# Best timeshares in Croatia, Hungary, Poland, & Czech Repub?



## Carol C

Any TUGgers familiar with the best-located (for train & bus trans) timeshares in these Eastern European countries? TIA for any hot tips!


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## Carolinian

Lavica Holiday Apartments, DAE resort #4643, is on the outskirts of Split, Croatia on the oceanfront.  There is a regular city bus that goes from directly in front of the resort to a stop about half a block from the train station and bus station and about a block from the ferry terminal. Just up from that same bus stop is where the bus to the airport stops.  Long distance buses also stop at the bus stop in front of the resort for destinations up and down the coast and into Bosnia.  We traded in a couple of summers ago and really enjoyed it.  It was easy to get around without a car.

RCI's resort in Croatia is on the island of Hvar.  You have to take the ferry back and forth into Split to get anywhere else which adds significantly to the travel time.  The ferry comes into Hvar fairly close to the town near the resort, but I do not know where the resort is specifically located or if you would need a bus on that end to get to the ferry.

I got a DAE exchange into Klub Plaza in Poland another summer, which I had to cancel because of a change in the elections schedule in the country where I work.  I did however research the rail connections in debating whether to get a car.  Darlowo is on a minor rail line with fairly frequent connections to a main line with regular service.  I had decided to go with getting around by rail instead of car.

I have been to Sopron, Hungary a number of times but never to the RCI resort there.  The train station is a bit away from the center but walkable from there, and is on a main line between Vienna and Budapest.  I am not sure where the resort is in relation to the train station.  There are also branch lines from Sopron that can take you to points south.  One point here is that I have seen this resort availible for rent on booking.com for a good bit less than an RCI exchange would probably cost you.  

I have also been to Keszthley, Hungary, and have seen at least three of the spread out buildings of the resort from the outside.  They are probably a 15 minute walk from the train station.  There is regular rail service that runs north and makes a connection to go around the north side of the lake eventually to Budapest, and also south that makes a connection to go around the south side of the lake eventually to Budapest.  There is lots of rail service both directions.

I have also been to Heviz but do not know where the RCI resort is located there.  Heviz has no rail service, but there is a frequent and quick bus service that goes to Keszthley and terminates directly in front of the train station.

There is an RCI resort in Prague, and while I am not familar with the resort, Prague itself has excellent rail connections.  The only other timeshare I am familiar with in the Czech Republic is an II resort out in the countryside, Nova Amerrika, which also shows up at DAE from time to time, but my impression is that it does not have close rail service.  At least that was what I concluded when I saw a week or two on the DAE availibility list and thought about exchanging.

I am not familiar with the other resorts in these countries.


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## Carol C

Wow Carolinian...this is exactly the kind of info I need. I'm planning on getting the RailEurope pass which is relatively cheap & includes all those countries plus Slovakia (I don't care to visit there...but am I missing something?) I also want to go to Austria & am considering Mondi Bellevue which is right near train station (have you been there, Carolinian?)  

P.S. One last question...that resort you got via DAE...did you get an exchange or did you find it via their bonus/rental program? I have not exchanged via DAE yet but have been a member for about 4 years. That resort in Croatia sounds like a good one to visit for a few weeks actually, or, would you say that one week would be enough and then maybe piggyback with a week on Hvar or Brac? Thanks again...you're so savvy about all things Europe, so I'm very glad you saw and replied to my posting!


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## Carolinian

I did a trade at DAE into Lavica Holiday Apartments.  Several years there have been quite a few summer and fall weeks show up online at DAE at that resort. I found my exchange online.  Hvar is an easy day trip by ferry from Split, and I would do that rather than taking an extra week there.  I think the piggyback I would do is Dubrovnik (Ragusa) rather than Hvar.  There is no timeshare in Dubrovnik, but you can find apartments to rent.  You can do a long day trip from Split if you leave very early and get back very late, but I would go for a longer time than that.  Mostar in Bosnia is a good day trip by bus.  

