Help me get out of my rut - what are some underrated timeshares that you like?

[HikerBiker]

Of course, Sedona is our absolute favorite and we have been there at least 27 times, almost always in Feb. For the past ten years we have spent at least a month there, usually Feb. Still not tired of it and looking forward to it for next Feb. We have two other very favorite places: Ketchum /Sun Valley, Idaho and Stowe, VT. We have been to the Ketchum area six times, almost always in June and the wild flowers are beyond beautiful covering the mountains…just breathtaking! We stay at Habitat on Trail Creek. It’s an unrated resort, but you can walk downtown (a treat for us as we live in a rural area) to many wonderful (but expensive) restaurants (we do almost all of our meals in the unit), cafes, shops, etc. The timeshare is spacious and very clean. We trade through II and use our Trapp Family Lodge unit. This is an outdoor Mecca with bike trails, hiking, sightseeing at a National Park, and more. Sorry, if you want more information just private message me as I have to leave now. Also, Stowe has trails and trails, great restaurant, activities, etc. We own at two places in Stow.

 

[KS2beach]

I love exchanging and I love searching for great exchanges. But I feel like I am in a rut. I always tend to focus on Hawaii, Tahoe, Sedona, Cabo. These are places that I know and love. I am looking for some new places to visit. We either like places close enough to good places to hike, or alternatively, places in a fun city. We are busy vacationers - I just don't love sitting around a pool. I try but I get too antsy. What are your favorites that don't get a lot of buzz on TUG? I need some new ideas. I am interested in any location.

My personal favorites, in case someone else is looking for some fresh ideas: Hawaii - Hanalei Bay Resort. The views are amazing from the 2 bedroom units and the resort is (imo) just the right size. Tahoe: Like others, I really like the Hyatt in Incline Village and Northstar in Truckee. Hiking galore. Sedona - I am not fussy here. We haven't stayed any place that I didn't like, but honestly we are really just using the unit as a place to sleep because we are out and about all day because the hiking is *that* good. Boston - Custom House - to me this was the perfect spot in the perfect city with perfect activities. It was one of my all time favorites. In San Diego, the respective locations of Carlsbad Inn and Coronado Beach Resort are excellent - you are walking distance to the beach and restaurants, plus there are a lot of things to do in San Diego county.

I am interested in hearing about your favorites.

Totally understand, we seem to go to the same 8-10 places. Beaver Creek Colorado, Lots of great Hikes- mountains, Westin Riverfront amazing. St. Thomas and St Johns have alot to offer, snorkeling-sailing- great trails to explore along beach. We tend to go to Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach - easy to get to, great beaches to walk, lots of nature all around to see. So many still to see. Keep saying Australia and Spain one day. Went to Maui 5 times feel time to move on- thinking about Kauai or back to Oahu (Ko'Olina). Went to Fiji it was nice, but along way to go and wasn't overly impressed. Good luck finding something new and refreshing.

 

[sponger76]

I love exchanging and I love searching for great exchanges. But I feel like I am in a rut. I always tend to focus on Hawaii, Tahoe, Sedona, Cabo. These are places that I know and love. I am looking for some new places to visit. We either like places close enough to good places to hike, or alternatively, places in a fun city. We are busy vacationers - I just don't love sitting around a pool. I try but I get too antsy. What are your favorites that don't get a lot of buzz on TUG? I need some new ideas. I am interested in any location.

My personal favorites, in case someone else is looking for some fresh ideas: Hawaii - Hanalei Bay Resort. The views are amazing from the 2 bedroom units and the resort is (imo) just the right size. Tahoe: Like others, I really like the Hyatt in Incline Village and Northstar in Truckee. Hiking galore. Sedona - I am not fussy here. We haven't stayed any place that I didn't like, but honestly we are really just using the unit as a place to sleep because we are out and about all day because the hiking is *that* good. Boston - Custom House - to me this was the perfect spot in the perfect city with perfect activities. It was one of my all time favorites. In San Diego, the respective locations of Carlsbad Inn and Coronado Beach Resort are excellent - you are walking distance to the beach and restaurants, plus there are a lot of things to do in San Diego county.

I am interested in hearing about your favorites.

It's not an II resort, but I really liked Bluegreen's The Club at Big Bear Village. There's a ton to do in the area in any season.

 

[GrayFal]

I see you are from CA
I really enjoy the Carribean
From Ca you need to come for two weeks.
Suggest you fly to Miami and stay overnight.
Don‘t fight it.

