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[ 2013 ] "Hidden Gem" resorts

I just wanted to make a few more points in favor of Marriott Royal Palms. I see that many of you are obsessed with beautiful views, lakes, mountains and the great outdoors. You are overlooking the vacation value of artificial and plastic.

There are many opportunities for a modern vacation at WDW.

-think of the value in viewing an artificial mountain (Space Mointain) through the romantic atmosphere of 99.9% humidity.

-anywhere you turn you are never out of sight of a cash register. Shopaholics rejoice!!

-princesses are heavy on the ground.

-you can use your plastic card to buy plastic vinylmation souvenirs shaped like mice. Who wouldn't want a bunch of those? I personally prefer plastic Stitch dressed like Yoda.

-those pictures of the great outdoors looked pretty lonely and lacking in human companionship. That is never a problem at WDW. You are never alone there. The lines by themselves provide considerable human companionship. Lines are available for rides, eating, viewing shows, and purchasing souvenirs (see above).

These are only some of the advantages of a WDW vacation. The Royal Palms resort is the closest Marriott resort to these joys and therefore deserves recognition as a hidden gem.
 
I also love Channel Island Shores and Mantro Beach Resort in Kelowna. Lake Condos at Big Sky in Montana is another "under the radar" timeshare.
 
Crafty527 said:
I just wanted to make a few more points in favor of Marriott Royal Palms. I see that many of you are obsessed with beautiful views, lakes, mountains and the great outdoors. You are overlooking the vacation value of artificial and plastic.

There are many opportunities for a modern vacation at WDW.

-think of the value in viewing an artificial mountain (Space Mointain) through the romantic atmosphere of 99.9% humidity.

-anywhere you turn you are never out of sight of a cash register. Shopaholics rejoice!!

-princesses are heavy on the ground.

-you can use your plastic card to buy plastic vinylmation souvenirs shaped like mice. Who wouldn't want a bunch of those? I personally prefer plastic Stitch dressed like Yoda.

-those pictures of the great outdoors looked pretty lonely and lacking in human companionship. That is never a problem at WDW. You are never alone there. The lines by themselves provide considerable human companionship. Lines are available for rides, eating, viewing shows, and purchasing souvenirs (see above).

These are only some of the advantages of a WDW vacation. The Royal Palms resort is the closest Marriott resort to these joys and therefore deserves recognition as a hidden gem.
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Nicely done! :)
 
I gotta put in Fox Run / Fox Den (VRI) and Fairways of the Mountains (Wyndham I think). I bought my Fox Run sight unseen as $1 eBay because I can be really, really stupid and it's one of the best stupid things I've ever done- it is my happy place. Mountains, no internet in the room and very limited cell service, pools and the lake... and when you want civilization it is only an hour away in the form of charming Hendersonville and equally charming Asheville. Feels like a mountain cabin, not the hotel room feel of my usual Hiltons. Home away from home. :)
 
I wasn't going to post in this one, because I feel that my favorites are a lot of others' favorites, too. But then I remembered Powell Place in San Francisco, which we got via SFX exchange. It's the perfect place to enjoy the city. The cable car is right in front of the place. We had a front window and watched the cable cars going up and down the street.

The building was constructed about a decade after the earthquake, so it's old and very quaint. The elevator is a little thing. The stairway going up is beautiful, the front desk is very different. The people there learn your name right away and call you by that each time you come back for the day. The key remains at the front desk when you leave, and when you arrive "home", they give your key back to you. It's on a heavyweight fob, so you don't forget to give it to them each day. They post your name on the front door during your stay, so that it says "Smiths' Suite."

We had a little apartment with a partial kitchen (quite usable), a living room, bedroom and a bathroom. The original cabinets and closets are in the bedroom, so it wasn't ruined by the conversion to timeshare. It's very much like a 30's apartment. There were also great books on the shelves to read.

They also do daily housekeeping and put a Ghirardelli chocolate caramel square on each pillow. It's not fancy, but who needs fancy? Loved every minute! They provide daily coffee in a jar in the room.
 
