Hi-

My mom swears by her Hawaii timeshare, which I've been to countless times since my youth and now I'm in my late twenties, married without children and am thinking of buying a timeshare. I loved the experience of visiting Hawaii and our timeshare when I was growing up, but my husband prefers Aruba. I know of these multi-location vacation ownerships, so this is a consideration provided the group we buy into has both Hawaii and Aruba locations. My mother has advised me to search the Internet for a deal and not to buy from a resort because of the savings offered on the secondary market, which is how I found this site and forum.

So, I'm here seeking advice on where to buy or which multi-location timeshare "ownership" would work best for our situation.

We want Hawaii access and Aruba combined with every year rights to use and we obviously want to spend a little as possible, but still want the luxury offered at a five star resort. Any advice or help would be appreciated.....Thanks!

Lindsey/(wasNot)

Hello wasNot,

I too am a lover of travel and our Marriott timeshares, so that's what I recommend you seek-out. They have four locations in Hawaii, two locations in Aruba and dozens more in the USA and elsewhere. Plus Marriott Vacation Club has extended benefits that can be utilized at their regular(if you dare call them regular) hotels.

Check-out the Marriott Vacation Club website, but as your mother suggested- Try to get what you want on the secondary market- There are deals on this site that I wish I knew about before buying through Marriott directly, but you know how it goes "hindsight is 20/20"

Best of luck...and feel welcome to reply or ask me for more info. I'm a Marriott-Guy, so I may not be able to help with other timeshares, but I'm very well informed with Marriott Vacation Club.

Buzz

We own 3 timeshares. Contact me and I can tell you the best one we own.

From what I've seen, Marriott vacation club seems to give the most trading power, flexibility and great on the resale market when your done with it.

I, too, am looking at buying a timeshare. I know nothing, so finding this site was like finding gold!
I would like to have some flexibility on dates but definitely want to go somewhere warm in December - February.
My husband and I have been married almost 30 years and we've rarely taken time off from work to take vacations. Well, now that the kids are gone, I want to travel and see the world!
Any assistance, guidance and recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Hello there, sweetwater.

Read my prior post. I recommend Marriott Vacation Club and you will discover great savings on the secondary market.

I'm sold on Marriott and you will pay a bit more for a Marriott Vacation Club timeshare, but for my travel expectations they definitely deliver. I'm sure there are other timeshares available that will serve your travel and vacation needs, so I advise looking around if Marriott doesn't fit your lifestyle.

Think real hard Wasnot, make sure you have the time (and money) to use it. I'm going to recommend renting first to make sure you like the resort, I found out first hand what an emotional purchase is.

Do Not Buy Into Worldmark Or Trendwest These People Are Theives And Do Not Deliver What They Promise Their Employees Are Very Very Very Good At Lying About What They Offer And Promise I Will Do Everything Within My Ability To Get This Word Out On These People.

I agree that the timeshare salespeople can be like used car salesmen and use high pressure and sometimes misleading sales tactics, but we bought a Worldmark timeshare in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and we love it! We have used a few other locations and perhaps being retired(empty-nesters) allows us to use the timeshare more often and regularly than folks who have families and work to deal with. We are treated very well by the staff at the resorts we been to(not salespeople, but still Worldmark employees) We are avid skiers and the timeshare in Colorado is perfect for us. I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. What exactly is you're frustration coming from? Ease of use or just the initial sales presentation?

Hello. I have been reading a number of posts in this forum and others on the web and it seems to me like there as many satisfied timeshare owners as there are those who are dissatisfied. I often heard jokes and stories that criticized timeshare ownership and it's got me seriously confused because my mom and dad seemed to use and enjoy the timeshare they have, so I was considering timeshare for my family's vacations, but remain a bit skeptical about making the plunge into buying. Why does timeshare have the bad rap with some folks and not so with others?