marbella and florida getaways

[galabingo]

Though English,my wife and i now live in Spain,and i am considering buying a resale at Marbella Beach,which we will likely use each year.

Being new to all of this i have a couple of questions!

Firstly are the maintenance fees for this resort quoted in euros or dollars?
i.e. will the strengthening of the dollar mean much higher m.f. in future years.

Secondly,we like to go to Florida at least every other year.Will i be able to pick up a getaway at Cypress Harbour or Grande Vista in September at a reasonable price,therefore negating the need to buy in Orlando?

As i said i am new to all of this,sorry if the questions seem naive,but your advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Werner Weiss]

First, welcome to TUG BBS!

Maintenance Fees:

Each Marriott resort's maintenance fees reflect the actual cost of operating, maintaining, and preparing for the future of that resort. This includes utilities, housekeeping, insurance, facility operations, insurance, reserves for future major maintenance, and usually taxes. There's also a management fee (profit) percentage for Marriott. Because these costs occur in the local currency based on local costs, the exchange rate with the U.S. Dollar should not make a difference, except to the extent that the resort might be bringing in some supplies from the U.S.

Getaways in Orlando:

Historically, there's been excellent II Getaway availability in Orlando, especially in May and September. Those months have summer-like weather, but most U.S. schools are in session. Most families can't go, so there's much less demand.

Right now, it's too early to have much II Getaway inventory for September 2009 (there's a single Cypress Harbour 2BR week for US$866.00).

I know you didn't ask about May, but by looking at May 2009 now, you can get a pretty good idea of what September 2009 might look like 4-6 months from now. There 23 different check-in days available at Cypress Harbour for May 2009 at a price of US$459.00 for a 2BR week. There are also plenty of May 2009 Getaway weeks at Grande Vista, priced at US$319.00, US$339.00, and US$459.00 for efficiency, 1BR, and 2BR, respectively.

There is no guarantee that weeks at any given resort will be available in II Getaway inventory. However, given the high supply and lower demand in September, it's likely that there will always be II Getaway weeks at dozens of Orlando area resorts in September, at prices that are lower than what their owners pay in annual maintenance fees.