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westin lagunamar (not an owner)

bindas

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Hi Owners,

me and wife recently went to westin langunamar resort. my wife got a timeshare tour email that offered 4 nights for $299. we took it and went to Cancun for a small vacation. during the presentation i was offered 10.2K initial fee and $846/year maintenance fee , 47k pts and 5 gateways from Vistana, which they said its company owned by marriot. I got pretty tempted to take but i refused the deal. then i was offered 100k marriot bonuvy pts and 5 nights stay at the same resort for 1k. i refused that as well. the reason for refusal was mainly because of the commitment of lifetime and i had to make a decision right then and there , which is a heavy red flag in my mind whatever the once in lifetime opportunity. after some googling , i found this site :).

question for the owners
do you think it was good to refuse the deal? , i have no clue how to judge if this timeshare is a good deal or bad. also i usually book my hotels through hot wire , priceline and etc.

a little about me :)
i am very, very frugal (atleast try to be) and i can easily take unplanned vacations like around 2 week in advance
 

bindas

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You made a very good decision.
how so ? my wife thought it was a good deal and she is very angry at me for refusing such a deal. its been hard to explain her that you dont haste decisions
 
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how so ? my wife thought it was a good deal and she is very angry at me for refusing such a deal. its been hard to explain her that you dont haste decisions
Reading between the lines, what they offered you for purchase was probably the Adventuras Flex package that basically has no resale value that I know of so you would have just been spending 10.2K to get access to resorts that you could probably just as easily reserve through Redweek for what you'd be paying in maintenance fees. The vacation package they offered is generally what is termed an Encore package and might have been worth the money if you don't mind sitting through another sales presentation. However, again you could probably get a week there through Redweek for a similar price if you really want to go back. It is a nice resort but unless you want to commit to going there every year you are probably best to keep your money in your pocket and your options open. Certainly no harm in not purchasing this time around, doing your research and buying if/when you know what you are buying. 'Deals' like the one you was offered have been and probably will be around for years.
 

bindas

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Reading between the lines, what they offered you for purchase was probably the Adventuras Flex package that basically has no resale value that I know of so you would have just been spending 10.2K to get access to resorts that you could probably just as easily reserve through Redweek for what you'd be paying in maintenance fees. The vacation package they offered is generally what is termed an Encore package and might have been worth the money if you don't mind sitting through another sales presentation. However, again you could probably get a week there through Redweek for a similar price if you really want to go back. It is a nice resort but unless you want to commit to going there every year you are probably best to keep your money in your pocket and your options open. Certainly no harm in not purchasing this time around, doing your research and buying if/when you know what you are buying. 'Deals' like the one you was offered have been and probably will be around for years.

thank you for the response, we generally dont mind sitting through presentations if we get a great deal. :)
 

byeloe

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There is also a lack of Lagunamar inventory in the Aventuras so it has been sometimes difficult to get a reservation at 12 months for popular times like January.

If you know someone with an interval account you can get get aways in September and October for less than maintenance fees
 

bizaro86

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Hi Owners,

me and wife recently went to westin langunamar resort. my wife got a timeshare tour email that offered 4 nights for $299. we took it and went to Cancun for a small vacation. during the presentation i was offered 10.2K initial fee and $846/year maintenance fee , 47k pts and 5 gateways from Vistana, which they said its company owned by marriot. I got pretty tempted to take but i refused the deal. then i was offered 100k marriot bonuvy pts and 5 nights stay at the same resort for 1k. i refused that as well. the reason for refusal was mainly because of the commitment of lifetime and i had to make a decision right then and there , which is a heavy red flag in my mind whatever the once in lifetime opportunity. after some googling , i found this site :).

question for the owners
do you think it was good to refuse the deal? , i have no clue how to judge if this timeshare is a good deal or bad. also i usually book my hotels through hot wire , priceline and etc.

a little about me :)
i am very, very frugal (atleast try to be) and i can easily take unplanned vacations like around 2 week in advance

You can get a similar package for the permanent deal (the one they offered you for $10k) for approximately $0 to $1000 on the resale market. You'd be buying from someone who didn't turn down their deal and then decided it wasn't for them.

