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Best & most reasonable ski resort TS for ski week purchase?

gores95

gores95

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
693
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4
Location
New Jersey USA
Hi all....I normally "stay" on my own Marriott boards but I thought this was the most appropriate board to ask my question. I also tried a search but the word "ski" was too short for the search engine.

We are a skiing family and I have always wanted to own a ski week at a great resort. Being a Marriott "snob" we are looking for better properties...Marriott, Hyatt, Valdoro in Breck, Sheraton/Westin, etc. but how is the resale market right now for better ski week properties. Looking for weeks in the beginning of the year.....Jan/Feb/March out West. We would certainly use the week but would occassionally trade (warm weather locales or another ski resort). Lockouts and ski in ski out would certainly be a plus! Most likely CO or SLC would be the best since Lake Tahoe/Whistler is not available non-stop to us and DEN and SLC airports are direct.

I would probably sell my Aruba week. Its been a great trader but we have not been to Aruba since I purchased in early 2007. We do like the Marriott system but understand the rules are changing for resale owners. It is a 2BR Gold season Oceanside view so I am hoping to get back around what I paid for it a couple of years ago.

Any suggestions on the best (and most bang for the buck) ski resort TS out there?

Thanks.
 
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The problem is your premise -- "we are a skiing family". Wherever you buy, if it is going to be a family trip each year, you probably need a fixed week -- 51, 52, or 7, which won't be cheap. Only you can decide if the very high cost will be a better deal for you than renting.

If you choose to buy, my gut reaction would be Summit Watch in Park City, UT because it has great snow, is ski-in/ski-out, is a short walk into town, and is 30 minutes from a major airport. Resale prices are currently depressed and Marriott is not exercising ROFR.
 
If purchased resale---maybe. If from the developer---doubtful.

gores95 said:
It is a 2BR Gold season Oceanside view so I am hoping to get back around what I paid for it a couple of years ago.
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Currently, prices--even for Marriotts--are much lower than they were in 2007. I'm not a Marriott "snob". Never stayed in a Marriott timeshare. Never had the desire to spend the extra money to own one. However, I do watch some of them on eBAY (though in other venues they probably sell for more), and am quite surprised what some have sold for. The maintenance fees are too rich for my blood. I'm getting snobbier and snobbier with each timeshare exchange and my expectations are up there, as compared to a few years ago. I don't even want to experience what my expectations would be if I stayed in Marriotts, Westins, etc.
 
The cheapest one you'll find is Marriott Streamside in Vail but from what I've heard it is not near as nice as what you'd expect from Marriott. We own two summer platinum weeks at Timber Lodge in Tahoe and have stayed at Grand Vista and we really like Marriott. I've never been in Streamside but have driven by and it is doesn't even look like a Marriott property, and it's not ski in / ski out. Although the resale prices are low, the maintenace fees for Streamside are incredibly high - something like $1,500 for a large 1BR.
 
Sheraton Mountain Vista and Lakeside Terrace (both Starwood properties) seem to go for quite a bit less money than Marriott properties and both get good reviews.
 
Stricky said:
Smuggler's Notch is worth checking out. :)
Click to expand...

Stricky...has Smuggs done anything recently to improve their lift system? We were owners there from the mid 80's to late 90's and sold out. One of the reasons was that all money was going into real estate development with little spent on the hill...well all three of them. No high speed lifts, gondolas, quads etc. As an active skiing family involved in racing at the time, we loved the place but just gave up on the facilities. Haven't been back since, but we are now empty nesters and have talked about trading back there next fall. The notch is spectacular in full colour!
 
