaii this summer and my exchange costs for both weeks are less than the fees to own there. But, that's becoming increasingly hard to do, and I definitely would not recommend it for a first-time purchaser. Exchanging well is really more of a hobby than "just owning a timeshare," and it is not for everyone.

I've gotten great enjoyment out of my timeshare ownerships. We've taken many more vacations than we would have otherwise, at some fantastic locations. My oldest is getting ready to go off to college next fall, and the memories we've made together have been priceless. In two more years, the second one will be gone and we'll be empty nesting.  Some folks talk about selling at that point, but I don't plan to. Instead, I'm going to use our timeshare time to "date" my wife again---we've spent so much energy chasing after/raising the kids that we need to have some time to reconnect. Then, down the road, I imagine we will invite them to spend some time with us as they have new families of their own.


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## SmithOp

We took regular vacations to Kona, renting a condo owned by an acquantance.  In 2001 we took a HGVC offer to go to Waikiki, right after 9/11.  The place was deserted, nobody was traveling, we thought it was always like this . Lagoon Tower was the only timeshare units at the time.  We purchased an every other year, thinking we would trade off with Kona visits.  Since then HGVC has built a new tower, new pool, converted units in Kalia (after cleaning up mold issue), and is now building another new tower.  Its more popular than ever.  HGVC has added more and higher fees for everything, including maintenance.

We still enjoy going but feel more relaxed at Waikoloa, and have many excellent memories of annual trips these past 15 years, would do it all over.


Sent from my iPad Mini 4 using Tapatalk


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## aandmrun

*Timesharing since 1994 & Loving It*

We also bought our first timeshare from the developer (Marriott Vacation Club), but have since purchased 3 others resale.  We bought where we like to vacation, but have found that trading is also fun.  To us, these are pre-paid vacations that we plan at least a year in advance.  It allows us to invite family members and give them plenty of time to plan as well.  We enjoy taking our granddaughters on vacation.  That is why it is important that we have the separate bedrooms, bathrooms and plenty of space.  We especially like it when we have private balconies or patios.  
We have enjoyed many years of travel.  Our daughters have each picked which of our resorts they would like to take over when we decide we do not want to travel anymore and the others we will either give away or sell.  
If you like planning in advance and exploring different areas, you will love timesharing!  Good luck in your decision.


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## ottawasquaw

Yes, totally worth it! And, I bought from the developer...without regret. You can't buy my TS resale as far as I know. The MF's are very affordable and it's a well-run property. They are always adding amenities, including most recently, a really good Italian restaurant!
I bought in 2000 and there was no pressure. The salesman explained the offer. I told him Id sleep on it. My kids really liked the idea. Maybe because I am a single mom, the salesman wasn't even sure if I was qualified to buy. My sister worked at RCI when it was a new company, so I had stayed at many many TS's. My parents have a few weeks and it was their's which I was using. So, I was a fairly well informed purchaser. I knew how the program works. 
I traded into Sedona which is a place I had wanted to visit for many years. I still enjoy it - more than ever! As an owner, I've never had to use it a week at a time and that's worked to my advantage. I live closer now and can buy bonus time. Only staying at the hostel would be cheaper. 
My initial investment? That was very affordable! Maybe because they were just building the place, they offered me many, many perks. I was given all sorts of extra weeks through RCI which I used. So, with all the extra vacations, my payback was less than 5 years?
I do enjoy TUG and these forums. The bottom line is, knowledge is power. Good luck to you and I hope you find what you are looking for!


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## rhonda

One thing I'm especially enjoying in this thread is how vacationing is passed down from generations.  Thanks for that reminder!

Indeed, my parents were hooked on great vacations and travel, in general.  They dragged us all across the US by car and/or RV and across Europe by rail.  They rented a friend's vacation cottage on the Jersey Shore for a week every summer and took us to Schroon Lake in New York.

My Mom grew up vacationing on the Gulf in a Mississippi shore-home shared, as a vacation home, by her Aunts and Uncles.  I was also fortunate to stay at that home often and to both fish and crab from the private pier.  Great memories and plenty of _good eats._ 

Indeed, great vacationing can be 'caught' (or taught) from family and friends!  Alas, even with a solid history of enjoying vacations together, my parents did not disclose to us their first timeshare purchase until _after_ we told them we intended to buy into Worldmark.   They later explained they were afraid they had made a mistake and didn't want us to know.  So what had they secretly purchased ahead of us?  Worldmark!  Great -- we helped each other learn the system and use it well.  When Dad and Mom passed, their Worldmark went to a sibling and we now enjoy the occasional travel with them, as we had with the folks.  Phew!


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## rhonda

#5 DVC

DVC was our first tour ('98) but our 5th timeshare purchase.  We never needed it for 'vacation' purposes -- this was about 'work' and an annual tech conference at WDW.  In 2003 our employer stopped paying for our conference expenses and, spoiled as we already were by timeshare, we wanted the 1BR-experience at BWV.   We tried buying resale but after multiple contracts fell through, we purchased from the developer in 2004.

After 19 years of covering the conference, 2015 was our final year.  We've tried using DVC for 'vacation' purposes -- but it isn't a great fit for us.  I've already suggested to my husband that we pare down our DVC contracts but he isn't ready yet.  He hopes we'll use our DVC points, instead, at the Grand Cal and Aulani.  (For those wondering, we are pretty lucky snagging weekends at the Grand Cal every so often.)

Worth it?  Hmm, hard to say.  Without DVC we would have felt a good deal of friction paying out of pocket for 'hotel' stays at the WDW Dolphin/Swan.  We would have grumbled about the price, grumbled about the lack of kitchen, grumbled about the lack of space, grumbled about the lack of laundry ... just grumbled in general.  Booking a 1BR at BWV was always a pleasure and we never gave the underlying costs (MF) a second thought.  Loved the room, loved the experience -- which gave us the needed energy and strength to complete the conference _year after year after year._

What do we (_did_ we?) love about owning DVC?  Mostly the obvious:
No need for a car at WDW!  Use Disney's ground transportation between airport/resort and between resort and all on-property experiences.  I *love* not driving and not having a car.
If visiting parks, staying at a Disney resort makes things "easy."  Your group can come/go as they please between resort, parks, shopping, dining, etc.  Remain as a group or join up for key events -- the built-in transportation makes it easy.
"Owner's Locker" -- a 3rd party service for storing "stuff" between WDW visits.   (Note: Owner's Locker has expanded their support to include most off-property timeshare in the WDW zone.)
Grocery Delivery services integrated with DVC Resort Bell Services to avoid having to make a grocery run.
Vero Beach, Grand Cal and Aulani as specific destinations.

However, without the conference, we are finding DVC to be the "least loved" of our timeshares.  While it did secure my 'Holy Grail' of timesharing (The Manhattan Club over Thanksgiving for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!!), it is too expensive to trade out in general.  We love DVC's Animal Kingdom Villas but .... don't find ourselves traveling to Orlando for 'vacation' purposes except every few (several?) years.   There simply are not enough destinations w/in the system to keep it 'sold' in my mind.  Maybe things will change if better DVC-point options are introduced around the Pacific Rim?

Bah.  I expect we'll sell all or part of this one sometime down the road.


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## linpat

Rhonda hit on one reason that I like timeshare - it allows  family vacations like I never had. My dad had very limited vacation time, limited budget, and given his job it was hard to go in the summers when we kids were out of school. Also, my mother insisted that any vacations be spent visiting her family. Nice people, but a week on farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota do not make memorable family vacations. Whitewater rafting in Colorado, sailing excursions out of Virginia beach, and other fun things will let my daughter (and me) have the memories that I didn't. I only wish my Dad could have lived to go with us.


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## WinniWoman

linpat said:


> Rhonda hit on one reason that I like timeshare - it allows  family vacations like I never had. My dad had very limited vacation time, limited budget, and given his job it was hard to go in the summers when we kids were out of school. Also, my mother insisted that any vacations be spent visiting her family. Nice people, but a week on farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota do not make memorable family vacations. Whitewater rafting in Colorado, sailing excursions out of Virginia beach, and other fun things will let my daughter (and me) have the memories that I didn't. I only wish my Dad could have lived to go with us.



Yes, was similar when I was a kid. My dad always had to work. We never had vacations. I think we took a road trip once to upstate New York and once my mom and my aunts rented a bungalow on the Jersey shore for a few days and took the kids. All the husbands had to work.
That was about it. 

When kids in my school went to Florida during spring break and so forth, for example- that was all foreign to me.


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## mclyne

We purchased our timeshares because it was the most reasonable way to travel with family. If we used hotel rooms, we would need  4 rooms. The cost for a weeks vacation in the Caribbean during holiday breaks or winter would be about $700 per night per room.
 Our first timeshare was purchased thru the developer. That was about 10yrs. ago and looking at todays prices, we took a 50% loss. But, that money would have been lost on  hotel rooms for one weeks vacation!!
We are aware that we will not make a profit from our units, if we should sell them. Our aim was to offer out family, which has grown to 14 in number, a beautiful vacation with lasting memories. And, that is exactly what has happened.
 The grandchildren are getting older and sometimes it is a bit difficult juggling everyones schedules but we do it. We took advantage of the low prices and purchased a week 7. Now, juggling is not a problem, since the kids are off from school.
 We live on the East Coast. Winters can be very hard. This year we plan on spending 3 weeks in the Caribbean. The kids will join us for week 7.There would be no way we could afford to spend that amount of time in the Caribbean during the winter,between of the cost per night in a hotel and eating out 3 meals a day.


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## Tank

*Yes, was similar when I was a kid. My dad always had to work. We never had vacations.*

My father in law was that way also. Change the "had" to "preferred" he was a workaholic.
He missed out on life, later tried to get it back with no luck , just regrets. He had a pile of money to give them but no memories. It was sad.

I have told my kids they won't have that pile of money when I go, but they will have a pile of memories and family togetherness. We have thrived on this concept.


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## bnoble

Tank said:


> I have told my kids they won't have that pile of money when I go


A friend of mine puts it this way: "I plan to spend every last dollar before I die. I want the tears at my funeral to be real."


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## rhonda

bnoble said:


> In two more years, the second one will be gone and we'll be empty nesting.  Some folks talk about selling at that point, but I don't plan to. *Instead, I'm going to use our timeshare time to "date" my wife again*---we've spent so much energy chasing after/raising the kids that we need to have some time to reconnect. Then, down the road, I imagine we will invite them to spend some time with us as they have new families of their own.


Sweet!   Love the future plans both near term and beyond ...


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## cayman01

rhonda said:


> #5 DVC
> 
> 
> 
> 
> However, without the conference, we are finding DVC to be the "least loved" of our timeshares.  While it did secure my 'Holy Grail' of timesharing (The Manhattan Club over Thanksgiving for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!!), it is too expensive to trade out in general.  We love DVC's Animal Kingdom Villas but .... don't find ourselves traveling to Orlando for 'vacation' purposes except every few (several?) years.   There simply are not enough destinations w/in the system to keep it 'sold' in my mind.  Maybe things will change if better DVC-point options are introduced around the Pacific Rim?
> 
> Bah.  I expect we'll sell or part of this one sometime down the road.



 You actually might be one of the few to have bought from the developer and be able to sell at a PROFIT when you do part with it. BWV is now selling at around $100/pt. Congrats.


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## rhonda

cayman01 said:


> You actually might be one of the few to have bought from the developer and be able to sell at a PROFIT when you do part with it. BWV is now selling at around $100/pt. Congrats.


I figure we'll take a loss when we sell.  Range on SSR is currently $70-$105pp.  Mid $70s is more likely -- and that is a smidge below our original investment. 

*Story #6, the most recent 'purchase': Wyndham via WinPointVIP.*

Having an exit strategy has become increasingly more important as time passes.  We have toyed, for many years, with adding Wyndham points but simply never found the right deal.  That Worldmark gave us access to about a dozen Wyndham properties as "WM Affiliates" satisfied our hunger for a long while until WM took away the Wyndham Affiliates in favor of "Club Pass" (fee based internal exchange program).  As a move against Club Pass, we selected WinPointVIP to give us access to the 'missing' Wyndham properties we had enjoyed. 

Was it worth it?  Yes
What do we like about WinPointVIP?
Reasonable upfront cost.  (Not "free" or even "cheap" but an acceptable "market value.")
No risk.  No ongoing Maintenance Fees!  Use it or not.  No big deal.  
Easy "pay to play" rental model; basically I've got a trusted relationship with a mega-renter.
Offers Wyndham VIP benefits for a fraction of the buy-in.  
We bought the smallest point package offered yet still enjoyed unit upgrades via rebooking.  These haven't been as common lately but I believe it is due to changes on the Wyndham side that impact all Wyndham owners?
All the flexibility of the underlying Wyndham product:  Lots of destinations, any size unit, any season, etc.  Most importantly: there are destinations in this collection that I am actively using!  It isn't so much as "Look at all the places we _might_ go!" as "Yep, we activity use a core set of these destinations.  Need it."
Someone else does the booking for me ... no hassles over web/phone interfaces.
No concerns for housekeeping tokens, guest certs, etc.  These are included.
Simply 'works.'  I'm pleased with the reservations we've made and completed thus far.
FWIW, we are back to using Timeshare for Convention purposes again.  This will be our 5th consecutive year attending an Equestrian event in southern Colorado while staying at a Wyndham timeshare property.  While we might take a break for a bit, I'm sure there will be many other ways to use my small WinPointVIP contract.

