# Do you have a favorite Florida timeshare or are you all over the place like me?



## Panina (Jan 1, 2019)

I go to Florida timeshares a lot and tried to decide my actual favorite.  It was not easy as I like different ones for different reasons.  I could not just name one.  It kind of like ice cream.  I like vanilla, chocolate, mint and cherry.  Alone each is great but I like variety.

My favorite area - Marco Island

The best inside unit - The Surf Club, Marco Island

The best view with patio-Plantation Beach Club at Indian River, Hutchinson Island

The outdoor area I enjoy the most-Sunrise Bay and Beach Resort, Marco Island

My favorite Resort not taking area into consideration-Marriott Cypress Harbor, Orlando

My favorite Resort without water view - Banyan Resort, Key West

My favorite Resort with water view-This one is too hard, there is no clear winner.

Now I can’t forget Coconut Plantation or Eagles Nest or Disney Resorts or Beach Club or Sanibel Beach Club II or South Seas Captiva or or or....the list goes on.

It’s apparent I have lots of favorites.  The beauty of timeshares is I  plan right I can experience them all.


Do you have a favorite Florida timeshare or are you all over the place like me?


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## TheHolleys87 (Jan 1, 2019)

DH and I are not “beach people” so have spent most of our Florida time in Orlando. We’ve owned DVC (BWV) for 20+ years so WDW has been our place to go there. We have a very few Shell Hawaii points and my parents used to own several Marriott weeks, which provided vacation opportunities in Orlando as well as Hawaii and other locations in the US and Canada. However, now that we’ve been retired a few years we’re beginning to expand our timeshare usage outside Orlando and Florida. Actually, I’m looking forward to the TUG meetup in Orlando in a few weeks in order to get more ideas about how to use our ownership to greater advantage!


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## ronandjoan (Jan 2, 2019)

TheHolleys87 said:


> DH and I are not “beach people” so have spent most of our Florida time in Orlando. We’ve owned DVC (BWV) for 20+ years so WDW has been our place to go there. We have a very few Shell Hawaii points and my parents used to own several Marriott weeks, which provided vacation opportunities in Orlando as well as Hawaii and other locations in the US and Canada. However, now that we’ve been retired a few years we’re beginning to expand our timeshare usage outside Orlando and Florida. Actually, I’m looking forward to the TUG meetup in Orlando in a few weeks in order to get more ideas about how to use our ownership to greater advantage!


      Hope to meet you the 23rd?
Joan


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## ronandjoan (Jan 2, 2019)

Panina said:


> I go to Florida timeshares a lot and tried to decide my actual favorite.  It was not easy as I like different ones for different reasons.  I could not just name one.  It kind of like ice cream.  I like vanilla, chocolate, mint and cherry.  Alone each is great but I like variety.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



     We've been around quite a bit throughout the US,  (although many TUGGERS have gone to more than we), and sure have gotten stuck in  RUT after 7 years of total full-timing....since we found we liked some places so well that we want to return to them every year.  It looks like you like the more modern upscale resorts, while we are starting to prefer the legacy resorts which are smaller, and quieter -(although we like all the Wyndhams - we've been to 35 of them --) but we are seeing that the timeshares we like the best are those we can park right in front of and have no one above or below us... and also, our favorites have a lot of storage space.  Thus, the Townhouses at St Augustine Beach and Tennis Club fulfill this preference here in Florida.
      So we "hang out" here  -- we are here in St Augustine now - for all of January, but still take short excursions each year to other parts of the state, notably to Orlando for our annual TUGGER meeting in mid-January (this year the 23rd.)  We stay at a Wyndham then, usually Bonnet Creek, but this year at Cypress Palms.
    we do like being in the more southern resorts since it is warmer there than here in January, but....

  OH, we LOVE the Driftwood Inn in Vero Beach -- often go down there for a few nights in January (driving from St Augustine, just leaving our stuff in our unit) to meet friends.