We enjoy the Cayman Islands
Go every year now for 6-8 weeks.
We go to the very undeveloped East End.
We stay at Morritts
Morritts Tortuga Club - Poolside and Oceanfront
Morritts Londoner ocean front
Morritts Seaside ocean front
Morritts Grand ocean front
Wyndham Reef resort ocean front (TS and rentals)
The Cottages Ocean Front ( hotel rentals)

Paradise!
Below 1 & 3 is the view from my Seaside - my husband in #3
Middle is North side near Over the Edge

unit

 

[klpca]

Klpca, who do you travel with? Spouse, kids, full family, friends? It does make a difference in properties, but Does any of that matter to you?


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Primarily my husband and I. Our grown children are lukewarm on timeshares. As a family, they would prefer to camp (lol), although I can get them to Hawaii every few years. All of them are pretty outdoorsy - i.e rock climbers, and PCT through hikers, and their idea of a good time is to do even more hiking that I want to do.

We have friends that we travel with every once in awhile but now that we are all retiring, I expect that we will do more couples trips. In fact while we were walking today, my good friend said that they want to join us in Cabo next time, so I guess that we will be going back at least one more time. They are also hikers and our last trip together was at a timeshare in Columbia Falls (Meadow Lake maybe?) and we had a fantastic week in Glacier.

 

[klpca]

Of course, Sedona is our absolute favorite and we have been there at least 27 times, almost always in Feb. For the past ten years we have spent at least a month there, usually Feb. Still not tired of it and looking forward to it for next Feb. We have two other very favorite places: Ketchum /Sun Valley, Idaho and Stowe, VT. We have been to the Ketchum area six times, almost always in June and the wild flowers are beyond beautiful covering the mountains…just breathtaking! We stay at Habitat on Trail Creek. It’s an unrated resort, but you can walk downtown (a treat for us as we live in a rural area) to many wonderful (but expensive) restaurants (we do almost all of our meals in the unit), cafes, shops, etc. The timeshare is spacious and very clean. We trade through II and use our Trapp Family Lodge unit. This is an outdoor Mecca with bike trails, hiking, sightseeing at a National Park, and more. Sorry, if you want more information just private message me as I have to leave now. Also, Stowe has trails and trails, great restaurant, activities, etc. We own at two places in Stow.

How is the hiking in Feb? We went over New Years back in 2018 and thought it was great. I especially liked that since it was snowy/icy so we stayed on easier trails. It was a nice break from the usual. I am also excited to hear about Ketchum. I have wondered about that place as it does pop up in II pretty frequently. And Stowe - another one to add to the list!

 

[klpca]

How about Down Under - Fiji, Sydney Australia, Melbourne Australia, Bay of Islands North Island New Zealand, Seven Mile Beach Tasmania, etc. We have been to all of these and had great times.

On my short list for sure. What time of year do you prefer? In the US and Europe we tend to prefer the shoulder season because the crowds are manageable and I don't enjoy hot weather, but rain is always a risk.

 

[klpca]

It's not an II resort, but I really liked Bluegreen's The Club at Big Bear Village. There's a ton to do in the area in any season.

I had no idea that BG had a location in Big Bear. That was my stomping ground back in the day. The last time we were up there we hiked up to Bluff Lake where they filmed the original Parent Trap. I had no idea that it was there. It was a nice easy hike and after Castle Rock, the crowds thinned considerably.

 

[klpca]

On the same train of thought as @DaveNV I really like the WorldMark in Victoria, BC. Right on the water near some picture-perfect houseboats and an ideal location to walk everywhere in the city. Watch the boats go by and the seaplanes land. Great restaurants so close by too. Your dollar will go far in Canada.

We have been a few times. This was our 'worst' view on the lowest floor.

View attachment 92823
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This is beautiful. On the list!

 

[klpca]

Algarve Portugal. There are several timeshares there. HGVC (hard to get into but you can use honors points to stay at hotel side; Also Conrad Hotel); Four Seasons Vilamoura (RCI); Vilar to Golf. (I have not tried this one but popular.) Lots of hiking along coastline. We will be there in a few weeks so will report back.

We also enjoy Scottsdale with SDO and WKV and several others. There are some fantastic hikes with cactus covered hills during fall and spring. Scottsdale isn't as far from the airport as Sedona which can be a drive.

Scotland also has great hiking among the purple flora in the highlands. HGVC and HGV/former Diamond have properties there. Such as Craigendarroch and Kenmore.

Thanks for the Algarve recommendations. I will definitely add these into my II searches.

