Westgate Resorts

[jordy]

Help! I am completely in the dark about timeshares. I am looking into buying one from a friend that needs to get rid of it. It is the Westgate Resorts in South Beach/Miami.

I don't know where to start. Does anyone have any feedback on this resort/location or any other tips?

All comments are appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[theo]

Search???

Help! I am completely in the dark about timeshares. I am looking into buying one from a friend that needs to get rid of it. It is the Westgate Resorts in South Beach/Miami.

I don't know where to start. Does anyone have any feedback on this resort/location or any other tips?

All comments are appreciated!

Thanks!

If you conduct a search here using "Westgate" (aka Wastegate) as a key word, you will find more input on that company than you can likely stand.

Before you're done reading, you may end up deciding to ask your friend to throw in a pile of cash along with the timeshare, but YMMV......

 

[timeos2]

Big chance, bad management and developer

Help! I am completely in the dark about timeshares. I am looking into buying one from a friend that needs to get rid of it. It is the Westgate Resorts in South Beach/Miami.

I don't know where to start. Does anyone have any feedback on this resort/location or any other tips?

All comments are appreciated!

Thanks!

The resort is nice. The management/developer a nightmare. As suggested look for previous posts. I'm a Wastegate owner and could never recommend anyone buy a Wastegate resort.

 

[JLB]

Another former owner in Mr. S' scummy, scammy, slimey, sleazey operation.

Use the Search feature here, as if you need to.

 

[wcfr1]

Here we go again.

I own at Sunney Isles (North Beach) and the M&T are way to high in that area due to Florida Property Insurance problems, especially on the beach. You gotta really like going to the property to pay what they want for M&T.

I don't think there are a lot of timeshare choices in the Miami Beach/Sunney Isles area so if you really want Miami Beach the pickings are slim as they say. Looks like RCI lists 3 and Interval 6.

Hey did you know that the Sunney Isles Westgate is one of the very few Westgate properties that has an independant HOA not controlled by Westgate. South Beach, now that's another story.

 

[frenchieinme]

Westgate resorts---depends whom you ask...

Prior posts have hit on it pretty well. John mentioned the resorts tend to be nice but the management can be pretty bad based on some posts here on TUG. Lou mentioned the MF can be rather high for a timeshare ownership.

Westgate has many resorts so you need to be careful and not paint them all with the same brush so as to speak. As I mentioned in my many posts on this topic, I can only speak for Westgate Lakes. I am not and never have been accused of being shy. I have been an owner at Westgate Lakes for 8 years, with my 1st ownership being in 2000 with first use in 2001. Whenever my family and I travel to WGL in Orlando, I usually talk to owners and renters alike about their experiences with WGL. To date, bar none, since 2001 I have yet to encounter an individual owner whom I have interviewed (and I have spoken to many of them) who have not enjoyed their Westgate Lakes experiences. That being said, the management and sales staff have been accused several times of using pretty intense pressure tactics. They have even tried it on me and I simply told them NO, thanked them for considering me in their sales pitch and walked off (after shaking their hand of course). As I walked away I asked them for their card should I ever change m,y mind I would be glad to call on them. After all they were nice neough to want to share their information on availablity of units with me. :hysterical:

If you go to Tripadvisor and look up the various Westgate Resorts, the reviews tend to run either hot (4 or 5 stars out of 5) or cold (1 oe 2 stars out of 5). You kind of wonder what some see there that others do not.

We have had and continue to have terrific resort vacation expewriences at Westgate Lakes. Now if I were to own small 2BR villas, I might think differently about MF and use of. We own 4BR/4BA lockouts which enable us to separate them and get up to 9 weeks with 3 weeks ownership. We also own in high demand event weeks which make our investments (oooops, sorry---wrong wording---PURCHASES) even more valuable and useful to us and renters alike. 9 weeks usage with only 3 weeks MF is not bad at all.

In summary, you will need to evaluate what your specific needs are before buying a timeshare wherever it is and from whatever developer or seller. If you buy to meet your needs and wants then your purchase wherever will most likely prove to be a rewarding and worthwhile one. Good luck!!!

fenchieinme

 

[jjlovecub]

Prior posts have hit on it pretty well. John mentioned the resorts tend to be nice but the management can be pretty bad based on some posts here on TUG. Lou mentioned the MF can be rather high for a timeshare ownership.

Westgate has many resorts so you need to be careful and not paint them all with the same brush so as to speak. As I mentioned in my many posts on this topic, I can only speak for Westgate Lakes. I am not and never have been accused of being shy. I have been an owner at Westgate Lakes for 8 years, with my 1st ownership being in 2000 with first use in 2001. Whenever my family and I travel to WGL in Orlando, I usually talk to owners and renters alike about their experiences with WGL. To date, bar none, since 2001 I have yet to encounter an individual owner whom I have interviewed (and I have spoken to many of them) who have not enjoyed their Westgate Lakes experiences. That being said, the management and sales staff have been accused several times of using pretty intense pressure tactics. They have even tried it on me and I simply told them NO, thanked them for considering me in their sales pitch and walked off (after shaking their hand of course). As I walked away I asked them for their card should I ever change m,y mind I would be glad to call on them. After all they were nice neough to want to share their information on availablity of units with me. :hysterical:

If you go to Tripadvisor and look up the various Westgate Resorts, the reviews tend to run either hot (4 or 5 stars out of 5) or cold (1 oe 2 stars out of 5). You kind of wonder what some see there that others do not.

We have had and continue to have terrific resort vacation expewriences at Westgate Lakes. Now if I were to own small 2BR villas, I might think differently about MF and use of. We own 4BR/4BA lockouts which enable us to separate them and get up to 9 weeks with 3 weeks ownership. We also own in high demand event weeks which make our investments (oooops, sorry---wrong wording---PURCHASES) even more valuable and useful to us and renters alike. 9 weeks usage with only 3 weeks MF is not bad at all.

In summary, you will need to evaluate what your specific needs are before buying a timeshare wherever it is and from whatever developer or seller. If you buy to meet your needs and wants then your purchase wherever will most likely prove to be a rewarding and worthwhile one. Good luck!!!

fenchieinme

I agree and I am glad others do as well. I love my Westgate timeshare as does everyone else I talk with when I stay at the resort. I have exchanged into other Westgate units and they have all been top notch! To each his own

 

[JLB]

My words from the other current WG thread:

I would not care how nice his resorts are, whether you can or cannot trade for XYZ, whether or not he uses his owners as a personal cash cow. Enough has been revealed about the ethics (lack thereof) of the WG organization, that my wife and I would never support anything of this nature. We are ashamed that he has come to God's Country. Well, God or Bubba, one or the other.

But, y'all have your values and y'all can do whatever you want.

 

[gmarine]

If the week is free, or very, very close to free, I might take it. And even then I would have to think about. Otherwise dont buy it.

There is a reason why WG units go for next to nothing on the resale market.