DVC owner, looking to find another timeshare for beach vacations

[ilovetrips2024]

Hi all! I have recently started looking into a 2nd timeshare option as we own DVC, but DH would like to do more beach vacations. I have a general understanding, and have been watching some YouTube videos. My top two choices would be Marriott and HGVC, but I am confused why some resales are priced so high? I believe I would need at least 7000 points to do Myrtle or Hilton Head yearly? Am I correct? DVC points are so much lower so I want to make sure I'm understanding. Some HGVC Hilton Head properties are 13440 points for summer season for a week, but it looks like I can buy a deeded option for a LOT less than Marriott ones of 7000 points. Any tips are appreciated!

 

[dioxide45]

I think if you go the Marriott route, you are better to purchase a deeded week vs. buying points. Marriott points are espensive when it comes to maintenance fees and there is no guarantee of being able to book prime dates at beach resorts. Owning a deeded week will gurantee you a week at your home resort in the owned season. Understanding the seasons is important. Check out the stickies in the Marriott forum for information about that.

HGVC tends to hold resale value better, but even Marriott deeded weeks in prime seasons at beach resorts are expensive. Realize that you can't compare the point systems between the two because the points don't line up the same. Marriott does tend to have more resorts and more availability at beach resorts than HGVC. The only exception may be Myrtle Beach where HGVC has more resorts available than Marriott Vacation Club.

I know you are not new to timesharing, but you might be best to answer the questions in this post and post them here to give people a better idea of what you are really looking to buy and where you want to go on a regular basis.

"What to Buy" Questions for New Timeshare Owners

Here are some questions you can answer to focus your timeshare wants/needs. Suggestion - copy the questions below, and start a new thread entitled "My Survey" or "What should I buy?," or something similar, and answer the questions in a NEW thread. 1) Is there a vacation destination you wish...

tugbbs.com

 

[ilovetrips2024]

I think if you go the Marriott route, you are better to purchase a deeded week vs. buying points. Marriott points are espensive when it comes to maintenance fees and there is no guarantee of being able to book prime dates at beach resorts. Owning a deeded week will gurantee you a week at your home resort in the owned season. Understanding the seasons is important. Check out the stickies in the Marriott forum for information about that.

HGVC tends to hold resale value better, but even Marriott deeded weeks in prime seasons at beach resorts are expensive. Realize that you can't compare the point systems between the two because the points don't line up the same. Marriott does tend to have more resorts and more availability at beach resorts than HGVC. The only exception may be Myrtle Beach where HGVC has more resorts available than Marriott Vacation Club.

I know you are not new to timesharing, but you might be best to answer the questions in this post and post them here to give people a better idea of what you are really looking to buy and where you want to go on a regular basis.

"What to Buy" Questions for New Timeshare Owners

Here are some questions you can answer to focus your timeshare wants/needs. Suggestion - copy the questions below, and start a new thread entitled "My Survey" or "What should I buy?," or something similar, and answer the questions in a NEW thread. 1) Is there a vacation destination you wish...

tugbbs.com

Thank you! I will do that here shortly and update this thread.

 

[ilovetrips2024]

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where? Looking for beach vacations, not Hawaii. Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head
2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time? I would say I want some flexibility because we don't like to repeat the same thing all the time. I probably would trade about half the time.
3) What are your 5 top trade destinations? Las Vegas, California, maybe Hawaii every 5 years, New York, maybe Colorado?
4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself? 4-10. My family unit is 4, but with boyfriends, and sometimes bringing my mom, sister, and nephews. Would love to have 2 contracts so I can book 2-2 bedrooms.
5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule? I am locked in to school schedule for several more years (kid in 11th, kid sophomore in college)
6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance? I love planning this far in advance
7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time? Yes
8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars? 4-5 stars
9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing? $10-20k
10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year? $3000-4000
11) Are you a detail oriented planner? Yes
12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do? Yes

 

[TolmiePeak]

Why not just go to Aulani with your DVC points?

 

[dioxide45]

Why not just go to Aulani with your DVC points?

They did indicate "no Hawaii". That may also be impractical every year for many people.

