Timeshare Tales & Tips: Dave’s Top 10 Resort Trades
According to the U.S. Shared Vacation Ownership Owners Report, seven in eight timeshare owners are HAPPY timeshare owners. Does this surprise you with all the “news” and ads you see?
If you feel like you are only hearing negativity around owning a timeshare it’s not a feeling. In general, only 1 in 10 happy people leave a review, while unhappy customers are very likely to leave a negative review AND tell 10+ people. So whether it’s a timeshare, a store, or a restaurant you will hear more negatives than positives!
So as your Timeshare Fairy Godmother I’ll be devoting regular real estate here to the stories and advice from fellow Happy Timeshare Owners on how they are enjoying, and even hacking, their timeshare.
If you’d like some air time here to share tips, advice, your favorite timeshare tales, or other fun timeshare topics email me at [email protected] and we’ll do an interview! My inbox is always open for those of you who are having trouble, issues, or just don’t know how to get started with your timeshare. Send me a note – I promise I don’t bite!
But How Can Someone Timeshare to So Many Resorts?
Many thanks to Dave for permitting the re-publishing of the below list on my site. He very generously answered a call on one of my favorite Timesharing Communities RCI Members for Members. One of the 15,000 members of this Facebook group asked him for the Best Resorts he was able to trade into over the many years of owning his timeshare.
If you’ve never heard of timeshare exchanges before, one of the most exciting things about owning a timeshare is that you can trade for other timeshare vacations at 4,000+ affiliated resorts across 100+ countries via timeshare exchange companies. It’s like picking up your vacation home or ski condo and magically moving it around the world for every vacation! Want to start doing this? Check out the guides here on my site!
Without further ado, It’s time to hear from Dave – – – all in his own words, with no edits made. Enjoy!
Dave’s Timeshare Tale & Tips
It was really a pleasure to sit down and go through our memories.We sat down and went over 38 years of memories. We have been married for a long time and I still think my wife hung the moon! It was fun sitting and saying our favorites.
We bought in our early 20s and are now in our 60s. We were so young we could not go to a sales presentation. I knew which resort I wanted to buy into. We showed up and were told we were too young. I asked the price. They answered, and I offered cash. They said yes! We bought more later, one was on Ebay.
We have really enjoyed RCI. My wife is the queen of finding great trades! The main secret is to spend a little time on the RCI website every day. Units will pop up and you can grab them. We always wanted to stay at a Disney resort but they hardly ever come open. One came open and she grabbed it. When I got home she said Guess where we are going…. again? I was very excited!
Dave’s Amazing Timeshare Resorts List
This is my AMAZING LIST! You will find that I use the word AMAZING to describe many of the resorts on this list. It was hard to narrow it down this far. I was asked by a member of this group what our top four trades have been (we have been to about 80 resorts). I could not say four, so we (me and my wife) narrowed it down to 10. They are in ALPHABETICAL ORDER because it would be too hard to rate them 1-10.
I’m not saying these are the 10 best timeshare resorts. These are the 10 best we have experienced. We are going to a Disney Vacation Club in February. From what I have heard I’m sure it will be near this list if it is not on it!
Big Cedar Resort – Ridgedale, Missouri (Owned and operated by Bass Pro Shops)
This is located about 10 miles outside of Branson. We have been there three times. The cabins are amazing, but hard to get. We had one once. The cabin is the finest overall lodging we have ever seen with incredible luxury in a rustic setting. The deck, complete with your own grill and complete deck furniture for a private family like you would have at your home. The bathrooms (both of them) were AMAZING. This as nice as anyone’s home. They bring you cookies at night fresh baked that day, and in the winter they bring firewood.
We actually scored the cabin the week between Christmas and New Year. The cabin had a Christmas tree and was totally decorated for Christmas. Fireworks over the lake in New Years. It was amazing!!! One of my favorite family times we have ever had!
In the Big Cedar condos you get the same feeling as the cabins but in a condo setting. No deck, but the condo is appointed just like a fishing cabin. The views from the lodge are beautiful over Table Rock Lake. The restaurants on site are really great, and the food in town is wonderful. And you can drive to Branson for the shows. It is a winner every way you look at it.
Club Intrawest – Whistler, Canada
Fabulous location, especially if you ski. This condo was Amazing and it had a lock off that was extremely nice, but small for a week. My daughter and her best friend stayed in the lock off. The master bath was over the top.
Club Wyndham Shearwater – Princeville Kauai
This condo had one of the best views we have ever experienced, over the golf course to the right and over the Shearwater Cliffs to the left. It was right by the Princeville Hotel which is on Pu’u Poa Beach on Hanalei Bay. It is in one of the nicest residential areas of all of Kauai.
Divi Little Bay Beach Resort – Sint Maarten
This was a “get away” where we didn’t expect much. The resort was fabulous. They had an all-inclusive plan that was great. We paid about $100 each per day and got all the food and drink (including adult beverages) we wanted all week long. They had 5-6 restaurants to choose from, and many bars around the property. The rooms were small for RCI rooms but you were on a great beach so who wants to be in the room?
Grand Summit at the Canyons – Park City, Utah
We were the only people in the resort the week we were there so we had an unusual experience. It was super quiet. The resort people were painting everywhere except on our hall because they did not want to disturb us. It was what they called “mud season” between snow and hiking. The condo was REALLY NICE. We drove into Salt Lake City and to Antelope Island wildlife reserve. I’m sure it is even better when the crowds are there. We enjoyed the peace and quiet. We used that week to plan our 26-day European Adventure to 6 countries so not being home, and having my brother and his wife with us gave us the perfect chance to plan another trip.
Hilton Grand Vacations Club on the Vegas Strip
This was the most luxurious condo we have ever had. True Vegas style. No restaurants, no casinos. It was very much like a millionaire would live in right on the strip in Las Vegas. It felt very residential.
Hilton Grand Vacation Club Tuscany Village – Orlando
This was a newer Condo when we went. The deluxe décor was over the top fabulous. I would say this is the nicest condo we have had in Orlando, but not the best location. If I could, I would stay here again.
King’s Land by Hilton Grand Vacations Club – Big Island, Hawaii
Location, Activities, by far the nicest condo we have ever stayed in. You are on the big Island of Hawaii so everything around you is amazing!
Marriott Sabal Palms (Marriott World Center) Orlando
This condo was exceptional. This stay was probably 30-years ago but I have zero doubt that Marriott has kept it up. I have been back to the Marriott resort but not the Sabal Palms section and it is still exceptional.
Manhattan Club – New York City:
Under normal circumstances, you are in NYC and LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. You are staying in a condo instead of a hotel. Yes, it is small, but it is still twice or three times the size of a hotel room. You get two baths and a small kitchen. You are about 6 blocks from Time Square going down Broadway.
Rams’ Horn Village – Estes Park Colorado:
We went the week between Christmas and New Years. It was Elking Season and it was spectacular. You are less than a mile from the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park. There is no skiing in Estes Park but I have a bad heart so that did not matter to us. The Cabin was EXCEPTIONAL!!!!
Want to learn how you can exchange into these premium timeshare resorts? Did you know there’s a waitlist with each resort so that you’re first in line when they become available to trade? Get all the tips here!
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