I love trading into Europe! It makes traveling there far cheaper. You definitely have to plan ahead for peak season. I would do an ongoing search. I have high trading power and am in both the points and weeks systems with RCI, so it gives me a lot of options. I can get a week for less than $500 depending on the season.
I got a 2-bedroom unit in Bavaria (Schliersee), Germany, the first week of October last year. It was a fabulous location to explore Ludwig's castles and enjoy the fall foliage, which was utterly spectacular. It's an hour south of Munich, an easy drive or train ride. Loved the property and the staff, who booked a doc appt with an English-speaking doc for me when I got sick. It was so cheap for the week that my friend and I didn't bat an eye at spending $100 for a cute hotel in Oberammergau for one night so we could explore the castles out there without driving back until the next day.
We've also had a 1-bedroom in Deidesheim, a cute wine village 45 minutes west of our favorite German city, Heidelberg. It was a little spartan but we were there in winter and mainly used it as home base to tour all over. The furniture was comfortable, we had a mini kitchen, and we had laundry facilities.
I'd go back to both properties, even though they weren't Marriott caliber. If you're not used to traveling in Europe, I can tell you that a lot of hotels are older, smaller and just don't have the amenities U.S. properties do. We've done Airbnb in Austria and Germany, and only one of those three properties was really high-end. One was unbearably hot and we switched to a Marriott hotel with AC.
Next May, we're spending two weeks in France, with the first week in Vincennes, at a timeshare just to the east of Paris. I booked it LAST May, two years out. I was stunned to get a week anywhere near Paris during the first week of the French Open and grabbed it. For our second week, we'll be doing Airbnb or inns in Normandy and the Loire Valley.
There are a few timeshare properties in major cities, even Vienna and Buda Pest, but you have to plan ahead. If you stay in Marriotts, you will be quite comfortable, but if you stay in a well-rated timeshare resort, you will get more of a feel for regular life in Europe. It's more authentic, and the beds can be just as comfy.
There's also a spectacular resort in Tuscany (il Poggio); we had to cancel on them but plan to go before too long. You can do extra vacations and get into a well-located London property cheaper than a regular hotel. Do your research on where you want to go (aside from Paris, obviously). Sometimes the availability of a timeshare in a certain location opens up new travel possibilities we hadn't thought of, and other times we book other options if we really want or need to be in a specific place. The Vincennes property very randomly shows up with availability (it's a Diamond resort), but worth doing an ongoing search for if you want to be a lot closer to Paris. A friend of mine got into it (he is a Diamond owner) for a 2-bedroom and loved it.
I got a 2-bedroom unit in Bavaria (Schliersee), Germany, the first week of October last year. It was a fabulous location to explore Ludwig's castles and enjoy the fall foliage, which was utterly spectacular. It's an hour south of Munich, an easy drive or train ride. Loved the property and the staff, who booked a doc appt with an English-speaking doc for me when I got sick. It was so cheap for the week that my friend and I didn't bat an eye at spending $100 for a cute hotel in Oberammergau for one night so we could explore the castles out there without driving back until the next day.
We've also had a 1-bedroom in Deidesheim, a cute wine village 45 minutes west of our favorite German city, Heidelberg. It was a little spartan but we were there in winter and mainly used it as home base to tour all over. The furniture was comfortable, we had a mini kitchen, and we had laundry facilities.
I'd go back to both properties, even though they weren't Marriott caliber. If you're not used to traveling in Europe, I can tell you that a lot of hotels are older, smaller and just don't have the amenities U.S. properties do. We've done Airbnb in Austria and Germany, and only one of those three properties was really high-end. One was unbearably hot and we switched to a Marriott hotel with AC.
Next May, we're spending two weeks in France, with the first week in Vincennes, at a timeshare just to the east of Paris. I booked it LAST May, two years out. I was stunned to get a week anywhere near Paris during the first week of the French Open and grabbed it. For our second week, we'll be doing Airbnb or inns in Normandy and the Loire Valley.
There are a few timeshare properties in major cities, even Vienna and Buda Pest, but you have to plan ahead. If you stay in Marriotts, you will be quite comfortable, but if you stay in a well-rated timeshare resort, you will get more of a feel for regular life in Europe. It's more authentic, and the beds can be just as comfy.
There's also a spectacular resort in Tuscany (il Poggio); we had to cancel on them but plan to go before too long. You can do extra vacations and get into a well-located London property cheaper than a regular hotel. Do your research on where you want to go (aside from Paris, obviously). Sometimes the availability of a timeshare in a certain location opens up new travel possibilities we hadn't thought of, and other times we book other options if we really want or need to be in a specific place. The Vincennes property very randomly shows up with availability (it's a Diamond resort), but worth doing an ongoing search for if you want to be a lot closer to Paris. A friend of mine got into it (he is a Diamond owner) for a 2-bedroom and loved it.
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