*Wrap-up, take-aways ... *
Now you know the nuts-and-bolts of our timeshare history.  Things we've learned:
No single timeshare is 'best.'  
We like having little chunks in multiple systems:  some WM points; an _every-other-year_ fixed week; some Wyndham points; some DVC points.
Exchanging through RCI/II is a fun hobby.  It satisfies the 'gambling itch' or the 'thrill of the hunt.'  I enjoy booking via RCI/II when I know exactly what I'm looking for but don't generally cast a wide net when searching.  I target specific resorts and/or travel windows and then work inside those frameworks.  These greatly reduce my chances of snagging an exchange -- but I'd rather miss out entirely than to book something that becomes a disappointment.
TUG reviews help minimize disappointments when exchanging.  
Sometimes unknowns can be good!  (We had two great back-to-back exchange weeks to South Africa a few years back.  Neither were in the TUG reviews.  We had a blast and would do it again in a heart beat!)

Some timeshares offer interesting side-benefits:  exchange priority in RCI/II for related properties; an in-house exchange company; bonus time; etc.
We like a 1BR unit even when traveling as a couple.  While there are a few studio configurations that provide an adequate kitchen, a laundry, space and privacy -- we've found we generally prefer a 1BR over a Studio, if available.  The larger unit will cost us more points -- and we've factored that into our budgeting.
Use waitlists!  We've been quite successful using both WM and DVC waitlists if trying to book a unit that is currently unavailable.  We've had similar success using RCI's Ongoing Search.
If inviting family and friends, a pattern we greatly enjoy, book sufficient rooms so that each 'household' has their own bathroom.  Plan sleeping arrangements beforehand -- to make sure the units have an appropriate configuration of king/queen/twin beds, etc.
Know your program's cancellation policies.  If the program offers a generous cancellation policy get adventurous and book 'speculative' reservations.  If you see an attractive getaway, BOOK IT and then figure out _if_ it fits your calendar, _if_ you can get reasonable airfare, _if_ your friends might join you, etc.  FWIW, I find WM's cancellation policy to be _very generous_ and DVC's to be quite workable for advance planning/toying. 
Explore many avenues for booking:  direct reservation through the programs you own; RCI/II/other-exchange-company _exchange_ weeks; RCI/II/other-exchange-company _rental weeks_; TUG Last-minute Rentals; Bonus Time; etc.
Some timeshares are all about the area/location; some are about the specific resort; some are 'consistent' where others are 'flexible.'  All good -- just learn how to make the most of each. 
Day use can be cool!  Some properties offer golf-benefits, swimming pool or water-park access, onsite activities, etc.
I'm sure there are more things we've learned ... but these are the things that sprang to mind.


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## rhonda

I was unable to edit my earlier post -- but how could I forget the following things we love about Worldmark??
Many ways to book:  Using Credits (points), Cash Bonus Time, Cash Inventory Specials, Cash Monday Madness, etc.  (Only a third of our reservations on our credits -- we use the various cash reservation avenues extensively.)  
Free guest certificates.  (I can book a reservation for friends/family w/out paying an extra fee to put the reservation in their name.)
Great online reservation website!  I can save and re-use favorite searches, have dependable access to real-time inventory, etc.
Generous cancellation policy!
Banking and borrowing across account years.
Renting credits from others ... (although this undergoing changes).



rhonda said:


> Fun question! I look forward to reading the stories that are to come in response!
> 
> Our first timeshare purchase was in 2000, four years following our first-ever "timeshare tour."  We chose Worldmark the Club with the following dewey-eyed reasons:
> Forced vacation time.  ("Gotta use it -- we've already paid for it!" ... every year.)
> We live in prime Worldmark territory (Western States).  We liked having plenty of drive-to locations.
> We liked the tagline of the flexible points system: "_any size unit, any season, any length-of-stay_"
> We liked the promise: "_like new, every time_."  (Yes, we've found this largely true.)
> We liked the idea of bonus-time (booking last-minute stays on cash rather than points).
> Yes, Worldmark was an excellent choice for us!  In 16 years of ownership, we've had ~125 stays at 40+ Worldmark properties and many exchanges through RCI/II.  We studied all available resources (owner education workshops, printed guides, etc), learned the system well and make great use of our Worldmark.
> 
> Key benefits of ownership and our usage pattern, looking back:
> Kitchens!  We love cooking together on vacation.  We didn't have time to cook together at home -- but developed this as a hobby while on vacations.  _Yeah!_ for having fully equipped kitchens while on vacation!
> Separate bedroom from living room.  Yeah!  The night owl can enjoy longer morning sleep while the early bird putters about in the kitchen/living room.
> In-room laundry.  Yeah!  We can pack less and feel great.
> Familiarity.  It is strangely comforting to know a place before you've ever been there.  We are _confident_ of the resort/unit quality, the unit amenities, etc.  This familiarity made it easy to book road-trips up/down the Pacific Coastline or across Western States ... hopping from one WM to the next.
> LARGE units.  We really enjoy booking 3BR or 4BR units, or even multiple units, for large family gatherings.  Seriously: these gatherings would NOT happen if we had to use hotel rooms.  Timeshare gives us sufficient space and comfort for all to enjoy themselves.  We can be "together" and "apart" in just the right proportion.
> Well, that is our first timeshare ... but each timeshare purchase had its own purpose, allure, justification.  I might jump back in on the conversation later with reasons behind our follow-on purchases.


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## rhonda

Adding more benefits from this purchase:
Bonus time, cash rentals at the property.
Owners's pricing in ResorTime, a form of "Bonus Time" across a wide group of properties.
Owner access to Grand Pacific Exchange (GPX) for exchange and bonus weeks (cash).



rhonda said:


> Returning to add our stories on timeshare purchases #2 and #3:
> 
> #2.  Purchased in 2001, a fixed summer week at a coastal resort.
> Purchase reasons/justification:
> High value trader in RCI. Depositing the high value summer week would allow me to perform online searches of RCI's inventory -- something I was not able to do using Worldmark's Confirm First exchange feature.
> Day Use of resort amenities.  As we lived nearby, we did visit often, at first, to use the pool, fitness center, sauna, hot tubs and various activities.
> Got around 1-in-4 rules.  A good chunk of SoCal resorts are owned/managed by this property's developer. Inbound exchange guests are restricted to 1 exchange w/in the resort group every 4 years.  Owning w/in the resort group provided a workaround to the restriction.
> EOY.  Buying an every-other-year interval was a perfect frequency complement to our existing Worldmark.
> Was it worth it?  Yes, for the first several years.  More recently, changes in the systems (both the resort property's policies and RCI's exchange characteristics) have tarnished the gleam.  Long term, this purchase was a mistake.


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## onenotesamba

I just want to echo the earlier comments about how wonderful it is to read the stories, here, of other people's journey through timesharing.  I'm not posting, because I've only been bitten by the bug within the last year, but reading all of these posts--well, I'm super excited about being able to have my own stories, years from now.

Very grateful for the thread.  Thanks, all.


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## bjones9942

*I hated Mexico*

When I was about 7 my parents took my sister and I on a trip to Santa Monica.  Our vacations usually lasted two weeks, so they decided to drive us down to Tijuana one day.  This was back in the mid-sixties, and Tijuana wasn't the sparkly shiny wonderous town it now is (lol).  I hated ever moment we were there.  Dust.  Dirt.  Strange people coming right up to us to try to get us to buy cheap touristy stuff.  More dust.  More dirt.  Someone eating a popcicle they'd dropped in the dirt.  Never ever had a desire to go back.

Fast forward to 2010.  My late Aunt was turning 97 and a friend of hers had organized a 'Mexican Riviera' cruise for her birthday.  I'd never been on a cruise, and we would only really be in Mexico for three shore leave days ... so I took some of my never-used vacation time and joined them.

Cabo wasn't Tijuana.  It was clean, touristy crap still for sale - but in booths and the couple of people that did come up to me didn't make me feel uneasy at all.

Mazatlan wasn't Tijuana.  Not exactly as clean as Cabo, but the beaches were great and there was actually a city there that wasn't full of touristy crap!  Food was amazing, even at the Sr. Frogs!

Puerto Vallarta wasn't Tijuana.  Puerto Vallarta was everything I'd hoped Maui was going to be and wasn't (not to dump on Maui - just not my cup of tea).  Tropical.  Beautiful.  Fantastic food (my recurring theme).  Beach vendors were fun to talk to.

The whole experience was eye-opening and when I got home I started thinking that maybe I should vacation a little more.  I'm an ebay-a-holic, so when I typed 'Cabo San Lucas' in the search box (I liked that Cabo was clean), I was presented with a LOT of timeshares for sale - many at $1.  Unfortunately, most of the maintenance fees were more than I wanted to pay.  So, I typed in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.  Up pops a fixed summer week in Mazatlan, on the beach, at a resort that several days worth of googling would only result in bad things about it being that it was a little tired and in need of updating.  *I'm* a little tired and in need of updating, so that didn't bother me.  Maintenance fees were $360 (2010), and it was an RTU deal, so if I hated it there would be a light at the end of the tunnel in only 12 years.  If I remember correctly I think I paid $1 for the week.  Seller paid closing and transfer costs.  I actually did a *lot* of research on timesharing and on the resort I was buying before I pulled the trigger.

I loved my week in Mazatlan so much that a few years later I decided to add something else.  More googling and I saw a resort in Puerto Vallarta that it seemed everyone, owner and guest, loved.  I sat on ebay and waited.  It took about 8 months for a floating week to appear, and I snatched it up!  I paid a little more ... I think $60, seller paying transfer and closing costs.  This week is NOT a RTU week, so I'll have it forever - which is fine with me!  Maintenance fees are higher than Mazatlan, but I could sell it to a current owner in a heartbeat (they have resale blinders on, and think the weeks are still worth thousands).

Then I decided that something I could drive to might be nice.  First I looked at the Oregon Coast.  There's not much there, and most of the inventory isn't well reviewed.  I like Lake Tahoe - what about that?  Found a nice lake-front biennial and now eat far too much at Harrah's buffet every other year!

Since buying the original property in Mazatlan I keep wondering what it's like other times than summer (summer is HOT and mugggy - but I like it that way).  Ebay to the rescue!  Got an April week.  Paid them $19.95 and they paid the closing and transfer costs.  AND, they gave me a $200 visa gift card at closing!  Woo!  Same RTU expiration date, so .....

I decided that retirement is coming up in a few years and I'd like to be somewhere warm.  Seattle is beautiful, but warm it isn't (for much of the year).  I found a small apartment in the middle of downtown Mazatlan for a price I couldn't pass up.  If I don't like it, I'll use it to stay at while I find something else.  And if I retire before the RTU timeshare weeks expire, then I'll let friends/family use it to come visit me.  I'll vacation in Puerto Vallarta and save a bundle by taking the bus, and every other year I'll still have a nice relaxing week in South Lake Tahoe.

The moral of my story is:  Timeshare's give you incentive to take a vacation.  Buy where you want to go, or buy something with good trading potential if you want to trade.  Buy resale!  There is only one Tijuana, and even that one may not be the same as a 7 year old's memories.  When you find your land of milk and honey, buy a place and retire there!


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## mash84121

I have loved reading everybody's stories, what a great thread.  

My own story started in 2007 when my wife got a deal to stay in Park City if we went to a sales presentation at the Westgate Park City.  I was not happy to say the least.  I had always viewed timeshares as a scam and I did not want to be stuck in a sales presentation.  The sales person was luckily very friendly and not high pressure and did a good job showing the benefits of timeshares.  He piqued my interest, but I was not willing to buy from a company I wasn't familiar without more research.  Fortunately we did not buy from Westgate.  

About a year later we ended up buying our first timeshare, a resale week from Marriott on Hilton Head.  We have traded the week every year through II and have never had any issues getting what we wanted.  It has taken us to Newport Coast three years, Hawaii, Florida twice, Lake Tahoe and Park City.  We love the large villas and resorts.  

Two years ago I was looking to supplement our Marriott week with something that would provide more flexibility for short stays and had more locations within driving distance.  After extensive research we bought 12,000 Worldmark points.  The resorts aren't as nice as Marriott's, but we have still been very happy with the quality and it has provided us with exactly what we were looking for, shorter stays and many resorts close to home.  

For us the Marriott/Worldmark combination has been great.  We use the Marriott for a longer trip every year and the Worldmark for long weekend trips.


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## rickandcindy23

The only states I had ever traveled by the age of 19 were Nebraska, where my grandparents and aunt/uncle lived, and Kansas once because my mom drove into Kansas by mistake. 

My parents never stayed in a motel or hotel, so I was 19 before I even slept in a motel with Rick, and it was a year after we married.  We were pretty poor as newlyweds.

We received an invitation to attend a timeshare presentation in Fraser, CO, a little over an hour from home.  We bought on the spot, then had buyers' remorse, tried to rescind but couldn't.  The company said we  had no rights of rescission.  Not sure to this day whether we could have rescinded.  The internet was not around in 1981.  We crazily bought another week in Frisco, CO, near Breck, a few years later.  I don't know how the woman talked us into that purchase, I honestly don't.

