For those who go away in the winter for 4+ weeks...

[alwysonvac]

For folks, who go away for 4+ weeks, are you doing monthly furnished apartment rentals or using your timeshares?

We're two years away from retiring and thinking about where to spend our winter months.
I would like to spend January and February somewhere warmer. It can get below freezing in the NY/NJ area in January/February. I would prefer average lows above 40 degrees (50 would be ideal).

We're leaning towards spending our winters in Florida and/or Hawaii but it will also depend on rates.
With rising timeshare cost (maintenance fee, transaction fees, exchange fees, annual club dues, exchange club membership fees, resort fees). I'm looking at other possible options such as short term furnished apartment rentals, etc.

The following is from Weatherspark which provides weather comparisons - https://weatherspark.com/compare

 

[PigsDad]

I voted "other": we bought a second home in FL to spend our winters there.

Kurt

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I have two back to back weeks in December in Naples and my goal prior to retiring is to purchase two more weeks at this resort. If we can find a decent deal and the Florida insurance get more stable we will buy in Florida, if not we will rent and use the timeshares to snowbird.

 

[VacationForever]

We spend about 6 to 8 weeks away during winter and usually in Palm Desert area using our timeshare. We had been splitting into 2 different trips, and this year it will be three. We got back from Scottsdale AZ after spending 2 weeks there. We leave for Palm Desert area after the new year and will be there for a month. We then head to Orlando FL in Feb for 2 weeks. We also play golf and hence there must be abundance of inexpensive golf wherever we travel to.

 

[Dori]

Back in 2010, we bought a mobile home in a 55plus park inn Sebring, Florida. Best impulse buy we ever did!

Dori

 

[HikerBiker]

We are usually away for 6 weeks and do a combination of a furnished monthly rental and two weeks using our timeshares. This year, we found a rental for the six weeks and are looking forward to not having to pack up our things and go to a timeshare where we usually had to move, either to a different timeshare, or a different unit at the resort. This will be our 10th year and we always go to Sedona. We live in Maine, so even though Sedona seems to be having more cooler temperatures and snow storms, the snow doesn’t last, and even cooler temperatures seem comfortable to us. The bright sun and great hiking trails make it almost perfect for us and we hike most days if weather permits. We do most of our own cooking.

 

[Luvtoride]

I’m recently retired and our friends all asked us if we’re going to buy a place in Florida Now. My response,”No, I just want to have a lot of friends with winter places in Florida!”

We are currently on a Caribbean cruise out of FLL. When we return on New Year’s Eve, our kids and grandkids will fly home and we will stay in the Fort Lauderdale/ Boca/ Delray Beach area with friends for 2 weeks. We could have stayed longer but we have medical appointments back north in NJ.


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[CO skier]

We're leaning towards spending our winters in Florida and/or Hawaii but it will also depend on rates.
With rising timeshare cost (maintenance fee, transaction fees, exchange fees, annual club dues, exchange club membership fees, resort fees). I'm looking at other possible options such as short term furnished apartment rentals, etc.

WorldMark by Wyndham may be just the thing for you. Last ski season and this ski season I will spend more than a month staying at WorldMark (timeshare) resorts and skiing. I am planning for 3 consecutive months in 2025. WorldMark has locations in Orlando, FL, Hawaii, Phoenix, AZ, Palm Desert, CA, San Diego, and more warm weather destinations without any exchange fees. No resort fees other than parking fees at some of the San Diego locations. Book up to 30 days in a single reservation, so two months in Hawaii would require only two reservations -- you would not need to book a week-at-a-time and hope they link-up exactly, as with most other timeshares.

Here is an example of what is possible: The WM Kona, HI resort has recently been completely remodeled. I have read the units are very nice. Each week in a 1 bedroom is 10,000 credits or 40,000 credits for 4 weeks. Annual club dues (maintenance fees) are $3,500 for a 40,000 credit membership ($875/week in Hawaii), $6,750 for a 80,000 credit membership ($845/week). The transient occupancy tax would be the same as other Kona rentals. There are no transaction fees. Complimentary housekeeping credits are awarded 1 per 10,000 credits owned, so no additional cost there.

Arrive any day of the week. Book up to 13 months in advance. Hawaii is a popular destination, so this is important. At this moment there is availability to book a month beginning January 15, 2025.

With the selection of resorts available, you could spend a week or two in Phoenix, AZ or Orlando, then a month in Kona, HI, and then a week or two in San Diego, just for some variety.

