I want to post my feelings about our time share experiences.
In 2001 I went on a golf trip with some buddies to Palm Springs. We stayed at Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert. Our accomodations were very tight with 3 to 4 guys sharing a room. (I later learned that this was a "lock off"). In spite of the crowded accomodations, one of the guy's very serious apnea and the related incredible nocturnal snorting, snoring and gasping, it was obvious that we were staying in a very deluxe resort, many different swimming pools, 2 first rate golf courses, more later.
Two months later we were invited to spend a week with our friends the Goodrows at their time-share in Kauai. This began our love affair with that beautiful island. Our accomodations were at the
Lawai Beach Resort, another spectacular location. Our suite had 2 bedrooms, a fabulous lanai that faces the ocean, a completely equipped kitched, you get the picture.
These 2 trips had been our first vacation in several years as we had been building our business for the past 6 years and it was a little overwhelming. Anyway, we contacted a friend and he arranged for us to use a "getaway week" through Interval International in the fall of that year and I took Gerry to Palm Desert for her to experience the desert. The Princes joined us and we fell in love with the desert.
Like most people we had heard horror stories about time shares, the pushy sales people, the switch and bait tactics, lousy accomodation, etc. We had steered clear of all of those offers to, "have a free vacation and all we had to do was listen to a brief, no pressure presentation". After speaking with our friends, we felt that we were ready to get a little more information.
That year in Palm Springs, we accepted the offer of the Marriott to tour one of their properties and to receive a "free gift" for doing so. Our intention was to get educated and not to buy. When we met with the sales people at
Marriotts Shadow Ridge Resort, we told them that regardless of their actions we were not going to buy at that time. We were there to get an education and after some attempts to prove our resolve, they respected our wishes and we had an hour and a half discussion, toured the property and got a $100 gift certificate to be used in a Marriott property.
I began to study time shares and the options. After realizing that most people don't use their time shares very well and very few people understood all the options that they had with a time share, we decided that we would look into buying one.
Now, if you are buying a time share, you need to understand that if you buy from a developer, i.e, the Marriott corporation, you will pay the retail price for the property. In Marriott's case, you receive the option to
trade your yearly week for Marriott points as well as the additional options that the trading company offer. You get enough points to have a fabulous vacation, using 2 years worth of points, you can probably travel to Europe and stay in first rate accomodation. We found, however, that the retail price of Shadow Ridge was $25,000 and that the resale value was as much as $8 - $10,000 less.
We decided to buy our first time share and did so by watching prices carefully on the internet. I spoke with several time share resale companies, indicated our choices and limitations and in April 2002 we purchased a "one week" timeshare in the
Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Desert.
We were guided by the following:
- When you buy a time share in the U.S., you are given a land title to the property you purchase. In Mexico or Canada most time shares are on a lease basis and expire after a number of years. By getting a deed, we have the property forever, can leave to our estate and own a portion of the real property.
- We decided that the option of getting Marriott points was not worth $10,000, which was what we saved by not buying direct from the developer. We have found that we are treated extremely well and the purchase of a "resale" property has not been a detriment in any way.
- We decided that we should purchase at a location that we really enjoyed in the event that the opportunity to trade was diminished.
- Finally we decided that we would buy a Marriott because of the chain of Marriott resorts throughout the world and the trading power of these beautiful resort.
It has been our experience that we have been able to trade and/or use our week in Palm Desert to have as many weeks vacation as we can use each year. When you buy a time share, you generally purchase a membership in an exchange company. The 2 most recognized companies are RCI and Interval International. In year one we joined both exchange companies in order to understand them better. We found that II was an easier company to exchange with and have maintained our membership with them.
We are able to purchase getaway weeks through II, get bonus weeks when we "bank" our week with II, assuming that we have booked our week at a time when there is a bonus week available. Anyway, we use the one week for as much vacation as we can currently take.
Last year, we purchased a 2nd week in Lawai Beach. We did so in order to assure that we can go to Kauai when we want and were able to do so at a bargain price.
If you have read our blog for the past few weeks you will know that we have had a fabulous vacation. There are annual fees to owning a time share; property taxes and annual maintenance fees but you would never be able to get a 1200 square foot, absolutely spectacular apartment, right on the ocean for $1000 a week. We did and we do.
Thought you might appreciate our perspective.
Until later....