Also - taking unplanned vacations around 2 weeks in advance isn't the best candidate for timeshare ownership. Generally speaking the best vacations get booked right when the booking window opens, usually 8 months to a year out (depending on the system).

If you want bargain vacations a couple of weeks out I think renting timeshares would be a better fit for you than owning them. There are often great rental deals on the "Last Minute Rentals" board. If your wife wanted to buy I would stop going to presentations.
 

HudsHut

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Welcome to TUG, @bindas
You were wise not to buy during a high pressure presentation.
The sales pitches always play to your emotions. They use the "fear of missing out" - this deal is only for you, only today, when in fact it's available any day of the week.

See eBay item numbers: 313899250490 & 255426339584 purely as examples. Don't buy them!. You're not ready yet. You don't understand how the system works.

Timeshares have a very steep learning curve. You have found the place to learn, without shelling out money. Each system has advantages and may have disadvantages. It is VERY EASY to buy a timeshare, and can be nearly impossible to sell the timeshare. You are tied to ongoing maintenance fees, whether or not you use it. You may think you want to go to Cancun every year, but what happens when you don't? What if the airfare is super high? Are you able to go to any of the other locations? These are all things to factor in before deciding to buy. Renting as needed is a great option, especially while trying out the various systems. There are many timeshares for rent on ebay, as well as in TUG's Last Minute Rentals section.
 
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RunCat

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Ditto what everyone else said. If you are not a long range vacation planner, I would argue that this is generally not for you. Last minute travel, outside of II/RCI, can sometimes be difficult. And prime season travel may need to be made a year in advance. (FWIW, I own with Welk and have a 22-mo reservation window. I currently have confirmed reservations for New Year's Eve 2023/24.)
 

bindas

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There is also a lack of Lagunamar inventory in the Aventuras so it has been sometimes difficult to get a reservation at 12 months for popular times like January.

If you know someone with an interval account you can get get aways in September and October for less than maintenance fees
oh ok that is good to know , we didnt enjoy that location a whole alot as the beach was quite chopy. we had to take the bus to different beach for less choppiness :)
 

bindas

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You can get a similar package for the permanent deal (the one they offered you for $10k) for approximately $0 to $1000 on the resale market. You'd be buying from someone who didn't turn down their deal and then decided it wasn't for them.

Also - taking unplanned vacations around 2 weeks in advance isn't the best candidate for timeshare ownership. Generally speaking the best vacations get booked right when the booking window opens, usually 8 months to a year out (depending on the system).

If you want bargain vacations a couple of weeks out I think renting timeshares would be a better fit for you than owning them. There are often great rental deals on the "Last Minute Rentals" board. If your wife wanted to buy I would stop going to presentations.
thank you for the advice , i will keep a watch out the last minute deals . i think me and my wife agreed that timeshare presentation is not bad for getting a quick nice deal and just saying no at the presentation.
 

bizaro86

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thank you for the advice , i will keep a watch out the last minute deals . i think me and my wife agreed that timeshare presentation is not bad for getting a quick nice deal and just saying no at the presentation.

You're welcome.

I'd be seriously wanting to ensure whether your wife is on board with that plan. Absolutely one of the strategies the sales people use is to try and turn one member of a couple against the other to make the sale. They always insist both members of a couple attend, and will do and say anything to make a sale. If saying no isn't a problem for either of you thats fine, but if that isn't 100% true I wouldn't risk it.
 

bindas

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Welcome to TUG, @bindas
You were wise not to buy during a high pressure presentation.
The sales pitches always play to your emotions. They use the "fear of missing out" - this deal is only for you, only today, when in fact it's available any day of the week.