Also, on Hvar there is bus service but rather sporatic.  I visited the town where the RCI timeshare is located and my recollection is that from its center I had to take a bus from its center back to the ferry, and the schedule was such that I had a long wait at the ferry but the bus after that would not have made the ferry.  If I go back to the island, I will spend my time in Hvar Town which was great and skip the town where the timeshare is located which was disappointing.

I have never been a big fan of rail passes, as they usually cost more than buying point to point tickets unless you are spending lots of time on the train. It sounds like you are looking at what at least used to be called the Europe East Rail Pass, and that usually works out if you plan on doing a lot of you train travel in Austria where tickets cost more than in the other countries it covers.

The Austrian resorts I have traded into are Hotel Deutschmeister in Vienna which is well located, 2 blocks outside the Ring and 100 yards from a subway station, and Schloss Grubhof, a 13th century castle converted to a timeshare, but you would need a car for that one.

Bratislava, Slovakia's capital, is an interesting city and an easy day trip from Vienna, either by rail or by hydrofoil down the Danube.  There are also a few other scattered towns of interest in the country.


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## vacationhopeful

Did the East European Rail Pass several years ago. Night train roomette was a little extra, but cheaper than a hotel room for the night. Did Prague to Krakow one night trip. Did Krakow to Prague another night trip. Did Budapest to Krakow 3rd night trip.

In Budapest, getting a roomette required 6 hour advance purchase of that segment otherwise you end up in a 2nd class seat (First class coach car is removed to add sleeper car). Missed that window by 20 minutes once (and only once) - delayed trip one night with a hotel stay. Don't remember about the other cities timeline - except I did have a heated conversation with the conductor on the Krakow to Prague night sleeper call as main station would not book it (translation not clear to me).

Now dining cars is another adventure in Eastern Europe railcars - from passing candy bars under the glass from the barricaided booth to linen tableclothes and plush chairs. 

I agree that doing point-to-point tickets very well could be cheaper - but at the time I was there, each country still had their own currency with Euro conversions. It was just a little easier NOT to worry about all that and I did take a trip (because I had the train pass) that was not planned.

Many intercity buses are also available - one friend who did several of those, did calculate the costs as being cheaper than the train


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## Carol C

Linda, I didn't know you're a savvy European traveler...and no Wyndhams there either, LOL. I really appreciate your posting about the train pass vs buses and you too Carolinian. The train pass I had "back in the day" cost me $160 for two months of unlimited travel, second class...now you know how old I am from that pricing.   I do intend to "milk" a train pass for all it is worth and using it the most in Austria where I love mountain train travel. So, thank you very much for your insights, Linda and Carolinian as well. Now to track DAE on a daily basis to see if they get some of those Lavica Apts (hmmm...how much trade power should I pack into my deposit with DAE?)


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## Laurie

Carol C said:


> Now to track DAE on a daily basis to see if they get some of those Lavica Apts (hmmm...how much trade power should I pack into my deposit with DAE?)


Hi Carol!

DAE doesn't have trade power - except a Gold membership'll put you higher up in line for requests. And having a primetime deposit in certain areas of 1-BR+ unit size will get you a free exchange. Otherwise, any deposit gets any exchange. And you don't even have to deposit first.  (Maybe they have a size upgrade fee these days? Not sure.)


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## Carolinian

You can join DAE and put in a request.  It is a request first system, so you do not have to make a deposit or prepay an exchange fee until they can confirm an exchange for you.  I think it still works that way in the US.  In Europe, only Gold members can do the request first.

As to rail ticket prices, if you go farther east, it can get a little more confusing, as conductors will unofficially sell you a seat or place in a sleeping compartment for a cheaper price under the table.  I have had that offer in Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania but never tried it. In Poland, one time I had a sleeping place in a four person compartment from Gdansk to Berlin.  Leaving Gdansk, the conductor came by and offered to keep the other three places free so I would have a private compartment for an extra $50.  I figured that probably meant they had not been booked, so I declined, and indeed no one else appeared in any of the other three places by the time we got to Berlin.


