• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

II exchanges where resort is the destination

win555

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
116
Reaction score
50
Points
88
Resorts Owned
worldmark
Looking for recommendations for nice resorts to exchange in II where you can just hangout at the resort, do activities nearby without having to drive. Great amenities like nice pools, hot tubs, water slides, games and sports like mini-golf, bocce ball, etc. Something to keep the kids entertained all day without standing in long theme park type lines. Would be nice to have some water park type features.

Basically, the opposite of most Worldmark locations, where the condo is just a place to sleep as you explore nearby area. Worldmark does have Reunion with a great water park, but we haven't made it there yet.

Family with 6 to 13 year old kids, sometimes with grandparents.

So far I have (edited with suggestions from responses):
  • Grande Vista
  • Harbor Lake
  • Lakeshore Reserve
  • Ocean Pointe
  • Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch
  • Hyatt Sedona
  • Hyatt Coconut Plantation
  • Marriott St. Thomas
  • Marriott Crystal shores
  • Marriott Ko Olina
  • Marriott Newport Coast
  • Worldmark Eagle Crest
  • Westin Kierland Villas

Outside US
  • Harborside Atlantis
  • Marriott Aruba
  • Westin Laguna Mar
 
Last edited:

mdurette

Sighting Expert & TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
7,693
Reaction score
5,289
Points
748
Location
New England

win555

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
116
Reaction score
50
Points
88
Resorts Owned
worldmark
I started a thread about this about this in 2015: https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/when-the-resort-is-the-destination.234670/#post-1825378

Since then, here are a few other places we have gone to that would qualify.
Marriotts in Aruba
Marriott in St Thomas
Hyatt Bonita Springs
Smugglers Notch (but this one is RCI)
In your thread, it seems like people here don't support the idea of going to a resort and not check-out the surrounding area. To each their own.

It can be a lot of work to plan all those activities, so sometimes I would be happy just to go somewhere and unwind.
 

gnipgnop

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
1,838
Reaction score
161
Points
424
Location
Pennsylvania
Depends on how far you want to travel. Sheraton Broadway Plantation in Myrtle Beach is always a fun place to stay.. Lazy river, kids pool, mini golf on grounds, basketball court and Broadway at the beach within walking distance.
 

dioxide45

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
47,369
Reaction score
18,931
Points
1,299
Location
NE Florida
Resorts Owned
Marriott Grande Vista
Marriott Harbour Lake
Sheraton Vistana Villages
Club Wyndham CWA
I probably wouldn't include Marriott Frenchman's Cove in St Thomas on the list. Perhaps a great resort, but I suspect people go there more to get out and explore vs just hang out at the resort.
 

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
31,901
Reaction score
9,003
Points
1,049
Location
The Centennial State
Resorts Owned
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge,Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau;Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms; WKORV-OF (2),Westin Desert Willow.
Depends on how far you want to travel. Sheraton Broadway Plantation in Myrtle Beach is always a fun place to stay.. Lazy river, kids pool, mini golf on grounds, basketball court and Broadway at the beach within walking distance.
Yes, we loved Myrtle Beach. It is such a great place to go to escape everything, and of course the beach is open now, and the many little piers with the shopping and restaurants are a lot of fun. We saw fireworks at three different piers and ate at some fantastic restaurants most evenings. It was a lot of fun for us. We went to the pirate show, too. What a wonderfully fun trip it was, very laid back. There are quite a few nice resorts in that area.
 

DAman

TUG Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
902
Reaction score
266
Points
273
Location
Bay Area, CA
Marriott Newport Coast Villas. With the pools and other activities at the resort and the beach a short walk or quick shuttle ride away I think it qualifies.

Westin Kierland Villas (Scottsdale AZ) too. Lazy river and many activities at the resort. Nice shopping center nearby. Just don't go there in the summer and take your kids for ice cream...big mistake on my part.

