If you are a golfer, or just someone who likes to vacation at luxury resorts, the concept presented in the following article may be of interest to you. Some of the best international resorts and golf courses are found at owner exclusive timeshare resorts…There has been an age old question since the invention of timeshare - "Should I own a weeks worth of vacation time, or continue to rent it?" For those of you who have sat through the dreaded "90 minute" presentation, you are all too familiar with the concept of timeshare vacation ownership...You put up thirty to fifty thousand dollars or more today, so that you can have the privilege to pay yearly maintenance fees in order to vacation at your favorite resort. For those of you that have $50,000 laying around, maybe buying timeshare isn’t such a bad idea, but for most of us, maybe there is a better way.
Most timeshare owner exclusive resorts have things that other traditional hotels or resorts do not have, condominium accommodations – living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens and large bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubs, etc. These are often large resort complexes with beautiful golf courses designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus. These resorts offer grand dining, water parks, entertainment, watch and entertain the kids for free, and would cost you over $400 per night to stay at if you could get a reservation.
But what if you could stay at one of these resorts without having to sit through a presentation, or better yet, plunking down a hefty bit of cash to buy into the timeshare? There is a growing trend for owners who bought into the timeshare, to rent out their unused weeks to you. “Owners” are now beginning to advertise their weeks on the web, and instead of asking $3,500 or more to rent out their week, they are often found offering these large luxury suites from $900 to $2,000 for a week’s stay - just above the cost of the maintenance fee. By renting from an owner, you could be staying as their personal guest and receive all of the benefits they receive as owners – discounted green fees, free use of carts, clubs, caddies, dinner shows, spa access, 24 hour room service, etc. These timeshare resorts are like large luxury cruises, without the motion sickness…a true vacation bargain.
Here's a good example of this approach. The Grand Mayan Palace Resorts in Mexico are known for their large luxury suites, golf courses that are challenging yet appropriate even for the first time golfer, tennis courts and some of the largest swimming pools in Latin America. To become a vacation owner at one of these resorts would cost you over fifty-thousand d0llars, but if you instead were to rent from an owner for $1,495 (for a week's stay), you could vacation there as if you were an owner for the next 34 plus years. Better yet, invest the $50,000 and use the interest to fund your vacations for the rest of your life.
Yep, I think I’ll keep my fifty grand and stay as a guest of an owner.
Bob Nelson is an avid golfer and traveler who has stumbled across this concept of renting vacation time from timeshare owners who are trying to recoup the ongoing maintenance fees that come with vacation ownership.