First Hidden Gem that comes to my mind: Domaine de Gavaudun, Perigord region of France.

I'm glad to see Whispering Woods get its due on this thread. Loved it, outstanding proximity to the waterfall trail along the Columbia River Gorge, and so many opportunities for hiking, scenic drives and city of Portland - couldn't do it all in a week. It's got good availability on RCI too.
 
I give my vote to Disney's Vero Beach. Yes it's Disney, so how could it be a hidden gem???? Look at the sightings board. Vero Beach is rarely "gaga'd" over when posted compared to the Orlando resorts. We have been there twice and it has its distinct charm that isn't at the other resorts we have stayed at. Perhaps since it is small and you get to know the staff and other guests. Maybe since it is away from most attractions and forces you to relax and stay on the property. An honorable mention goes out to Hyatt Mountain Lodge which is tucked away in Beaver Creek, CO. Again, not an independent, but small and gets overlooked by may when searching for a vacation.
 
Carol C said:
From time to time this resort is mentioned on TUG. It's in the same plantation as the Marriott's Barony and the Westin Resorts...and easy walking distance to those resorts and to the beach. They also offer free shuttle ride via golfcarts to beach for those loaded up with beach stuff. Best of all, the decor is gorgeous and upgraded often. There are three bedrooms...two of them are at either end of the large villa with its own master bath, making two of the BRs actual master suites. In the middle is the third bedroom with a detached third bathroom next to it. They are all handicap accessible units with amble space, grab-bars in bathrooms, etc. And the keycard access to elevators makes this resort quite secure. This resort exchanges both in RCI and II and I believe is Gold Crown with RCI. A real gem on Hilton Head when folks gush mostly about Marriotts and DVC.
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We had a nice stay there once. The staff was one of the nicest I've ever met. We had car trouble and they went out of their way to assist.

Sheila
 
Beaglemom3 said:
Brant Point Courtyard, Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Old-timey and quaint.
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I keep watching for a resale there that is just the right week. I've never been able to exchange in.

Sheila
 
Tristram's Landing on Nantucket is my favorite gem. Nothing fancy, but the 3br private cottages are roomy for the island and you can't beat the location. Not beachfront, but minutes away. It was so hard to exchange into that I finally bought an interval there.

There is another interval for sale in our cottage. I wish one of the weeks was adjacent to the one I have. A one week visit just isn't enough for me. I'm much rather stay two.

Sheila
 
I've got a few favorites.

Custom House in Boston, Little Gull Cottages in Longboat Key, Vistana Jensen Beach, Oasis Lakes & Parc Soleil in Orlando & Riverside Suites in San Antonio.

I've got a few others but I don't want any competition. :ignore:;)
 
The best Hidden gem of Southern California has got to be the Blue Whale. Tiny little timeshare right on the beach in Oceanside California. You can only get the studios or a one bedroom with an exchange but there is no other timeshare that puts you closer to the water. And the points exchange is cheaper than anywhere else on the coast. Small but clean rooms with full kitchens. With diligent searching on RCI you can often get summer weeks. Just spent 4th of July there on an RCI exchange and have already picked up another week for next year as well.
 
Samoset

My hidden gems: Samoset in Maine, Smugglers Notch, Vermont, Shearwater, Kauai, and Royal Dunes in Hilton Head. Own at Royal Dunes EOY. Always go there. Never trade it.
 
We feel the same way about our Port O' Call week on Hilton Head..we always go..never trade it!
I also loved the Wyndham in Taos. And we had a great vacation at Crag's Lodge in Estes Park.
 
A True Gem

There is a "hidden gem" of a Tugger who noticed my interest in Whispering Woods, had on hold with RCI the exact week I was hoping to get, and alerted me via private message that she was releasing it. I quickly entered an ongoing and Voila! I was matched to her week! Tuggers are the best!

Thank You, Katherine!! :clap:
 
Two of my favorite underrated resorts:

Wyndam Ka'eo Kai in Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii. The top floor units have tall vaulted ceilings and are HUGE. The pool and the grounds are beautiful, and it's a pretty quiet resort.

