Thinking 2026 in the UK

[Timeshare Von]

As we continue to move towards leaving timeshare ownership this year, one of my considerations is whether or not to retain my RCI account (which I have had since the 1980's, predating my Wyndham ownership which has been paid the RCI membership as part of my Wyndham ownership program fees). The primary reason to keep the RCI account would be to have access to timeshare vacation rentals. That said, I'm equally interested in possibly renting via other sources, including here on TUG.

In particular . . . we (my DH, sister & I) are very interested in doing 2, maybe 3 weeks in the UK (mostly Scotland and Ireland) in 2026 (spring or fall).

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[beejaybee]

When we owned an Ireland timeshare, I was desperately looking for an exchange to the Lake District of England via RCI or DAE to no avail.
So I deposited a week with this company: https://www.ukre.co.uk/ and got what we needed for the week we needed!
This company also offers rentals.

 

[moonstone]

If you were wanting to spend some time in the Devon - Cornwall area of England on a non-timeshare stay, DH's cousin has a holiday let place there. They have 3 recently renovated fully furnished cottages (2 bedrooms each with full kitchens) on the edge of a small lake. They are walking distance (5 mins) to the little village of Bradworthy. This is their website; https://www.millfarmdevon.co.uk/

~Diane

 

[Timeshare Von]

UPDATE: As we discuss our options . . . looks like we're going to focus our time in Ireland only . . . for two weeks! Everyone is excited about this trip, as we continue to consider our interests and lodging options.

 

[geist1223]

If you have a hard time getting into Timeshares consider self-catering Cottages. Go to the Irish National Tourist Office and look up Self-catering Cottages. The Government monitors and inspects these places. Better than the Wild West of VRBO or AirB&B. They range in size from 1 bedroom on up to 3 or 4 Bedrooms. Most have Clothes Washers and Dryers. Several years ago we stayed in a nice 1 bedroom by Portmagee on the Western Tip of the Ring of Kerry. We have also stayed at Fitzpatrick Family Castle in Dalkey just out side of Dublin.

 

[Timeshare Von]

If you have a hard time getting into Timeshares consider self-catering Cottages. Go to the Irish National Tourist Office and look up Self-catering Cottages. The Government monitors and inspects these places. Better than the Wild West of VRBO or AirB&B. They range in size from 1 bedroom on up to 3 or 4 Bedrooms. Most have Clothes Washers and Dryers. Several years ago we stayed in a nice 1 bedroom by Portmagee on the Western Tip of the Ring of Kerry. We have also stayed at Fitzpatrick Family Castle in Dalkey just out side of Dublin.

Great suggestion! We will most likely to a mix of timeshare and self-catering cottages and/or independent lodging. Last time in Ireland, we did 2 weeks via timeshare exchange, plus 3 nights at a cottage plus 1 night in a lovely old castle.

It's good to know there are timeshare rental options out there too. My original question was more about whether or not keeping an RCI membership after I exit Wyndham, would be necessary or beneficial. I'm thinking not, especially if only to have access to Extra &/or Last Minute Vacations.

P.S. How did you like Fitzpatrick Castle? It's already on our short list of rentals for this trip.

 

[abbekit]

We’re in the same position. Got rid of our timeshare a couple of years ago but kept our prepaid RCi membership until now thinking we would use it for rentals. For a number of reasons we've used it very little so thinking about letting RCI go since it’s up for renewal in November. It seems that we can rent the same inventory via 7Accoss (DAE) for about the same prices but without need to commit annual memebership dues.

Back when we did RCI Europe exchanges we stayed at Fitzpatrick twice and loved it. Nice area, cute town with easy light rail access into Dublin.

 

[geist1223]

We enjoyed our stay at Fitzpatrick Family Castle. It is actually a building next to the Hotel Fitzpatrick Castle. It looks like an Apartment Building. We had full access to all Facilities at the Castle. It was a 2 bedroom unit. It as big. Walking, eating, and shopping in Dalkey was fun. Light rail into Dublin. We bought multi-day tickets. The first day we walked down to the Station. But that walk uphill after a long day in Dublin wore us out. So after that we drove down to the Station. They tell you if you see Bono or the Edge in town please do not bother them. This is their Home. The Units use to have Books that folks staying could write comments. We found entries from Bono and the Edge in our Unit. We asked the Front Desk as they live just a few blocks away. They explained they had been working on an album and wanted to focus. They did this to avoid the kids for a few weeks.