May want to consider Hyatt

You may want to consider Hyatt points. They have resorts in numerous Ski destinations, are as nice as any Marriott. Also they operate on a point system and the resale prices even for 1800-2200 point weeks are very low. I have a friend who recently purchased a 1800 point week for $8500! This is dirt cheap for Hyatt, it was a Key West Hyatt. They have a home in Florida and one in Colorado. They use their Hyatt points for going to Breck, Aspen, and Beaver Creek. They do not have any kids, so they usually stay in studios or one bedrooms. They get a lot of stays for their Hyatt points. You also can get some great trades within II with the Hyatt points. Hyatt also has 2 properties in the Lake Tahoe area. The MF at Hyatt's in Key West average around $950.00 per year. You could purchase Hyatt points in Colorado, but all these properties are fractional - depends on what your budget is...
 
Thanks for the info. I will probably stay away from the Vail property since the future is uncertain. Sheraton Mountain Vista is an interesting one and I will check what ski week resales are going for.

I paid $15,500 resale for my Aruba week a couple of years ago and again I was hoping to get a similar figure. I am also hoping to find a good (Marriott/Starwood/Hyatt/etc) TS ski week at a similar price although this might be wishful thinking.

Keeping my fingers crossed! ;)
 
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gores95 said:
I paid $15,500 resale for my Aruba week a couple of years ago and again I was hoping to get a similar figure. I am also hoping to find a good (Marriott/Starwood/Hyatt/etc) TS ski week at a similar price although this might be wishful thinking.

Keeping my fingers crossed! ;)
Click to expand...

Although I'd be happy for you if you got a similar figure, I hope you won't be disappointed if you don't. I haven't seen much in the way of sales prices for Aruba units lately, but even the most expensive sales for Marriott (Maui and Newport Beach) aren't usually bringing in that amount.

The good side for you is that the corresponding price for your new purchase will also be "down", so you might end up close to even?:)

Also - I don't know how much of a hurry you're in...but something you might consider is advertising for a "trade" (especially if you're trading another Marriott owner for their unit in a place you like better). I've never done this, but ask some more knowledgeable folks - you might be able to avoid a bunch of costs if you can find a trade that's agreeable to both.
 
gores95 said:
Being a Marriott "snob" we are looking for better properties...Marriott, Hyatt, Valdoro in Breck, Sheraton/Westin, etc.
Click to expand...

You might like Grand Timber Lodge in Breckenridge. Very nice property, ski-in ski-out. It's been around long enough now to possibly have some owners ready sell and move on.
 
vacationtime1 said:
The problem is your premise -- "we are a skiing family". Wherever you buy, if it is going to be a family trip each year, you probably need a fixed week -- 51, 52, or 7, which won't be cheap. Only you can decide if the very high cost will be a better deal for you than renting.

If you choose to buy, my gut reaction would be Summit Watch in Park City, UT because it has great snow, is ski-in/ski-out, is a short walk into town, and is 30 minutes from a major airport. Resale prices are currently depressed and Marriott is not exercising ROFR.
Click to expand...

Is Summit Watch truly a ski-in/out resort or is it the MountainSide Marriott that is ski-in/out?
 
gores95 said:
Thanks for the info. I will probably stay away from the Vail property since the future is uncertain. Sheraton Mountain Vista is an interesting one and I will check what ski week resales are going for.

I paid $15,500 resale for my Aruba week a couple of years ago and again I was hoping to get a similar figure. I am also hoping to find a good (Marriott/Starwood/Hyatt/etc) TS ski week at a similar price although this might be wishful thinking.

Keeping my fingers crossed! ;)
Click to expand...

The Sheraton Mountain Vista is a nice property. You may also want to consider the Lakeside Terrace as well. You can review both properties here:

www.starwoodvo.com
 
James1975NY said:
Is Summit Watch truly a ski-in/out resort or is it the MountainSide Marriott that is ski-in/out?
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They are both ski-in/ski-out. MountainSide is at the base of the Park City ski area; it is the better choice if you are a beginner or have kids in ski school. SummitWatch is actually in the town of Park City and is far more convenient for apres ski; SummitWatch and the surrounding condos/hotels are served by the Town Chair. However, one needs intermediate ski skills to ski back to that chairlift.
 