 

[jp10558]

If I were you, I'd decide if I want Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach more - HH is pay up for Marriott IMO, or work to walk for Ocean Oak (or I guess own at Ocean Oak) - MB though and Vegas, Carlsbad CA, NY etc all *can* work well with HGVC, though NY isn't going to be great with anyone in large groups cause they're Studio or 1BR only IIRC in HGVC. That said, if you do want to "slum" occasionally, HGVC would also get you RCI for less fancy but still IMHO nice places via "a bit expensive" exchanges or getting Extra Vacation and Last Call deals when you can make them work.

I'd really check the MFs and purchase price - but if you hunt a bit, I still have the impression HGVC tends to be cheaper both to buy and in MFs.

 

[ilovetrips2024]

Why not just go to Aulani with your DVC points?

We love to go to Disney so we don't like using our DVC points for anything else besides Walt Disney World. Also, time zone in Hawaii doesn't work well due to my husband and I running our own businesses on East Coast. I just want to have Hawaii as a potential "trade" option if we ever do want to go.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Marriott has Hilton Head, so does Disney, but you want on the beach, and Disney is not really on the beach.

Hilton has more choices in Myrtle Beach. I wouldn't buy the Myrtle Beach Marriott with Hilton covering that need so beautifully, unless you don't mind going to the same resort every year. The Marriott is really beautiful and it's Marriott.

Hilton has a lot of flexibility as a point system and will cover all of your other vacation needs. Marriott is expensive to buy and use points but Hilton Head resorts are extremely nice. You cannot go wrong with the oceanfront resorts. We love Barony but haven't been to all of them.

 

[ilovetrips2024]

If I were you, I'd decide if I want Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach more - HH is pay up for Marriott IMO, or work to walk for Ocean Oak (or I guess own at Ocean Oak) - MB though and Vegas, Carlsbad CA, NY etc all *can* work well with HGVC, though NY isn't going to be great with anyone in large groups cause they're Studio or 1BR only IIRC in HGVC. That said, if you do want to "slum" occasionally, HGVC would also get you RCI for less fancy but still IMHO nice places via "a bit expensive" exchanges or getting Extra Vacation and Last Call deals when you can make them work.

I'd really check the MFs and purchase price - but if you hunt a bit, I still have the impression HGVC tends to be cheaper both to buy and in MFs.

HGVC def seems more reasonably priced. Is there good reason MVC is so much more than HGVC? We really like nice rooms and did stay at Marriott Barony Beach HHI last year and really liked it. We have not stayed anywhere at Myrtle yet.

 

[jp10558]

HGVC def seems more reasonably priced. Is there good reason MVC is so much more than HGVC? We really like nice rooms and did stay at Marriott Barony Beach HHI last year and really liked it. We have not stayed anywhere at Myrtle yet.

I have not been to an MVC, but if you read most of TUG, it seems hard for me to see why MVC is so much more. I think it's just people have either found the MVC locations more to their taste (a la HHI) OR already bought into MVC and don't want the switching costs. I guess to be sure you'd have to look at the TUG reviews or go to a representative sample of each?

 

[ilovetrips2024]

Marriott has Hilton Head, so does Disney, but you want on the beach, and Disney is not really on the beach.

Hilton has more choices in Myrtle Beach. I wouldn't buy the Myrtle Beach Marriott with Hilton covering that need so beautifully, unless you don't mind going to the same resort every year. The Marriott is really beautiful and it's Marriott.

Hilton has a lot of flexibility as a point system and will cover all of your other vacation needs. Marriott is expensive to buy and use points but Hilton Head resorts are extremely nice. You cannot go wrong with the oceanfront resorts. We love Barony but haven't been to all of them.

This is exactly why I don't want Disney HHI, we want to be right on beach. My husband has some mobility issues and can't do long treks anymore. I see you own Marriott; if I bought Barony Beach, am I able to trade into other Marriott resorts? I see a lot of cheap SurfWatch HHI resales, but it doesn't seem as nice as Barony Beach.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We don't own Hilton Head, but a summer week would trade very well in II because even my Branson Marriott's Willow Ridge Lodge weeks are amazing traders. The exchange fee with II is $164 for Marriott-to-Marriott exchanges. You have to join II, but that is not a huge expense. Ongoing searches work pretty well, especially with a powerful trader.

Check the maintenance fees under the Marriott stickies to see why some resorts might be less expensive to buy than others.

