Florida in January--Fifth Generation Thread

[JLB]

Not much change--4 in SW for Jan. 2007 and 2 for Jan. 2008.

The failure of South Seas to reopen and it's pending sale could be a factor. The nicer HGVC resorts could be going to folks who normally would be at South Seas.

 

[JLB]

Noticeable Surge

There was a noticeable surge this morning in availability for January, 2008, at 23 months out.

Yesterday there were 3 for SW Florida, the most yet, and this morning there are 6. Nothing special, still the Normal Suspects.

Yesterday there were 24 Resorts on the Beach, also the most yet, and today there are 36, a 50% overnight increase! Some of the new ones are nicer resorts, not the normal, less-desireable stuff in the Panhandle and NE Florida.

Last night was weekly maintenance on RCI.com.

 

[rapmarks]

South Seas on Captiva

this resort is scheduled to reopen March 17. Is anyone seeing availablility there?

 

[IBCG]

"Crappy" Units at Lahaina

We have an ongoing RCI search for units to sleep 6 at Christmas 2006 in western Florida. Right now we have one of the "crappy" units you refer to at the Lahaina. Or we can take a nice unit but 2 hours further north at Siesta Key at the Calini. Since my teenager wants beach weather, am I better off with the Lahaina even though the unit is "crappy"? How "crappy" is it?
Thanks very much,
IBCG

 

[rapmarks]

I don't think the weather will be a lot different, but not an expert.

 

[Neesie]

IBCG, are you referring to the Lahaina Resort in Ft. Myers Beach? If so, even if it isn't rated Gold Crown or IHD my hubby and I thought it was a terrific resort with an excellent location on a beautiful beach.

I am dying to read this thread since we vacation in Florida during January and have been for years. But today my eyesight is limited, so I apologize if you explained the "Lahaina thing" earlier.

JLB, I have quit depositing my January week with RCI. My management company doesn't like me depositing more than 12 months in advance. I have tried it a few times (after pre-paying what I estimated the AMF to be). Obviously I was trying to get a good trade by banking early. Now I either use it, or rent it out. I have arranged for timeshare rentals through private owners and last minute bargain basement buys on Ebay. I have lost faith in the "trading system" or scam.

 

[IBCG]

Thanks very much for the input.

I'm glad to hear that someone has good things to say about the Lahaina. I was responding to a segment of this thread that referred to the "crappy" units across the street at the Lahaina, and I know ours is there.
Thanks again,
IBCG

 

[JLB]

Howdy New Folks

and welcome to my tiny little piece of TUG. I have been trying to keep my study of SW Florida alive here on the Florida Board for quite some time now. This thread doesn't get a lot of comments but I can assure you that there is a sizable SW Florida contingent on TUG.

IBCG, I have already sent you my email.

For others, we like Lahaina Inn also. It is one of those older, smaller, cozier comfortable places that you just like to relax at, sorta like your favorite pair of shoes. It's a great contrast to the Orlando mega-resorts, and very vacationy.

Everything on the beach side is on sand, including parking. The unit we had in January had a most excellent sunset view. Our first visit there was across the road. Across the road has it's own pool and BBQ grill.

It is a sold-out resort with resales done right on site. The welcome breakfast is served in the broker's building.

The beach is beautiful and goes forever. It was great place to practice shots out of the sand trap and actually did improve that part of my game. The area had lots to do.

On the other hand, it's hard to beat the beach at Siesta Key. Siesta Beach is rated #10 in the US by the Travel Channel and it is one of only two Florida beaches in the Top Ten in the entire US. It is at or near the top in every beach rating there is.

Neesie: Glad to have someone else who goes there in January every year. I first went in the 70's, in my previous life, but Jenny and I have been going for two or three weeks since 1990. This year we'll spend Christmas week with our extended family in a 3-bedroom at one of those Orlando mega resorts (along with a few thousand other tourists) and then the following week we can relax and unwind in two one bedroom units for us and friends at another of our favorite resorts along Estero/Hickory Blvd.

 

[rapmarks]

JLB, you are the perfect person to provide me some answers. My duaghter decided to hopd her wedding down her, on the beach. I am going to try to book some units to help out the housing situation. We also have to find a place on the beach for the wedding. I am thinking of setting the date for last half of April. So could you give me some ideas about resorts that would be suitable, would be on the beach, and give me some idea when availability goes up. Easter is April 8 in 2007 and I was thinking some weekend after that would be appropriate.

 

[JLB]

Pat:

Wow! Cool!

After mid-April and before the first of June would be the most pleasant weather-wise. How about a sunset wedding?

But where to start? What size party? How many units? Casual/beachy or upscale/glitzy?

You know some of the places I like. They do rentals but they are not very big resorts. Mother nature also has everything all topsy-turvy.

