Recommendations for resorts within 5-6 hours of NJ

[vlapinta]

I own a Marriott 2 bedroom week at Ocean Watch. I am looking for a resort to take the grandkids that would be closer to NJ than SC. I want to put in a trade request through Interval. I am not interested in Williamsburg. I need a resort that has 2 bedroom units. Any suggestions?

 

[jackio]

The Suites at Hershey is great if you can get it. We’ve gotten summer weeks twice with ongoing searches, but it’s a tough exchange. All units are 2 BR.

 

[andre10056]

I own a Marriott 2 bedroom week at Ocean Watch. I am looking for a resort to take the grandkids that would be closer to NJ than SC. I want to put in a trade request through Interval. I am not interested in Williamsburg. I need a resort that has 2 bedroom units. Any suggestions?

That's somewhat of a tough one. Within 5-6 hours, south of New Jersey you have Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, North Carolina but I can't think of any timeshare that I'd want to stay in myself and/or with kids in any of those states. Maybe others would recommend Virginia but I'm personally not enthused about coastal or inland Virginia options.

Pennsylvania? Not at all enthused about opportunities in that state.

North of New Jersey you have New York and New England. Within 5-6 hours, the places I like best are Boston (Marriott Custom House but it has 1 BRs only) and Cape Cod in the summertime but I've actually never stayed at a Cape Cod timeshare resort. People who are familiar with the latter might be able to give you some good recommendations.

Newport, RI? The Gilded Age mansions are spectacular but the beaches and most of the city leave a lot to be desired. I can't see spending eight days, seven nights there.

 

[elaine]

We loved smugglers notch with kids age 8-18. Washington DC is amazing.

 

[Tuggernaut]

It appears that the Smugglers Notch mentioned above is located in Vermont and is affiliated with RCI.

 

[rickandcindy23]

There is a lack of Marriott resorts in the Northeast. If you like Marriott quality, you might be disappointed in some.

Samoset in Maine is a very nice resort, hard to get. I don't really know distances in the northeast, we live in Colorado. I would definitely consider Cape Cod, specifically Brewster Green is available via II and some others TUG members prefer (but we know Brewster Green). It's also a bit tough to get. Cape Cod is picturesque. What about the Trapp Family Lodges in Stowe, VT?

 

[NJVacation61]

Marriott Fairway Villas is in NJ (Galloway) and is very nice. Basically on 2 Golf Courses at the adjacent Seaview Hotel, close to Atlantic City, Cape May, Ocean City and many other NJ beach towns. Resort has kid and adult pools and many activities for all (in the summer months).

Vacation Resort near Atlantic City | Marriott's Fairway Villas

Reserve your family vacation at Marriott's Fairway Villas, a contemporary resort offering villa-style accommodations near Atlantic City, New Jersey.

www.marriott.com

 

[jp10558]

Yea, I think my go-tos are RCI, that being Smugglers Notch and Massanutten. I think both would be fun with kids, I will be putting Massanutten to the test in July. I don't know about how easy it will be to get stuff in Cape Cod, but I do plan to someday try Brewsters Green. Maybe next year in spring. I would also say the Berkshires could be fun, and they're usually somewhat easy to get - I did the Oak n Spruce there (RCI though) and it was decent, laundry wasn't in the rooms though. I saw some kids having a blast I think they had mini golf there and a fun arcade as well as the pools and playgrounds. Sadly, you never know about the weather - when I was there in June it was 95 and muggy the whole week, so we couldn't do too much outside.

 

[pedro47]

Massanutten have resort fees for exchangers.

 

[vlapinta]

That's somewhat of a tough one. Within 5-6 hours, south of New Jersey you have Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, North Carolina but I can't think of any timeshare that I'd want to stay in myself and/or with kids in any of those states. Maybe others would recommend Virginia but I'm personally not enthused about coastal or inland Virginia options.

Pennsylvania? Not at all enthused about opportunities in that state.

North of New Jersey you have New York and New England. Within 5-6 hours, the places I like best are Boston (Marriott Custom House but it has 1 BRs only) and Cape Cod in the summertime but I've actually never stayed at a Cape Cod timeshare resort. People who are familiar with the latter might be able to give you some good recommendations.

Newport, RI? The Gilded Age mansions are spectacular but the beaches and most of the city leave a lot to be desired. I can't see spending eight days, seven nights there.

I agree with your asessment. I was hopin g someone would come up with something I havent through about

 

[vlapinta]

It appears that the Smugglers Notch mentioned above is located in Vermont and is affiliated with RCI.

We have been there and yes it is in VT

 

[vlapinta]

There is a lack of Marriott resorts in the Northeast. If you like Marriott quality, you might be disappointed in some.

