Need input on Mountainside vs Timber Lodge

[piper_chuck]

Looking at buying a resale week. Gold at Timber Watch or gold at Mountainside. Interested in thoughts on the relative quality of the resorts, activities at each, and the surrounding areas. Also curious about possible rental potential.

We live in SC so we would have to fly to either. We have two daughters, 10 and 14. Both like outdoor activities. Wife likes them to some extent too. One downside to the Timber Lodge week is it doesn't include the summer vacation weeks.

I'll do some searches too, but I have a chance at something, have limited time, and am on vacation and stuck searching on my cell phone for the day.

 

[jeepie]

I own at Timber Lodge (week 51) and have stayed at Mountainside (skiing). SLC will be easier for you to get to. Reno will also involve a longer drive. Not sure about gold season differences; however, not having summer option at TL is a big drawback. Lake Tahoe in the summer is wonderful. One point to note is MFs at TL do not include property taxes (probably $200-$300). Resorts are similar quality. TL is a block away from Nevada, with gambling, shows, etc. The town of Park City is an old silver mining town. I can comment further if you have specific questions. Cheers.

 

[piper_chuck]

Thanks. The lack of a summer week is a concern for at least the next 7 to 8 years. I'll do a bit more digging to see what other questions come up.

 

[Superchief]

Looking at buying a resale week. Gold at Timber Watch or gold at Mountainside. Interested in thoughts on the relative quality of the resorts, activities at each, and the surrounding areas. Also curious about possible rental potential.

We live in SC so we would have to fly to either. We have two daughters, 10 and 14. Both like outdoor activities. Wife likes them to some extent too. One downside to the Timber Lodge week is it doesn't include the summer vacation weeks.

I'll do some searches too, but I have a chance at something, have limited time, and am on vacation and stuck searching on my cell phone for the day.

Living in SC, I would think you would really enjoy the summer weeks in Park City. Weather is great and there are several outdoor activities in the area. Park City is a ski resort so there are several good restaurants and they often have good deals during the summer. Although Mountainside can be overrun with children in the summer because many locals own there and bring families, the rest of the are is a lot less crowded than other summer destinations. Mountainside has several activities adjacent to the resort and there is a complimentary bus service to town. We really like hiking the trails near Mirror Lake, which is less than an hour drive. We definitely like Park City better than Tahoe in the summer and SLC is only a 45 minute drive.

 

[turkel]

If you need a summer week and don't want to count on trading your only option is Mountainside unless your willing to buy a platinum summer week at Timber Lodge. I would assume a platinum week will cost a few thousand more.

We went to Lake Tahoe this last summer, it is quite crowded with lots of traffic. We had a good time but decided never again. We prefer to avoid crowds and usually travel in shoulder season. Tahoe in the fall is lovely but cooler temps.

 

[piper_chuck]

Thanks for the input so far. It's starting to sound like Mountainside might be a better choice, especially because of the summer option. Eventually, the wife and girls want to try skiing, but I've been dragging my feet. Park City would be a good option for finally giving in to their request, and going there in the summer first would provide some time to learn the area before venturing out in the snow.

 

[jme]

HOLD ON!!!

I see several summer weeks currently available at Mountainside on Interval International, and that is using my split 1BR (master suite) lock-off unit at Marriott Manor Club.....

That 1BR master suite pulls SEVERAL 2BR Mountainside weeks in June, July, and August, and also several 1BRs of course.

(I also did the hypothetical trades utilizing my STUDIO at Manor Club, and there are several 2BR weeks available in June, July, & August, so my studio gets those weeks too! That's a bargain, my friend! There is a $118 fee to upgrade to the 2BR, but what the heck, it's a second week for you.) Would you rather pay the same maintenance fee and have two weeks in Park City (2BR), or just one week, and always have to fly?

If 2BR units are available now (therefore also extremely likely in future), it would be absolutely insane to buy a single week in Park City, to which you'd forever be committed to fly, and pay a full maintenance fee for only that single gold week.

If you live in SC, buy a cheap resale lock-off in the system to which you can drive, always use without flying, and still have the second portion of the lock-off to utilize for an second week's trade (say another MS week???).

WHY would you want to buy a second-tier season there (gold season), when you can "get in" for far, far less and have something left over?

There are better ways to achieve what you want, imho. Don't be swayed by impulsive motives when a wiser method clearly presents itself.

Instead buy a platinum lock-off somewhere (higher season is still cheap for resale at Manor Club, for example), split and trade, and you'll be SHOCKED at what that platinum week (or two split weeks) can generate, and assuming you mentally split the maintenance fee 2/3 (master) and 1/3 (studio) to value the two split portions, your vacation will only cost you 2/3 of a mf, and maybe even 1/3 if you're able to trade that studio for another summer week at Mountainside, and my bet is that you can, even if using an inexpensive upgrade fee. So, there, you'll have 2 weeks at Mountainside for the one single lock-off week you purchase somewhere else (or use it in some other way).

You don't have to buy Manor Club, but it's worked amazingly well for me. I did it because the platinum week there was cheap via ebay resale....I paid less than $1600 about 3 years ago.

