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What should I buy : [Ski in/out , Beachfront] or just Rent?

Hchc

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Hi Y'all!
Just found this forum and also led me to rescind my first timeshare purchase in Breckenridge, CO :) Almost cost me 62k for a one bedroom!
So looking at resale or just renting for now.

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
Family of 4 have been skiing whenever school is off (so pretty much all peak season...), all in Colorado, but would consider other popular ski in/out TS as well.
But I think as we get older and kids out of school, we might transition to more beachfront style resort.

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
Yes. Preferably multi-week also depending on price, again all peak season since kids are in school.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Hawaii, Caribbean, Europe?, anything beachfront...

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?
Me, wife, and two boys

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
Lock into school schedule, spring break is little flexible as it varies by states..

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Yes

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
I think 3.5 star or above. We understand the human factor as well....

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
Hard to say but always looking for good deal. e.g. We bought and rescind a Breckenridge grand 8 one bedroom summer value for 62k, with a bunch of bonus and planning to trade into ski season...thinking we got an pretty good deal..

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
1000 per year? Is that a reasonable expectation.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
Yes

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?
Yes. And maybe renting is better for my case? I also read that even if original owner sell the timeshare they are still on the hook for maintenance fee if buyer won't pay it?


Thank! Looking to learn much more from this forum.
 

vacationtime1

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If you want to ski with your kids during school holidays, you need to bite the bullet and buy a fixed week 7 (they are expensive, but much less than $62K on the resale market). You should also be buying a two bedroom unit; otherwise, you will kill your sons (or vice versa) when they are teenagers.

I am not familiar with Colorado ski in / ski out timeshares so I will leave that for Others. Marriott has two good ones in Park City (Mountainside and Summit Watch), but if it were me and I wanted Utah, I would be looking at Snowbird (Iron Blossom and others; I have never stayed in a Snowbird timeshare although I have skied Alta/Snowbird >100 days).

In California, Squaw has the very well located Red Wolf Lodge (which probably rates a 3.5-4 / 5) and Northstar has a high end Welk/Hyatt property at its base, but Tahoe snow is not as predictably good as either Colorado or Utah. (Note: the Hyatt at Northstar is not the Hyatt at Incline Village which is very nice but which is a half hour drive to Northstar and 45 minutes to Squaw/Alpine).

edited to add: Do NOT buy Westgate in Park City. The property is excellent but Westgate is known here as Wastegate and is "difficult to work with" (I don't want to write anything slanderous, even if true).
 
Last edited:

rickandcindy23

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I love my ownership in Sheraton's Desert Oasis and Sheraton Broadway Plantation and can trade into ski weeks in Colorado pretty easily, but I enter requests very early, right at 2 years out, and I even get the 2 and 3 bedrooms, but Grand Timber, Grand Peak 7 and 8, those are usually only one bedrooms for trades (or the studios, which are fine for most families). They are not that tough to get, not the small units. Gold Point is pretty easy to get. I am talking Interval International, not RCI.

RCI has some less-desirable accommodations than the ones you almost bought. I wouldn't trade with RCI to Colorado ski. I just wouldn't.

If you just want one week per year of vacation, $1,000 is doable, but if you want more than one week, you need to go up in MF's a bit. A lockoff unit is about $1,250, don't know the exact amount, but that will get two exchanges of one bedrooms. II charges upgrade fees, so that would be additional, and of course membership and trade fees. I think Sheraton to Gold Point was $209 exchange fee + I paid $118 in upgrade fees from 1 bed to 3 bed, that was for February dates. Super cheap, in my opinion.

Sheratons trade into Maui and Kauai just fine. I advised some of the guys Rick worked with (Denver Fire Department) to buy what I am advising you to buy, and they are very happy with what they are getting for their hard-earned money. So I would give this advice to my best friends (and have).
 

MOXJO7282

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If you were going to buy one week and had the funds to spend I'd buy a Marriott Maui 3BDRM for around $50k. Split to use the 2BDRM side and rent the studio. The studio will cover 2/3 of you MFs and you'll have a 2BDRM Maui OF to use or rent that to then pay for rental anywhere you want.
 

CalGalTraveler

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@MOXJO7282 Great idea. Since the OP wants to ski in CO >50% of the time. I bet there is a similar play with a Colorado week 7 3 bdrm. Owning in CO would make more convenient to get the week and unit however, I don't know what resort would provide similar since I am not familiar with CO timeshares.
 

PamMo

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Hchc, you were definitely smart to cancel your purchase and do some research! Congrats! I’m glad you found TUG.

For the ski week owners out there, how easy is it to get school vacation ski weeks if you don’t own a fixed week? We’ve loved our vacations in Steamboat, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Park City the last couple of years, but they’ve been in the summer, fall, and early winter - not super prime ski weeks. Is it best to buy a fixed week?