We go to Scottsdale (Kierland) in the fall every other year and Palm Desert every year in the winter for a month or longer (Desert Springs). In the summer, we now go to coastal California for cooler weather and use Worldmark for our month long stays. When we didn't mind the long drives, we used to drive up to Depoe Bay, Victoria BC, etc and used Worldmark for our stays. These days we try to not fly and limit driving duration. Palm Desert is like our second/vacation home now.

Yes. Honestly WM has everything that works for us. And I love that you are using your timeshares as a second home - kind of the way they were designed and sold to us.

Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, NC, lots of hiking trail nearby, quaint town within walking distant, lots to do. Another Resort in the area (1/2 hour other direction) is Blue Ridge Village, NC. Right now under major renovation. Once completed would be good choice too.

A new one to add to my list. Thanks for the recommendations. I am excited to look at new locations to visit and being from the west coast, I had no idea where to start on the other side of the country. We get used to what we know and I really want to go somewhere new.

 

[geist1223]

On my short list for sure. What time of year do you prefer? In the US and Europe we tend to prefer the shoulder season because the crowds are manageable and I don't enjoy hot weather, but rain is always a risk.

Our first trip to Sydney was in November. So about the middle of their Spring. We had a little rain but not a lot. All of our other trips DownUnder have been in the January /February Time Frame. We have never been too hot. If you want to visit NorthEast Australia (Great Barrier Reef) you want to go in their Winter. It is Monsoon Season during their Summer.

We have never been overwhelmed by Tourist like in Europe. When we travel to Europe we try to go in April/May or after Labor Day.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Or Little Sweden in Door County. So much to do in the area, beautiful state and county parks, ferry to a Washington Island and spend the day, boat trips, beautiful place

@klpca I can get that! Shell points has lots of availability for fall.

 

[sponger76]

I had no idea that BG had a location in Big Bear. That was my stomping ground back in the day. The last time we were up there we hiked up to Bluff Lake where they filmed the original Parent Trap. I had no idea that it was there. It was a nice easy hike and after Castle Rock, the crowds thinned considerably.

Yeah, it's a walk across the street from the top end of The Village, so very convenient to shopping and restaurants. Very nice units as well, and from what I understand they're in the middle of adding more. Unfortunately I no longer have access since I got rid of my Bluegreen ownership and don't have RCI.

 

[easyrider]

Kind of under rated might be WM Discovery Bay. I like this place mainly for the views , outdoor activities and we can take a boat and leave it moored on the dock. The rooms are huge.

Another under rated resort is VI Embarcadero on Yaquina Bay in Newport Oregon. They have a dock with mooring. The crabbing can be had on the main dock. It's fun to just sit on this dock in the bay and catch a crab dinner. There are crab boil pots and a clean out station near the dock.

WM Depot Bay is another not to under rated resort we like. Mostly for fishing charters but also for crabbing off the rocks in front of the resort. Interesting is the resort has roped off the cliff section from the resort property with signage to avoid liability but this area is not resort property so crabbing is still legal here.

We now seem to enjoy the large to medium city resorts these days. WM and VI seem to have a good selection of Victoria BC, Vancouver BC, Seattle, Portland, Waikiki, Sedona, Phoenix, Oceanside, San Diego, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and many others. For the next four years we still have multiple memberships with UVCI in Mexico which is Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta and Cancun. WM and VI gives us access to Mazatlan, Isla Mujures , Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo and Ixtapa.

For us living in Central Washington, WM and VI work out very well because many of the resorts are within driving distance.

Bill

 

[Grammarhero]

I enjoy:
1) Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown
2) Massanutten, including wild caving,
3) VA Beach, including lighthouse, breath-taking beaches closeby, Cavalier hotel, and free freebee taxis in resort areas,
4) Outer Banks, including lighthouse and outdoor activities,
5) Myrtle Beach,
6) Hilton Head.
7) Gatlinburg, including Smoky Mountain, Anakeesta, etc.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I second Williamsburg, if you love history.

 

[rapmarks]

yes on Williamsburg and on massanutten. Near massanutten, we went to Luray Caverns, Monticello, UVA, also home of Madison , a civil war site nearby called New Market, , president Wilson’s home and drove to Fredericksburg, and two other civil war sites near it.

 

[Grammarhero]

yes on Williamsburg and on massanutten. Near massanutten, we went to Luray Caverns, Monticello, UVA, also home of Madison , a civil war site nearby, president Wilson’s home and drove to Fredericksburg, and two other civil war sites near it.

Old town fredericksburg also nice gem.