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## Laurie (Jan 2, 2019)

Yes!  Cottages at South Seas, Captiva, for interior. The view over the golf course to the gulf from the 2-story screened-in patio wasn't bad  , but the interior itself was like being inside the cover of Architectural Digest, unbelievable!!   (We had previously exchanged into Plantation Villas at South Seas, which was fine but no comparison.)  We've stayed in some pretty nice timeshares in our time, including some gold-crown European castles, but I have to say this was the creme de la creme. Thank you again Panina for the sighting.

For general view + resort in general: Savannah View at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

For direct water view: Olas at Satellite Beach.

Favorite area: after 4 visits, still Sanibel/Captiva


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## pedro47 (Jan 2, 2019)

We are all over the place from West Palm,  Marriott’s Ocean Pointe, to Orlando Marriott’s Grande Vista to Fort Lauderdale, Marriott’s Beach Place. We liked to cruise first then take a timeshare vacation  for total  R & R.


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## Panina (Jan 2, 2019)

Laurie said:


> Yes!  Cottages at South Seas, Captiva, for interior. The view over the golf course to the gulf from the 2-story screened-in patio wasn't bad  , but the interior itself was like being inside the cover of Architectural Digest, unbelievable!!   (We had previously exchanged into Plantation Villas at South Seas, which was fine but no comparison.)  We've stayed in some pretty nice timeshares in our time, including some gold-crown European castles, but I have to say this was the creme de la creme. Thank you again Panina for the sighting.
> 
> For general view + resort in general: Savannah View at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
> 
> ...


I never got to stay at the Cottages, have to try to get one.  I once again am going to South Seas Club/South Seas Resort SSP this winter and was thinking of doing an eplus elsewhere.  It’s been a few years since I was there but the units were kind of dated, nothing special.  Hope they upgraded.


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## silentg (Jan 2, 2019)

ronandjoan said:


> We've been around quite a bit throughout the US,  (although many TUGGERS have gone to more than we), and sure have gotten stuck in  RUT after 7 years of total full-timing....since we found we liked some places so well that we want to return to them every year.  It looks like you like the more modern upscale resorts, while we are starting to prefer the legacy resorts which are smaller, and quieter -(although we like all the Wyndhams - we've been to 35 of them --) but we are seeing that the timeshares we like the best are those we can park right in front of and have no one above or below us... and also, our favorites have a lot of storage space.  Thus, the Townhouses at St Augustine Beach and Tennis Club fulfill this preference here in Florida.
> So we "hang out" here  -- we are here in St Augustine now - for all of January, but still take short excursions each year to other parts of the state, notably to Orlando for our annual TUGGER meeting in mid-January (this year the 23rd.)  We stay at a Wyndham then, usually Bonnet Creek, but this year at Cypress Palms.
> we do like being in the more southern resorts since it is warmer there than here in January, but....
> 
> OH, we LOVE the Driftwood Inn in Vero Beach -- often go down there for a few nights in January (driving from St Augustine, just leaving our stuff in our unit) to meet friends.


We like Driftwood too! Used to stay there a lot. Waldo’s is fun!


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## vacationhopeful (Jan 2, 2019)

I like the Ft Lauderdale Beach Resort .... decent MFs (from $730-885 per week), need no rental car, super airport for flying In&out, great public bus service, MANY local walk to food, great unit setup (1bdr & 2bdr lookoffs), RCI and II trading and NO resort parking fees (if you have a car).


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## silentg (Jan 2, 2019)

We like Vacation Village in Weston, because our son lives nearby.
Also like Orange Lake, for golf and river Island
Recently we stayed at the Maverick in Ormond Beach
The Beach Club in St Augustine
Oyster Bay Sebastian
Calini Beach Club in Siesta Key
Disney Vero Beach
Driftwood Vero Beach
Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort
Silentg


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## chriskre (Jan 3, 2019)

I have lots of favorites.  

Marriott Oceana Palms & Beach Place
Wyndham Royal Vista & Bonnet Creek
HGVC Charter Club, SeaWatch
Vistana Jensen beach
Enchanted Isle resort
Marriott Harbour Lake & Grande Vista
Bluegreen The Fountains & Solara
Hyatt Beach House
DVC Poly, Boardwalk, Vero 
& Wilderness Lodge.