Purchase cost (resale) would be about $0.10-0.15/credit. 40,000 credit memberships are more common to find than 80,000 credit memberships, but memberships may be combined, if desired.

The same plan could be accomplished with Club Wyndham (the Hawaii resorts are generally "nicer" versus WorldMark) but the annual maintenance dues would be higher.

 

[alwysonvac]

WorldMark by Wyndham may be just the thing for you. Last ski season and this ski season I will spend more than a month staying at WorldMark (timeshare) resorts and skiing. I am planning for 3 consecutive months in 2025. WorldMark has locations in Orlando, FL, Hawaii, Phoenix, AZ, Palm Desert, CA, San Diego, and more warm weather destinations without any exchange fees. No resort fees other than parking fees at some of the San Diego locations. Book up to 30 days in a single reservation, so two months in Hawaii would require only two reservations -- you would not need to book a week-at-a-time and hope they link-up exactly, as with most other timeshares.

Here is an example of what is possible: The WM Kona, HI resort has recently been completely remodeled. I have read the units are very nice. Each week in a 1 bedroom is 10,000 credits or 40,000 credits for 4 weeks. Annual club dues (maintenance fees) are $3,500 for a 40,000 credit membership ($875/week in Hawaii), $6,750 for a 80,000 credit membership ($845/week). The transient occupancy tax would be the same as other Kona rentals. There are no transaction fees. Complimentary housekeeping credits are awarded 1 per 10,000 credits owned, so no additional cost there.

Arrive any day of the week. Book up to 13 months in advance. Hawaii is a popular destination, so this is important. At this moment there is availability to book a month beginning January 15, 2025.

With the selection of resorts available, you could spend a week or two in Phoenix, AZ or Orlando, then a month in Kona, HI, and then a week or two in San Diego, just for some variety.

Purchase cost (resale) would be about $0.10-0.15/credit. 40,000 credit memberships are more common to find than 80,000 credit memberships, but memberships may be combined, if desired.

The same plan could be accomplished with Club Wyndham (the Hawaii resorts are generally "nicer" versus WorldMark) but the annual maintenance dues would be higher.

Thanks for sharing.

I've been a WorldMark owner since January 2007. So far, I've been using our 6,000 credit WM ownership with II & RCI and renting additional credits as needed.
I also have access to Hilton Grand Vacations Club, Vistana and Marriott Abound which we're currently using for our Hawaii stays. I haven't stayed at a WorldMark resort yet.

Once we're retired, we're planning to take advantage of Worldmark's cash resort discounts offered throughout the year.
Inventory Specials - https://worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/deals-and-offers/resort-deals/inventory-specials
Monday Madness - https://worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/deals-and-offers/resort-deals/monday-madness
Fax Time Policy update - https://worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com//us/en/resorts/news/2021/fax-policy-updates
Exotic Bonus Time - https://worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com//us/en/owner-guide/types-of-reservations

 

[ScoopKona]

Three weeks in various California timeshares, padded with a week in places which don't have timeshares.

Probably the last year we're going to do this for awhile, though. Just too much to do at home.

 

[easyrider]

We usually head to Hawaii after Christmas for three weeks. We always stay in timeshares. We return home for a week and then head to Mexico for up to a month. We always stay in timeshares. This has always been our go to winter plan for the most part.

We have tried Palm Springs in January. Never again. It was way too cold.

We have tried the San Diego area in January and it was ok. I doubt we ever go back in winter. It just wasn't warm enough.

We have tried Florida winter and I liked it. We might try Florida again.

Winter areas we are considering when we are 100% retired are Coasta Rica, Australia and Singapore.

Bill

 

[geist1223]

Our problem with staying longer than several weeks is Pets. When we travel we hire a House/Pet Sitter.

 

[WinniWoman]

We don't do any of this, but most of my neighbors that do use a combination of timeshares and renting.

 

[moonstone]

For the first couple of winters that we had our points I tried to book many weeks of winter stays anywhere south of Orlando FL and even searching at 1 year out, couldn't make it work. In Jan of 2016 we started to rent an apartment in Corozal Belize (now $700.US/mo, utilities incl.) for 8 weeks (formerly 12) and then use our timeshare weeks for vacations between May and October. We also own a condo in St. Augustine FL which we just started using in Oct. 2022 for Nov. & Dec. then again for March & April. Since we are Canadian and are limited by the US govt to only stay 6 mos in the USA, the 2 mos in Belize keeps us well under our limit and allows us to spend some weeks in the US in the summer. Prior to the fall of 2022 our condo was rented out on an annual lease so we spent more of the winter in Belize to escape the snow. Our condo gets rented out for Jan & Feb and then all summer which covers our carrying costs and our costs to stay in Belize.