You have the budget to own both Hilton and Marriott, but you may not need to do both. I have gotten search matches to Marriott's resort in Myrtle Beach multiple times during summer with my weeks. It's beautiful, but so is Hilton. Ocean 22 is an amazing Hilton resort in MB.

 

[elaine]

DVC points are so much lower

DVC, HGVC, and Marriott all use completely separate "values" for points. For example, a 2BR for a week at DVC HHI in summer costs 330 DVC points. You would likely need to owner at DVC HHI to consistently book a prime week. Annual fees at DVC HHI for 330 points in 2024 were $3,700, with a purchase price (at $60/point resale) of $20K.
I like the beachfront Marriotts (GO has the best location), as well as HGVC Ocean Oak. I prefer HHI over MB, but many also like MB. It seems that MB is fairly easy to book using HGVC points. You can pop over to the HGVC forum to find most cost effective ways to (easily) book MB. HGVC HHI will require owning there, I think, to get summer HHI without a lot of planning/walking the reservation. Good luck!

 

[ilovetrips2024]

DVC, HGVC, and Marriott all use completely separate "values" for points. For example, a 2BR for a week at DVC HHI in summer costs 330 DVC points. You would likely need to owner at DVC HHI to consistently book a prime week. Annual fees at DVC HHI for 330 points in 2024 were $3,700, with a purchase price (at $60/point resale) of $20K.
I like the beachfront Marriotts (GO has the best location), as well as HGVC Ocean Oak. I prefer HHI over MB, but many also like MB. It seems that MB is fairly easy to book using HGVC points. You can pop over to the HGVC forum to find most cost effective ways to (easily) book MB. HGVC HHI will require owning there, I think, to get summer HHI without a lot of planning/walking the reservation. Good luck!

Thank you! What is GO?

 

[bizaro86]

I have not been to an MVC, but if you read most of TUG, it seems hard for me to see why MVC is so much more. I think it's just people have either found the MVC locations more to their taste (a la HHI) OR already bought into MVC and don't want the switching costs. I guess to be sure you'd have to look at the TUG reviews or go to a representative sample of each?

On average HGVC is cheaper to buy with cheaper MFs, and imo the resort experience is equal or better.

However (and this is a big but) MVC has a broader base of locations, so more variety is possible internally.

But for most of the OP's desires (SE beaches, NYC, Hawaii, Las Vegas) I think HGVC is generally better or at least comparable. California is a big place and HGVC is only in Coastal Socal (whereas MVC also has Palm Springs area and San Francisco).

HGVC has (imo) treated resale owners better than MVC as well.

 

[dioxide45]

But for most of the OP's desires (SE beaches, NYC, Hawaii, Las Vegas) I think HGVC is generally better or at least comparable.

I would say that Marriott has more to offer in the SE beaches. Four beach resorts on Hilton Head Island and much better resorts in Florida. Sure HGVC has the SW Florida affiliates, but they aren't easy to reserve. Marriott has four beach resorts in Florida. If east coast beach is important to the OP, I think Marriott Vacation Club might be the better option. The OP did indicate it was about beach locations and Hawaii wasn't a priority. This is why input from all around is great to help the OP. There is no right or wrong answer and no one system will be perfect.

 

[bizaro86]

I would say that Marriott has more to offer in the SE beaches. Four beach resorts on Hilton Head Island and much better resorts in Florida. Sure HGVC has the SW Florida affiliates, but they aren't easy to reserve. Marriott has four beach resorts in Florida. If east coast beach is important to the OP, I think Marriott Vacation Club might be the better option. The OP did indicate it was about beach locations and Hawaii wasn't a priority. This is why input from all around is great to help the OP. There is no right or wrong answer and no one system will be perfect.

I was sort of excluding Florida as it's own thing, since the OP mentioned Myrtle Beach and HHI I was mainly thinking Carolinas. In that case I think HGVC in Myrtle Beach balances out MVC being better on HHI making them comparable.

But I agree that different systems have different pros/cons depending on the person's needs. MVC is certainly stronger in FL beaches.

 

[elaine]

GO is Marriott Grande Ocean in HHI. It is close to the Sea Pines gate. Hgvc Ocean Oak is down the street, closer to Coligny.