I'm always discovering new favorites but
so far these are on my list.


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## bogey21 (Jan 3, 2019)

With me it is more the City than the Resort.  I love Deerfield Beach.  Located North of Fort Lauderdale and South of Boca Raton on A1A.  You can park your car and walk everywhere.  Big wide beach, fishing pier, bar, restaurants, shops, etc are all right there.  I have owned at two small Independent Resorts right on the beach in Deerfield Beach.  I'd rate both as Adequate Plus...

George


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## rickandcindy23 (Jan 3, 2019)

We leave next week for Marriott's Ocean Point, Palm Beach, and for the second week, Marriott's Crystal Island.  We are excited to stay somewhere other than Orlando.


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## Bxian (Jan 3, 2019)

Charter Club (HGVC resort on Marco).  Huge balconies overlooking the Gulf.  If we are assigned to the North building, I can feel my stress melt away as the sound of the gentle Gulf waves lulls me to sleep...


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## MrockStar (Jan 5, 2019)

Since I only own Blue Green I will pick my favorites:
1.Hammocks at Marathon Key. Smaller and more intimate/Quiet yet many fun activities, restaurants nearby.  
2. Via Roma Amelia Island. Smaller intimate Ocean front, Amazing beach, great restaurants, nice pool.
3. Gulfstream Manor. Again smaller quieter resort awesome beach, nice courtyard grilling area & pool.
4. Trade Winds ST Pete's Beach. Larger oceanfront resort, great beach, nice pools many restaurants within walking distance.


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## talkamotta (Jan 17, 2019)

My favorite resort is Longboat Bay Club.  I own there and it is our go to resort.  I really enjoyed Emerald Grande in Destin.the panhandlers and the gulf are my favorite areas of Florida.


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## Sea Six (Jan 17, 2019)

We've been all over Florida.  In our younger days 20 years ago we enjoyed many resorts from the Tampa area down to Marco.  Treasure Island, Captiva, Sanibel, etc.
  This is why we moved to Marco 15 years ago.  Now our favorite resorts are Disney.  We trade in using RCI, but it is a tough trade.  We usually end up in Saratoga Springs, but we have also been in Boardwalk and Old Key West.  I think Old Key West is our favorite.  Would love to try more DVC, but the trades don't come up.  I think Bay Lake would be nice.


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## Fredflintstone (Jan 17, 2019)

Unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip to Florida but it remains on my bucket list.

I travel between Puerto Vallarta and Hawaii a lot. I love both places. Hawaii it’s the weather and the people. I can’t tell you how many friends I have now there. They are laid back, simple and loads of fun. What I really appreciate is how much they love the outdoors like me.

My favourite place is an Airbnb put out by Garth and Mary. They own a place on the Ocean near Paia, Maui. They have become friends now. They own 4 acres overlooking the Ocean. They have their place and, what they call, a Beach Shack. Well, this Beach Shack is 1900 square feet with a 3 thousand square foot surround deck overlooking the Ocean. I can go Ocean fishing in their 30 foot boat or just off shore or just simply barbecue fresh caught fish on the grill right on the deck. Their place is full of a vegetable garden, banana trees, mango trees, papaya trees and coconut. I can just help myself to everything. Oh, Garth regularly comes over with a wonderful home brewed beer. The icing on this cake has to be the 12 person hot tub on the deck overlooking the Ocean. Nothing better than sipping Garth’s delicious home brew while soaking in the hot tub and admiring the Ocean and the boats passing by.

Yes...great people, great place and paradise in earth.

They are now 2 years ahead in bookings so I get my name in the list early.  I am going for 2 weeks in October, 2019. They charge 140 a night.  

Not a timeshare but certainly by favourite. 

In Florida, my first visit will be Marcos Island and the OP here is an expert on where I should stay so I do plan to rent a timeshare. 



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Tamaradarann (Jun 29, 2019)

Fredflintstone said:


> Unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip to Florida but it remains on my bucket list.
> 
> I travel between Puerto Vallarta and Hawaii a lot. I love both places. Hawaii it’s the weather and the people. I can’t tell you how many friends I have now there. They are laid back, simple and loads of fun. What I really appreciate is how much they love the outdoors like me.
> 
> ...