Also, I’d agree with others who advised buying a bigger unit if you decide you want to own.
 

tschwa2

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Hchc, how much do you spend on a typical school holiday ski week currently for a week? Which week do you typically go? What size unit do you currently stay in for that week?
 

CPNY

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Hi Y'all!
Just found this forum and also led me to rescind my first timeshare purchase in Breckenridge, CO :) Almost cost me 62k for a one bedroom!
So looking at resale or just renting for now.

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
Family of 4 have been skiing whenever school is off (so pretty much all peak season...), all in Colorado, but would consider other popular ski in/out TS as well.
But I think as we get older and kids out of school, we might transition to more beachfront style resort.

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
Yes. Preferably multi-week also depending on price, again all peak season since kids are in school.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Hawaii, Caribbean, Europe?, anything beachfront...

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?
Me, wife, and two boys

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
Lock into school schedule, spring break is little flexible as it varies by states..

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Yes

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
I think 3.5 star or above. We understand the human factor as well....

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
Hard to say but always looking for good deal. e.g. We bought and rescind a Breckenridge grand 8 one bedroom summer value for 62k, with a bunch of bonus and planning to trade into ski season...thinking we got an pretty good deal..

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
1000 per year? Is that a reasonable expectation.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
Yes

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?
Yes. And maybe renting is better for my case? I also read that even if original owner sell the timeshare they are still on the hook for maintenance fee if buyer won't pay it?


Thank! Looking to learn much more from this forum.
@travelhacker may be able to help you out with owning in Colorado.
 

travelhacker

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I own in the Hyatt system and it works well for trading into some great properties in Colorado.

You really can't count on trading in during peak season.

Do you live in Colorado? If so, Hyatt is a perfect fit since you can be pretty flexible and go for a few nights here and there (even if you have to pull kids from school).

If not, you may be better off getting a fixed week. Hyatt has fixed weeks, it just may be tricky to find exactly what you are looking for in the resale market.

There may be some smaller independent timeshares that could be a good option (like St. James Place or Park Plaza at Beaver Creek) as well.

Feel free to follow-up with any questions.
 

Hchc

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Thanks for all the great pointers!! Still reading a lot and try to narrow down some choices....

Reading this https://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timeshare-system-comparison-chart.html

My thinking is to stick with Marriot, Hilton, or Hyatt mostly because of the "modest" resale value...that should provide many options close to ski base I think.
Since I'm restrict by school holiday peak season, I would like to make my base at ski resort rather than relying on trading unless there are some "elite" level properties at reasonably price that makes trading easy?

And just been googling for sale ads, these several caught my eyes since they can all be used thanksgiving (not that there is any good skiiing :) or spring break week with the hope of trading into xmas two weeks....


Not sure if I could post third party sites, if not my bad...
Or should I just stick to TUG for sale ads, or any other suggestion for reputable resale sites?

Thanks! Henry
 

BingoBangoBongo

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I'm in the process of closing on a EOY Even deed in Breckenridge for a 1BR Plus at Valdaro (HGVC) that has a Fixed week 11 (3/12-3/19 in 2022) or 6200 points AND a Floating Platinum week for Spring/Summer/Fall weeks that also has 6200 points associated with it. The MF's are a bit higher ($.18/pt) than the other two deeds I have, but the purchase price was only $3250. I have no idea what % of the ski week deeds are sold as Fixed, but looking at the calendar for Valdaro now there are some two night openings in Jan/Feb/Mar, but there is a three night minimum to book with Club Points. The first available three night booking in 2022 starts on 4/10. I will likely rent out the ski week and use the Summer points somewhere else.

I found this deal on the MLS site and went through Judi K's office. Here is a link with other Breck listings that they have:

 

rjwehr

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Landmark Holiday Beach-PCB,
Inverness @ New Braunfels
Congratulations on your decision to rescind and buy resale. Spring Break usually falls on week 10 where we are in Texas. We ski Colorado just about every year. If your family is anything like ours, a few of us are "lift open to close" skiers and others are "sleep in and do some skiing after lunch" skiers. In this case, it's very important you have a ski-in/ski-out location. As was recommended above, a fixed week may be your best bet. We have a floating week but we can book 15 months out. Every January, our school district usually publishes the next year's school calendar. As soon as it is available, we call and reserve our week. We've never had a problem getting Spring Break week. Our condo is at Granby Ranch. We really like it but it is definitely a smaller ski area.

Oh, one more thing... If you do decide to buy from SMTN make sure you put in a low offer. They tend to overprice their units. We bought one from them a while ago and paid about half of what they listed. Good luck with your search
 

halthesweep

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Hi Y'all!
Just found this forum and also led me to rescind my first timeshare purchase in Breckenridge, CO :) Almost cost me 62k for a one bedroom!
So looking at resale or just renting for now.

