# Bluegreen or HGVC



## JimS (Apr 25, 2009)

I am on the East Coast and am looking for a flexible point system to supplement my SVN ownership. I was looking at HGVC or Bluegreen. Anyone own both who would like to chime in with how they feel?


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## Lisa P (Apr 25, 2009)

We own neither so cannot offer firsthand info.  But how do _you_ want to use it?  Where would _you_ like to vacation with it?


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## BocaBum99 (Apr 25, 2009)

I own both.  Bluegreen is more a value timeshare resort group.  HGVC is more luxury class in general.    The prices are therefore higher and so are maintenance fees.

The problem with HGVC is the limited number of locations.  Both are very good at customer service.  Both provide great flexility.  Both have a bonus time concept where you can rent available units close to check in.  HGVC has a hotel points program.  Bluegreen doesn't.

Check out the resorts at each to see if either has a set of locations you like to go.  

I haven't used HGVC for exchaning mostly because I have lot of other traders with much lower maintenance fees.  So, I wouldn't use it for exchanging.  Bluegreen trades in both RCI and II.

I would just visit one and take a presentation to see which one works better for you.

Oh yeah, Bluegreens are a lot cheaper than HGVC which is reflected in the class of resorts.

Do you have any specific questions about either?


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## JimS (Apr 25, 2009)

I like Ormond Beach and South Beach in Miami. I know HGVC has South Beach but Bluegreen has Ormond and Solara (and Atlantic City..grin). The issue is the accomodation. I am more interested in using points than a home week reservation.


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## BocaBum99 (Apr 26, 2009)

JimS said:


> I like Ormond Beach and South Beach in Miami. I know HGVC has South Beach but Bluegreen has Ormond and Solara (and Atlantic City..grin). The issue is the accomodation. I am more interested in using points than a home week reservation.



HGVC South Beach is in a great location.  Solara Surfside is in North Miami Beach so about 5 miles from the big activities.  Some view that positively because it quieter.  I think Solara Surfside as a resort is nicer than the HGVC South Beach.

Bluegreen has Casa Del Mar in Ormond Beach.  It's decent, but a bit older.  The newer Bluegreen resort in the area is 10 miles south in Daytona Beach Shores.

If you are Travelling in the East Coast, Bluegreen has many more locations.  I am taking a trip to New York City for the US Open.  After a week staying at the Manhatan Club, I have travelling south toward Florida.  2-3 days trips starting at Atlantic Palace in Atlantic City, then I go to the Suites at Hershey, then Shenandoah Crossing in Gordonsville, then Patrick Henry Square in Williamsburg, then Seaglass Tower in Mytle Beach, then Lodge Alley Inn in Charleston, then Casa Del Mar in Ormond Beach.  7 Bluegeen resorts in total.  So, one of the great things you can do with Bluegreen is set up a trip like that pretty easily.


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## BocaBum99 (Apr 26, 2009)

JimS said:


> I like Ormond Beach and South Beach in Miami. I know HGVC has South Beach but Bluegreen has Ormond and Solara (and Atlantic City..grin). The issue is the accomodation. I am more interested in using points than a home week reservation.



You can find all of the Bluegreen sites on the Bluegreen website.  There are some nice pictures there so that you can see what the units look like:

Bluegreen Website


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## Sandy VDH (Apr 26, 2009)

If you considering East coast locations have you looked at Wyndham?


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## BocaBum99 (Apr 26, 2009)

I am a Wyndham owner as well.  They have by far the most number of resorts.  It has some excellent resorts.  It also has many average resorts.

In the areas you have mentioned, they have Ocean Walk in Daytona Beach and Royal Vista in Pompano Beach.  These are two of my favorite resorts in Florida.  Better than Casa Del Mar and Solara Surfside as a pair.

The issue with Wyndham is that they have many nuisances fees that make the system less than useful.  For instance, if you want to do partial week stays, as a non-VIP owner, you will have to pay for extra houseekeeping and reservation transaction fees.  In addition, you can only book 3 or 4 night reservations until 3 months from check in.  Lastly, given the way they manage inventory, sometimes you will need 2 reservations for a 3 night stay.  Very cumbersome.  And, you need to go out of your way to ensure that you are in the same unit for such a short stay.  

If you own a lot of points, you can no longer transfer points out and to rent, you will need to pay a $99 guest fee.  Very owner unfriendly.  Their customer service really sucks, too.  They change rules on a whim and their reps can't always follow the rules changes. So, you end up fighting with them to get stuff done.  

In addition, you can only trade with RCI or II and trading power is very weak unless you are trading back into Wyndham resorts.

The good news is that Wyndham has created such owner unfriendly policies that they have tanked the resale market to almost zero.  You can pick up Wyndhams for a song.  Watch out for maintenance fees, though.  If you get some points packages with low maintenance fees and FSP fees, then Wyndham can be a very effective ownership.  I would buy it for full week stays to avoid surcharges.  Or, if you are buying for partial week stays, make sure you estimate the total cost of those short stays including maintenance fees, taxes, extra housekeeping, extra transaction fees.  You may find that it is cheaper to rent from a platinum VIP owner and pay them the $99 guest fee.

HGVC also has a booking fee.  It is $49.  Bluegreen does not have housekeeping fees or reservation fees, but they do have cancellation or change fees.


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## TerriJ (Apr 26, 2009)

Thumbs up from me and my family on HGVC.  And we even paid developer prices, darn it all.  Very nice resorts, nice staff, easy to call in and use.  Also, seems to trade well with RCI, although I don't have any other resorts, so don't have anything to compare to.  Like the timeshare pimping movie showed (we saw this when we bought many years ago), we have enjoyed many years of great vacations in many different locations.  And it sounds like you can get great resale deals now.


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## 1066146 (May 2, 2009)

_message deleted_  Ads not permitted.  Contact OP via private message by clicking on their name.


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