I believe that the favorite resort has a lot to do with what you want when you vacation in Florida or anywhere else for that matter.  We don't drink and drive. But we do like to party when we vacation.  Many people that we know love Hawaii and go all the time, however, they don't like Honolulu.  Honolulu, unlike the rest of Hawaii is a city.  It is a great place to party in Hawaii.  It has all the benefits of a city like walkability with restaurants and shops all over, great public transportation to get to areas that are a little too far to walk so you don't need a car to have a great time and fully enjoy your vacation.  However, the beach and the streets are crowded.  it doesn't have the laid back quiet beaches, mountains, jungle areas of other areas of the Hawaiian Islands.

Our favorite resort in Florida is the HGVC at South Beach.  It is right on Ocean Drive in Miami South Beach.  It is also a great place to party in Florida.  While obviously not the same I would compare it to be similar to Honolulu.  It is also a very walkable area with restaurants and shops all over.  There is public transportation to get you to other areas of the major Miami area.  We have stayed there for many nights without a car.


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## OldGuy (Jun 29, 2019)

Yes


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## rapmarks (Jun 29, 2019)

Bxian said:


> Charter Club (HGVC resort on Marco).  Huge balconies overlooking the Gulf.  If we are assigned to the North building, I can feel my stress melt away as the sound of the gentle Gulf waves lulls me to sleep...


This is one of my favorites


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## hjsweet2002 (Jun 30, 2019)

We love Cypress Palms.  We are an older couple (not real old lol mid 60s) and love the quieter resorts.  It has two great pools and not far from all of the parks.  It also has a small pond/lake.  When we go to Florida, we always stay there.


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## Tamaradarann (Jul 1, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> I believe that the favorite resort has a lot to do with what you want when you vacation in Florida or anywhere else for that matter.  We don't drink and drive. But we do like to party when we vacation.  Many people that we know love Hawaii and go all the time, however, they don't like Honolulu.  Honolulu, unlike the rest of Hawaii is a city.  It is a great place to party in Hawaii.  It has all the benefits of a city like walkability with restaurants and shops all over, great public transportation to get to areas that are a little too far to walk so you don't need a car to have a great time and fully enjoy your vacation.  However, the beach and the streets are crowded.  it doesn't have the laid back quiet beaches, mountains, jungle areas of other areas of the Hawaiian Islands.
> 
> Our favorite resort in Florida is the HGVC at South Beach.  It is right on Ocean Drive in Miami South Beach.  It is also a great place to party in Florida.  While obviously not the same I would compare it to be similar to Honolulu.  It is also a very walkable area with restaurants and shops all over.  There is public transportation to get you to other areas of the major Miami area.  We have stayed there for many nights without a car.



I was sitting there thinking about the vacations that are planned for next winter.  For those that have been to Honolulu and/or Miami South Beach and have loved the area as we do:  There are additional connections and similarities between these two cities:

Both the Waikiki area of Honolulu and Miami South Beach were naturally and originally swamp areas that were drained by dredging a canal around them to dry out the land creating great tourist destinations. 

Furthermore, I see a similarity of the main streets in these 2 cities:

- Kalia in Waikiki like Ocean Drive in South Beach borders the Ocean for its entire length with no other street in between and some of the best Hotels and Resorts  in the city.

- Kalakaua in Waikiki like Collins in South Beach is the main drag through the city and one block in from the Ocean in some parts and on the Ocean in other parts also with some of the best Hotels and Resorts in the city.

- Kuhio in Waikiki like Washington in South Beach is a Main Street through the city with some Hotels and Resorts but more restaurants, supermarkets, and shops.  Theses streets are not as upscale as Kalakaua and Collins which border the Ocean.  (By the way Kuhio in Waikiki is starting a major change with a huge Ritz Carlton, the renovated International Market Place, and a Saks Fifth Avenue on that street but it will never be on the Ocean unless global warming makes it Ocean front someday.)


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