Shadow Ridge Enclaves: Thinking of Buying

[rdchamb]

Hi-

I'm a new poster here, but have been reading and learning from this group for many months now. Thanks for your help so far.

My wife and I had finally decided to buy an EOY at Shadow Ridge Villages since it's close to home, we like the place, and it seems that both sides trade well in II when you split it. The EOY was based on a mixture of affordability and "testing the waters" with ownership.

I just won an ebay auction for what I thought was an EOY platinum in the SR Villages. Today I asked the seller for the estoppel form (before sending payment) and learned from the unit on the deed that what I ACTUALLY bought was Shadow Ridge II Enclaves. I confirmed it's a lock-off, although not the deluxe type.

We've rented at the property and seen the Enclaves buildings and I think we could enjoy the Enclaves even though it's not what we thought we were getting. But that brings me to what I need help with:

Does the studio side of the Enclaves trade as well in II as the studio from the Villages? I've seen reports from members here who have done well trading up with their studio from Shadow Ridge Villages. But I couldn't find many similar success stories about trading with Shadow Ridge Enclaves.

Our plan: we hope to lock the unit off, and use one side to visit this resort one year and trade the other side in II for whatever places look like fun in the other year. My kids are young and we don't mind sharing a 1 bedroom at this point.

Another concern I have is the lack of built units in the Enclaves. Do any owners there have trouble booking the weeks you want, because there are less spots to choose from overall?

At this point I haven't sent payment, nor signed a single form. But I need to decide soon to go with this or walk away.

Thanks.

-Rich

 

[dioxide45]

Hi-

I'm a new poster here, but have been reading and learning from this group for many months now. Thanks for your help so far.

My wife and I had finally decided to buy an EOY at Shadow Ridge Villages since it's close to home, we like the place, and it seems that both sides trade well in II when you split it. The EOY was based on a mixture of affordability and "testing the waters" with ownership.

I just won an ebay auction for what I thought was an EOY platinum in the SR Villages. Today I asked the seller for the estoppel form (before sending payment) and learned from the unit on the deed that what I ACTUALLY bought was Shadow Ridge II Enclaves. I confirmed it's a lock-off, although not the deluxe type.

We've rented at the property and seen the Enclaves buildings and I think we could enjoy the Enclaves even though it's not what we thought we were getting. But that brings me to what I need help with:

Does the studio side of the Enclaves trade as well in II as the studio from the Villages? I've seen reports from members here who have done well trading up with their studio from Shadow Ridge Villages. But I couldn't find many similar success stories about trading with Shadow Ridge Enclaves.

Our plan: we hope to lock the unit off, and use one side to visit this resort one year and trade the other side in II for whatever places look like fun in the other year. My kids are young and we don't mind sharing a 1 bedroom at this point.

Another concern I have is the lack of built units in the Enclaves. Do any owners there have trouble booking the weeks you want, because there are less spots to choose from overall?

At this point I haven't sent payment, nor signed a single form. But I need to decide soon to go with this or walk away.

Thanks.

-Rich

I don't think you would see any discernible difference in trade power between the Villages studio and the Enclaves studio. Studios in II lately have very low trading power. They are more or less now a bonus week. Though you can still score some good trades with patience and perseverance.

As for booking availability. It really doesn't matter how many units are built out. The number of owners is also small since they can't sell more weeks than there are at the resort. I wouldn't expect it to be any harder or easier to book than the Villages.

 

[Rene McDaniel]

Hi- I'm a new poster here, but have been reading and learning from this group for many months now. Thanks for your help so far.

Our plan: we hope to lock the unit off, and use one side to visit this resort one year and trade the other side in II for whatever places look like fun in the other year. My kids are young and we don't mind sharing a 1 bedroom at this point. At this point I haven't sent payment, nor signed a single form. But I need to decide soon to go with this or walk away.
Thanks.
-Rich

Rich,

Count me as one of those who much prefers the ShadowRidge Villages over the newer Enclaves section. Several reasons for this, but the most important one being the lack of a real door between the living room and the bedroom. They have sliders instead, and if you are in the bedroom with the sliders closed you can hear every word being said in the living room. If you read the tripadvisor reviews for the Enclaves you will hear the same complaint, and there are photos of the sliders, too.

We did a Getaway into a 1-bedroom there this Fall, and we were SO GLAD it was just the two of us. That was really the dealbreaker for us. Those slider doors are about as effective as separating a room with a curtain.

I see why they went with that setup. With the sliders closed the living room does seem very small and cramped. There would not be much room for children to play. The televisions in the living room & bedroom are both heard simultaneously, so that is also a problem if you have both TV's on. For us, we prefer the spaciousness of the interiors of the Villages, and the superior noise separation between the bedroom and the living room. We also prefer the whole swimming pool and chaise lounge set-up at the main pool of the Villages.