We rarely went anywhere, and we drove when we went, so Twin Rivers and Val Chatelle were our vacation destinations, right here in our home state.  

The kiddos were 4, 6 and 8 the first time we went to Disneyland in 1985.  We traveled by plane.  It was so exciting, even the plane trip, and we stayed in a very nice hotel.  

We had been visiting our home resort every year, and in 1987, I wanted to try trading instead.  We wanted to take a driving trip to Disneyland and San Diego, and somewhere else along the coast.  Rick called II and RCI and booked two back-to-back weeks in San Diego (two bed Welk) and Point Brown Washington.  This was early June of 1987.  We never went back to our home resort after that.  I have no desire to stay in the mountains anymore.   

We still own at our first resorts, but we own better weeks now.  

We took the kids on a lot of trips: Yellowstone, Disneyland, and Disneyworld, mostly.  But we mostly drove because it was cheaper, and I like road trips.  

The kids are all married now, and we have grandkids, too.  They all stay in timeshares and don't really like hotels.  We own all of the timeshares, and we literally give them weeks to use each year.  This year, we all go to Anaheim, Dolphin's Cove, 8/6-8/13, and I have four units, one for each family.  We are flying.  So excited!  Next year, we all go to Whistler, BC, in July.  I got four units at Club Intrawest Whistler.  The grandkids will see whales for the first time.  

We have a timeshare rental business now, which is pretty small but profitable, and our daughter rents them for us to make a little bit, so she can stay home with the grandkids.  

All timeshares work for trading, but buying specific units and weeks can be very important, if you want to have something special to use yourself.  

We love Maui but decided we had to own oceanfront, and we wanted West Maui.  Our friends bought a specific unit # at a floating week resort, just to get oceanfront each year.  We copied them and bought, and not just one, but three weeks at the same resort, oceanfront.  Our lanai is only 50 feet from the ocean.  Sure, I can exchange into Marriott and Westin much cheaper with our exchange preference into those resorts, but not during whale season, and not oceanfront guaranteed.  It's worth it to me.  

We sit on the lanai all day at Hono Koa, at least until the sun starts beating into the unit at about 3 PM, then we leave to enjoy an early dinner somewhere.  I think we spend $1,675 in fees per week with taxes.  Sigh.

What would an oceanfront hotel room cost on Maui?  I have no idea.  But we have a full kitchen (very equipped), and a second bedroom/ bathroom, plus a washer/dryer and living room.  It's incredible for the price we pay!  I look most forward to our Maui trips.


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## RLS50

What a great thread.  Thanks to all for sharing their stories.  All of your comments are interesting, sometimes humorous, educational, and encouraging.


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## Timeshare Von

I've owned several timeshares, starting in the early 1980's.  As Denise aptly noted, everyone's needs and interests are different.  I will add, they will also change over time.  Here is my history . . .

1981 - single gal bought a 20 year RTU (right-to-use) contract at the newly developed (pre construction) of Split Rock in the Poconos.  RCI came with it for the first couple of years and back then, if nobody wanted your exchange, you got your traded week back about 10-14 days out from the travel dates.  For me, this worked great since I lived only hours from the resort and I used it many times.  In the mid to late 1990's, the resort partnered with a nice place near Ft. Myers Beach so I could stay there as an owner.  My "week" was a white floating, giving a lot of flexibility, outside of the summer season.

2000 - since married and divorced, and the RTU was going to expire after 2002, so I started looking at buying something else.  I had moved to Wisconsin, but still traveled home to VA frequently and had stayed many times at the Wyndham resorts in Williamsburg (Kingsgate & Patriot's Place).  I looked at Governors Green as they were building it, signed a contract to buy something like 126k points for around $12k.  Rescinded a couple of days later because I found out about the local resale office in town.  Bought a fixed week, 3 BR lock-off unit at Kingsgate for about $5,000.  MF's at the time were under $500/year.  We used this timeshare ownership a lot . . . stayed there in one side and used RCI to trade the other.  Because of the RCI/Wyndham "internal" preference, we often got 2 BR Hawaii units for the 1 BR side of the lock-off!  That too went away around 2011 or so.  There was a three year special assessment (due to the under funding through MF's) that was later followed by a steep increase in MF's.  We ended up giving this timeshare ownership away here on TUG around 2013.

2003 - I was working for a large association.  My professional society's annual conference & trade show was in Honolulu and I knew my employer wouldn't be willing to pay all of the travel costs, so I figured I would see about timesharing for my lodging. I couldn't find an acceptable exchange, so I bought a floating (1-52) week at Lifetime in Hawaii.  The week cost me around $2,500 and at the time the MF's were under $300 for a studio/1 BR unit.  I still own this timeshare . . . love it as a trader at RCI (HUGE TPE value!) or to barter or rent to friends.  MF's are now around $530.

2004 - I found a distressed fixed week at Wyndham Flagstaff.  The gal who owned it had bought it as a single lady (sounded familiar) but now had a family, with school aged kids.  Their week #12 (late March) was no longer convenient for them to use and they weren't into the RCI exchange thing, so they hadn't used their ownership in something like 3 or 4 years.  She was willing to just give it away, along with 2 weeks banked at RCI for the price of that year's MF's ($450-ish).  We loved this timeshare as well; travelling to Flagstaff several time between 2005 and 2011.  We also used it to get to Hawaii through RCI several times.  But as our travel interests changed and the "Wyndham internal preference" with RCI went away, we felt we didn't need this one any more.  The resort offered a deed-back program to anyone current in their fees, so we gladly let them have it back around 2012.

2007 - My sister owned a small 77k Wyndham points contract at Myrtle Beach.  They had used it frequently, but had found cruising to be more their style as they aged.  She gave us the contract and we use it every year.  More often than not, I've used it for work trips as Wyndham seems to have resorts in many of the places I need to go for 5-7 days.  In 2017 we'll use it for Nashville, this year it was used for Hawaii and last year San Antonio . . . all for my work with my employer reimbursing me my MF expense.

So this is a very, VERY long story of how timeshare has worked for me.  Today we just own the Lifetime in Hawaii and the 77K points with Wyndham.  The Hawaii timeshare has been used 6 of the last 8 years for bartering with a family in Alaska for use of their 29' motor home (a trip we are doing again later this month).

If I were to be thinking about buying again, or more, I would advise to look into Lifetime in Hawaii.  The POA has several weeks (again, they are all 1-52 floating weeks and only studio units) . . . that you can pick up now for around $1,500 to $2,000/week.  They trade very well with RCI and the MF's are still the lowest I've seen for Hawaii.  PLUS, the resort has FREE parking for owners!  This is the best value of all in my opinion, since many of the Waikiki resorts get upwards of $30/day for parking.

Are you still with me here?  LOL

Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, etc. that you may have.  I'm always willing to help a fellow traveler!

TS Von

p.s.  Through timeshare ownership & exchanging with RCI over the decades, I have been to Germany, England, Scotland and Ireland.   I have also been to Hawaii more than 10 times.  All were outstanding experiences made (financially) possible through timeshare ownership!


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## tmm

I was going to do a grand write-up of everything we love about our timeshares, but VegasBella (and others) have done great write-ups, so I'm jumping-in to concur with them.  We love planning our next vacation spot (knowing we need to use our weeks), and we love the additional space provided by a timeshare.

We spent 2 weeks in Orlando last summer at the Sheraton Vistana Resort and can't imagine being in Orlando any other way.  Hotel rooms are too small, no kitchen, and don't provide the comfort of being able to relax in our room.

Don't buy a timeshare to rent it (don't let those sales people tell you all about the "investment" opportunities), buy a timeshare to use it and enjoy it.  We love ours!


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## rickandcindy23

> If I were to be thinking about buying again, or more, I would advise to look into Lifetime in Hawaii. The POA has several weeks (again, they are all 1-52 floating weeks and only studio units) . . . that you can pick up now for around $1,500 to $2,000/week. They trade very well with RCI and the MF's are still the lowest I've seen for Hawaii. PLUS, the resort has FREE parking for owners! This is the best value of all in my opinion, since many of the Waikiki resorts get upwards of $30/day for parking.
> 
> Are you still with me here? LOL



I was with you the entire post.:rofl: That is great advice, by the way, for a newbie, especially, but is Lifetime in Hawaii a nice place to stay?  That would be my question.  I am a bit spoiled by the Hawaii resort we own (on Maui), and our great trades to Kauai and Shearwater.  

We also bought our first TS in 1981.  It was a crazy decision back then because we were broke and had three very small children, all under 5.

People who don't learn to use their timeshares, and cannot get over their bitterness toward the developers, are stupid to pay someone to help them out of the deal.  I don't understand!!!!  _*Use what you bought.  It appealed to you during the sales pitch, so what changed?  Ah, you found a bargain price on the same thing?  Oh, well.  You should have investigated resale BEFORE you let your rescission period end.  *_


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## LarryMFookes

*30 years of exchanging*

Was it worth it? Absolutely! I have had a unit at the Windjammer Resort for the entire time. I was on the Board for a period of time also. A well run resort at Ocean Shores, WA where they get 2.5 million visitors a year. My wife and I bought another one and now enjoy trading everywhere to include the South Pacific, San Diego, Florida Keys, Miami Beach and Maui on a regular basis. I used to use RCI and II in the old days, but with their emphasis on filling their own pockets became paramount when the accountants took over, I did not renew and now use the exchange companies that do not require a fee to join. (I do use Hawaii Time Share Exchange that does require joining) And to think, all of this with a unit you can even buy today for under $500 and a maintenance fee of around $350. 

A few years ago we found a seller at the Maui Kahana Falls Resort in the under $500 section and purchased it for zero dollars with the previous owner paying 2 years maintenance fees. The transfer went smoothly and we love it.

Timeshare is a game and learning how to play the game will reward you to the extent you delve into it. It is a strategy game with great rewards.


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## PStreet1

17 years ago we booked a reservation in Santa Fe that turned out to be a timeshare property.  We sat through the presentation, but didn't buy.  Once I was at home, I started researching.  I bought the first one at Powhattan, and never stayed there, but traded it for years.  By the time I got rid of it, we had tired of timesharing and really wanted to get rid of them; by that time, we had 7.  I was lucky; the resort took it back from me.  They charged me $1000, but 2 years of not owning it more than paid that back, and we just weren't using timeshares as much by that time.

Shortly after the Powhattan purchase, I discovered South African timeshares.  I bought one for us, one for each child--and said I'd pay the fees each year for them (each came with 10 years of paid up RCI membership).  We all used them, singly and together for several years, until owning in South Africa became less than the wonderful deal it had been.  We sold them all for very little less than we had paid for them, which was practically nothing.

I'd also accumulated Worldmark, a Colorado ski timeshare, and an Australian one--and two more.  I managed to get rid of all but the Worldmark and Colorado ski timeshare.  I'd love to give away the Colorado one, but haven't found anyone to take it.  Worldmark still has some value to us, but I tend to really scramble every two years to book something or bank some points in order not to lose them.

Obviously, over the years, our desires changed.  We do own a second home in Mexico; we cruise a lot; we do other traveling, and we've found we like visiting the world's great cities, and timeshares aren't much help there.  We stayed in a timeshare just outside Rome--but that's not the same as being in Rome.  We stayed at a timeshare just outside Assisi, but that's not the same as being in Assisi (and I'm not counting Assisi as one of the world's great cities).  We stayed at a timeshare just outside Dublin, but that's not the same as staying in Dublin.  We stayed at a timeshare just outside Glasgow, but that's not the same as staying in Glasgow.  We stayed three times at a timeshare in London--and that was great--but it's not there any longer and there are more cities for us to explore, and we've learned to use Priceline, etc. to our advantage.  We also stayed 3 or 4 times at a timeshare in New York, and that was great, but on the whole, timeshares aren't in cities.

I think the advice to pay as little as possible for them and watch the maintenance fees is the most important advice you'll get:  your vacation habits will probably change over the years, and it will be easier to change if you don't have a lot of money invested that you can't get back.  If they don't change, you can always accumulate more timeshares; getting them is easy.

We enjoyed our timeshares, all 7 of them, for a while, and it was worth it.  But we changed, and then it wasn't worth it anymore.


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## Kaelyn

*Lots of Research!*

I first got turned on to timeshares when I went to Australia with a friend of mine on their timeshare. The resort was not five star, it was about three-and-a-half star,  which is plenty for me. But the ability to cook what I wanted when I wanted was incredible. While I'm willing to try new foods, I do have some food allergies, so knowing that I can cook for myself and have safe food is important. It also means that when we go out restaurant, we can actually bring home our leftovers. (breakfast anyone?) 

I was interested then, but I had heard a lot of horror stories about timeshares, especially timeshare sales pitches.

Fast forward 5 years, I did Hawaii on another friend's timeshare, and had an even better experience. But in no way could I afford $15,000 plus yearly maintenance fees. So I started doing research.  My friend's  friend (whose timeshare we used in HI) was willing to let hers go for about ten thousand. Still wasn't in my budget.