Samoset in Maine is a very nice resort, hard to get. I don't really know distances in the northeast, we live in Colorado. I would definitely consider Cape Cod, specifically Brewster Green is available via II and some others TUG members prefer (but we know Brewster Green). It's also a bit tough to get. Cape Cod is picturesque. What about the Trapp Family Lodges in Stowe, VT?

Thanks for the suggestion with Brewster Green. I will add it on the list

 

[andre10056]

I think that Cape Cod may be of interest. It's truly a special place. And the nice thing is that there are so many "what to do on Cape Cod" online articles.

Here's one of many:

Best Things To Do On Cape Cod: A Local's Guide - New England Wanderlust

An insider's guide on the best things to do on Cape Cod, including best boat tours, whale watches, beaches, food, attractions and tons more.

newenglandwanderlust.com

Whale watch and other boat rides, incredible seafood and other restaurants, bike riding trails, the country's best prospects playing summer Cape League baseball, great beaches, fascinating hikes (including dunes hikes where you might just as well be in outer space), multiple ice skating rinks open during the summer, cranberry bog tours, cooling sea breezes, etc., etc., etc.

As you may know, Cape Cod is shaped like a Captain Hook hook. South and east of the hook is the direct Atlantic oceanfront. Strong waves, somewhat warmer water than north and west of the hook.

The bayside has relatively little wave action making it perhaps more suitable for younger kids.

If you stay closer to Plymouth, then you're within shorter driving distance to Newport or Boston for a side trip (to see the Red Sox play the Yankees or Mets, for example). But if you'll be pretty much staying on the Cape, being centrally located may allow you to explore the whole Cape, including Provincetown at the very end of the peninsula. As to the latter, you won't often see it mentioned, but some visitors can sometimes be flamboyantly gay, which gives PTown a fun and quirky vibe, but I'm not sure it's the best place for kids. Kids visit there with their families, and even live there as it's the headquarters for multigenerational Portuguese fishermen, but things can be seen that aren't seen elsewhere.

Many New York and New Jersey residents come up to the Cape. There used to be MANY French Canadians coming down to the Cape from Quebec. Which made it doubly fun for kids as they tried to communicate with exagerrated facial expressions and hand signals. Don't know if the French Canadians are still coming down as I didn't visit the Cape last summer.

I would check out the reviews for timeshare resorts but having a direct oceanfront view would be ideal.

 

[tschwa2]

If you own a summer week, I would rent out your week and then use the money to book a VRBO or airBnb, where and when you want to go.

 

[Family_travel]

I was thinking about starting a similar post for MD and RCI. It seems the Mid-Atlantic region is really lacking for timeshares.

 

[2rebecca]

What age are your grandkids? My kids were 11, 13 & 14 when we went to Trapp Family Lodge, and they LOVED it. They have tons of hiking/mountain biking trails. The accommodations are way below Marriott standards, but it was a cosy & clean 2-bedroom unit. There were two potential cons to this place: The kitchen was extremely tiny, so it was hard to work with more than 1 person. And, most units have a lot of stairs, so you'll need to make sure you can get an accessible unit if you have mobility issues.

 

[jp10558]

I was thinking about starting a similar post for MD and RCI. It seems the Mid-Atlantic region is really lacking for timeshares.

I think a lot of recommendations already in this thread, but you've also got the DC locations, Virginia Beach. Not knowing where you mean in terms of MD, you are maybe 1 hour more, i.e. 7 hours, from Myrtle Beach and Pigeon Forge, both of which I can recommend for lots of options. You're also about the same distance from Oak n Spruce in the Berkshires which was a fun exchange - see my video. I do intend to go back sometime, I just need to go when it's nice and not 95 out the whole time.

Places I intend to check out someday are some of the other VA resorts like Shenandoah Crossing and the ones in Bayse WV. There's also some in western NY and north Western PA mentioned in a thread.

 

[vlapinta]

If you own a summer week, I would rent out your week and then use the money to book a VRBO or airBnb, where and when you want to go.

I never have luck with renting through TUG

 

[vlapinta]

I think a lot of recommendations already in this thread, but you've also got the DC locations, Virginia Beach. Not knowing where you mean in terms of MD, you are maybe 1 hour more, i.e. 7 hours, from Myrtle Beach and Pigeon Forge, both of which I can recommend for lots of options. You're also about the same distance from Oak n Spruce in the Berkshires which was a fun exchange - see my video. I do intend to go back sometime, I just need to go when it's nice and not 95 out the whole time.

Places I intend to check out someday are some of the other VA resorts like Shenandoah Crossing and the ones in Bayse WV. There's also some in western NY and north Western PA mentioned in a thread.

I am more like 10-11 hours from Myrtle. That is my home resort. I am trying to get a place closer than that

 

[vlapinta]

I think that Cape Cod may be of interest. It's truly a special place. And the nice thing is that there are so many "what to do on Cape Cod" online articles.