But there are those who prefer the Enclaves because most units face the pool, and easy proximity to the pool can be a big plus with kids in tow. So, it is possible that the different setups might work best for some people depending upon the age of their kids. For me the big plus at the Villages, is there is a separate Adult pool area that is away from the noise of the family pool. When we were at the Enclaves pool, I was laying on a lounge chair (in a cabana), and got hit by a football that got away from some kids. Sheesh! I wasn't injured, but it was quite the surprise. As I said earlier, didn't care for the Enclaves pool set-up.

Also as an owner in the Villages, we can request our building preferences and floor level, which we are usually given because they try to accomodate owners first, even when you are coming in on an II exchange, or even a cheap Getaway. But that would only matter if you were planning to stay and use your week at the resort. And although they are connected, they are considered 2 different resorts in II with different codes, just like DSVI and DSVII are 2 different resorts.

It's always best to make sure you own what you like, otherwise you are forced to deal with the exchange companies.

Here is a link to an older thread about "ShadowRidge Enclaves vs. Villages":
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95790

--- Rene

 

[rdchamb]

Studios in II lately have very low trading power. They are more or less now a bonus week.

Can you help me understand this? I've never seen II with my own eyes--I have read things here but that's not the same as really understanding it. I take it bonus weeks are the low value off-season weeks in II?

Is it realistic for me to be able to trade this platinum week studio through II up to a full 1 or even 2 bedroom summer week at this same resort?

My family likes to visit in the hot part of the summer. But I don't want to actually buy in the silver season because the weeks might not have any value for trading or resale later on.

Or, can I expect to be able to rent a cheap summer week at Shadow Ridge using the getaways I've read about (also bonus weeks?) once I'm an II member?

-Rich

 

[rdchamb]

Count me as one of those who much prefers the ShadowRidge Villages over the newer Enclaves section.

Rene,

Thanks for the detailed feedback about the differences between the two units. We love the size in the Villages units--feels like vacationing at home.

Rich

 

[BJRSanDiego]

Some other thoughts

Reading the OP, I had a bunch of different thoughts:

1. The Enclave resale prices (redweek or Tug2) seem to be a bit higher than the older (DSV1, DSV2, SR1) ones. Also, I recall seeing this in Marriott's own week resales page. While it might mean that you are getting a slightly better deal, it may also mean that you stand a bigger chance of failing the Marriott ROFR.

2. The Seasons (Platinum, gold, etc.) are different for the Villages vs. the Enclaves. The platinum owners at the Enclaves have a better calendar than the Villages owners. At the Villages, there are 3 seasons. The Villages platinum seasons is 1-21 and 50-51. The Enclaves has only 2 seasons (plat and gold) and platinum is 1-21, and 45-51. I enjoy the weather in November and would prefer that availability. I would consider the platinum season at the Enclaves to be a bit better than at the Villages.

3. I own a 2 BR LO at DSV2 and for the past 3 years have been locking it off and have exchanged the efficiency side - - early June (gold/white) week for a 1 BR in mid April. These are manual instant exchanges. I pay a one-time $80 to split and then something like $134 to exchange. We either use the 1 BR side or we have successfully exchanged it for a Sept/Oct week at Newport coast.

4. The Enclaves units are smaller than the Villages, which are smaller than Desert Springs Villas 2, which are smaller than Desert Springs Villas 1 (see the trend? ). Like others, I don't especially like the layout and design of the Enclaves. The Enclaves are still being built - - in fact there will be construction and some noise going on for a few more years. But you can avoid this by exchanging from the Enclaves into one of the other 3 Marriott Palm Desert locations.

Good luck on your decision. Buying an EOY is a low-price way of getting into timesharing. You also have full access to Getaways in II. If you can travel during fringe seasons (not tied to school schedules and peak vacation times) they can be very good deals.

 

[rdchamb]

2. The Seasons (Platinum, gold, etc.) are different for the Villages vs. the Enclaves. The platinum owners at the Enclaves have a better calendar than the Villages owners. At the Villages, there are 3 seasons. The Villages platinum seasons is 1-21 and 50-51. The Enclaves has only 2 seasons (plat and gold) and platinum is 1-21, and 45-51.

Thank you for pointing this out! If I had recognized this fact and keyed in on this detail in the auction, I would have realized what I was bidding on. My fault, of course.

But the fact that the Enclaves' season includes Thanksgiving week is a nice detail I had not considered.