~Diane

 

[hjsweet2002]

We spend four weeks from the middle of March to the middle of April in a Wyn timeshare on Edisto Island SC. We are from upstate NY just at the end of Lake Ontario. We need a winter break from the cold and lake effect snow

 

[Eric B]

We're usually in Mexico, Florida, Belize, or the Virgin Islands for two weeks on, two weeks off in the winter. We use our timeshares for all of these, supplementing with free nights in hotels from paying our MFs with credit cards

 

[TEK224]

Last year was our first year of retirement and we did a combination of FLA and SC for 3 weeks using my timeshare exchange and my DVC points.
This year we're doing 3 weeks in Hawaii. Next year we're talking about going away for February and March (not sure where yet, although it will be somewhere warm). We like Myrtle Beach and I am the Disney fan. We may add a week at Hilton Head and somewhere along he FLA coast. We'll try to use the DVC points, timeshare exchanges and Getaways to make the 6-8 weeks work for us. Being from PA, we know how the cold feels in winter months and we no longer want to be here in the wintry cold months.

 

[easyrider]

Our problem with staying longer than several weeks is Pets. When we travel we hire a House/Pet Sitter.

We pay $25 a night to have a special someone to stay at our house and watch Roxy. We have to book her a year out because she is so special.

Bill

 

[easyrider]

For the first couple of winters that we had our points I tried to book many weeks of winter stays anywhere south of Orlando FL and even searching at 1 year out, couldn't make it work. In Jan of 2016 we started to rent an apartment in Corozal Belize (now $700.US/mo, utilities incl.) for 8 weeks (formerly 12) and then use our timeshare weeks for vacations between May and October. We also own a condo in St. Augustine FL which we just started using in Oct. 2022 for Nov. & Dec. then again for March & April. Since we are Canadian and are limited by the US govt to only stay 6 mos in the USA, the 2 mos in Belize keeps us well under our limit and allows us to spend some weeks in the US in the summer. Prior to the fall of 2022 our condo was rented out on an annual lease so we spent more of the winter in Belize to escape the snow. Our condo gets rented out for Jan & Feb and then all summer which covers our carrying costs and our costs to stay in Belize.

~Diane

I haven't been to Belize but have read that it's a decent destination for winter with excellent fishing, scuba and snorkeling. I was wondering how you found an apartment and decided on Belize ? I don't think I actually personally know anyone that has stayed in Belize.

Bill

 

[geist1223]

We pay $25 a night to have a special someone to stay at our house and watch Roxy. We have to book her a year out because she is so special.

Bill

Ditto.

 

[geist1223]

Last year was our first year of retirement and we did a combination of FLA and SC for 3 weeks using my timeshare exchange and my DVC points.
This year we're doing 3 weeks in Hawaii. Next year we're talking about going away for February and March (not sure where yet, although it will be somewhere warm). We like Myrtle Beach and I am the Disney fan. We may add a week at Hilton Head and somewhere along he FLA coast. We'll try to use the DVC points, timeshare exchanges and Getaways to make the 6-8 weeks work for us. Being from PA, we know how the cold feels in winter months and we no longer want to be here in the wintry cold months.

Try Australia.

 

[BM243923]

We spend 5 weeks at the Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort starting Feb to mid March.

We started with one week, purchased a 2nd and then purchased a 3rd week.

A few years ago we bought an additional 2 weeks giving us 5 weeks.

 

[pedro47]

We spend 5 weeks at the Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort starting Feb to mid March.

We started with one week, purchased a 2nd and then purchased a 3rd week.

A few years ago we bought an additional 2 weeks giving us 5 weeks.

This resort is in an ideal location for a winter vacation and a week vacation before and after a cruise. IMO.

 

[alwysonvac]

Try Australia.

Where are you staying in Australia? Timeshare, hotel and/or rental?

 

[PigsDad]

We pay $25 a night to have a special someone to stay at our house and watch Roxy. We have to book her a year out because she is so special.

Bill

Wow, that is cheap! Our daughter used to pet sit, and they would pay her anywhere from $50-$100/day. Keep that one as long as you can!

Kurt