Judy said:
You might like Grand Timber Lodge in Breckenridge. Very nice property, ski-in ski-out. It's been around long enough now to possibly have some owners ready sell and move on.
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We actually stayed in the Lodge in a 1BR a couple of Easters ago. It was very nice and is certainly on my short list. I was also looking at the Valdoro Mountain Lodge and the Marriott/Hyatt in Breck. The question is going to be how reasonable a resale ski week is. Valdoro also uses points which get confusing.
 
gores95 said:
Thanks SMV is on my short list but I hadn't heard of Lakeside Terrace.
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I would second SMV.

Both SMV and Lakeside are a short walk from the Riverfront Gondola which connects to the Beaver Creek/Bachelor Gulch lifts.

I've seen SMV 2br units sell for $10-14k. Lakeside Terrace is somewhat lower.

Two significant advantages relative to exchanging: 1) the Starwood preference is very valuable (Lakeside Terrace shares this preference) and 2) SMV 2 bedroom units actually consist of 2 separate 1br units which means you can get 2 pretty good trades for one maintenance fee.
 
Floridaski said:
You may want to consider Hyatt points. They have resorts in numerous Ski destinations, are as nice as any Marriott. Also they operate on a point system and the resale prices even for 1800-2200 point weeks are very low. I have a friend who recently purchased a 1800 point week for $8500! This is dirt cheap for Hyatt, it was a Key West Hyatt. They have a home in Florida and one in Colorado. They use their Hyatt points for going to Breck, Aspen, and Beaver Creek. They do not have any kids, so they usually stay in studios or one bedrooms. They get a lot of stays for their Hyatt points. You also can get some great trades within II with the Hyatt points. Hyatt also has 2 properties in the Lake Tahoe area. The MF at Hyatt's in Key West average around $950.00 per year. You could purchase Hyatt points in Colorado, but all these properties are fractional - depends on what your budget is...
Click to expand...

I'd forgotten about Hyatt. The last ski week (1880 points) I saw for the Hyatt High Sierra closed under $10k and the maintenance fee is in the range you stated. If Hyatt's internal trading system allows for easy trades into the other ski properties, this would probably be my choice. If you're interested in knowing more about Hyatt, go to the "All Other Timeshare Systems" board and ask your questions there - there are a lot of helpful Hyatt owners.
 
Grand Timber breck is a lottery for ski weeks

Grand Timber in Breck has a lottery for their ski weeks. I think you might stand a better chance of getting the week you want all time with Hyatt poitns via II. It is a very large resort with lots of inventory, I just completed a review of Grand Timber as we were there in July. We have also been there for a spring break ski week, this was an II trade using our Hyatt points. I am not sure I would want to stake my ski week with a lottery.

I think Hyatt may fill your requirements very nicely.
 
They have not updated the lifts. They are still slow :) You can however ski up Madona mountain and down the other side to Stowe and ski there. Smuggs lets you use the lifts for free for the first 30 minutes so you can get up and over there.
 
If you go with Hyatt, you can stay at Main Street Station or the Residences in Beaver Creek. I would prefer either of these to the Grand Timber. Just make sure you get enough points for the unit size you need.
 
Pit said:
If you go with Hyatt, you can stay at Main Street Station or the Residences in Beaver Creek. I would prefer either of these to the Grand Timber. Just make sure you get enough points for the unit size you need.
Click to expand...

I am going to have to do some research regarding Hyatt and the points system. Being a Marriott owner I have never dealt with points so not sure the particulars.

I did see a winter week Grand Timber 2BR lockoff go for $8600 on eBay. Not sure what the lottery refers to (maybe individual weeks) but I guess if you purchase a winter week you would at least get a week some time in the winter!!! $8600 is not too shabby for a 2BR lockoff though.
 
If you're considering SMV or Lakeside Terrace, I think Falcon Point, which is very close to both of these resorts would be a good choice at a much lower cost, both in purchase price and maintenance fee.
 
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