 

[pacheco18]

Rich,

Count me as one of those who much prefers the ShadowRidge Villages over the newer Enclaves section. Several reasons for this, but the most important one being the lack of a real door between the living room and the bedroom. They have sliders instead, and if you are in the bedroom with the sliders closed you can hear every word being said in the living room. If you read the tripadvisor reviews for the Enclaves you will hear the same complaint, and there are photos of the sliders, too.

Agree completely. We own two weeks at the Villages but stayed with friends one week at the Enclaves. Never again. There is no way you can really share space. Anyone in the living room will disturb the folks in the bedroom. Lousy configuration.

We love the Villages. I use one of the weeks every years and trade the other for MRPs.

 

[Rene McDaniel]

Can you help me understand this? I've never seen II with my own eyes--I have read things here but that's not the same as really understanding it. I take it bonus weeks are the low value off-season weeks in II?

Yes, there are 2 different types of weeks you can get from Interval that do NOT involve exchanging your week.

(1) Accomodation Certificates (AC's)
These are totally unpredictable. II usually offers them as an enticement to deposit your week. The more valuable your week is, the greater the likelihood that you will be offered one. They are usually for off-season times and can cost anywhere from $199 - $399 depending upon the size of the unit, oversupply of inventory, and the alignment of the planets. Sometimes II just seems to put one in your account for no particular reason at all, so they are NOT something that you can count on.

Luckily for you summer in Palm Desert is low season, so if you did receive one you could probably use it during the summer. You can search the TUG forum and find lots of information about AC's.

(2) Getaways
These are off-season or oversupply weeks that you purchase from Interval just like a rental. They are for a full week, and come in different unit configurations. Sometimes you want a 2-bedroom, but only studios or 1-bedrooms are being offered. So, it is also a crap shoot. The pricing is tiered and increase based upon the unit size. In the past, a week in a 2-bedroom was $100 per week higher than for the 1-bedrooms.

Sometimes the Getaway prices are good, other times they are ridiculously high -- so no guarantees there either. Although I will say that there are SO MANY Marriotts in Palm Desert, that the supply always exceeds demand and every year we have seen cheap Getaways available from Interval for June, July & August. Although sometimes we have had to go to DSV2 or Enclaves, instead ShadowRidge Villages which would have been our preference. Luckily, all the Palm Desert Marriotts are pretty nice.

Is it realistic for me to be able to trade this platinum week studio through II up to a full 1 or even 2 bedroom summer week at this same resort? My family likes to visit in the hot part of the summer. But I don't want to actually buy in the silver season because the weeks might not have any value for trading or resale later on. Or, can I expect to be able to rent a cheap summer week at Shadow Ridge using the getaways I've read about (also bonus weeks?) once I'm an II member?

I would never advise anyone to buy a non-prime week, since resale prices for all weeks are fairly low right now. It should be very easy to trade a Marriott platinum week studio for a summer week (low season), but you just can't do it with an ongoing search. You would have to do it yourself online. Usually Marriott deposits a big chunk of summer weeks into II sometime in the Spring. I can't remember exactly when, but there are always a large number of weeks available. We have often paid for summer Getaways rather than use our studio deposit, because the Getaway prices are much cheaper than maintenance fees.

-- Rene

 

[rdchamb]

Thank you all for your input and experiences.

To let you know my decision, we are going to go with it. Or, I should say we are going to attempt to keep it.

I was looking through Dioxide's ROFR database and saw in Sept an EOY Plat at DSVII failed at $2100. Our winning bid here was around $1600. As BJRSanDiego pointed out above, we might not pass at this low price.

If we do pass, our decision to own here has morphed into the idea of using this strictly as a trader that we can easily visit if the ability to exchange one day falls apart.

When we do actually go to SR for a vacation, it will be at the Villages where we know and love--hopefully through some affordable summer getaways.

Wish me luck.

Thanks all,
Rich

 

[Rene McDaniel]

Rich,

Fingers crossed for you that it passes ROFR, as I think you are right that it will make a great trader. Wow! That was an excellent sales price, and hopefully since they are building more units at Enclaves right now, why would the Trust want any more Enclaves inventory, anyways.

-- Rene

 

[Chrispee]

I'd be shocked if that passes ROFR, but stranger things have happened! Good luck!

 

[wvacations]

I own a week at Enclaves and do not like staying there if there are more than 2people. If more than 2 people I would only book the 2BR. The living room is very small and there is no privacy with the slider that divides the living room and the master BR. The bathroom in the master is very small and no soak tub.

Also there are different units available at Enclaves. There are regular 2 BR Lock-offs and Deluxe 2BR that are lock-offs. There are also regular 2BR units that DO NOT lock off. Purchasing a regular 2BR DOES NOT guarantee a lock-off. The first year I had the unit I tried to book just the 1BR portion of my 2BR for spring break. I wanted to book the lock off to trade. There were no 2BR Lock-offs available at 9:00am (EST) 12 months in advance. The only availability was 2BR non lock-offs. I did not need the 2BR unit and thus was not able to book spring break.