HICV Desert Club in Las Vegas. I don't gamble and I always get a car, so I don't care if I'm on The Strip when I'm in Vegas (usually for conferences). The kitchens have GAS stoves, which is extremely rare in timeshares. I love cooking on gas stoves, so that's a big draw for me. The units are nice, and it's close to The Strip.
 
beejaybeeohio said:
There is a "hidden gem" of a Tugger who noticed my interest in Whispering Woods, had on hold with RCI the exact week I was hoping to get, and alerted me via private message that she was releasing it. I quickly entered an ongoing and Voila! I was matched to her week! Tuggers are the best!

Thank You, Katherine!! :clap:
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You're so welcome! It was my pleasure to help. Have a great time at the wedding.
 
My vote is Marriott Fairway Villas. There is very little that's truly NICE within a few hours drive of NYC (and Philly too in this case). The units there are very nice and the resort offers enough activities to make it worthwhile to go there with a family at any time of year. The Smithtown village nearby is nice - has a merry go round and train ride for kids along with shopping. The outlets are great, and there's lots of restaurant options. The hotel spa and fitness center are great too and so is the golf course on site. Casinos 10-15 minutes away too. Unfortunately I think others are catching on as we have not received a match yet for our Christmas week request. May have to use a real deposit instead of an AC to pull it. ( oddly Atlantic city wasn't blocked out over the holiday week for my AC so I was able to put in for the request...)
 
Las Olas Beach Club - Satellite Beach,FL

Spent a week here in April and simply loved it. I believe there are 40 units, all 2 bedrooms and all with balconies overlooking the ocean. The pool is great and they have a great little walkway right onto the beach. There were lots of activities and the staff bent over backwards to make sure you felt special. Satellite is a little south of Cocoa Beach so it was close to the action but very quiet in this particular location. You can also shoot over to Disney if you want to spend a day as it's a one hour drive. This was definitely a gem in my book!
 
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Isle of Palms Beach Club, Isle of Palms, SC - only four units, but right on the beach and an easy drive into Charleston, a great city.

Schloss Grubhof - 13th century castle in the Alps, just 30 minutes drive from Salzburg. The one 2BR unit in particular has lots of charm

Sloane Gardens Club - bang in central London and only a couple hundred feet from the Sloane Gardens tube station. They dumped RCI some years ago, so you can only get in through SFX.
 
A hidden gem was 560 Ocean Club, on the broad walk in Atlantic City,NJ. We wants own a corner two (2) bedroom ocean view unit on the eleven floor.
 
I agree with Eagle Crest in Oregon and Avenue Plaza in New Orleans. Another of my favorites is Fairfield Glade. It is peaceful, beautiful and relaxing, (and easy to get into).
 
bshmerlie said:
The best Hidden gem of Southern California has got to be the Blue Whale. Tiny little timeshare right on the beach in Oceanside California. You can only get the studios or a one bedroom with an exchange but there is no other timeshare that puts you closer to the water. And the points exchange is cheaper than anywhere else on the coast. Small but clean rooms with full kitchens. With diligent searching on RCI you can often get summer weeks. Just spent 4th of July there on an RCI exchange and have already picked up another week for next year as well.
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I have to agree. We just got back on Thursday. We had the one bedroom right on the end at the entrance. On an exchange! The view! I can still hear the waves.... :D
 
Some people are missing the "hidden gem" concept of this forum.
Marriotts, HGVC's, Wyndham, DVC-- definitely gems....not exactly hidden.

Pine Acres in Pacific Grove, CA. It's a quaint resort with a woodsy feel, small town. You can walk to town for breakfast and a cup of coffee. It's about a block away from the lighthouse, 2 blocks from the coast. Deer, racoons... monarch butterflies!
The coastline is rugged and gorgeous! One bedroom units are nice for a couple. The 2 bd units are the best-- plenty of room for family with a huge L-shaped couch and fireplace... very comfortable.
 
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