 

[susieq]

Two years ago we spent a wonderful week at Laurel Point Resort in Gatlinburg TN, just outside Gatlinburg & SMNP. There are lots of other resorts amid "the hubbub"..... that just isn't our thing though. LOTS to do in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area. I second the St. George area in UT also.

 

[easyrider]

I second the St. George area in UT also.

Friends tell me to tow my Jeep to St George. They like Jeeping around Sand Hollow better than Moab. I'd like to try them both. Both areas have a WM so it's on the list.

Bill

 

[heathpack]

I’ve been compiling a list of “new places” to target since moving East:
1. Trapp Family lodge, Stowe Vermont
2. Samoset Resort, Rockland ME
3. Newport Rhode Island to see the mansions
4. New Orleans (we‘re staying at Quarter House next Jan)
5. Williamsburg- what’s it like over Christmas?
6. Maybe NC mountains or outer banks
7. Maybe Gatlinburg TN

 

[HikerBiker]

Of course, Sedona is our absolute favorite and we have been there at least 27 times, almost always in Feb. For the past ten years we have spent at least a month there, usually Feb. Still not tired of it and looking forward to it for next Feb. We have two other very favorite places: Ketchum /Sun Valley, Idaho and Stowe, VT. We have been to the Ketchum area six times, almost always in June and the wild flowers are beyond beautiful covering the mountains…just breathtaking! We stay at Habitat on Trail Creek. It’s an unrated resort, but you can walk downtown (a treat for us as we live in a rural area) to many wonderful (but expensive) restaurants (we do almost all of our meals in the unit), cafes, shops, etc. The timeshare is spacious and very clean. We trade through II and use our Trapp Family Lodge unit. This is an outdoor Mecca with bike trails, hiking, sightseeing at a National Park, and more. Sorry, if you want more information just private message me as I have to leave now. Also, Stowe has trails and trails, great restaurant, activities, etc. We own at two places in Stow.

How is the hiking in Feb? We went over New Years back in 2018 and thought it was great. I especially liked that since it was snowy/icy so we stayed on easier trails. It was a nice break from the usual. I am also excited to hear about Ketchum. I have wondered about that place as it does pop up in II pretty frequently. And Stowe - another one to add to the list!

Hiking in Sedona in Feb. is great for us. It usually is in the the high 50’s to mid 60’s and that is comfortable hiking weather for us. We have had snow in Feb. but it doesn’t last long, at most a day or two, and it’s often gone by the end of the day. Sedona has 100’s of trails with a range from a pleasant walk to extremely challenging, so as we are aging, it provides us with a variety of trails to choose for the day’s hike.

 

[Rdub79]

I’ve been compiling a list of “new places” to target since moving East:
1. Trapp Family lodge, Stowe Vermont
2. Samoset Resort, Rockland ME
3. Newport Rhode Island to see the mansions
4. New Orleans (we‘re staying at Quarter House next Jan)
5. Williamsburg- what’s it like over Christmas?
6. Maybe NC mountains or outer banks
7. Maybe Gatlinburg TN

Williamsburg over Christmas is great. You can typically buy a bounce ticket where you get three days at either Busch Gardens or colonial Williamsburg for a really good value. And Busch Gardens does Christmas Town with tons of lights decorations and Christmas shows. Our family had a really great time.

 

[heathpack]

Williamsburg over Christmas is great. You can typically buy a bounce ticket where you get three days at either Busch Gardens or colonial Williamsburg for a really good value. And Busch Gardens does Christmas Town with tons of lights decorations and Christmas shows. Our family had a really great time.

Thank you!

 

[2rebecca]

I’ve been compiling a list of “new places” to target since moving East:
1. Trapp Family lodge, Stowe Vermont
2. Samoset Resort, Rockland ME
3. Newport Rhode Island to see the mansions
4. New Orleans (we‘re staying at Quarter House next Jan)
5. Williamsburg- what’s it like over Christmas?
6. Maybe NC mountains or outer banks
7. Maybe Gatlinburg TN

I'm late replying to this, but we stayed at Marriott Manor Club during the holidays one year. We didn't have Christmas week, but it we checked out 2 days prior. We lived in Richmond at the time and were just using up some expiring deposits. My kids were young. I believe all 3 were ages 3 and under. We went to Bush Gardens' Christmas Town. (It sells out so keep a close eye on tickets.) Marriott brought in Santa Clause for photos, cookies & milk with the kids. Williamsburg is beautiful at Christmas time. Even though this vacation was an hour from home, it is one of my most memorable!