Timeshare jitters

On our last trip we stayed in PV at Villa del Palmar, we went to the new one they have Nuevo called Villa del Palmar/Flamingo. Of course we went to a time share talk, I was very leary, because last time we went to one of those my husband was very made at me, said he hated those time shares. Now let me tell you he sat, he listened, we looked, he got serious, he bought 6 weeks, he put us in debt forever, and I keep reminding him, we can only go for 2 or 3 weeks a year, but what sold him was that they told us we can bring our 2 small dogs, as long as we let them know well in advance. My husband wants to retire in maybe 4 to 5 years, I remind him of the fact that this contract is long acting as far the payments go. Questions, does anyone out there own a timeshare? Tell me what you think of it, should I keep worrying about it?

The only thing I question is the fact that you can bring your two small dogs with advance notice. I own at VDP in PV and have never seen any animals allowed (seems the rules would be the same for all the properties). The only animals you see on the property are an occasional cat who has found a comfortable home around the resturant or the dogs on the beach.

You should have gotten the information about UVC when you purchased and I would call them and ask them what the rules are about bringing pets.

I own 4 weeks a year with less than $1k in maintence fees. 18K on initial investment on a resort I fell in love with is not so bad. The Playa Del Sol Grand is where I bought and I have no regrets other than Alakska Air is stopping one ways from Seattle. I am a fairly young man with family and I enjoy kid friendly resorts with wife and son. I know doubt could have shopped around on the cost but I still have no regrets. I am not sure of the right T/S wording but this contract was not a term contract so I will be able to pass it on to family freinds or ???. As far as investment , we will see in 10 years or so . Just my thoughts.

being a real estate agent, timeshares were like a bad 4 letter word to me. I did buy one tho off ebay and have never regreted this decision. The secondary (resale) market is the only way to buy one imo. The cost is a fraction of buying new, the developer has to recover costs someway and the buyer is it. I had done a ton of research before buying mine and made a wise decision to buy at the Lindo Mar in PV. Main reason is because this time has no end date, it is an RCI Gold Crown resort, is run by Trading Places, high (red) season, and is very easy to rent which more than covers my maintenance. We have not stayed here, will for the first time this Oct. I am in the middle of escrow for another week at Lindo Mar, also from the resale market.

Chuck

Average cost for AI at the GCP for us from STL, including the airfare is barely $850usd/pp for 7 nights.

If I could get cheap holidays like you can, I might think twice about Time Share.

I checked with my local travel agents to-day, for a week at GCP, and my Timeshare, flying out of Vancouver with Signature Vacations, and World of Vacations.

$U.S. 1,486 per person per week. GCP

$U.S. 1,509 per person per week. MELIA.

Whether you plan to attend a timeshare presentation to receive all the \"free\" stuff or you have no specific plans, one should do the internet research before the trip... WOW! The tactics of the timeshare sales people sound very similiar to automobile sales people I have met over the years: deceit, deception, and lies! :evil:

there is huge money at stake for them and they are not regulated so buyer beware is the mantra to repeat and follow. Resale market always the best way to go if you are interested in T/S. You need to decide whether giving up 4 hours plus of your vacation to pick up some \"free\" stuff is worth the aggravation.

I think you need to think and do the math quickly. We have owned one T/S for 21 years now, with a very modest option for another 15 years, when first 25 years is finished. It is a 2 B/R with a Den and sleeps 8 if needed. 2 Bathrooms and a real Kitchen, Living room and Dining area. The second is 25 weeks of floating time and 10 weeks floating bonus. This one we have now for 8 years. It is a 3 B/R, 2 Baths, Living room, Dining area and even bigger Kitchen . I have calculated that as an average the 2 B/R has cost us $800 a week over the years. Including purchase and maint. fees. It is now owned by the same people that own GCP. Our other one (the three B/R) is at the Velas Vallarta and has to date averaged about $1100 a week, with everything.

We have never regretted the purchases. Of course we no longer go to any T/S presentations.

It is all a matter of what you want and how you handle the pressure.and stick to what you want to pay.

Thank you for the validation. I owe you one.

If you are serious about a timeshare, Google \"timeshare resales\", there are a lot of really good bargains out here on the net. If you want to be hassled, insulted, and just generally treated like crap, go to a time share presentation.

One thing that is being misstated about owning a TS is the fact that you are locked into that location. All timeshare owners have the option of belonging to some type of exchange company.

I own in PV, but I can and have on numerous occasions, exchanged to Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Lake Tahoe for skiing, so no one is locked into the location that they purchased at unless they choose to be. I have spent 2 weeks in Hawaii, 2 in PV and a week skiing in Tahoe for what alot of you have stated you pay for your PV trip. In addition, I own at the Villa del Palmar in PV but also at the Nuevo and Cabo resorts and all future resorts they build and can vacation there by requesting that location instead of PV that year.

One of my weeks I bought at a resale and then I went directly to the sales office as an owner (by passing the entire dog and pony presentation) and said \"Give me the best deal you can on an additional week.\" I told them exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it and they gave me a darn good deal and allowed me to link both of my weeks to a \"premier membership\". I did this by doing my homework first and knowing how to work the system.

All in all I have no complaints, it has worked well for me and allowed me to vacation up to 6 weeks a year at an affordable price.

Time share ownership is not for everyone and you need to do your homework and assess your specific situation before you purchase one.