Marbella and London(?), May-June, 2010

[SueDonJ]

We're going to try to exchange for a 2-week trip sometime during May or June of 2010. We have one 2009 week already banked with II and will add a 2010 week this April, giving us about 13 months to plan.

Marbella shouldn't be a difficult trade but London is a whole different story! The II rep on the phone today told me that 47 Park Grand Residence is the only timeshare property in London, and a quick search through these boards tells me that trade will be next to impossible.

We really don't like hotel stays. What are our other options if we want to be near enough to visit London? Or, what other region would you choose to match up with Marbella for a two-week trip?

thanks in advance,

 

[nerodog]

how about Bed and Breakfasts??

Have you considerd B&B's in London or right outside of the city ? There are lots in all the diff. sections of London and might be a change from the hotel scene.

 

[jerseyfinn]

We did a Marbella / London vacation 5 years ago for a July visit ( used a hotel certificate for the London part & traded into Marbella -- this trip led to our purchasing weeks at the MVC Spain resorts ).

Make no mistake, I'm a London lover and we travel there frequently ( non-TS ). But we still remember the mild disappointment when we left Marbella after a beautiful sunny week and we get to London where the skies were cloudy all week and the temperatures never got above 64 as they were having a cool summer. Mind you, there's lots to do in London & environs, but if the weather there is dodgy, you'll miss the sun in Costa del Sol as the difference will jump out at you.

By all means go to London if you wish, but ponder the ability to nail down two weeks at Marbella or Playa Andaluza where you could travel more at leisure and get in Granada, Sevilla, Ronda and the mountains with white villages without a harried itinerary. The longer stay opens the door to stay overnight in Granda/Sevilla to make your journey more detailed and less harried. There's lots of day drives to do in the region or you could even hop a train to Madrid for the day ( 2.5 hour ride ) if you get cabin fever at the resort(s). Morocco is also a possibility with a 2 week visit.

The better question to ask if how often you see yourself returning to Costa del Sol in the future. If it will be several years, I'd opt for a longer stay there and put London out there for another trip since direct flights to London are easier to find from the states anyhow.

Have fun pondering and planning.

Barry

 

[MaryH]

Sue,

If you are set in London and Marbella, I would probably recommend doing London first and Marbella 2nd.

London have very few timeshares and fairly difficult to get in anyway, more so in the summer. II only has 1-2 and RCI has a few more and sometimes SFX have London weeks. You may be better off renting using something such as vrbo.com.

Alternatively, have you considered doing Madrid with Marbella? RHC has a property in Madrid and you might be able to arrange a direct exchange.