 

[ilovetrips2024]

I would say that Marriott has more to offer in the SE beaches. Four beach resorts on Hilton Head Island and much better resorts in Florida. Sure HGVC has the SW Florida affiliates, but they aren't easy to reserve. Marriott has four beach resorts in Florida. If east coast beach is important to the OP, I think Marriott Vacation Club might be the better option. The OP did indicate it was about beach locations and Hawaii wasn't a priority. This is why input from all around is great to help the OP. There is no right or wrong answer and no one system will be perfect.

I appreciate all the perspectives greatly! East Coast is our priority of beaches. FL is less important because I have family in Miami for trips.

Question: in looking at some of the resales, the exact same resorts with similar seasons have wildly different prices. I was looking on this site marketplace at Hilton Ocean Oak and one is $1250, others are $10k-$26k. The $1250 is every other year which is fine with me, but the other ones are 10 and 20 times the cost? Am I missing something there? Only knowing DVC, they are all somewhat in a range for resorts like $150-$175 a point vs $5-$150 a point for example.

 

[jp10558]

If it wasn't for the 4* requirement, I'd say there's so many beach options, or really just options, all over Florida with RCI I'd personally do that vs buy direct for the Florida beaches. I will be going to the HGVC Miami Beach this December - IDK how "on the beach" that is, or how hard it is to get when the OP might want it, but as I said, I personally wouldn't necessarily even buy MVC for beach in Florida, I'd be tempted to try and do an II trade from somewhere with cheap MFs.

However - if that's what the OP wants, along with HHI "in network" as it were - then MVC probably is the thing to pay up for. I'm not picky enough to dump that money though.

 

[jp10558]

I appreciate all the perspectives greatly! East Coast is our priority of beaches. FL is less important because I have family in Miami for trips.

Question: in looking at some of the resales, the exact same resorts with similar seasons have wildly different prices. I was looking on this site marketplace at Hilton Ocean Oak and one is $1250, others are $10k-$26k. The $1250 is every other year which is fine with me, but the other ones are 10 and 20 times the cost? Am I missing something there? Only knowing DVC, they are all somewhat in a range for resorts like $150-$175 a point vs $5-$150 a point for example.

I find that HGVC seems to need to use a broker to find who's selling, and because of that I certainly don't have as good a handle on the resorts that aren't just cheapest for point generation costs. Someone can chime in with the brokers to ask if they have anything at Ocean Oak to buy, and that can give you the price range. Ocean Oak is likely to cost more than other HGVC resorts because it's one of the areas that gets high demand and HGVC doesn't have a lot of inventory.

 

[ilovetrips2024]

If it wasn't for the 4* requirement, I'd say there's so many beach options, or really just options, all over Florida with RCI I'd personally do that vs buy direct for the Florida beaches. I will be going to the HGVC Miami Beach this December - IDK how "on the beach" that is, or how hard it is to get when the OP might want it, but as I said, I personally wouldn't necessarily even buy MVC for beach in Florida, I'd be tempted to try and do an II trade from somewhere with cheap MFs.

However - if that's what the OP wants, along with HHI "in network" as it were - then MVC probably is the thing to pay up for. I'm not picky enough to dump that money though.

I am sort of averse to MVC prices I'm seeing to be honest. I would want to wait on a really good deal if I went that route. Hilton Ocean Oak HHI looks nice enough for me. When we go to FL it's Disney or Miami Beach although it's still nice to hear the options there in case we ever want to do that in the future!

 

[elaine]

Hgvc ocean oak is very nice. $1250 does not seem correct. Maybe it’s a rental or a typo for $12,500?

 

[rickandcindy23]

If it wasn't for the 4* requirement, I'd say there's so many beach options, or really just options, all over Florida with RCI I'd personally do that vs buy direct for the Florida beaches. I will be going to the HGVC Miami Beach this December - IDK how "on the beach" that is, or how hard it is to get when the OP might want it, but as I said, I personally wouldn't necessarily even buy MVC for beach in Florida, I'd be tempted to try and do an II trade from somewhere with cheap MFs.

However - if that's what the OP wants, along with HHI "in network" as it were - then MVC probably is the thing to pay up for. I'm not picky enough to dump that money though.

Okay, well, I think RCI is not going to work for school schedules. Also, trading even in II doesn't work as well when you really need summer and want beachfront.

I wouldn't want much of anything in RCI. Hiltons in RCI have added costs of $25 minimum PER DAY, plus exchange fees of $299.