Fast forward three more years and the economy Tanked, HARD. My life got a little bit better, and I had a small inheritance. I like the timeshare concept, but didn't want to just go one place. Both timeshare trips I done had been through RCI. So my new goal was to get a highly desirable timeshare in a place where I would like to go sometimes, but that had high enough trade value, that I could go just about anywhere else I wanted. I did a solid year's worth of research, and I found TUG! **happy dance!**  Finding TUG was the best part of my timeshare research. The "What to look for" in buying and selling sections are more than worth the price of membership, and they're free! That information, and all the comments in the forums, made me a lot more comfortable actually buying a timeshare in a place I have never been.

I settled on Grand Cayman, it's pretty, it's warm, and if you like snorkeling and diving, it's right up your alley. Another factor in choosing the Caribbean, is that I now live on the east coast, instead of the West. If I had still been living in California, I would have gone for Hawaii. But a 10-plus hour plane flight every year is not my idea of a good time. In looking for a Caribbean Resort, I wanted one on a primarily English-speaking island, with a good health care system. A lot of people don't have extra money to travel until they are older, at which point health care is something people can be concerned count. Imagine having a heart attack, ruptured appendix, or kidney stone on an island where you don't speak the primary language, and trying to get good Healthcare. While it's true that health professionals in much of the Caribbean speak pretty good English, in an emergency situation, do you want to risk your health on it? So, for me, an English speaking country was a big factor to ensure a high trade value. 

I bought my timeshare on Grand Cayman from a fellow Tugger. No joke, I paid $1. I did have $610 worth of closing and transfer fees. All of my friends were envious as hell. I showed them how they could do the same thing, doesn't mean they did it. I'm in the older section of my Resort, but I still have a 2 bed 2 bath, pool side, top floor, with about 1250 square feet, a full kitchen,  and a sleeper sofa in the living room. My maintenance fees are currently running $1100 a year, and that's it. Comparably sized villas with a kitchen run $600/night. How can you lose? 

I don't regret it for a second. I usually go to the tropics with a girlfriend or two,  (my man cannot handle heat, at all) I cover the lodging, they divvy up the food expenses and the rental car. Sharing the expenses makes all the stuff we want to do more affordable. We take turns with cooking /dishes. Every other year,  I trade, and my man and I go to some place cooler,  like Yellowstone.  Next year we are doing a "bucket list"  trip to New Zealand for 2 weeks!  **more happy dancing**

Does it mean I have to plan my vacations in advance? Yes, but it's *so* worth it. No worries about where I'm going to eat, or what is safe.  We hit the grocery store, grab some basics, and we're good to go. I hate having to be up, awake, and presentable, in order to find a place for breakfast. Yuck. With the timeshare, I get the breakfast that I want, at my own pace. Then I pack myself a lunch, and we go off and do whatever we want. We don't have to worry about what food might or might not be available wherever we're heading, it's already packed. We also don't have to worry about what time restaurants close.  We might do dinner out, we might do dinner in. It's just much, much, easier. Getting a timeshare is one of the best decisions I've made.

LONG LIVE TIMESHARES!


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## sun starved Gayle

Just about the only thing my husband and I used to argue about was how to spend vacations. He grew up camping, and that's what he wanted to do. We live in rainy Washington and the idea of tent camping for an extended amount of time with (then) small children was not appealing.

I started investigating timeshares about 15 years ago after spending what I thought was a small fortune for three days in a condo at the Washington coast during spring vacation. 

I found TUG, did some research and bought a summer week in Colorado for $1000.00. I also bought a South African timeshare when the prices were low (a couple of hundred $$ if I recall) and the trading was hot !

My husband quickly became sold on the idea of a planned vacation in a nice condo for a week at a time. We never stayed at either timeshare we owned, but traded for Hawaii, New York City, Sedona, Vancouver Island and the Oregon Coast among others, all during school holidays to accommodate our kid's school schedules. Without a timeshare we could not have been able to afford a week in New York during spring vacation with a family of four or two weeks in Hawaii at Christmas.

When our girls went to college, we got rid of both of these properties as we were traveling less and working more to pay for two kids in college at the same time.

As their graduations approached, I started researching Worldmark and ended up buying a small account on the resale market. I am very happy with this purchase. I think Rhonda's post was spot on for all my reasons also.

And I want coffee as soon as I get up, dang it ! All the more reason to have a kitchen. And cocktail hour on your own lanai in Hawaii ? Love it. 

I am now in the process of acquiring a free week through a TUG member that I will use as a trader in II and save my WM points for more local properties.

I do not regret any of my purchases. I am a planner and love the "thrill of the chase".  We have made many wonderful family memories on our vacations, and are continuing to do so with our Worldmark.


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## Timeshare Von

rickandcindy23 said:


> I was with you the entire post.:rofl: That is great advice, by the way, for a newbie, especially, but is Lifetime in Hawaii a nice place to stay?  That would be my question.  I am a bit spoiled by the Hawaii resort we own (on Maui), and our great trades to Kauai and Shearwater.
> 
> We also bought our first TS in 1981.  It was a crazy decision back then because we were broke and had three very small children, all under 5.
> 
> People who don't learn to use their timeshares, and cannot get over their bitterness toward the developers, are stupid to pay someone to help them out of the deal.  I don't understand!!!!  _*Use what you bought.  It appealed to you during the sales pitch, so what changed?  Ah, you found a bargain price on the same thing?  Oh, well.  You should have investigated resale BEFORE you let your rescission period end.  *_



We have stayed at LTIH several times (three I believe, maybe four).  We like it a lot, and if you plan far enough out, it is possible to reserve one of the full 1BR units (vs. the studio that you actually own).

The units were updated about five years ago and are in a mixed use (some timeshares, some individual condo owners) high rise building right on Kuhio Ave., about 3-4 blocks from the beach.

It is a "city" resort, which for some may be a negative.  For us, we focus on "it's Hawaii" and affordable . . . and with the no parking fees, renting a car to get out of the city is what we typically do.

All of that said, we've found that others have really enjoyed it too, as a base for Oahu.  The family we barter with for the RV in Alaska will be doing their third two-week visit this holiday season . . . a couple with 2 kids (13 and 11 I think they are now).


----------



## lilliand

*Our reasons we love timesharing*

We have sat through many timeshare presentations starting maybe 30 years ago.  We didn't acutally buy until 2004 in Vegas. We didn't buy Vegas to go there as we don't even like to gamble but were convinced by the developer of its trading power.  The resort wasn't even built yet when we bought.  In 2011 we traded the week to go to Branson and went to a presentation there.  We loved it there and it was in driving distance (6 1/2 hours) and closer to our daughter and grandson who we don't see often.  So they took the Vegas week on "trade-in" and now we are owners in Branson.  We didn't discover TUG until 2014 after we had upgraded two more times and spent much more money than we should have.

My advice would be to buy somewhere where you want to go and not just so you can trade.  

We love our timeshare (even though we spent too much).  We have traveled many places we wouldn't have without purchasing it.  We often travel with our kids and grandkids.  We just returned yesterday from a week in Lake Tahoe (with daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter) and made awesome memories.  It forces us to take vacations.  We went to Aruba two months ago.  Other people where I work haven't taken any vacation yet this year.  I always take all of my vacation time (it's paid for!).  And I just received an extra Resort Accomodation Certiicate from Interval this week while I was still in Lake Tahoe so I need to start planning the next one!

We are Platinum with Interval and I have purchased getaways with guest certificates for my sisters, our children, our pastor, friends, etc.  I love being able to help others make memories as well.


----------



## rboesl

*One of my Timeshare Stories*

I am finding this discussion thread fascinating. So, here's my experience.

Our first timeshare purchase was about 7 years ago. But the one I think is of more interest was our purchase in Aruba. My wife and I had traded into the RIU Palace on Aruba. We fell in love with the island right away and were really enjoying the resort as well. Plus, it satisfied a bucket list item of mine. They had a swim up bar! How cool is that?!

Well, the RIU Palace had one glaring issue. No washer/dryer in the unit. In fact it turned out they had no guest laundry services either. When we asked about a laundromat they concierge provided directions to one within "a 20 minute walk." Well, a 20 minute walk in 90 degree heat dragging a suitcase of dirty laundry is not my idea of a fun time.

Turns out when we found the laundromat, it was out of business. So we were pretty much resigned to doing some laundry in the bathtub. 

The next day we were looking for a dinner cruise while walking around Oranjestad and stopped at a kiosk. The woman at the kiosk suggested attending a Divi presentation and they would pay for the dinner cruise. Since, we had been talking about buying there (we liked the island so much) we decided to see what they had to offer first hand and then look at the secondary market later.

We loved the resort, Divi Village Beach & Golf Resort. And my wife mentioned to the salesman about the washer/dryer in the unit. He asked and we told him the story. Well the salesman made us a very interesting offer. By his own admission buying direct by them involved quite a bit of money up front. But even if we didn't buy there now, and he understood why that might not happen, they would order a cab (and pay for it) to take us back to the RIU Palace so we could get our dirty laundry. We could use the washer/dryer in the unit we toured to do our laundry. They would then pay for the cab back to the RIU.

After a bit of haggling we ended up buying at Divi Village. Yes, directly from the developer. But, it was for a week in February. Very hard to get. And, that week covers when my wife & both have our birthdays. The joke we made was this was probably the most expensive washer/dryer we would ever buy. :hysterical:

But, we've never regretted the purchase. We've returned to Aruba 3 more times. Been to Divi Baby Bay Resort on St. Marteen and to Divi Heritage on Barbados both with points left over and no exchange fee. And getting away from Buffalo winters for a week is a great bonus.


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## bizaro86

Timeshare Von said:


> I bought a floating (1-52) week at Lifetime in Hawaii.  The week cost me around $2,500 and at the time the MF's were under $300 for a studio/1 BR unit.  I still own this timeshare . . . love it as a trader at RCI (HUGE TPE value!) or to barter or rent to friends.  MF's are now around $530
> 
> If I were to be thinking about buying again, or more, I would advise to look into Lifetime in Hawaii.  The POA has several weeks (again, they are all 1-52 floating weeks and only studio units) . . . that you can pick up now for around $1,500 to $2,000/week.  They trade very well with RCI and the MF's are still the lowest I've seen for Hawaii.  PLUS, the resort has FREE parking for owners!  This is the best value of all in my opinion, since many of the Waikiki resorts get upwards of $30/day for parking.
> 
> Are you still with me here?  LOL
> 
> Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, etc. that you may have.  I'm always willing to help a fellow traveler!
> 
> TS Von
> 
> p.s.  Through timeshare ownership & exchanging with RCI over the decades, I have been to Germany, England, Scotland and Ireland.   I have also been to Hawaii more than 10 times.  All were outstanding experiences made (financially) possible through timeshare ownership!



Lifetime in Hawaii is probably the best RCI weeks trader out there, imo. I think it is more sustainable than some of the other ones, since Hawaii at Christmas is probably always going to be valuable, and it would rent for well over MF if you couldn't use it. That cost for units from the HOA seems a bit high to me, I have a lead on one for less than that if anyone is interested, and I paid less than that for mine. Of course, the value is there at a higher price, but may as well get a discount if you can.

I also like that its RTU, so has an end date.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte

Our story.

We have four kids, all of them now adults.  But when they were younger vacations was a struggle for me, mostly due to cost.  DW has no interest in camping.  Did it once, when we had two kids, and afterward I knew that was not a feasible option.  So any travel involved either mooching or motels.  Also drivable was big, because air fare for six was generally prohibitive.  So most of our vacationing was short two to four day trips we could reach from home, and an occasional longer air travel trip when I could cash in some frequent flyer miles to make the price tolerable.  

For New Years 1999 I took three of the kids on a ski trip in eastern British Columbia, staying at Motel 6 type venues - room with two queens or kings, 3 males and one female.  She got one bed.  I slept on the floor along with one of the boys.  Breakfast was milk, cereal, and pop-tarts.   Lunch was at the resort.  Dinner was takeout Chinese or pizza.  When we got home and I reviewed the costs, I was stunned that even with all of that, food was by far the biggest expense on the trip.

Seven months later, DW and I are in Hawaii at the Marriott in Lihu'e for a 25th anniversary trip to Hawaii.  We've talked about doing it sometime, we get a fantastic deal (non-timeshare), and figure this is a good time to do it, and we'll probably not be back again.  While we're there we figure we may as well do the timeshare tour to get the freebies being offered.

******

We do the tour and I am totally sold.  I do the math, and I figure that for what I spent on that New Year's ski trip, we could have stayed in a two-bedroom condo with a kitchen, prepared our own food, and had space to relax.  Marriott Lihue only has mini-kitchens, so I ask DW could she feed us with what they have there, and she says "Yes".  So we buy two one-bedroom units for something like $35k.

After doing the paperwork, and knowing that we could rescind, I do some research before leaving the island, find TUG, and learn about the resale market.  So we make plans to rescind, and research some other timeshare options on the island.  We quickly narrow down to Kauai Beach Villas, Lawai Beach Resort, and Embassy Poipu (now Diamond Resorts Pointe at Poipu) as the most realistic options for us.  

