Jan M.
TUG Member
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2010
- Messages
- 4,487
- Reaction score
- 5,847
- Points
- 548
- Location
- Tamarac, FL
- Resorts Owned
-
Wyndham Presidential Reserve at Panama City Beach
Club Wyndham Access
Grandview Las Vegas and Discovery Beach Resort - Both in RCI Points
Woodstone and Summit at Massanutten - Both in RCI weeks used as Wyndham PICs
We own several weeks at Grandview. The best two bedroom weeks give you 122k points and the next best 98k points with 2023 maintenance fees of $910. The best and next best one bedroom weeks are 61k and 49k points with 2023 maintenance fees of $455. There are lower point weeks for both bedroom sizes but I don't recommend them because you pay the same maintenance fees for each size week regardless of how many points the week gets.
There are a few resorts that will give you more hang for your buck in the points to maintenance fees ratio. Regal Vista at Massanutten is one of them. However you can expect to pay more than you would for a Grandview week.
My personal rule of thumb is to figure out how many years it will take me to recoup the higher purchase cost based on the additional points I'd be getting. If it's 5 years or less that's a no brainer. 6-8 years is still good but now I'm looking a little harder at those numbers to make sure. 9-10 years can be a hard call. I'd be out simply because of our age but I'd be bummed to have to pass on a good deal on something like a high point four bedroom week at Regal Vistas.
I'll use the 122k and 98k point weeks at Grandview with the 2023 maintenance fees of $910 to show an easy way to calculate it. If I owned that 98k point week those 120k more points, 24k points a year x 5 years, have a value of roughly $1,115 based on just the 2023 maintenance fees. Call it say $1200-$1250 figuring for increased maintenance fees over the 5 year period. If I pay that or less for the higher point week then I've recovered the higher purchase cost in 5 years or less. Plus I'll have 24k more points every year. Like I said, that's a no brainer.
If you're only able to take 1 or 2 weeks vacation a year you don't want to take on too many points. A higher point 1 bedroom week at Grandview instead of the 2 bedroom week or a 2 bedroom week instead of a 4 bedroom week at Regal Vistas would be a better option for you. If you and others in your families can use 3 or more weeks a year or you can stay say 9 nights to take advantage of both weekends having the highest points would be good.
The Vacation Village properties typically offer the option to book longer than 7 nights stays in one reservation when there's availability. There's other resorts that's an option for too but not all resorts in RCI give that option. We have a 20 night stay at a resort coming up that I booked in a single reservation with a then exchange fee of $309. I thought 21 nights was the max but one time when I was playing around with either Grandview or Vacation Village at Parkway it looked like I could book 28 nights in a single reservation.
Yes, you can use "your" week and if you arrange it enough in advance you'd pay no exchange fee. If you do that please don't post it because I'll feel like I've failed you. There's typically availability at Grandview and I believe Regal Vistas too and often at somewhat to greatly reduced points. It's a sin in my book to use your week instead of getting several weeks out of the points.
Thanks to not traveling for a few months in 2020 we've had a lot of points to get used up so I don't have to pay to extend them. Here's our most recent, just starting and upcoming stays that used up 133,500 points. Normally I'd get more than just 6 weeks out of that many points but I have to admit it was kind of fun to go a little wild and say why not to get the points used up.
2 weeks, 12/10-24/22, in a lovely 2 bedroom unit at Gulfstream Beach Resort in Bradenton Beach, Florida.
2 weeks over Valentine's Day and Presidents Day weekend in a 1 bedroom unit with the best oceanfront view at The Beach Club at St. Augustine.
2 weeks in April in a 2 bedroom unit overlooking Lake Hamilton at The Wharf Resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We stayed there last year and looking forward to going back.
There are a few resorts that will give you more hang for your buck in the points to maintenance fees ratio. Regal Vista at Massanutten is one of them. However you can expect to pay more than you would for a Grandview week.
My personal rule of thumb is to figure out how many years it will take me to recoup the higher purchase cost based on the additional points I'd be getting. If it's 5 years or less that's a no brainer. 6-8 years is still good but now I'm looking a little harder at those numbers to make sure. 9-10 years can be a hard call. I'd be out simply because of our age but I'd be bummed to have to pass on a good deal on something like a high point four bedroom week at Regal Vistas.
I'll use the 122k and 98k point weeks at Grandview with the 2023 maintenance fees of $910 to show an easy way to calculate it. If I owned that 98k point week those 120k more points, 24k points a year x 5 years, have a value of roughly $1,115 based on just the 2023 maintenance fees. Call it say $1200-$1250 figuring for increased maintenance fees over the 5 year period. If I pay that or less for the higher point week then I've recovered the higher purchase cost in 5 years or less. Plus I'll have 24k more points every year. Like I said, that's a no brainer.
If you're only able to take 1 or 2 weeks vacation a year you don't want to take on too many points. A higher point 1 bedroom week at Grandview instead of the 2 bedroom week or a 2 bedroom week instead of a 4 bedroom week at Regal Vistas would be a better option for you. If you and others in your families can use 3 or more weeks a year or you can stay say 9 nights to take advantage of both weekends having the highest points would be good.
The Vacation Village properties typically offer the option to book longer than 7 nights stays in one reservation when there's availability. There's other resorts that's an option for too but not all resorts in RCI give that option. We have a 20 night stay at a resort coming up that I booked in a single reservation with a then exchange fee of $309. I thought 21 nights was the max but one time when I was playing around with either Grandview or Vacation Village at Parkway it looked like I could book 28 nights in a single reservation.
Yes, you can use "your" week and if you arrange it enough in advance you'd pay no exchange fee. If you do that please don't post it because I'll feel like I've failed you. There's typically availability at Grandview and I believe Regal Vistas too and often at somewhat to greatly reduced points. It's a sin in my book to use your week instead of getting several weeks out of the points.
Thanks to not traveling for a few months in 2020 we've had a lot of points to get used up so I don't have to pay to extend them. Here's our most recent, just starting and upcoming stays that used up 133,500 points. Normally I'd get more than just 6 weeks out of that many points but I have to admit it was kind of fun to go a little wild and say why not to get the points used up.
2 weeks, 12/10-24/22, in a lovely 2 bedroom unit at Gulfstream Beach Resort in Bradenton Beach, Florida.
2 weeks over Valentine's Day and Presidents Day weekend in a 1 bedroom unit with the best oceanfront view at The Beach Club at St. Augustine.
2 weeks in April in a 2 bedroom unit overlooking Lake Hamilton at The Wharf Resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We stayed there last year and looking forward to going back.
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