Worst timeshare resort you've stayed in?

[Sallylee]

Kohls Ranch

I agree the reviews are more important than a bad list, case in point would be Kohls Ranch. We go several times a year on TS trips, usually to high rated places and Kohls (unrated) is the only place my husband says he can truly relax. Not much to do there except hike the mountains, ride horses, sit on the deck and read and doze. It is important which unit you get though. We prefer the 2bd Tonto cabins (older rustic ones) with huge deck and hot tub, the newer 2bd are manufactured units with a small deck for 2 chairs, both over look Tonto Creek. The 1bds are small cabins without a deck but some have a gazebo. The hotel and studio units are part of the lodge and more like a motel, some have small decks off the unit and some don't. We like the older cabins and they are just that log cabins, no dishwasher but a little kitchen that worked just fine for this year with 3 grandkids in tow. They had a blast in that creek and spent hours in the pool. The reviews would be the only way to know the details of the place. I would only go with a reservation for a 2bd unit.

 

[judyjht]

Fontana Village, NC

Without a doubt - we were there from Sat - Sat and changed out flight and came hime Tuesday - that was the one and only time I have done that in 25 years of TS. They are in big $$$ trouble. Place is falling apart!

 

[judyjht]

Fontana Village, NC

Without a doubt - they must be out of $$$. What a dump.

 

[John Cummings]

Berkshire By the Sea in Delray Beach Florida

Berkshire By the Sea in Delray Beach Florida was absolutely the worst.

This place was so bad that we ended up staying only 3 nights out of our week. To begin with the unit itself is tiny. The BR is smaller than a decent walk-in closet. It is so small that they can't fit in a king size bed. The bathroom is the size of what you find on an airplane. There were absolutely no amenities. There was only one telephone and one TV. No maid service at all except to change the towels once during the week. The only maid service is when you leave. The front desk is only open until 5:00 P.M. and offers nothing. There are zero activities and the only time any one is interested in talking to you is if want to buy a timeshare ( reseller ). All in all this place is a nightmare.

We exchanged through II. We complained to II and they agreed with us and gave our week back to us.

 

[Diane]

Obviously having too much time on my hands, I took Nell's list and tried to briefly summarize the problem(s) at each "worst" timeshare. This is useful for my purposes and might also be to others. If anyone feels I have mischaracterzied their comments, I apologize and will be happy to change any wording if you let me know. Diane

"Worst" Timeshare per various TUGGERS as of 8/05
Intended to supplement TUG Reviews


[THE LIST WAS UPDATED AND MOVED TO POST #152 ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2005]

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

Thanks, I just printed out the annotated list.
Liz

 

[ronandjoan]

Fr Licks Springs

Very surprised to find Fr Lick Springs on the worst list - then see that there were no complaints about the resort itself, but that the exchangers were bored!

We disagree since we found lots to do - but then we like swimming in a big indoor pool in November! and hiking! and we took the tours offered which were excellent. (We usually don;t do the tours.)

A casino is goingin - although we do not have interest in that, perhaps those that want a lots of activity will!

We did not see anything wrong wit hthe units themselves and even firelogs were provided for the fireplaces. Huge two floor units with jacuzzi and saunas. Be sure to get a 2-BD,

 

[ronandjoan]

Silver Beach Club and Sunbay Resort

Silver Beach Club in Daytona Beach - smoky smell which they could not get out, even though housekeeping came up to try. We left patio doors open 24/7 The place was dirty, rooms were newly painted - GRAY - very dull color - why pick that?, converted motel. Grounds were VERY dirty.

Just returned from Sunbay Resort in Hot Aprings ARK - quite dirty, did not look at all like the pictures, decorating scheme was brown: walls, drapes, furniture, rug. Would have been bearable even without the lake view (as was shown in RCI pics) but it was too dirty. Don;t get units H,I,J, far away from lodge and therefore fewer amenities, too.

 

[Diane]

Joan--your comment about French Lick is one of the reasons I annotated the list, i.e., so we could decide whether someone else's experience was enough to keep us away. I have added your comments there and as to Silver Beach Club and Sunbay Resort.

