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Spain summer 2013

T

Tacoma

TUG Review Crew
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I am thinking I might like to go to Spain next summer and was wondering if I have any hope getting one of the 2 Marriott's or anything at all. I don't have a Marriott so I know I'll be behind other Marriott owners but I did snag a Marriott (Boston) for this summer so that gives me some hope.

Joan:D
 
Spain is overbuilt in timeshare, so you should have no problem with the ''anything at all'' caregory with either RCI or DAE. I cannot speak to the Marriotts.
 
Spain is insanely hot in the summer. If you plan to tour and sightsee (rather than simply lying on a beach) then consider going in the spring or fall for more pleasant weather (and tiny fractions of the people).
We went to the Malaga area in February a few years back and found the weather (in the 60's) to be great for sightseeing. The place was also empty and we had our choice of literally dozens of resorts to confirm with. We traded our 2 bedroom for a 3 bedroom, but could have picked up Marriots, etc without a problem at that time of year.
 
Thanks, at least I should be able to get something. Thanks for the information about the temperatures but as a teacher I may getlots of holidays but I have NO flexibility on when I take them. Everyone is always saying oh I wouldn't go there then (eg. FLorida in summer) but if I want to go then I have to put p with the weather.

Joan:)
 
Oh, and I would try to avoid August, the most popular, by far, month for Europeans to go on holiday. The crowds will be far more managable in June or July.
 
Thanks Carolinian

That's the kind of tip that's really helpful. I have to go July or August but knowing that European's tend to go in August really helps. My sister also said that most people in France take the same holidays do you happen to know when that is? I know in Quebec the construction industry shuts down fo the last 2 weeks of July making that the worst time to vacation in Quebec. I've noticed from this board and since timeshareing that Americans seem to like late June and early July the best. Canadians tend to go the middle of July to the first week of August since our school year goes longer.

Thanks
Joan:)
 
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Totally understand you, Joan! We actually went when my boys still had a full week in February for "midwinter break". Boy, that was such a great time to go places in the off-season for cheap airfare, no crowds and plenty of availability! Miss those days! We went to Paris on one of those February breaks, after everyone told us it was "the worst time to go" and we had a MARVELOUS time! Really, is there ever a bad time for a vacation ANYWHERE?!? :D
 
August is when the French and Germans vacation. Many shops in Paris actually close for much of the month. Workers get more vacation than is usual in the US, so people may be off the whole month.

We spent mid June to early July in Spain and didn't think it was unpleasantly hot. We did take it easy on sightseeing and spent some time at the pool but still managed to see lots. One note - not all Spanish timeshares are air conditioned. We had one week in the costa del sol area without air conditioning during the 3rd week of June. It was close to the beach and had good cross breezes and ceiling fan. It was warm but not unbearable. I suspect it would have been bad later in the summer.
 
The month of August is pretty standard in Europe.

In the UK, the school holiday is much shorter than in North America, and in general is the month of August with perhaps a bit at the end of July included.
 
You will be vacationing in a busy time of year. To give you an idea of the vacations: in my country the school vacations are organized per region but in the period of June 30 - September 2 the schools will close. In Spain the schools will close between June 20 - September 16. They do have summer school but even so, it might be possible to vacation in these times. Especially the weekends will be busy. In Germany they have the same time frame but organized per region. In France the schools will close between July 6 - September 3. Consequently the traffic calenders for Europe show the first peak weekend in Spain and France on June 29 - July 1 with many people going south. Then every weekend will be busy with the weekend around July 28 (Black Saturday) and August 4 (Black Saturday) as peak weekends. After these weekends it will continue to be busy during weekends, especially since Europeans will be moving south to vacation and north to go home again. August is always the busiest month since many offices and even shops close but that's only in France and Spain.

So summer in Spain will be one of the busiest times of the year. There are many resorts but it is high season and prices will be high. i just noticed you are talking about 2013, so you still have time to make reservations for good resorts. I gave you the dates of the school vacations in 2012 but the dates will be similar in 2013.
 
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Spain is particularly popular with Brits, and British schools do not close until late July. That is a big contributor to August being the busiest month.

Here is eastern Europe, schools are out for much of the summer and people can largely choose their time to go on holiday, but far and away the most popular time to choose is August. Of course here, Spain is not as popular as Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey.
 