Eagle Crest Resort (Redmond OR). Lots of pools, indoor tennis, indoor pickle ball, and a great mini-golf course(real grass, real sand traps and hazards-it's a favorite of adults and kids). Easy hiking down at the river around the property. Bike rentals at the resort. Better hiking a short drive away. Multiple golf courses at the resort too. Horseback riding too at the resort for a reasonable fee.
 

win555

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
116
Reaction score
50
Points
88
Resorts Owned
worldmark
Marriott Newport Coast Villas. With the pools and other activities at the resort and the beach a short walk or quick shuttle ride away I think it qualifies.

Westin Kierland Villas (Scottsdale AZ) too. Lazy river and many activities at the resort. Nice shopping center nearby. Just don't go there in the summer and take your kids for ice cream...big mistake on my part.

Eagle Crest Resort (Redmond OR). Lots of pools, indoor tennis, indoor pickle ball, and a great mini-golf course(real grass, real sand traps and hazards-it's a favorite of adults and kids). Easy hiking down at the river around the property. Bike rentals at the resort. Better hiking a short drive away. Multiple golf courses at the resort too. Horseback riding too at the resort for a reasonable fee.

Thanks for the suggestions. Worldmark has some units at Eagle Crest, so we should be able to do it without exchanging.

We will probably try Kierland for the fall break.
 

calgal

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
901
Reaction score
10
Points
378
The Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta fits the bill.
 

PamMo

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
5,197
Reaction score
3,024
Points
648
Location
Missouri
Vidanta's Grand Luxxe properties
Marriott's OceanWatch
 

CPNY

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2019
Messages
7,508
Reaction score
4,392
Points
349
Resorts Owned
Harborside Resort at Atlantis
SVV - Key West/Bella
WKV
Regal Vista at Massanutten
Looking for recommendations for nice resorts to exchange in II where you can just hangout at the resort, do activities nearby without having to drive. Great amenities like nice pools, hot tubs, water slides, games and sports like mini-golf, bocce ball, etc. Something to keep the kids entertained all day without standing in long theme park type lines. Would be nice to have some water park type features.

Basically, the opposite of most Worldmark locations, where the condo is just a place to sleep as you explore nearby area. Worldmark does have Reunion with a great water park, but we haven't made it there yet.

Family with 6 to 13 year old kids, sometimes with grandparents.

So far I have (edited with suggestions from responses):
  • Grande Vista
  • Harbor Lake
  • Lakeshore Reserve
  • Ocean Pointe
  • Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch
  • Hyatt Sedona
  • Hyatt Coconut Plantation
  • Marriott St. Thomas
  • Marriott Crystal shores
  • Marriott Ko Olina
  • Marriott Newport Coast
  • Worldmark Eagle Crest
  • Westin Kierland Villas

Outside US
  • Harborside Atlantis
  • Marriott Aruba
  • Westin Laguna Mar
Harborside Atlantis Is great if the Atlantis opens up.
 

mdurette

Sighting Expert & TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
7,693
Reaction score
5,289
Points
748
Location
New England
I probably wouldn't include Marriott Frenchman's Cove in St Thomas on the list. Perhaps a great resort, but I suspect people go there more to get out and explore vs just hang out at the resort.

That is ok, we can disagree. But, I think Frenchmans is high on the list of having everything one would want to do from the resort. With their onsite vendor we kayaked at night with lighted glass bottom kayaks, had a sunset sailboat dinner, took a tour of the island and trip over to St. Johns. The resort itself also offered beach shows at night, a water taxi to downtown, local vendors, great snorkeling from their beach and many activities to fill the day for kids and adults. We never had to get in a car or hop in a taxi to do anything....it all happened right from the resort.
 

Bunk

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2010
Messages
1,162
Reaction score
972
Points
323
Location
New York
The answer depends on whether we're planning to go out for dinner or cook at the unit. For example, we went to Frenchman's Cove in July, 2019. Even though we rented a car and drove all over the island, we were impressed with how nice the facilities were and how enjoyable it was to relax there. We spent a lot of time snorkeling from the beach, and agree with mdurette that the snorkeling and night kayaking were great. But we found the restaurant mediocre, and I don't think there was a nearby restaurant that was safe to walk to. Other timeshares have good restaurants on the grounds or that are safe to walk to, such as the Grill at Grande Vista and the number of restaurants within walking distance at the Marriott in Lihue.
 
Last edited:
Top