Example: Just earlier this week I traded the two separate portions of my platinum Manor Club week for a July Marriott Lakeshore 2BR week (using 1BR master suite at Manor Club),
and also got a second Lakeshore Reserve week (1BR with full kitchen, not a studio) in mid-June using the MC studio! Best and most luxurious resort in Orlando for summer vacation!!!

Those are two great trades. It also pulled other things, but those are what I wanted. No upgrade fees for either of those, just straight online trades.

 

[PamMo]

I tend to agree with jme. I wouldn't buy a week that isn't in the season you want to travel, and if you're not sure what locale is best for you, don't rush into buying anything. There will ALWAYS be another good (or better) deal.

I like Tahoe in any season, and Timber Lodge is a great resort. Our kids/grandkids love it there. The ski lift is right there, and although not on the lake, Marriott gives you an access pass to the beach club down the street. You can hike up into the woods behind the resort, and there are spectacular hikes just a short drive away. As a town, I don't think Stateline is as nice as Tahoe's north shore or Park City.

Park City is much easier to get to than South Shore Lake Tahoe, and it is a VERY family friendly town! Not being a skier anymore, I much prefer the location of Summit Watch on historic Main Street in Park City over Mountainside. It's nice to walk out the door and be in the center of town for restaurants, shops, and the farmers/craft markets. I don't like the "building views" in many of the units there, though.

We don't own at either location, but have had good luck trading in through Interval on a Marriott-to-Marriott exchange.

 

[piper_chuck]

Thanks for the info. Based on the feedback I ended up not getting either Tahoe or Park City. It sounds like we can exchange into either during the summer months, but it's not feasible to drive during any season.

 

[Tokapeba]

The Manor Club would also trade into any Lake Tahoe timeshare. Thee are plenty. Wyndham, Worldmark, Ridge Tahoe and many, many more. I bet it would bring the 4th at the ridge, or possibly Wyndham, Worldmark on the lake.

 

[Robert D]

We spend 3 weeks at Timber Lodge each summer from mid July to early August and love it. Tahoe is a great place to stay and Timber Lodge is a great resort. Have never been to Park City but I don't think you can beat Tahoe. That said, I would not buy a gold season timeshare at Timber Lodge or probably anywhere else. I'm a believer that you only want to buy timeshares in the peak seasons. Timber Lodge has two platinum seasons, winter and summer. I think it's hard to trade into Timber Lodge in either the prime winter or prime summer (July through early August). You can probably get an Interval getaway week after Labor Day to early December at Timber Lodge for a lot less than the maintenance fee, which means there's no reason to own it. I don't know I this is the case for Mountainside.

 

[BocaBoy]

HOLD ON!!!

I see several summer weeks currently available at Mountainside on Interval International, and that is using my split 1BR (master suite) lock-off unit at Marriott Manor Club.....

That 1BR master suite pulls SEVERAL 2BR Mountainside weeks in June, July, and August, and also several 1BRs of course.

(I also did the hypothetical trades utilizing my STUDIO at Manor Club, and there are several 2BR weeks available in June, July, & August, so my studio gets those weeks too! That's a bargain, my friend! There is a $118 fee to upgrade to the 2BR, but what the heck, it's a second week for you.) Would you rather pay the same maintenance fee and have two weeks in Park City (2BR), or just one week, and always have to fly?

If 2BR units are available now (therefore also extremely likely in future), it would be absolutely insane to buy a single week in Park City, to which you'd forever be committed to fly, and pay a full maintenance fee for only that single gold week.

If you live in SC, buy a cheap resale lock-off in the system to which you can drive, always use without flying, and still have the second portion of the lock-off to utilize for an second week's trade (say another MS week???).

WHY would you want to buy a second-tier season there (gold season), when you can "get in" for far, far less and have something left over?

There are better ways to achieve what you want, imho. Don't be swayed by impulsive motives when a wiser method clearly presents itself.

Instead buy a platinum lock-off somewhere (higher season is still cheap for resale at Manor Club, for example), split and trade, and you'll be SHOCKED at what that platinum week (or two split weeks) can generate, and assuming you mentally split the maintenance fee 2/3 (master) and 1/3 (studio) to value the two split portions, your vacation will only cost you 2/3 of a mf, and maybe even 1/3 if you're able to trade that studio for another summer week at Mountainside, and my bet is that you can, even if using an inexpensive upgrade fee. So, there, you'll have 2 weeks at Mountainside for the one single lock-off week you purchase somewhere else (or use it in some other way).

You don't have to buy Manor Club, but it's worked amazingly well for me. I did it because the platinum week there was cheap via ebay resale....I paid less than $1600 about 3 years ago.

Example: Just earlier this week I traded the two separate portions of my platinum Manor Club week for a July Marriott Lakeshore 2BR week (using 1BR master suite at Manor Club),
and also got a second Lakeshore Reserve week (1BR with full kitchen, not a studio) in mid-June using the MC studio! Best and most luxurious resort in Orlando for summer vacation!!!

Those are two great trades. It also pulled other things, but those are what I wanted. No upgrade fees for either of those, just straight online trades.

This is great advice, and it also gives the flexibility to trade into Summit Watch in downtown Park City (or to Tahoe of course). We actually like Summit Watch better than Mountainside since we are not skiers.