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Carolinian said:
Spain is particularly popular with Brits, and British schools do not close until late July. That is a big contributor to August being the busiest month.

Here is eastern Europe, schools are out for much of the summer and people can largely choose their time to go on holiday, but far and away the most popular time to choose is August. Of course here, Spain is not as popular as Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey.
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School holidays for England are from July 17 - August 30 this year. For Ireland from July 1 - August 30. Of course August is a busy month but that doesn't mean July is not busy as well, it is high season. To really enjoy Spain I would advice May, June or September, October. it gives you the best opportunity for nice resorts and do plenty of sightseeing. I do have experience since I've been on and off in Spain for years now, every Spring and Summer. The hotels and restaurants love it when the tourists are coming, and from June the restaurant prices will double! If you can only travel in the Summer you have to make the best of it but if you don't have school children I woould not advise it. If you need more info you can send me a PM.
 
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Cyprus or Malta

I have never been to either, but something about going to either Malta or Cyprus has intrigued me. Has anybody been there? How safe is it?
 
Mallorca

:whoopie: I cant speak to Malta or Crete but I spent 10 days in Mallorca last year. It was fablious. Great 3 to 5 stop over.
 
rosebud5 said:
I have never been to either, but something about going to either Malta or Cyprus has intrigued me. Has anybody been there? How safe is it?
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It's as safe as anywhere else in Europe. According to UN statistics, in 2011 Malta experienced 4 murders, Cyprus 19 and the US 15241!
 
rosebud5 said:
I have never been to either, but something about going to either Malta or Cyprus has intrigued me. Has anybody been there? How safe is it?
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I have been to both and they are quite safe. For Cyprus that is true on both the Greek and Turkish sides.

In Cyprus, you can experience the only divided city left in Europe, and I think in the world. The island's capital is divided between Greek and Turkish sectors by the Green Line, which is fortified with walls down both sides and a no-mans land of abandoned buildings inbetween. There is a UN Peacekeeping force guarding the line now, so it is safe to visit. To go from one side to the other, one gets the ''Checkpoint Charlie'' experience at the Leida Palace Crossing between the two zones. Of course, there are lots of ancient and medieval sites around the island, on both sides, although sadly on the Turkish side many of the historic Greek Orthodox churches were desecrated after the war and left to deteriorate further since. There is also a seaside area on the east coast that was left as disputed territory has been uninhabited and in limbo since the war, a rather upscale, formerly Greek inhabited area. The Greeks fled in a hurry, and for years one could look from the outside and still see the tattered remnants of washing still on the line. There is also an auto dealership where you can see cars that were new in the year of the war still sitting in the showroom.

For timeshare, I see quite a bit of inventory at DAE in both Malta and Cyprus. Indeed I used DAE to trade into Malta myself. I went the non-timeshare route in Cyprus.
 
we did this trip in july,2010. Stayed at Club Lacosta Marina Dorado. We flew into Madrid and stayed there for one night and went by high speed train (great experience) to Malaga. Rented a car and really had a good time. I neve felt that there were crowds. We did come back to our place for afternoon Siesta/breaks. Agreed it was hot but not brutal. If you can manage Florida in summer you can easily manage this. GO, you will have a wonderful time. My best memory, having a flat tire and my 14 y/o DD helping me changing it on one of their highways(no NJ turnpike, not very busy). We covered all the highlights, Nerja, Rhonda, Alhambra and Morrocco. Proud to say we were in three continents in one week.
 
Spain- Your can rent a Marriott

I would try for a timeshare exchange, but if it does not happen rent
exactly where you want to go, i.e. Marriott Andaluza. In that fashion you will
be assured of visiting and staying exactly where you want.

I did Spain, and I second the comment on the high speed train, except I did it both from Malaga to Madrid and back again. I would do it again in a heart beat and be sure to get the $40 business class section. Madrid is a truly fabulous city to visit. It is like going to London, but not as crowded. The Prado Museum is world class. I would not recommend August due to the heat.
 
We have an trip planned for this summer. Exchanged our Ren Aruba for Dona Lola for the last week in June. I think we put it in last summer and while I don't remember how long the exchange took to come through, I don't think it was all that long. My car reservation shows I booked the car the end of October.
 
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