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Four Seasons Aviara just added $30/day Resort Fee

TravelTime

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FWIW, we have owned FSA for 20+ years and have traded it through II almost exclusively. We have consistently gotten great trades, mostly in Hawaii. We have gotten several over the years for larger units than we deposited (including one at MFC). We have also used a lot of the AC's we have been given for nice trades as well. The Four Seasons desk at II has been very helpful over the years.

No complaints from us, although as always one's mileage may vary as it certainly seems to.

I am not much of a trader so I am sure my issue has less to do with FSA and more with II. I do not regret purchasing FSA because we won the lottery in 2019 and got the best exchange in the world IMHO…Four Seasons Costa Rica!
 

Quimby4

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I am not much of a trader so I am sure my issue has less to do with FSA and more with II. I do not regret purchasing FSA because we won the lottery in 2019 and got the best exchange in the world IMHO…Four Seasons Costa Rica!
Traded thru the FS network or II?
 

TravelTime

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Traded thru the FS network or II?

The only way to exchange into FS Costa Rica with FSA is by winning the lottery, as I said in that post.
 

rickandcindy23

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TravelTime

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But was it II?

II does not have a lottery or any deposits for FS Costa Rica. You need to own at FSA and enter the lottery. It is hard to win. We won in our first year of ownership in 2019. We have two EOY odd weeks. You can enter all your weeks in any year you are eligible but after winning, you must skip a year to re-enter that week.

FS Costa Rica does not allow owners to rent their units so the only way to stay there is to pay retail. Even in the lowest season, it is $35,000 a week for the cheapest season there for the same unit. It goes up to $130,000+ a week for the exact same unit during holiday weeks. We stayed there in July which is summer Platinum season so that week is probably $40,000 to $50,000. So the purchase of my two weeks more than covered this stay for many years to come.
 
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zentraveler

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II does not have a lottery or any deposits for FS Costa Rica. You need to own at FSA and enter the lottery. It is hard to win. We won in our first year of ownership in 2019. We have two EOY odd weeks. You can enter all your weeks in any year you are eligible but after winning, you must skip a year to re-enter that week.

FS Costa Rica does not allow owners to rent their units so the only way to stay there is to pay retail. Even in the lowest season, it is $35,000 a week for the cheapest season there for the same unit. It goes up to $130,000+ a week for the exact same unit during holiday weeks. We stayed there in July which is summer Platinum season so that week is probably $40,000 to $50,000. So the purchase of my two weeks more than covered this stay for many years to come.
We got to stay there for a full week when it first opened and FSA was still exchanging (for MF's) our week for some of their hotels and properties like FS Costa Rica. Fabulous resort. In the old days it could just be had without a lottery (as were many others that we took advantage of). And to your original point, not sure why II has worked out so well for us.
 
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TravelTime

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We got to stay there for a full week when it first opened and FSA was still exchanging (for MF's) our week for some of their hotels and properties like FS Costa Rica. Fabulous resort. In the old days it could just be had without a lottery (as were many others that we took advantage of). And to your original point, not sure why II has worked out so well for us.

That was incredible and must have been disappointing when the rules were changed. How long ago was that? Did you stay in the 3BR residence? Just wondering because I thought the 3BR residences were not super old, perhaps the late 2000s, like 2008 or so?
 
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