We do a quick tour of each (non-sales presentation) and immediately decide that Pointe at Poipu is the place for us.  We love the location. We love the residential feel of the resort and the area.  We envision this as a locale that could be like owning an ocean front condo in Kauai that we come back to regularly.  I start to fantasize about having our children and grandchildren there with us.  

So we execute our rescind at Marriott Lihue, and venture into the resale market to buy a Poipu unit.  Which we complete about five months later.  

In the meantime, while I'm staying on top of eBay timeshare listings looking for our unit, I come across a fixed week 52 unit at Winners Circle in Solana Beach, CA.  On a whim I put in a bid of $900, never expecting to win. I don't win the auction, but the winning bidder flakes out, and the seller asks me if am still willing to buy at $900. I say yes, so in the space we've gone from knowing nothing about timeshare to owning two units.

*****

Things generally work out better than we had planned.  The Winners Circle turns out to be an awesome buy.  We get about 12 years of use of it as an awesome trader in RCI, SFX, TPI, VRI*ety, and HTSE.  Then DW and SIL move to Encinitas, and decide they want to take over hosting family Christmas.  So now we use the unit every year instead of trading, to provide added accommodations for family Christmas.

Meanwhile, in Hawaii we start adding to our ownership and converting the DRI Club.  When DW gets married on St Maarten, we use our DRI to host about half of the wedding party at DRI resorts there.

Now three of our four kids have decided they also like to go to Kauai, and they like Pointe at Poipu as well.  So now we reserve two units, score a free upgrade because we are gold members, and have an extended, multi-generational family on Kauai almost every year.  

We also added a Raintree Vacation Club membership along the way as well, which we have used to go to Whistler for skiing, but now use almost every year for a February trip to Puerto Vallarta.  

Life is good.  The water intrusion assessment at Poipu was painful, but those are the risks that one takes.  From my vantage point now, in 2016, I feel that we have received everything we dreamed for in 1999, and more besides.


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## Timeshare Von

*More Info on Lifetime in Hawaii*



bizaro86 said:


> Lifetime in Hawaii is probably the best RCI weeks trader out there, imo. I think it is more sustainable than some of the other ones, since Hawaii at Christmas is probably always going to be valuable, and it would rent for well over MF if you couldn't use it. That cost for units from the HOA seems a bit high to me, I have a lead on one for less than that if anyone is interested, and I paid less than that for mine. Of course, the value is there at a higher price, but may as well get a discount if you can.
> 
> I also like that its RTU, so has an end date.



Great points for sure!

I didn't pull out my most recent newsletter from the resort so I was quoting their pricing based on the last time I paid attention to the POA's sales offer.  So I dug up the Spring 2016 newsletter and here's the current pricing . . . $1,000 per week and if you guy two, you get a third for free.  They state "You, your family members, and/or your friends can purchase more vacation time." so this offer is open to others, not existing owners.

In 2016 the MF is $510; the board will know what the 2017 MF will be once their negotiation with the Royal Kuhio management company has been completed on their lease for the units that make up LTIH's block of timeshare units.

As for the reference to the RTU, I had forgotten about it . . . probably because I'll be in my 80's and no longer TS traveling by then (if I'm still on this side of the dirt).  The RTU ends on 12/31/2041, so from this year, another 25 years!

Yes, the Christmas season is "PRIMO Prime Time" for RCI exchange value.  When we booked and exchanged ours several years ago, we received enough point value to get a really nice exchange in Ireland PLUS enough points for another two exchanges here in the USA.

There are other weeks that are almost as desirable too!  The RCI TPU estimator is a valuable tool in evaluating a potential purchase.


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## Timeshare Von

bizaro86 said:


> . . .  since Hawaii at Christmas is probably always going to be valuable, and it would rent for well over MF if you couldn't use it . . .



Just be careful as units obtained through an RCI exchange should not be rented, per the RCI agreement.

If you OWN there and want to rent, that is totally acceptable and I've done it a lot.  However, if you are banking with RCI, you will need to back out at the maximum time window to obtain the maximum exchange value (TPUs).


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## dpete

I have not read all the replies so this may already be stated but as a new owner I have come to these conclusions:
For those who want to travel with school age children it is really hard to 'trade' into heavy use weeks. (Even 13 months out with my Ritz/Marriott it is a impossibility for the high use spots)
For a couple who have lots of flexibility it probably wouldn't be the hassle we have found it to be. 
For someone who wants to return to the same place, same time every year the deeded property is the way to go. 
If I had it to do over, I would just go to a rental site (like Redweek) and find the unit and time I wanted and rent. We did this in Hawaii this year for spring break-got a fabulous penthouse unit for the time frame we wanted. I tried but could not trade my property for anything close to what we rented. 
Traveling as a family or group of friends we have found it essential to have a kitchen/living/laundry anywhere we stay. That is called spoiled! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## rhonda

rboesl said:


> ...they would order a cab (and pay for it) to take us back to the RIU Palace so we could get our dirty laundry. We could use the washer/dryer in the unit we toured to do our laundry. They would then pay for the cab back to the RIU.


Cute story.  Amazing how motivating laundry can be!


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## rhonda

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Our story.
> <snip>
> 
> Life is good.  The water intrusion assessment at Poipu was painful, but those are the risks that one takes.  From my vantage point now, in 2016, I feel that we have received everything we dreamed for in 1999, and more besides.


Great story, Steve!


----------



## x3 skier

Retired 20 years ago and started spending the winters in Steamboat Springs. We had been to a couple of timeshare pitches over the years but never wanted to spend the money for the developers price. 

When we first started living in Steamboat, we rented condos or a house for the winter at pretty reasonable prices. I started looking around for property and discovered two properties that had Timeshares in the complex. Each had two 6 week shares that covered the ski season. I contacted a local broker to keep me advised if they ever came on the market. The first one, The West came open on an Estate Sale and the second, The Rockies, thru a Sheriff's sale. I bought both and used them every year. 

In the meantime, American Ski Corp went wild in real estate and planned a condo/hotel/timeshare called The Steamboat Grand. I went to the sales office, talked to an agent and signed up.  This one is a one week a month share. I use the facilities, trade occasionally and generally just leave in the hotel rental pool where it pays for itself. So this one is sort of a country club in disguise with no dues and a pretty steep initiation fee.

These three can be sold for more than I paid for them based on current prices in the area and in fact, I did sell The Rockies for more than I paid for it when a guy accumulated the other four shares and wanted the whole unit. Since it was a third floor walk up and the knees aren't getting younger and I need them for skiing, I let it go. Now I use VRBO for part of the winter and The West for the rest. It's worked out very well so far and the proceeds from The Rockies will more than cover VRBO rentals as long as I'm going to Steamboat.

Two more I bought resale, one in the Raintree system off of eBay and a week at The Allen House in London thru an agent. I was crushed when my RTU at The Allen House expired. Used every single week. Since I could use some of my gazillion FF Miles to fly to London, it was like a free week in London.

The Raintree is one I could take or leave but enjoy the trip to Mexico after ski season to warm up. I have converted it to the Raintree 7 program so I'll be out of it in a few years. 

All-in-All, time sharing has ben fun and I and my late wife enjoyed all of our trips. Now that I'm single again, I will continue to enjoy them. Since the only two of my buys have been timeshares in the traditional sense of one week and one is gone, I've avoided many of the trials and tribulations.

Cheers


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## rhonda

dpete said:


> I have not read all the replies so this may already be stated but as a new owner I have come to these conclusions:
> *For those who want to travel with school age children it is really hard to 'trade' into heavy use weeks. (Even 13 months out with my Ritz/Marriott it is a impossibility for the high use spots)*
> For a couple who have lots of flexibility it probably wouldn't be the hassle we have found it to be.
> For someone who wants to return to the same place, same time every year the deeded property is the way to go.
> If I had it to do over, I would just go to a rental site (like Redweek) and find the unit and time I wanted and rent. We did this in Hawaii this year for spring break-got a fabulous penthouse unit for the time frame we wanted. I tried but could not trade my property for anything close to what we rented.
> Traveling as a family or group of friends we have found it essential to have a kitchen/living/laundry anywhere we stay. That is called spoiled!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I wonder if the bolded concern is made worse by having such a high end timeshare?  Y'all are kinda at the top of the pyramid -- there are more choices down in the middle range.  I own in the "very middle range" and enjoy many lateral options, the rare upward exchange and see plenty of unused inventory from the base.  I've also traded down into a few lower graded properties ... and some have been hidden gems.


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## bizaro86

Timeshare Von said:


> Just be careful as units obtained through an RCI exchange should not be rented, per the RCI agreement.
> 
> If you OWN there and want to rent, that is totally acceptable and I've done it a lot.  However, if you are banking with RCI, you will need to back out at the maximum time window to obtain the maximum exchange value (TPUs).



For sure, I just meant if you couldn't make it to Hawaii or exchange one year, a peime week would be very rentable. I own one, which I bought primarily for RCI.


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## VegasBella

rboesl said:


> We loved the resort, Divi Village Beach & Golf Resort. And my wife mentioned to the salesman about the washer/dryer in the unit. He asked and we told him the story. Well the salesman made us a very interesting offer. By his own admission buying direct by them involved quite a bit of money up front. But even if we didn't buy there now, and he understood why that might not happen, they would order a cab (and pay for it) to take us back to the RIU Palace so we could get our dirty laundry. We could use the washer/dryer in the unit we toured to do our laundry. They would then pay for the cab back to the RIU.
> 
> After a bit of haggling we ended up buying at Divi Village. Yes, directly from the developer. But, it was for a week in February. Very hard to get. And, that week covers when my wife & both have our birthdays. The joke we made was this was probably the most expensive washer/dryer we would ever buy. :hysterical:
> 
> But, we've never regretted the purchase.


That was a very good sales person! He actually listened to what you said you wanted and then he found a way to give it to you. Very smart, really. And uncommon.

Funny story, too 



dpete said:


> For those who want to travel with school age children it is really hard to 'trade' into heavy use weeks. (Even 13 months out with my Ritz/Marriott it is a impossibility for the high use spots)



I agree it can be a challenge. 

I think it depends on the region you're trying to get into and the accommodation level you want. Also, on your kid(s) school schedule. And the amount of time you invest into trading (example - watching the sightings forum here is helpful since not everything is going to be available 13 months out). 

That said, I was able to trade into a Summer Hawaii week without major issue using my moderate trader. I had enough leftover TPU to book Orlando during Christmas break (but chose to book a less busy week instead because I can't handle busy Disney). This was through RCI weeks, FYI. 

3 of our ownerships are deeded float and fixed weeks during Summer, when our son is out of school. However, the public elementary school we're zoned for recently switched to year-round. That scheduling would likely present some problems for us. Luckily, he doesn't go to school there but rather he goes to a private school that keeps the traditional Summer. I can't imagine how hard it is for parents of multiple kids who aren't all on the same "track schedule."

We have simply decided that taking a week off from school for a family vacation is worth it. And that's what we plan to do every other year for New Orleans. The years we don't pull our son out of school to go to Carnival/ Mardi Gras we will probably rent or trade the week. (BTW, kids in NOLA get Mardi Gras week off school).


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## NHpauls

I have devoured this thread...  Great great great!  I love the stories and find the advice helpful.  

I want to buy another TS but I'm scared.  I want it for my daughter's family of 5.  So a 3 bdrm (hard to find) with w/dryer in unit within driving distance of Mass/NH.  Then I have a delimma of which week do I buy?  Will the kids go to school in Mass or NH? (The vacation weeks are one week apart). They need to move into a bigger home & not sure where it will be.  Should I get points instead of weeks?  But I'm not familiar with points.  (Thus the "scared" part).  Maybe Wyndham points so we can go to Smugglers in VT.  But Wyndam just feels so money-grabbing to me.  Worldmark sounds wonderful but we are East Coast.   Attitash looks great but I understand there is a lot of noise between units.  I know...  I sound fussy, don't I?   I'm just so dang spoiled by all the great places we've stayed.

Our story: I love love love our TS experience.  It is the best vacation decision we made.  Just like so many others who posted here, we went places we would never have gone to because of the cost.  We went on vacations that felt "luxury" to us instead of the low-budget ones we would have had to do. Actually, it meant we WENT on vacations instead of talking ourselves out of it.  I just can't do hotels anymore.  I need that separate bedroom so I can read myself to sleep while he watches TV in the living room.  And the Bfast in jammies before hubby is up is a must.  Yes!  Also I love that we can do the "special" restaurant, bring home the doggie-bag, & that is dinner the next night!  A small hotel room just doesn't cut it anymore.  

We attended many, many presentations and felt comfortable 16 years ago when we bought at Lodges at Cresthaven, Lake George, NY.  Stand-alone log cabins at a Gold Crown level resort.  Great trader and great renter.  When you buy there, you get 3 weeks.  We go one week, we trade one week, and we rent one week which usually pays for the MF's.  Perfect!  But the 2 small bedrooms, isn't gonna work for the family of 5 going forward.  And there definitely is no room for us to join them.  The developer is willing to buy back our contract for about the same price as we paid.  Very tempting.  That money could go far towards Points on the re-sale market, yes?  