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
Family of 4 have been skiing whenever school is off (so pretty much all peak season...), all in Colorado, but would consider other popular ski in/out TS as well.
But I think as we get older and kids out of school, we might transition to more beachfront style resort.

2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
Yes. Preferably multi-week also depending on price, again all peak season since kids are in school.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
Hawaii, Caribbean, Europe?, anything beachfront...

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?
Me, wife, and two boys

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
Lock into school schedule, spring break is little flexible as it varies by states..

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
Yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
Yes

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
I think 3.5 star or above. We understand the human factor as well....

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
Hard to say but always looking for good deal. e.g. We bought and rescind a Breckenridge grand 8 one bedroom summer value for 62k, with a bunch of bonus and planning to trade into ski season...thinking we got an pretty good deal..

10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
1000 per year? Is that a reasonable expectation.

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
Yes

12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?
Yes. And maybe renting is better for my case? I also read that even if original owner sell the timeshare they are still on the hook for maintenance fee if buyer won't pay it?


Thank! Looking to learn much more from this forum.
Be aware of a thing called "special assessment". Check the contract. Read the stories from people who have been hit with thousands of dollars in money demanded with threats of legal action if not paid. We know...the Belair (Krystal Grand) in Nuevo Vallarta. We refuse to pay the $1800 demand and have been threatened with collections company.
 

RunCat

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If you like Steamboat, I have found Sheraton Steamboat fairly easy to get into. Just looked now and a 2bed is available for Feb 19 - 26. (Sat- Sat) . 148,000 SO. BTW, was booking with Sheraton Flex. FWIW, Sheraton Mtn Vista (not ski-in/out) and Steamboat are both home resorts in the flex program; which means you can book them at 12 months.
In Beaver Creek, only the Hyatt is really a ski-in/out. But anything in BC is just a short walk. I've stayed at both St James Place and Poste Montane and liked them both.
 

rickandcindy23

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I would stay away from Sell My Timeshare Now. I would look at TUG ads, Redweek ads, and Craig's List, too. Or contact a broker like sellingtimeshares.net They have a lot of great deals on Marriott weeks and other resort systems.

You might want to consider Hilton. I don't own HIlton because it's been too easy to trade into the Vegas and Big Island Hiltons. You need Hilton to get Valdoro in Breck. Others can chime in on HIlton.

There are so many great places to stay in the Colorado mountains. If you want Marriott, that is a great option, Westin, too. and of course the Grand properties are very nice.

I don't think you would find trading as difficult as you might think. Spring break across the country is varied enough that it's not as tough to get that exact week you need through trade.

I would consider Westin Kierland Villas, 148,000 Staroptions, mandatory, 2 bedroom platinum season. Reasonable MF's and a product that I feel is underpriced at about $15,000 resale. advantagevacation.com could watch out for that specific ownership for you. You can get Maui or Kauai with options, and you can stay at several different ski resorts with those points.
 

Pair-A-Dice

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My best advice is to be patient in your search and rent until you find the right week in the resort you want. You normally can get the best deals on TUG or eBay. There are several listings on TUG right now. I would also check Redweek and craigslist.
 

rickandcindy23

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Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge,Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau;Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms; WKORV-OF (2),Westin Desert Willow.
Be aware of a thing called "special assessment". Check the contract. Read the stories from people who have been hit with thousands of dollars in money demanded with threats of legal action if not paid. We know...the Belair (Krystal Grand) in Nuevo Vallarta. We refuse to pay the $1800 demand and have been threatened with collections company.
You have obviously been burned by a special assessment, but most of the big resort companies don't do those, they are pretty rare for the higher-end companies. Usually the bigger companies have a reserve to draw updates from, and when Sheraton Broadway Plantation did that, they raised the fees for a few years, did the update, and then the fees came back down.
 

pauljeffrey10

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Wyndham timeshare owner here.
We are in our 60's now, so we need 2 2 BR for us, my son, my daughter and her husband and 3 kids if we all go together.
A mix of Wyndham deeded and CWA works for us. We split our time between Park City, Steamboat, (Avon if just the 2 of us), Smuggler's Notch in VT for skiing. We enjoy Midtown 45 in NYC for a week before Christmas.
Then, for warm weather in winter or spring we go to Clearwater Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and St. Thomas (2 great resorts there). All those require booking at least 10 months in advance due to high demand, but everyone is well worth it as they are all great beautiful resorts.
You can pick up Wyndham CWA for pennies. However, if you want school holiday time you MUST be willing to reserve 12 months in advance, or buy a deeded week 7 as someone else suggested.
For $60K you could also get a nice 2 BR unit at Beaver Creek; Hyatt Mountain Lodge (but pay high maintenance fees there).
 
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