Thanks much,

Diane

 

[stellamylove]

Worst Timeshare - My poor Aunt & Uncle!

I booked a week in late June of this past year for my Aunt & Uncle at the Cambril's Park resort in Tarragona Spain. They didn't even stay there for one night!
I felt horrible!!!
Apparently, the 1 bedroom unit was filthy, paint was peeling off of the walls, no-airconditioning and temperatures above 95 degrees! It wasn't good.

Anyway, that was their first stay at a timeshare. Needless to say, they think that all timeshares are horrible now - and that I am crazy for loving the timeshare travel way of life!

-Stella

 

[normab]

Orange tree in Scottsdale

We were very disappointed in the Orange tree in Scottsdale AZ. The unit STANK (moldy?)and we could not get a different unit. The whole week we were using spray. Also, the 1 bedroom was really not a one bedroom in our opinion.

We have stayed at plenty of older resorts and we can ignore old furnishings, as long as the place is clean. Smells that linger and dirty units are the only things we really would consider a major problem, and this one stank enough to go on our list.

 

[copperpenny22]

We also were disappointed in the "1 bdrm unit" at Orange Tree, Scottsdale. The "bedroom" had no windows and was separated by louvered doors from the living area. The partial kitchen consisted of a wet bar sink, a microwave, and a half refrigerator. There was a sofa bed to accommodate a total of 4, but there was no eating table and chairs for four people. There was a small table, big enough for a computer, so we had to use the coffee table to eat on.

However, the spraulling complex grounds were very nice, the activities were interesting, it has a nice restaurant, the pool and hot tub were nice, and they have a complimentary golf cart taxi service to take you around the complex.

We suspect that the section we were housed in was used mainly for complimentary sales guests, bonus time, and last-minute getaways. Perhaps the resort owner's accommodations were a little better.

 

[Tony2]

I agree the reviews are more important than a bad list, case in point would be Kohls Ranch. We go several times a year on TS trips, usually to high rated places and Kohls (unrated) is the only place my husband says he can truly relax. Not much to do there except hike the mountains, ride horses, sit on the deck and read and doze. It is important which unit you get though. We prefer the 2bd Tonto cabins (older rustic ones) with huge deck and hot tub, the newer 2bd are manufactured units with a small deck for 2 chairs, both over look Tonto Creek. The 1bds are small cabins without a deck but some have a gazebo. The hotel and studio units are part of the lodge and more like a motel, some have small decks off the unit and some don't. We like the older cabins and they are just that log cabins, no dishwasher but a little kitchen that worked just fine for this year with 3 grandkids in tow. They had a blast in that creek and spent hours in the pool. The reviews would be the only way to know the details of the place. I would only go with a reservation for a 2bd unit.

We were in a 2 br tonto creek unit. The hot tub was a nice touch except we had to have the repairman out 4 times to fix it and then we finally gave up on it. The furniture and carpet was very warn and the unit not as clean as we would have liked. The creek was brown from the rain that fell prior to our arrival and remained so for the duration of our stay. Like I said earlier, the experience wasn't all that bad, we just happened to have great luck with the 60 or so other timeshares we've vacationed in....so Kohl's would have to be considered our worse timeshare experience.

I'm sure we just got stuck with a bad unit. If the hot tub worked properly and the unit a little cleaner with new furniture I feel we would have really enjoyed our stay.

 

[Patriot]

Orange Tree

For a five star reosrt in II it has a lot to be desired. IMO I also believe it should not be considered a one bedroom unit. Too small, too old. Also, do not plan to go out after 8 p.m. because it is going to be one heck of a time to find a parking space. You will be walking for an eternity to get back to your room! Trust me on this one - been there done that!

 

[wauhob3]

I'm surprised that there Fairfiel Alexandria is on it too. I was very happy RCI just told me it came up a one when I changed my spring break New Orleans search to there.

 

[sfwilshire]

I'm surprised that there Fairfiel Alexandria is on it too. I was very happy RCI just told me it came up a one when I changed my spring break New Orleans search to there.