Any body who wants to chime in and help me make this decision is welcome to!  I'm not on TUG all the time but enough to recognize many of your names.  You are a good group of folks who love to help each other.  And I love that a couple TUG veterans found this thread an "eye-opener."   Cool.....
-Ruth from NH


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## slip

About 30 years ago, I worked with a guy that left our company and started selling timeshares at Christmas Mountain. He contacted me because he was starting out and needed to get some experience under his belt. So as a favor, I went to a presentation. I didn't know anything about it and I didn't really learn much but the idea seemed like a good one. The math of the purchase price never made sense to me so we didn't buy.

Fast forward about 20 years and my two children are out of the house so DW and I started going to Hawaii. After our third trip, I started looking at the timeshare idea again and then I found TUG. After about 6 months of learning, I joined TUG and with the help of AliiKai2, we decided to purchase at the Pono Kai. Got it off Ebay for $1.00 and it came with two free weeks. Great decision, we love it there and have been going back every year since. We had just returned from Hawaii so I traded the one free weeks and we were able to get three other weeks from Platinum Interchange. That's how I started to learn about exchanging. The other , I was able to rent and that's how I started renting the extra weeks I took over to cover the cost of our stays.

We don't exchange much be we have a couple weeks with Platinum and some TPU with RCI. We use that for a few side trips we occasionally take. After one exchange to Las Vegas at the Jockey Club, my son ended out taking over a week there from a TUG member. He still goes at least once a year and loves the location. We're actually going with him in September.

Back to our originally purchase, DW had some must haves, one was walking distance to a town and the other was air conditioning. She would have preferred in unit laundry but that is the one compromise she made. She was nervous purchasing online and just from pictures but that all came to pass after our first stay there. Now, those two or three weeks we stay there are the highlight of our year. We have brought friends and family with us many times  and we enjoy being tour guides.

In February, we have friends coming with us for a second trip. They just love sitting on the lani and with that perfect ocean front view. She is just getting oner her Breast Cancer treatments and we can't wait to help her relax a bit. We all can't wait.

PS, I want to Thank AliiKai2 for all his help back then. I think about him and his advise every trip. He hasn't been on in almost a year but i really am grateful to him for taking his time to share all his knowledge he has about the Pono Kai.


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## WinniWoman

NHpauls said:


> I have devoured this thread...  Great great great!  I love the stories and find the advice helpful.
> 
> I want to buy another TS but I'm scared.  I want it for my daughter's family of 5.  So a 3 bdrm (hard to find) with w/dryer in unit within driving distance of Mass/NH.  Then I have a delimma of which week do I buy?  Will the kids go to school in Mass or NH? (The vacation weeks are one week apart). They need to move into a bigger home & not sure where it will be.  Should I get points instead of weeks?  But I'm not familiar with points.  (Thus the "scared" part).  Maybe Wyndham points so we can go to Smugglers in VT.  But Wyndam just feels so money-grabbing to me.  Worldmark sounds wonderful but we are East Coast.   Attitash looks great but I understand there is a lot of noise between units.  I know...  I sound fussy, don't I?   I'm just so dang spoiled by all the great places we've stayed.
> 
> Our story: I love love love our TS experience.  It is the best vacation decision we made.  Just like so many others who posted here, we went places we would never have gone to because of the cost.  We went on vacations that felt "luxury" to us instead of the low-budget ones we would have had to do. Actually, it meant we WENT on vacations instead of talking ourselves out of it.  I just can't do hotels anymore.  I need that separate bedroom so I can read myself to sleep while he watches TV in the living room.  And the Bfast in jammies before hubby is up is a must.  Yes!  Also I love that we can do the "special" restaurant, bring home the doggie-bag, & that is dinner the next night!  A small hotel room just doesn't cut it anymore.
> 
> We attended many, many presentations and felt comfortable 16 years ago when we bought at Lodges at Cresthaven, Lake George, NY.  Stand-alone log cabins at a Gold Crown level resort.  Great trader and great renter.  When you buy there, you get 3 weeks.  We go one week, we trade one week, and we rent one week which usually pays for the MF's.  Perfect!  But the 2 small bedrooms, isn't gonna work for the family of 5 going forward.  And there definitely is no room for us to join them.  The developer is willing to buy back our contract for about the same price as we paid.  Very tempting.  That money could go far towards Points on the re-sale market, yes?
> 
> Any body who wants to chime in and help me make this decision is welcome to!  I'm not on TUG all the time but enough to recognize many of your names.  You are a good group of folks who love to help each other.  And I love that a couple TUG veterans found this thread an "eye-opener."   Cool.....
> -Ruth from NH





I own at Smuggs and Pollard Brook. I think Smuggs would be perfect- they have great 3 bedroom units- spacious- with washer and dryers in the units. If you can get a weeks or RCI points resale( non-Wyndham), you would just have to purchase the benefits package separately through the resort. A really good option within driving distance. Prime summer weeks when the kids are off from school is what would work, unless they want winter. I have week 30 there which is right in the middle of summer.


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## BLKBRD370

Kenchele said:


> Now that we've rescinded the timeshare that we bought directly from the developer, we're looking here at gaining information and possibly purchasing on the resale market.
> 
> Would you mind sharing your opinions on why you bought the program that you have and whether you find it worth it (versus just vacationing and getting hotel rooms wherever)?  What do you find to be the benefits of owning interest in a timeshare? What are the benefits to the particular program in which you have your timeshare?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your opinions!


My brother had bought a Timeshare and he was enthusiastic about it especially that he got breaks on golf course fees and other benefits. When we saw his unit we were impressed and decided we should have similar 3 BR Unit sleeping up to 8 people. For several years we found it to be a convenient way to travel, exchanging our unit for different resorts.  Now that we are a lot older and the ageing process is in full swing we no longer use it and would like to sell or offer it to a family who could put it to good use. I think it would benefit a largish family or for friends who like to vacation together. The main benefit this ownership is that it can be exchanged for any other resort listed with Interval International. We have used our in Europe as well as Disneyworld amongst other places.


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## PGtime

What a great thread!  Great to read the different perspectives and experiences of not only timeshares but traveling in general.

We bought our first week in Williamsburg in 1993 at (the then) Powhatan Plantation.  It was white time and one of those 4 BR 4 BA lock out units that you could deposit as 1 or 2 units.  We bought through the developer and the salesperson told us (as it turns out, truthfully) that we could trade it during the then 45 day window (before check in date) at RCI, when the trading power for the units was reduced.  Of course I had to keep calling to get what I wanted sometimes but it worked well for us.  Plus, Powhatan was within easy (~90 minutes) driving distance from home, so we used the facilities on the weekends occasionally.  At the time, PP was one of the few resorts in Williamsburg so it traded reasonably well.  Now there are probably too many there.  We sold it in the early 2000's (can't remember exactly when) for just under half of what we paid.  Not too bad.  No regrets, as we had many great vacations.  FYI, the MF's were ~ $400 then, and that was really for 2 units.   

We bought a fixed week 28 3BR 3BA at The Cottages (Shipyard Plantation, Hilton Head Island) while vacationing there.  We bought through the developer and then saw one of those resale timeshare advertising circulars the next day at the grocery store while still on the island.  So, armed with resale pricing info, I marched back in to rescind.  Instead of rescinding, the sales director offered to match the prices if we'd keep it.  Fair enough, done.  No regrets there either, as that is a great trader and is a place I would go every year, and we did.  In fact, we still go there many times per year but we now own a condo in Shipyard and usually use the Cottages week to trade through RCI.

We discovered TUG and bought 2 resale South African timeshares for a few hundred dollars and rode that wave for several years, as trading was easy and the MF cost was really cheap due to the dollar rand exchange.  We sold both of those units through TUG.  No regrets; many cheap vacations.

Lastly, we bought a fixed week 28 resale EOY 2 BR 2 BA at Waterside by Spinnaker (HHI) through eBay for less than $500.  By then we already owned the condo in Shipyard and have mostly used it to trade through SFX and sometimes RCI.  No regrets and our best buy (as determined by price / trading value / MF's).  

So... now the only 2 timeshares we own are the every year Cottages and EOY Waterside and that is all we need presently.

My recommendation for potential new owner's:  
1.  Try it before you buy it, meaning rent a week where you want to go through TUG or Redweek.
2.  If you do buy, make sure it is in an area (and during the timeframe) you would not mind going to every year.
3.  Realize and understand that TS is more of a lifestyle and vacationing choice rather than an investment. 
4.  If and when you buy, enjoy the hunt for that next great vacation.  I find it fun and challenging.

Paul


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## famy27

My parents bought Wyndham points in 2000 from the developer. I was not willing to spend that kind of cash, so we passed. Eight years later, I decided that I wanted some Wyndham points for myself, so I did some research and ended up buying points on eBay for $200. I specifically picked an II affiliated Wyndham so that I could trade with Disney. I got one trade in, and then DVC moved to RCI. Luckily, I discovered that I really liked II. Since my parents had their point to trade with II, we switched off, so that I booked Westin Kierland Villas for them, and they booked Animal Kingdom for me.

Eventually, we decided that since were staying at DVC so much, we should probably actually buy there. We closed on our DVC points at BLT in October 2015. We've since traded into SSR twice using our Wyndham points (with one night of our DVC points added on to the beginning of the stay), booked a trip to PVB for Labor Day, and traded Wyndham points for AKV for January. We also rented out enough of our DVC points to cover our maintenance fees, with money left over. Our current strategy is to exchange some of our Wyndham points for Disney, use some of our DVC points, and rent out the rest to cover our fees. If RCI exchanges disappear, we'll just use our DVC points for Disney. 

Overall, we've been pleased with both of our purchases. We've used our Wyndham points both in Wyndham and in II and RCI for some great exchanges. It's been a really economical way for us to stay at nice resorts.  I really liked Wyndham until I got to experience DVC. Now, I wish I had money for a few hundred more DVC points. My biggest issues with Wyndham are the nickel-and-dime charges and the relentless sales pressure. I  shouldn't have to resist a hard sell every time I check in to use a week I own. DVC is just so stress-free and easy, it's fantastic. I still like Wyndham resorts, but I've just become annoyed with the company and its practices. If I couldn't exchange my Wyndham points through RCI, I would probably seriously consider deeding them back and just buy more DVC.


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## JudiZ

*What a Fun Thread*

We have owned many timeshares. Our first purchase was a modest Orlando resale; our only developer purchase was Marriott Cypress Harbour about 20+/- years ago while we were staying at our modest resort. It was huge and gorgeous! We sold it for little over half of what we paid (ah, the days) after several vacations there. I have never regretted buying those weeks and seeing vacationing in a whole new way. We have bought at low and/or reasonable prices and been able to use and trade what we have had. That being said, what we have owned over the years has evolved. Until just last week, we owned two timeshares - Powell Place in San Francisco, which we use every other year and Sea Mist in Mashpee, Massachusetts (being a native New Englander, I know that it is Cape Cod light), which we use nearly every year and we love them. Those two have been used and traded for ten years non-stop. 

Then last week, in a TUG ad, we found what, for us, is the timeshare of our dreams - a fixed week at Attitash Mountain Resort that we have traded into for the past three years with no small amount of grief! Just two hours from home, it is the right size, the right place and the absolute right week and, miraculously, in a resort with no elevators, it is on the ground floor. I have some medical issues that make stair climbing uncomfortable, not impossible, so this is truly a blessing. And here, on TUG, was the timeshare of our dreams. At a mutually agreeable modest price, the lovely owner and I are moving forward with a closing. So, now we have three. 

I have had the timeshare bug from the first time we stayed at a Residence Inn and then found out about timeshares from another mom at the pool (for the record, those children I was watching in the pool are now 28 and 33). On those rare occasions when work or family mean a hotel stay, I am always glad that real relaxation can be had on every vacation.I know it's not for everyone, but it sure has been, and continues to be, right for us. When things change, we'll figure out what to do next.

Thanks for starting this thread!


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## JohnPaul

*Started at age 34 - really paying off at 61*

In 1989, we went to a sales presentation for Vacation Internationale in Washington state to get whatever premiums they were offering.  This was the era when timeshares had a bad name for fly by night scams.  In addition I had just finished an 8 year job working for Westin hotels corporate and was used to free stays in hotels like Century Plaza in LA, The St Francis in San Francisco and The Plaza in New York.  I didn’t know what I thought about not having someone come in every day and clean.  And last but not least, as two gay men in our 30’s (in the 80’s) we didn’t know how we would get on in potentially very family/kids environments.  On the last point, our salesperson “Ginger” assured us that her brother and his “friend” loved their ownership. 

However, we were intrigued.  As a person who was used to reading lengthy legal documents, I read every word of every document.  I was pleased by things that I learned such as that all of the property is held paid off in a trust that belongs to the owners.

We ended up buying their lowest every other year product and took our first vacation to Hawaii - Kauai, Big Island and Oahu.  

Over time we bought more from the developer and resale.  Through a serious of funky quirks, after they started their Prestige Program we were able to grandfather our resales points and ended up being Prestige Platinum - the highest level.  It has great perks like bonus time at 40 days and 50% reduction in bonus time rates and points rates if booked within 60 days.  