There's some really neat possibilities. If you could swing it, everyone could stay at the Coconut Hyatt and the wedding party could take the motor launches across Estero Bay to the wedding, say at the beach club on Big Hickory Island. or, what would be more appropriate than Lovers Key, maybe folks staying at Lovers Key Resort. Then there's South Seas, Sanibel or Naples.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=beach+weddings+in+Southwest+Florida&btnG=Google+Search

 

[rapmarks]

Just in RCI, can't afford Hyatt and don't trade into it. weak traders. so tell me which resorts would be acceptable, on the beach, not on sanibel, don't want to drive an hour to get there, cross the bridge, pay tolls and parking, wait in traffic to get off island, etc. the whole thing is Erin was promised money for the wedding with the caveat she gets to keep the "change", so she wants to spend less not more now.

 

[JLB]

No particular order or preference. Lovers Key is not on a beach, but is so close to so much beach that I included it. I did not include some that are on some undesirable beach.


Island Towers (#0173) RID
4900 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-5795

The Surf Club of Marco (#0344) RID
540 S. Collier Blvd.
Marco Island FL 34145 USA
Phone: 239/642-5800
www.hiltongrandvacations.com

Lahaina Inn Resort (#0459) RID
5580 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-4414
www.lahainaresort.com

Seawatch On-the-Beach Resort (#0601) GC
6550 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-4469
www.hiltongrandvacations.com

Royal Beach Club (#0604)
800 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-9494
www.royalbeachclub.com


The Charter Club of Marco Beach (#0613) GC
700 S. Collier Blvd.
Marco Island FL 34145 USA
Phone: 239/394-4192
www.hiltongrandvacations.com

Eagle's Nest Beach Resort (#0731) GC
410 S. Collier Blvd.
Marco Island FL 34145 USA
Phone: 239/394-5167
www.eaglesnestmarco.com

Bel-Air Beach Club (#1153) RID
780 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-7773

Bonita Resort & Club (#1680) H
26101 Hickory Blvd.
Bonita Beach FL 34134 USA
Phone: 239/992-5198
www.vriresorts.com

Kahlua Beach Club (#1873) RID
4950 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-5751
www.kahluabeachclub.com

Vanderbilt Beach & Harbour Club (#1882) RID
9301 Gulf Shore Drive
Naples FL 34108 USA
Phone: 239/597-5098

Gulf Pointe of Naples (#2009) RID
9439 Gulfshore Drive
Naples FL 34108 USA
Phone: 239/591-3002

Club Regency of Marco Island (#2023) GC
500 S. Collier Blvd.
Marco Island FL 34145 USA
Phone: 239/394-8197
www.hiltongrandvacations.com

Windward Passage Resort (#2644) H
418 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-1194
www.vriresorts.com

Estero Island Beach Club (#3033) H
1840 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-6116
www.ralresorts.com

Beach Club I (#3275) RID
326 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/463-2882
www.vriresorts.com

Lovers Key Beach Club & Resort (#5418)
8771 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach FL 33931 USA
Phone: 239/765-1040
www.loverskey.com

 

[JLB]

If you can't deposit with RCI more than 12 months ahead you might as well not. RCI emphasizes early deposit and early exchanging, the resorts know that, and they should honor it.

The first resort with owned at let us deposit two years out, but billed every December, due Jan 1, regardless of when you deposit. Where we own now makes you pay your fees in advance (two years), but as I have posted, they don't seem to have an accounting system that can keep track of that. (other than me of course)

JLB, I have quit depositing my January week with RCI. My management company doesn't like me depositing more than 12 months in advance. I have tried it a few times (after pre-paying what I estimated the AMF to be). Obviously I was trying to get a good trade by banking early.

 

[JLB]

There are quite a few more resorts now for Jan, 2008, than there were this time last year for January, 2007. Still, none of them are the better resorts.

If I can read my notes, all of last and this year I have only seen three Gold Crowns for Jan. 2006.

Many have told me to give up and use ongoing searches. I have not heard from anyone who has gotten a Gold Crown on the Beach in SW Florida in January using ongoing searches either. If there were ongoing searches, why did I see even the three I did?

 

[JLB]

Having searched SW Florida for January regularly for 9 years, I guess, almost daily for the last 6 year, and recording the results for the last 4 years, it has become very, very predictable.

Searching Resorts on the Beach for January daily for the last two years, it has become very predictable also.

Even this far out, for January, 2006, more than half (33 of 61) of the available Resorts on the Beach are in the NE or the Panhandle. None are in the SW or the Keys. What remains are in the SE, Tampa or Sarasota areas.

Looking at January, 2007, the NE and the Panhandle are only 15 of 48 available resorts, so the other areas are better represented further out, and get taken first.

 

[JLB]

A comment I haven't made for awhile, but that has always held true, is how little movement there is from day to day. It is not the wildly fluctuating picture that some try to have you believe.