I wouldn't worry too much about that one. The unit we stayed in last March was lovely. The staff was great.

My only complaint was not having the washer/dryer in the unit. There were sometimes waits for them, particularly in the evening.

You can't beat the location for visiting DC! I would go back again in a heartbeat. I've never been able to exchange in, so had to rent from a friendly TUGger.

Sheila

 

[Diane]

Shiela -- did you find anything smoky when you were at Fairfield Alexandria--either the unit itself or the common areas? We are interested in going there too and that seems to be the only reason why it was on the bottom of someone's exchange experiences. Perhaps it was a single unit problem.

Thanks,

Diane

 

[sfwilshire]

Diane,

I am very sensitive to odors and smoke and I didn't notice any in the rooms or in the public areas. There was an area right at the front door with ashtrays, so I scurried through that the couple of times we went out the front. Usually we found it more convenient to go through the garage anyway.

Sheila

 

[sweetpea]

The worst would have been Vistana. After looking at a dumpy room that did not have a full kitchen as promised, we went back to the front desk. Fortunately we had a copy of our II confirmation. After reviewing the confirmation the manager agreed that we were not getting the room we purchased as a Getaway, but said there was still nothing she could do because they were full. My husband asked me what are you going to do and I said complain to II. She overheard us and said, "Hold on, maybe there is one room available." Had no idea a potential complaint to II would get such attention. We were given a wonderful room in the Cascades.

 

[Bourne]

Xanadu Beach Resort - Bahamas...

In our early days of timesharing(2002), we used are HGVC points for a 3 night stay at the Xanadu(only available resort).

That is by far the worst timeshare in the world. We were rolling our eyes at check in and got upgraded to the Presidential(Governer) suite. HGVC offered a refund of our points for the vacation and we gladly accepted it.

 

[nanomug]

The Aquamarine Villas in Oceanside wins hands down. It had everything going for it except our unit that was in bad repair and nasty staff. We had a one bedroom unit that the sheets for the bed and couch bed were mended in many places. Our garbage disposal didn't work from day one and they showed up a week later to fix it. Our toilet didn't flush right and by the time it stopped working altogether the maintenance guy had the day off. They finally agreed to call a plumber after they told me to fix it. We left at noon and came back at 8:30 and the toilet hadn't been fixed. I was told that it was my fault because I didn't wait for the plumber to come and that if I paid overtime for the staff they would have waited for the plumber. The plumber came at 10 p.m. and the maintenance guy came at 10:30 and my kids were exhausted and wanted to use the bathroom. We were told we expected too much.

 

[skimble]

Chateau Canmore, Canmore BC. Paint peeling on the exterior and interior. Carpet-- old with uneven padding. Creeky flooring... no midweek cleaning or trashing.... it's about 3 miles from the main resort Banff Mountain Gate where resort amenities could be used (spa, pool, workout room, etc.)
However, this is all offset by the phenomenal location.

 

[gaile]

I just want to add one more. Atalaya Towers in Myrtle Beach, SC. I was there off season and there was virtually little to no staff on some of the days. It rained heavily one day and rain was virtually coming in the unit around the (closed) windows. When I reported it the next day I was told that it happens all the time. The master bedroom had a closet that smelled of rot and the floor of the closet felt unsteady. The mattress was hard and uncomfortable and the sheets did not fit the bed. The bathroom was filthy, the outer door did not shut well, and there was so much lint in the dryer that I'm surprised it did not start a fire.
I'm surprised I havent seen it on this list already.

 

[caribbeansun]

Bayan

I'd have to say the Bayan Resort in Key West - the noise was intolerable and resulted in neither my DW or I getting more than an hour or two sleep EVERY night of our 7 night stay. We were both so exhausted that on the drive back to get a plane in Ft. Lauderdale we stopped at the Marriott on Key Largo to try to get an hour of sleep before continuing on. Couldn't have asked for a better location but it was a horrible experience.

 

[DianeH]

LOL! That was funny!