We also bought in a variety of companies with both developer and resale points.  We use each ownership in particular ways that work well for us.  Now we own:

       451 		Vacation International points
  15,500		Shell Vacations Club West points
  19,000		Worldmark points
  44,000		Staroptions (Sheraton Mountain Vista, Avon, CO)
    5,250		HGVC points at West 57th St in New York City
144,500		RCI points through Sedona Pines and Oakmont Resort in Pigeon Forge, TN

Believe it or not, the 451 VI points probably represent the most time of all of them.  

Now that we are both retired, it is really paying off.  We just returned from a 5 week trip in Washington and Oregon with 4 days not in a timeshare.  We have 12 days in timeshares in New York City in August.  A couple short stays in San Francisco here and there.  Five days in a penthouse at Lake Tahoe in October.  Two weeks in a fabulous two bedroom cabin at Sun River, Oregon in late October/early November.  Last but not least (for this year) we have 2 and a half months for skiing in timeshare in Colorado, Utah and California/Nevada this next ski season.  

Best of all, we load and run the dishwasher at the end of our stay and someone cleans up behind us.  When it snows, the timeshare deals with it.  And for much less than a second home would cost we have second homes in Tahoe, San Francisco, Napa, New York, Colorado, Utah and so on.


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## JohnPaul

rhonda said:


> I was unable to edit my earlier post -- but how could I forget the following things we love about Worldmark??
> Many ways to book:  Using Credits (points), Cash Bonus Time, Cash Inventory Specials, Cash Monday Madness, etc.  (Only a third of our reservations on our credits -- we use the various cash reservation avenues extensively.)
> Free guest certificates.  (I can book a reservation for friends/family w/out paying an extra fee to put the reservation in their name.)
> Great online reservation website!  I can save and re-use favorite searches, have dependable access to real-time inventory, etc.
> Generous cancellation policy!
> Banking and borrowing across account years.
> Renting credits from others ... (although this undergoing changes).



Worldmark is unique in the ability to grab last minute cancellations.  Most systems don't have many last minute cancellations due to their cancellation policies.  However, on reservations made closer to your stay Worldmark offers no penalty cancellations as late as two days before check in.

On our recent 5 week trip to Washington and Oregon, we had to return to Seattle 3 unplanned times for a medical issue and extend an existing stay by a day.  

Hotel cost in Seattle are ridiculous.  $300 - $600 a night for downtown.  $200 out by the airport.

For 3 of the 4 nights that we needed in Seattle I was able to grab last minute cancellations at the Worldmark Camlin in downtown Seattle.  Cost - around $80 per night.  

You do have to be willing to have fun hunting as cancellations come and go very quickly but it is definitely worth it.


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## onenotesamba

JohnPaul said:


> ...And last but not least, as two gay men in our 30’s (in the 80’s) we didn’t know how we would get on in potentially very family/kids environments.



So interesting to read your perspective.  My husband and I are new to timesharing, but when we started looking into it, we wondered the same thing.  We've been to a few presentations/owner's updates, and we purchased twice on the resale market within the past year, and throughout every transaction, no one has said or done anything that would make us feel uncomfortable. In fact, one of the closing agents for our resale purchases, asked how we wanted the deed, and we had a really funny conversation about alternatives to "husband and wife."

I'm too new to this to post an awesome story like the others in this thread, but just wanted to echo how much I've enjoyed reading all of them.


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## LilyPond

LOVE this question and all the stories!  

I purchased my timeshare (was married at the time) over 20 years ago from the developer long before resale was a known thing.  No regrets.  It was one of the best decisions ever made.  We were motivated to purchase at Alii Kai II because it was so much less expensive than the Kona Coast Resort on Hawaii, a new development at the time.  Purchasing with Alii Kai II allowed us to buy into an RCI Gold Crown rated resort that is peak/red all year round with high trading power at such a better price, so we could trade and go to Kona Coast someday if we wanted to (we never did! Lol).  

Alii Kai II is on the island of Kauai and located very close to Hanalei – one of my favorite towns among the islands – and close to the Na Pali Coast Trail; at the time my former husband and I were avid hikers/backpackers.  We would reserve our week at Alii Kai and fly over to Kauai a few days ahead of that with luggage plus backpacking gear.  This was back when the Princeville Airport was still used for island hopping, Amelia's was in business, and before Hurricane Iniki hit.  We’d purchase our camping fuel there on the island (not supposed to take that on planes) and we would have the cab driver stop by Alii Kai on the way so that we could leave our luggage with the office during our backpacking trip.  From there we’d go hike the Na Pali Coast Trail to the end, camp, chill, get an oceanside sunset view every night, and totally relax.  Our last trip we decided to take one of the Zodiacs back to the trail head instead of hiking out and then just called a cab to come take us back to the timeshare to check in for the week.  It was perfect.  Rough it for a few days, then luxury for a week.  

Overall, the timeshare purchase offered many things: 
-	Forced an annual vacation
-	Enabled travel to locations that I otherwise would never have gone to, such as Mexico and Switzerland among many others
-	Having the comfort of a fully furnished condo compared to a hotel room is beyond compare.  The sense of SPACE is fantastic; you don’t necessarily feel ‘on top of’ your neighbors.  
-	Eating out can be great but gets old and expensive after a while.  Having the option to ‘cook at home’ saves money, lets you relax for the evening and lets you consume at your own pace and in your own space, while having all the wine you want!
-	I’ve used my timeshare just by myself and also with family, it’s fantastic to have such flexibility to exchange for the size lodging you need at the time

My timeshare is a 2-bedroom unit which lets me trade for another 2-bedroom or smaller.  From my experience with this, if I obtain another timeshare interest it would be in a manner that lets me stay in options up to and including a 2-bedroom if I wanted to.  

Congratulations for discovering resale and enjoy the search for your new timeshare!!


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## WinniWoman

NHpauls said:


> I have devoured this thread...  Great great great!  I love the stories and find the advice helpful.
> 
> I want to buy another TS but I'm scared.  I want it for my daughter's family of 5.  So a 3 bdrm (hard to find) with w/dryer in unit within driving distance of Mass/NH.  Then I have a delimma of which week do I buy?  Will the kids go to school in Mass or NH? (The vacation weeks are one week apart). They need to move into a bigger home & not sure where it will be.  Should I get points instead of weeks?  But I'm not familiar with points.  (Thus the "scared" part).  Maybe Wyndham points so we can go to Smugglers in VT.  But Wyndam just feels so money-grabbing to me.  Worldmark sounds wonderful but we are East Coast.   Attitash looks great but I understand there is a lot of noise between units.  I know...  I sound fussy, don't I?   I'm just so dang spoiled by all the great places we've stayed.
> 
> Our story: I love love love our TS experience.  It is the best vacation decision we made.  Just like so many others who posted here, we went places we would never have gone to because of the cost.  We went on vacations that felt "luxury" to us instead of the low-budget ones we would have had to do. Actually, it meant we WENT on vacations instead of talking ourselves out of it.  I just can't do hotels anymore.  I need that separate bedroom so I can read myself to sleep while he watches TV in the living room.  And the Bfast in jammies before hubby is up is a must.  Yes!  Also I love that we can do the "special" restaurant, bring home the doggie-bag, & that is dinner the next night!  A small hotel room just doesn't cut it anymore.
> 
> We attended many, many presentations and felt comfortable 16 years ago when we bought at Lodges at Cresthaven, Lake George, NY.  Stand-alone log cabins at a Gold Crown level resort.  Great trader and great renter.  When you buy there, you get 3 weeks.  We go one week, we trade one week, and we rent one week which usually pays for the MF's.  Perfect!  But the 2 small bedrooms, isn't gonna work for the family of 5 going forward.  And there definitely is no room for us to join them.  The developer is willing to buy back our contract for about the same price as we paid.  Very tempting.  That money could go far towards Points on the re-sale market, yes?
> 
> Any body who wants to chime in and help me make this decision is welcome to!  I'm not on TUG all the time but enough to recognize many of your names.  You are a good group of folks who love to help each other.  And I love that a couple TUG veterans found this thread an "eye-opener."   Cool.....
> -Ruth from NH



Why don't you try to get a Smugglers Notch 3 bedroom unit resale? A fixed week (non Wyndham)? Try to get it in North Hill, West Hill or Highland so you at least have use of a pool and gym included in the ownership. Then your daughter can decide whether or not to pay for benefits like the camps and use of other pools, etc, or just get a Smuggs Pass as needed when they are there. 

Or maybe a fixed week in NH? Like at Pollard Brook (dryer in bldg,) or Eastern Slope Inn? 

Get a week that you know is ok for both states they might be attending school in.

Go onto Vermont Timeshare Brokerage.com for Smuggs resales. The woman who owns it- Laura Fagan- sold us our timeshare at Smuggs 17 years ago and she is very trustworthy and knowledgeable.


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## heathpack

I agree, this is a very interesting thread.  

We went to a Westgate presentation in Orlando years ago that was so ridiculous that we still laugh about it.  Whatever, we got our free tickets and the experience reinforced our opinion that timeshares were a ripoff.

Then my cousin started working for DVC.  We started to think timeshares were not a ripoff but we figured we could never afford one.

Then we moved to California & got a cheap long weekend at Hyatt Highlands Inn.  We had to do the sales presentation and it sounded really sweet.  Just too expensive.

So by now, we knew about Hyatt & DVC.  We went to a pre-sale sales pitch at Disneyland for Villas at Grand Californian.  We were pretty sure based on these two experiences that we would want either a Hyatt or a DVC if we could afford it.

I read a bunch about both systems on TUG & Disboards.  Eventually, we decided to buy an 1880 pt week at Hyatt High Sierra in Tahoe.  We've still never been there, though.  It's a great trader.  We use it to book partial weeks in the Hyatt system- Carmel multiple times & Sedona once.  But I used the heck out of that Hyatt week as a trader for a few years.

We liked it so much, the fact that we could leverage one week into many studio weeks or partial weeks.  We travel a lot & had some great trips.  We saved up money & were considering even buying Villas at Grand Californian direct.  The economy was booming and VGC was going to be offered to DVC owners first.  Rumor was it might sell out before being offered to the general public.  So we bought a 25 point contract at Hilton Head Island, just to be owners.

Then the economy tanked & we put VGC purchase on hold- for awhile.  Contracts were going cheaply on the resale market, so we bought an 85 point contract for $92/pt.  Has hugely appreciated.  It was awesome for awhile, when APs were cheap for SoCal residents.  Now they are so expensive that we have to borrow/bank & push 3 years of stays into one year.  Then we get sick of Disneyland.  But we find it hard to part with this one.  We love a lot about it.

By now we wanted to go to Maui and the big drawback to Hyatt is that you can only search 12 months out, which is a little late to try for a Westin & also use FF miles for the flight.  The ecomony was still bad & we got a SBP unit for free.  Great trader so far.  I just used my 2017 week this morning to book a Hyatt Highlands Inn week in Carmel.  (So much for Maui in 2018, unless SFX comes through.)

And then, at the very tail end of the bad economy, we wanted to buy a week to actually use- something on the east coast that would force us to go back & visit relatives there.  We like beaches & ocean swimming & picked up an EOY Marriott Barony Beach gold week.  Garden view, so it was pretty reasonable.  Turns out our relatives don't like the beach that much (or going anywhere, it turns out!), so who knows what we'll do with this one.  We had a great stay in 2015, loved the resort, so we hate to give it up.

For us, we like trading and traveling lots of places.  The kitchen is a huge plus- allows us to be more mellow & relaxed, eat simply and have healthier food.  Units with washer/dryers are swell- I've become an avid cyclist and it's nice to be able to wash my cycling clothes on a trip.  Extra rooms for the bike(s) is a plus too.  As is the lack of housekeeping- we'd prefer no one enter our room while we're out, especially if we have bikes in the room.

We're totally happy with our timeshares, although we have probably one too many right now.  Hard to part with any of them though.


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## bogey21

My first foray into TimeSharing was buying Marriott Floating Weeks.  Loved the Marriott Resorts but not the hassle (from my perspective) of scheduling and the level of the MFs.   Sold the Marriott Floating Weeks but kept my Monarch Fixed Week.  Bought 6 Fixed Week/Fixed Units at 6 different Resorts in places I wanted to visit every year.  The prices (dirt cheap) and MFs were right.  Basically I traded the quality (and cost) of Marriott for the certainty (and low cost) of knowing where I would be going every year.  This worked well for me.

George


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## Bxian

We spent a number of years renting weeks at the Jersey Shore-worked well as we could load up the care with 4 bikes and assorted other items and not have far to drive.  It also gave us the ability to invite the kids' friends down far part of a week while still having family time for the rest of the week.

My husband and I won a long weekend stay at the Marriott hotel on Marco Island at a hospital black tie charity auction nine years ago.  We did well-got 3 long weekend stays (2 in Florida and one in the Princeton area) for less than $300 total-too many of the attendees were fixated on the jewelry silent auction, so we scooped up the travel deals.  

I had started reading the TUG forums around the time we visited Marco Island.  While we were there, we  stopped in at the Charter Club (an HGVC affiliate) and fell in love with the sweeping Gulf views from the wide balconies there.  We bought one resale week from the onsite sales agent several months later at a reasonable price.  We initially bought to both use and trade.  However,  after a couple of years of ownership, we realized that we loved  the Charter Club so much that we wanted a second week to trade. We  bought a foreclosure for a great price during the recession when our timeshare Board offered them for sale to current owners using a sealed bid system.  We go to the Charter Club each year, and have traded the second week for time at the Grand Pacific Palisades in Carlsbad, Powell Pace in San Francisco, the Hilton Craigendarroch in Scotland, Meadow Lake resort in Montana, HGVC properties in South Beach and Manhattan, the Manhattan Club, and multiple stays at the HGVC resorts near Walt Disney World.  