The other issue with Enclaves it is heavy in the land trust. They are building many more units that appear to about ready to open which will give the trust even more units. When Marriott owns that many weeks they seem to take an uneven share of units for prime time. I now own 5 weeks at Marriott and more than once have not been able to book Enclaves at 9am (EST) for prime weeks both 13 and 12 months out.

The Platinum season is extended to include most of the Gold season at Shadow Ridge Villages. While this does allow a Platinum Enclaves owner to book Thanksgiving week, it does now spread the time that must be made available to some less desirable weeks. If you look at the TDI on interval you will find that weeks 1-21 (the Platinum Season at Shadow Ridge Villages) have all weeks above 100TDI and most are at the top of 150. On weeks 36-99 which is gold at Shadow Ridge Villages has 5 week of 110 TDI, 2 weeks at 120 TDI, 1 weeks at 100 TDI and 5 weeks below average at 80-90 TDI. The Marriott DC chart also shows that weeks 36-49 require less points to book because it is not as desirable. Not that it is important for re-sale, but because of the extended Platinum season, Enclave Platinum owners received less DC points than Villages. As Marriott puts more units in the trust, I would expect them to hold more weeks 1-21 for themselves and let owners have more of the 36-49 weeks. To be fair however, I love Palm Springs in October and find the weather to be perfect. I just object to the fact that 2 parts of the same resort have different seasons.

After that entire rant, the Enclaves has been a great trader as has Shadow Ridge Villages, DSV I and DSV II. I have never had a problem exchanging to Hawaii, Phoenix, Newport Coast, Hilton Head and Aruba. I also prefer the Enclave pool are to the Villages pool area.

I think OP will be happy with the purchase and at $1,600 you can't go wrong. I just exchange my Enclaves unit for Villages unit through interval. Good luck on the ROFR. With all the units that are being built, I do not think you will have a problem.

 

[rdchamb]

Passed ROFR, it's mine now!

An update for everyone:

I just got an email from MVCI confirming ownership change and giving me an owner number. I think everything is all done (?)

To re-cap, I bought this from ebay, seller was CJ Timeshares, on Jan 10th, 2014. Price was $1613 for EOY Platinum with 2015 first usage.

I got the ROFR waiver notice on Jan 22nd, and the ownership confirmation email this morning. So about 6.5 weeks altogether.

My family and I are very excited to dive into this and learn how to make the most of our ownership. Thanks again for the guidance along the way.

I'll add the ROFR info to the database.

-Rich

 

[ryanthekiwi]

I'm shocked that sale passed the ROFR. I prefer owning at the Enclaves.......prefer that pool. I had an extra unit at the Villages....Gold week. Sold it on eBay for $1200 and Marriott picked it up in the ROFR. I was shocked....

 

[s1b000]

An update for everyone:

I just got an email from MVCI confirming ownership change and giving me an owner number. I think everything is all done (?)

To re-cap, I bought this from ebay, seller was CJ Timeshares, on Jan 10th, 2014. Price was $1613 for EOY Platinum with 2015 first usage.

I got the ROFR waiver notice on Jan 22nd, and the ownership confirmation email this morning. So about 6.5 weeks altogether.

My family and I are very excited to dive into this and learn how to make the most of our ownership. Thanks again for the guidance along the way.

I'll add the ROFR info to the database.

-Rich

Congratulations on passing ROFR. One thought for you. I just recently bought at DSV I, platinum season. I was able to lock off and trade my studio for a full 1 BR platinum season so that I ended up with 2 full 1 bedroom platinum weeks. Then I exchanged the original 1 bedroom for a week at Ko Olina in a 1 bedroom. If you're willing to pay for the exchanges and lock off you might give that a try to get 2 full platinum weeks instead of a summer week.

 

[Bill4728]

An update for everyone:

I just got an email from MVCI confirming ownership change and giving me an owner number. I think everything is all done (?)

To re-cap, I bought this from ebay, seller was CJ Timeshares, on Jan 10th, 2014. Price was $1613 for EOY Platinum with 2015 first usage.

-Rich

I'm shocked that sale passed the ROFR. I prefer owning at the Enclaves.......prefer that pool. I had an extra unit at the Villages....Gold week. Sold it on eBay for $1200 and Marriott picked it up in the ROFR. I was shocked....

An EOY platinum unit for $1613 is the same as a EY unit for $3226 So I'm not really surprised that it passed ROFR

Also it seemed to me that Marriott really doesn't like to ROFR EOY weeks as much as annual weeks.