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## Carolinian

Oh, on the Dubrovnik side trip, there is no rail service south of Split, but the coastal bus is fairly scenic.  Even better if you have the time as it is slower, there is a coastal ferry that you can take up or down the coast between Split and Dubrovnik.  I would not go to Croatia and miss Dubrovnik.  It is magnificent.


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## Kola

Carolinian
You mentioned that you are familiar with an II resort in the Czech Republic, Nova Amerrika.

Could you share some impressions about the area as well as about the resort itself ? What is there to see in that area ? 
Thanks.

K.


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## Carolinian

Kola said:


> Carolinian
> You mentioned that you are familiar with an II resort in the Czech Republic, Nova Amerrika.
> 
> Could you share some impressions about the area as well as about the resort itself ? What is there to see in that area ?
> Thanks.
> 
> K.



As I mentioned, that was one I saw availibility online at DAE and so checked out some info to see if I would be interested.  It appeared to not be close enough to a train station to avoid having a car, but the Czech Republic is not a bad place to drive (except the time I had a rental car with a German plate and in the former Suedetenland I kept getting stopped for driving while German but when they found out I was not actually German I never got a ticket) so that is not a problem.  It also seemed to have enough interesting to do in the area that it is on my list at DAE to keep an eye out for when it comes up again.  Although I have driven in many parts of the Czech Republic, I have not been in that immediate area, which was one reason it caught my eye.


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## Carol C

Hi again Carolinian...I was googling the Livica Apartments and tried booking.com to see if there's availability in Oct 2011...which is low season. It said they're "sold out". Does that mean this resort is so popular that it's booked this far in advance? Or does DAE perhaps have a monopoly on a block of units, like a bulk-spacebanking or something? Could it be that a certain number of units are timeshare only there...and the rest are rentals? Do you know how Livica operates, in other words? Or could DAE tell me (and if so which phone # should I call in DAE to get the real skinny?) Thanks again for all your help...I just love reading your stories about your various trips and experiences...German or not!


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## Carolinian

Carol C said:


> Hi again Carolinian...I was googling the Livica Apartments and tried booking.com to see if there's availability in Oct 2011...which is low season. It said they're "sold out". Does that mean this resort is so popular that it's booked this far in advance? Or does DAE perhaps have a monopoly on a block of units, like a bulk-spacebanking or something? Could it be that a certain number of units are timeshare only there...and the rest are rentals? Do you know how Livica operates, in other words? Or could DAE tell me (and if so which phone # should I call in DAE to get the real skinny?) Thanks again for all your help...I just love reading your stories about your various trips and experiences...German or not!



I did not really talk to the management about how the resort operated, so I cannot answer the question about rentals.  I never looked at booking.com on that one, as I usually use them on short term hotel stays.  The UK DAE office would be the one that would know the skinny on a European resort.  Of course, when Donita was in the US office, she seemed to know everything, period, but I don't think the US office has anyone quite like that now.  I know that for several years, DAE has had a bunch of summer and early Fall weeks available there online, 10 or 15 of them.  You might also want to sound out the UK office about putting in a request to see if they could then seek a week for you, although the request itself would have to be processed through the US office.


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## Carol C

Thanks to Carolinian and everyone who posted, including Laurie and Linda too. I'll be sure to let ya know how things progress. Thanks again for taking the time to share your insights with me!


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## beejaybeeohio

*Sold Out in Europe*

I have found that for many lodgings in Europe, sold out or not available actually means that inventory hasn't been released yet.  Try in January for booking in 2011.


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## Carol C

beejaybeeohio said:


> I have found that for many lodgings in Europe, sold out or not available actually means that inventory hasn't been released yet.  Try in January for booking in 2011.



Good idea! Thanks...I'll wait and see what might turn up after maint fee bills go out and get paid so weeks might be deposited. Jan and even Feb might be excellent months to resume my search. In fact I think I'll make a wish list of "best" European t/s resorts & put my tiger on the hunt to see if I can bag something good. Thanks for the inspiration!


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