I don't regret our timeshare purchase for a minute.  I have a high stress job, and my husband says that the Charter Club is the only place that he ever sees me totally chill out.  However, timeshare ownership is only a portion of our travel portfolio.  I am a frequent flyer mile and hotel points addict, and we had some amazing vacations using points and miles.  The most recent trip was a trip to Paris and Frankfurt with my daughter to celebrate her 30th and my 60th birthday-free first class on United going over, 8 nights of free hotel stays at Hilton and westin properties, and an amazing free flight home in business class on Singapore Airlines.  We also enjoy going on a cruise every 3 to 4 years.  While I am not a camper, we have  enjoyed stays in some of our amazing national parks.  My husband is retired, and even though I only get 4 weeks of vacation, we make the most of it.  We are considering adding another timeshare week or two once I  retire-probably EOY or a system such as Worldmark points.  We have had so many great travel memories-and time sharing has been an important part.


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## markgrinny

Hi Kenchelle,  We purchased because we were going to vacation every year.  Our situation has changed due to school vacation scheduling.  We have six more years of schooling for our children, so we can only take vacations during that time. We have been lucky to get some decent deals on airfare to Hawaii and stay at the Sheraton Princeville on Kauai.  We also got a good deal to go to Cancun and stay at the Laguna Mar.  Both sites were breathtakingly beautiful, but it took a lot of time and energy to fit those two excursions into our school vacation schedule. 

[advertising deleted - please post in the Bargain Deals Forum:  http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132509]


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## Theousaf

*No Regrets..*

We have traveled throughout the Caribbean, over thirty years, when we visited Aruba 5 years ago, and had no desire to go anywhere else.  We went to a bunch of timeshare presentations; one more sleazy then the next.  Then we tried to learn as much about timeshares.  Over the next year we ended up buying four, two bedroom lockouts, weeks 6-9. All from owners.  We have five adult daughters and wanted the flexibility to rent some of the units when we didn't need them and also wanted contiguous weeks so our girls, could travel mid week to save on airfare from Boston.  We never regretted our decision.


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## travelplus

Our Family bought the Palm Canyon Resort and Spa in Palm Springs back in 1994 as well as  an ORE Resort in Park City. We used the weeks (5 weeks) as part of an extended vacation to Spain. As ORE was going under we were able to get the money we put in for the weeks and sold the Palm Canyon Resort.

Well fast forward to 2011 when visiting Scottsdale I had the idea to look into resale and we found the Diamond Scottsdale Villa Mirage on Resale for $1,000 for a 2 bedroom. We were staying at the Sheraton and really did not find a unit that suited our needs.   We visited the Villa Mirage and were happy.  We use this week to split our Studio and 1 bedroom into RCI Weeks.

In 2012 we rented a week at The Ridge Tahoe in a 2 bedroom Cascade I told my Father that I would go online to see what resales they had. Lo and behold there was a 2 Bedroom Cascade for $900. So of course we bought it so its our home resort. We also have a Week with Marriott that we Deposited to Interval so we can essentially get two weeks at the Ridge if we want or other places.

This past January we were spending three weeks at the Sedona Pines Resort which was ok but I knew there was better. Those Red Rocks were calling me with the snow LOL.  I took the Timeshare Presentations with Hyatt,Diamond and Worldmark. I was most impressed with either the Sedona Summit or Los Abrigados.

When doing research we found a 2 bedroom Lock Off at the Sedona Summit for $1000 on resale and I can see ourselves going back there every winter and use the Interval Week to get  a 2nd week and RCI to get a third if we want.  I loved the Adult Spa overlooking the mountains along with more than one pool.  The resort is spread out and we toured it at night too and during the day. I love looking up at the stars.

Right now our portfolio is maxed out. TUGSBBS has helped us to look for resale. I would never go with a developer. 

We love Timesharing because as others have stated the kitchen, having room to spread out, making memories , and going to different resorts worldwide. Do we own too much(perhaps some say yes). But I say no.  Now that my Father for the most part is retired and my Mother is retiring soon   and my Brother and I can work out our schedule to join them its great for us as we now have better places to stay then some hotel stuck in one room.

My theory is to always buy a 2 bedroom or higher and get a lockoff. For me the lockoff allows me to have my own space. At the Sedona Summit the Lock Off is very spacious with a limited kitchen I can at least store drinks in the fridge.  At the Ridge the Lock Off in the Cascades has a large bathroom and sitting area.  I love having my own space and then come in when I want to late at night or go walking early in the morning.

This year we booked a third week at The Highland Verde Ridge in Cornville AZ in  a 1 bedroom and sometimes you have to be flexible. 

But I always like to research the destination first. I could not imagine spending $200 a night at a Best Western in Sedona. For me the Maintenance Fee and Exchange Fee is totally worth it because at least you are staying at a nice resort. I have checked the price of the Amaya Resort during Christmas time in Sedona and they want $300+ Dollars a Night. 

Over all we love Timesharing.


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## bradfordHI

Kenchele said:


> Now that we've rescinded the timeshare that we bought directly from the developer, we're looking here at gaining information and possibly purchasing on the resale market.
> 
> Would you mind sharing your opinions on why you bought the program that you have and whether you find it worth it (versus just vacationing and getting hotel rooms wherever)?  What do you find to be the benefits of owning interest in a timeshare? What are the benefits to the particular program in which you have your timeshare?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your opinions!




Developer pro. All the benefits. 50 to 75 percent off all bookings within 60 days. So if your flexible go with buying direct. Developers don't charge resort fees, parking, no exchange fees and lower maintence. 

Resale pro: cheaper but all goes to trading power. You get what you pay for. A 1 dollar week is a dollar for a reason. Buy resell if you LOVE the resort. If not buy a Premiium week because exchanging can be frustrating. You will NEVER EVER EVER EVER TRADE BRANSON FOR NEW YORK CITY OR HAWAII. 

Cons. All personal. 

Owner for 20 years. FYI.... 
These sites compare resale to developer. They are 2 totally different products!!!! 

Don't fall for the trap where a reseller tells you to go to the developer and have them explain it to you then buy resale. It's not the same. At all.  

Hope that helps.


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## silentg

Hi my timeshare experience started  in 1980. I saw an ad in the newspaper to go on vacation in Vermont for a weekend $9.00 . We were young, had one son, and not much money. We drove to Vermont from the Boston Area, took us 5 hours. We stopped along the way. We had a nice time but I was not interested in buying, mainly because we could not afford it. DH loved the whole idea of a timeshare,and he got me to agree when he said, this will make us take a vacation at least one week a year. D H does not come from a family that took vacations. My family always rented a cottage at the beach for a week or two. The timeshare was a RTU started 1981 until 2011. We borrowed money from my parents to pay for it. It was not that expensive $4,500. And maintenance fee was under $100.00 a year.  We used it without trading for the first few years. Our daughter was born in 1983 and we took both of our kids to Vermont, they both have fond memories of going there over 4th of July. We moved to Florida in 1987 and began trading thru RCI. In the early 90s I found TUG and on the advice of a Tug member I bought a South Africa timeshare. Just for trading purposes. It was great now we had two weeks to use with RCI. We found other timeshares thru TUG and purchased them at places that were difficult to trade into.We own 3 timeshares in Florida, one in Europe, one on Cape Cod, one in Virginia too. We no longer have the one in Vermont or SA. Mostly DH and I go on our own. Kids are grown and have used our timeshares but we only go occasionally as a family. Looking to retire in a couple of years,keep the timeshares to travel to many places in the future. Thanks for reading my story.
Silentg


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## MOXJO7282

I think we have an interesting story that all started with a mistake purchase that many of us made and a tremendous tragedy, 9/11, that I'm convinced ultimately got us a trade that has turned into the best possible outcome even I didn't think was possible.

Our timeshare journey started in 2000 when we purchased directly from Marriott a Grande Vista 2BDRM gold week for $14,900. This was truly a mistake because our goal was to vacation in Maui during prime season and we fell for the sales tactic "why buy Maui when you can buy Orlando and trade into Maui".

In 2000 we put in our requests for Maui and never got the trade before we accepted a Manor Club trade. Again in 2001 we put in the trade as early as possible and again nothing matched.  I was starting to consider an exit strategy because  I was very disappointed the trades weren't happening. Then the horrible events of 9/11 happened. I'm not sure if it was the very next day but it was within a few days our trade for Maui came through.

So now this terrorist attack happens and we have to decide within days if we wanted to get on a plane and fly 12 hours to Maui in a few months. We decided to go and the rest is history. I hate to think something so good for us happened because of such a tragic event but in hindsight I'm convinced this is true.   I couldn't wait until the 60 day window where it might have happened so I was just about to accept another trade.  Even after the trade came through we were very reluctant but decided to take the trade.

The plane was probably 10% full if that and the resort seemed the same.  That first trip to the Maui Ocean Club sealed our fate and we just knew we wanted to come back over and over again. As soon as we got home  we set in motion a trade up for a Maui Ocean Club 2BDRM OV unit.

Fast forward to 2017 and we now own 23 Marriott units that we use but mostly rent. We're by no means wealthy and acquired all but 4 in the resale market at very good pricing funded 80% by playing the 0% balance transfer fee game to perfection over the years to use the bank's money to fund our portfolio.

The rental business isn't for everyone but prime Marriotts really do rent very easily so it's been incredibly low effort quite honestly.  Even with the taxes we pay on the profit it still put my daughter through college and should do the same for my son in a few years.  The profit was never really the plan and definitely not the goal, it really is just the result of what I figured out over the years about how to rent Marriott units.

The goal was all the great trips to Maui we took as a family over the years, 7 and counting, and so many others to HHI and many of the other great Marriott resorts.  And the ultimate goal,  which is still at least 7 years away by my calculations, is to live out our dream of being able to spend a few months at one of our Marriott TSs in Maui or HHI and allow friends and family to come and go.   This was and always has been the dream and if we can accomplish this it will truly be a a dream come true for my wife and I.


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## Dave Landry

ottawasquaw said:


> Yes, totally worth it! And, I bought from the developer...without regret. You can't buy my TS resale as far as I know. The MF's are very affordable and it's a well-run property. They are always adding amenities, including most recently, a really good Italian restaurant!
> I bought in 2000 and there was no pressure. The salesman explained the offer. I told him Id sleep on it. My kids really liked the idea. Maybe because I am a single mom, the salesman wasn't even sure if I was qualified to buy. My sister worked at RCI when it was a new company, so I had stayed at many many TS's. My parents have a few weeks and it was their's which I was using. So, I was a fairly well informed purchaser. I knew how the program works.
> I traded into Sedona which is a place I had wanted to visit for many years. I still enjoy it - more than ever! As an owner, I've never had to use it a week at a time and that's worked to my advantage. I live closer now and can buy bonus time. Only staying at the hostel would be cheaper.
> My initial investment? That was very affordable! Maybe because they were just building the place, they offered me many, many perks. I was given all sorts of extra weeks through RCI which I used. So, with all the extra vacations, my payback was less than 5 years?
> I do enjoy TUG and these forums. The bottom line is, knowledge is power. Good luck to you and I hope you find what you are looking for!




Would you mind sharing where you own and what the perks are please? Thanks very much


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## JohnPaul

Dave Landry said:


> Would you mind sharing where you own and what the perks are please? Thanks very much



Sounds suspiciously like Sedona Pines.  If so, I also own there,  bought one week from the developer and one week on the open market (in the form of two every other year weeks).  Just stayed there in June for the first time since we bought 13 years ago and was still favorably impressed.  (We typically use our RCI points to ski in Colorado.)


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## WalnutBaron

Our first timeshare purchase was Westin Princeville, bought through the developer. While we absolutely LOVED the property and our visits there, there were two things we didn't love: 1) the confiscatory and rapidly rising annual MF's, which were closing in on $3,000 per year at the time we sold it; and 2) the fact that the developer sales agent never told us (of course) that we would have been much better off buying Westin Kaanapali since WKORV is a mandatory resort and WPORV is not. This had a huge effect on our resale value. When we sold the unit, we took a huge bath, but at least we had gotten out from under the MF's.

Once we'd learned our tough lesson, we ended up buying into two competing systems, both of which we really like: Hyatt and Hilton. Here's our take on the strengths of each:

Hyatt: really first-class resorts throughout the system, beautifully-maintained, and with excellent value. MF's are reasonable, especially in light of what you get for those fees. Downsides: it's a relatively small system with only 16 resorts, and the website is ancient and clunky. Customer service reps are helpful and friendly. Trades within II, which is our favorite exchange company.

Hilton: excellent website, allowing you to "see" availability, even if your original dates are not available. If you have flexibility in when you can travel, this is a great system! Resort quality is generally high, but not as consistent as Hyatt. MF's are competitive and generally reasonable. Trades within RCI, which is a drawback for us.


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