For my Resorts on the Beach, one now in the upper 50s and the other in the upper 40s, it seldoms fluctuates more than one resort a day. In the last month the most either has fluctuated from one day to the next is four.

The picture I am seeing is one of very little activity, again relative to what some would have you believe.

 

[JLB]

Anyone who has read this or any of my previous threads on this topic knows that availability is not what it once was.

Here's another observation.

This week the day arrived when there is only one resort remaining for January, 2007. That was on 3/28/06.

That made me wonder when that point arrived in previous years.

For January, 2004, which had considerable more and better resorts available throughout my search, starting 3/27/2002, the one resort left point arrived on 6/7/03. For Jan/2005, 1/19/04 and for Jan/2006, 2/25/05.

 

[JLB]

Resort ID: 0459 LAHAINA INN RESORT
1 4 / 4 Full 01/deleted/2007 Exchange

A decent lesser resort. The best you can hope for any more for that timeframe.

Unit 37, ground floor, on the beach, in the building on the left in this picture (resort diagram at bottom of page):

http://www.lahainaresort.com/

PS: Some have encouraged me to use ongoing searches, including Inside Guy. I don't. If ongoing searches always match up to the decent resorts, so that those doing daily on-line searches never see stuff, why am I seeing this? Just this past week I have been told that this is a really, really tough search.

Duh!

 

[Neesie]

JLB - that's the unit I stayed in at Lahaina, except it was the upper floor. I can't say enough nice things about it. Or how about three more Location, Location, Location!

 

[JLB]

Not to be picky, but the orientation of those units, sorta facing at a SE angle, means that you cannot sit on your lanai and see the sunset. Some of the units in that section are two bedroom, both upper and lower levels. That would we nice.

In January we were in a ground-floor unit in the middle building and we could see the sunset just fine from our lanai.

There is a free-standing 2-bedroom unit on the beach, unit 25, that looks interesting. I am checking them more now.

 

[JLB]

Monthly update.

Nothing much has changed for '07. Nothing really good has suddenly appeared.

I have been searching '08 for 3 1/2 months now. SW FL has grown from 2 to 9, and based on past results, at 20 months out it is close to its peak. Still no HGVCs on the beach; just the normal suspects. I still have not booked '08. I'm waiting for the right units to get deposited.

Resorts on the Beach has grown from 18 to 51. There's been some nice stuff in the Sarasota/Siesta Key area.

 

[JLB]

Wierd Stuff Today

Wierd stuff happening today.

First, there is a notice that RCI.com is unavailable because of maintenance, but it is available.

Resorts on the Beach searches are really strange. For Jan, 2007, it has been running in the 50s and 60s. Yesterday it was 57 and the day before it was 56. It never, in all these years and hundreds of searches, has changed more than one or two a day. Today it's 47!!!! Down 10 from yesterday.

Same for Resorts on the Beach for Jan, 2008. It has been running upper 40s and 50s. Yesterday it was 53. Today it's 42. Down 11!!!!!

Anyone care to guess where all that stuff went overnight????

 

[JLB]

Abracadabra

What had disappeared yesterday, reappeared today. '07 was 58 resorts and '08 was 55.

I guess the only thing that can be said about it is that you can't trust the computers regardless of what search method you prefer.

 

[JLB]

Somewhere recently there was a discussion about my daily searching, asking how many resorts I/we need to see, etc. I did not think that since I keep lists for everything that I could explain what I mean by lesser and better resorts, what I have always seen and what I used to but no longer see, by just showing the lists.

So here they are.

What I see (The Normal Suspects), with the most likely in bold:

Lehigh Resort Club
Charlotte Bay Resort & Club
Fishermen's Village Resort Club
Marco Resort & Club
Sea Oats Beach Club
Estero Island Beach Club
Bonita Resort & ClubLahaina Inn
Royal Beach Club
Kahlua Beach Club
Marina Village at Snug Harbor
Sunrise Bay Resort and Club
Tropical Sands
Englewood Beach Club and Resort
Windward Passage Resort
White Sands Resort Club
Mariner’s Boathouse


What I usetacould but don't any more:

SW Florida HGVC Resorts

Seawatch on the Beach
The Cottages at South Seas Resort
Planatation Bay Villas at South Seas Resort
Plantation Beach Club at South Seas Resort
Plantation House at South Seas Resort
South Seas Club at South Seas Resort
The Charter Club of Marco Beach
Club Regency of Marco Island
Eagle’s Nest Beach Resort
The Surf Club Resort
Casa Ybel Resort
Hurricane House Resort
Sanibel Cottage Resort
Shell Island Beach Club
Tortuga Beach Club Resort

 

[JLB]

Actually my figures are skewed a little high. I don't search January; I search 12/28 -2/1.

For this morning for example, 5 of 9 for SW FL and 15 of 52 for Resorts on the Beach for '08 are December-only dates.