Here's one of many:

Best Things To Do On Cape Cod: A Local's Guide - New England Wanderlust

An insider's guide on the best things to do on Cape Cod, including best boat tours, whale watches, beaches, food, attractions and tons more.

newenglandwanderlust.com

Whale watch and other boat rides, incredible seafood and other restaurants, bike riding trails, the country's best prospects playing summer Cape League baseball, great beaches, fascinating hikes (including dunes hikes where you might just as well be in outer space), multiple ice skating rinks open during the summer, cranberry bog tours, cooling sea breezes, etc., etc., etc.

As you may know, Cape Cod is shaped like a Captain Hook hook. South and east of the hook is the direct Atlantic oceanfront. Strong waves, somewhat warmer water than north and west of the hook.

The bayside has relatively little wave action making it perhaps more suitable for younger kids.

If you stay closer to Plymouth, then you're within shorter driving distance to Newport or Boston for a side trip (to see the Red Sox play the Yankees or Mets, for example). But if you'll be pretty much staying on the Cape, being centrally located may allow you to explore the whole Cape, including Provincetown at the very end of the peninsula. As to the latter, you won't often see it mentioned, but some visitors can sometimes be flamboyantly gay, which gives PTown a fun and quirky vibe, but I'm not sure it's the best place for kids. Kids visit there with their families, and even live there as it's the headquarters for multigenerational Portuguese fishermen, but things can be seen that aren't seen elsewhere.

Many New York and New Jersey residents come up to the Cape. There used to be MANY French Canadians coming down to the Cape from Quebec. Which made it doubly fun for kids as they tried to communicate with exagerrated facial expressions and hand signals. Don't know if the French Canadians are still coming down as I didn't visit the Cape last summer.

I would check out the reviews for timeshare resorts but having a direct oceanfront view would be ideal.

We have been to Cape Cod many times in the past. We have only stayed in hotels. Any recommendations for timeshares?

 

[jp10558]

I am more like 10-11 hours from Myrtle. That is my home resort. I am trying to get a place closer than that

I was replying to @Family_travel who was asking about from MD and using RCI.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We have been to Cape Cod many times in the past. We have only stayed in hotels. Any recommendations for timeshares?

I mentioned Brewster Green, but there are quite a few. I would stick with anything silver and above for II rating. I noticed many of the Cape Cod resorts have queen beds in the master. That is not good for people who are used to king beds. But if you don't mind queen beds, there are a lot of nice resorts and some are very near some national and state parks. We had a wonderful time and even went to a baseball game and cheered for the Red Sox.

 

[andre10056]

We have been to Cape Cod many times in the past. We have only stayed in hotels. Any recommendations for timeshares?

I usually drive down for the day so I've never stayed in a timeshare. But there are many timeshares on Cape Cod.

In the hopes that an owner or exchanger might respond, I am hereby getting your inquiry back to the top of the general thread. If not many people do, there's always TUG, tripadvisor, Redweek, etc. reviews.

Also, I made passing mention of this in a post above, but Cape League baseball is fantastic if you might be at all interested. Some of the past few decades' biggest American stars have spent their summers on the Cape when they were 18 through 22 or so. Including someone on the Yankees named Judge who played for Brewster in 2012 when he was 20.

According to an AI response, "the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) is the premier summer destination for top collegiate players, with over 1,600 all-time alumni reaching the MLB."

 

[Family_travel]

I think a lot of recommendations already in this thread, but you've also got the DC locations, Virginia Beach. Not knowing where you mean in terms of MD, you are maybe 1 hour more, i.e. 7 hours, from Myrtle Beach and Pigeon Forge, both of which I can recommend for lots of options. You're also about the same distance from Oak n Spruce in the Berkshires which was a fun exchange - see my video. I do intend to go back sometime, I just need to go when it's nice and not 95 out the whole time.

Places I intend to check out someday are some of the other VA resorts like Shenandoah Crossing and the ones in Bayse WV. There's also some in western NY and north Western PA mentioned in a thread.

Thanks for the suggestions! We’re planning to go to Myrtle Beach next summer. I’ve had an ongoing search for VA Beach for the last couple of summers but never received a match, and the RCI options have looked a little sketchy. LOL.
We’re Wyndham owners, so I also posted in another thread about my disappointment with Shawnee (Poconos) closing.

Sorry OP, if it feels like I hijacked the thread, but there’s some overlap in our driving radius.

 

[WinniWoman]

Not Marriott quality, but we own (since 2015) at Innseasons Pollard Brook in Lincoln, New Hampshire and it's a great location in the White Mountains. Has a really nice outdoor/indoor pool/hot tub area, game room, playground and tennis, etc. Activities. RCI and Interval.

There's also luxury Riverwalk in Lincoln. Not sure how it is to exchange into it. I believe they are affiliated with RCI.