See eBay item numbers: 313899250490 & 255426339584 purely as examples. Don't buy them!. You're not ready yet. You don't understand how the system works.

Timeshares have a very steep learning curve. You have found the place to learn, without shelling out money. Each system has advantages and may have disadvantages. It is VERY EASY to buy a timeshare, and can be nearly impossible to sell the timeshare. You are tied to ongoing maintenance fees, whether or not you use it. You may think you want to go to Cancun every year, but what happens when you don't? What if the airfare is super high? Are you able to go to any of the other locations? These are all things to factor in before deciding to buy. Renting as needed is a great option, especially while trying out the various systems. There are many timeshares for rent on ebay, as well as in TUG's Last Minute Rentals section.

thank you for the kind words. I thought to myself that you (salesman) are asking me 10k+ and want me to make a decision right then and there. it was obvious red flag in my mind so I kept mentioning "it is against my principle to spend over 1k without at-least googling about it" . then he offered why not get it for 5 days and then you can cancel it , that got me interested but i ended up saying no to that as well as i havent done any research so why sign anything and goodness i found this site and you guys :)

and cool i will keep looking out on the Last minute rentals :) i think that would be best for me
 

bindas

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Ditto what everyone else said. If you are not a long range vacation planner, I would argue that this is generally not for you. Last minute travel, outside of II/RCI, can sometimes be difficult. And prime season travel may need to be made a year in advance. (FWIW, I own with Welk and have a 22-mo reservation window. I currently have confirmed reservations for New Year's Eve 2023/24.)
thank you for the response , but what does II/RCI means ?
 

vacationtime1

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thank you for the kind words. I thought to myself that you (salesman) are asking me 10k+ and want me to make a decision right then and there. it was obvious red flag in my mind so I kept mentioning "it is against my principle to spend over 1k without at-least googling about it" . then he offered why not get it for 5 days and then you can cancel it , that got me interested but i ended up saying no to that as well as i havent done any research so why sign anything and goodness i found this site and you guys :)

and cool i will keep looking out on the Last minute rentals :) i think that would be best for me
It's a lot easier to rent a few times and later decide to buy, than to buy now, pay too much, regret your decision, and have to sell.

I think your strategy to rent is a sound one. Should you change your mind and decide to buy, be aware that there is a resale market where timeshares can be purchased for a fraction of the developer price.
 

vacationtime1

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thank you for the response , but what does II/RCI means ?
Interval International and Resort Condominiums International -- the two major trading/exchange companies.
 
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You're welcome.

I'd be seriously wanting to ensure whether your wife is on board with that plan. Absolutely one of the strategies the sales people use is to try and turn one member of a couple against the other to make the sale. They always insist both members of a couple attend, and will do and say anything to make a sale. If saying no isn't a problem for either of you thats fine, but if that isn't 100% true I wouldn't risk it.
My wife's stock answer if they ask her anything is "I don't really understand it all, you need to ask my husband". Luckily I have broad shoulders and I am at ease saying "Thanks, but no thanks!" (assuming my mouth isn't full of the free coffee and baked treats I fully take advantage of :giggle: )
 

cubigbird

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You can get good inventory from Aventuras. We own and use both Lagunamar event week and Aventuras points. We’ve been able to get Thanksgiving week in Aventuras at 12 months.
 
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bindas

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so far from my understanding by reading all of your helpful comments. that its better for me to rent rather than own due to following reasons.

1. travel usually on last minute ( anytime between 2 weeks to 2 months out max in advance )
2. we usually like to change up places , i dont think we will ever get used one or two resorts, we will get bored too quickly as we are in early 30s and late 20s. ( idk if age plays a role here)
 

RunCat

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( idk if age plays a role here)

Not sure if age has anything to do with it. I think it has to do with whether you like to "travel" or go to your vacation home. You can "travel" while owning a timeshare; it's just a bit harder and more restrictive.
 
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