Update: Ranking the Top Seventeen Timeshares I’ve stayed at

A little over a year ago, I wrote a blog post titled ” Ranking The Sixteen Timeshares I’ve Stayed At“.  Over the past year I had the opportunity to revisit two timeshares I stayed at before ( Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas and Harborside at Atlantis) and try one new timeshare (Grand Luxxe-Nuevo Vallarta).  I’ve updated the rankings below and added some commentary surrounding the changes.

1. Marriott Aruba Surf Club
2. Marriott Newport Coast Villas
3. Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
4. Casa Dorada at Medano Beach
5. Grande Luxxe-Nuevo Vallarta– This resort has first class accommodations and great service. Grande Luxxe is part of a group of three resorts including the Mayan Palace and the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta.  Occupants of the Grand Luxxe can utilize the other resorts facilities. The Grand Luxxe has several great pools, while the Grand Mayan has a nice lazy river. The reason why the Grand Luxxe wasn’t rated higher is that it is located far away from most things and I felt stuck at the resort. In addition, the food sold in the restaurants is very expensive for the most part. The round trip cab fare to Puerto Vallarta was about $40. There is a Walmart nearby for food and sundries.  I would like to try the Grand Luxxe-Rivera Maya at some point in the future.
6. The Royal Sands
7. Harborside at Atlantis-I moved this ranking up one notch since the pool water was a very comfortable temperature this visit.
8. Marriott Frenchman’s Cove
9. Marriott Shadow Ridge
10. Marriott Beach Place
11. Villa Del Palmar
12. The Royal Carribean
13. Marriott Legends Edge
14. Marriott Cypress Harbor
15. The Royal Mayan
16. Marriott Sabal Palms
17. Marriott Manor Club–

Ranking The Sixteen Timeshares I’ve Stayed At

A former boss once told me people like rankings. In that vein, I’ve decided to rank the sixteen timeshares I’ve stayed at for at least a week.  In all honesty, I have not had a bad experience at any of the resorts on the list. But certainly some are better than others and someone needs to be the best and worst on a ranking.  I have a preference for beach resorts as you can probably tell from the ranking.  So here goes:

1. Marriott Aruba Surf Club– I love Aruba. The weather is almost always perfect. This resort has a lazy river and is directly on the beach. You can walk to shopping and restaurants. The local bus can bring you downtown. The newly added adult pool is a nice upgrade.
2. Marriott Newport Coast Villas-This resort overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The pools, especially the one in the newly built section, are great. There are tons of things to do in Southern California: Disney, Hollywood, Angels baseball, Southern California beaches.
3. Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas– I really loved Kauai. The resort is nicely set on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The units were very nicely done.  Princeville is about an hours drive from the airport, but there are some stores in the area.
4. Casa Dorada at Medano Beach-Medano Beach is probably the best location in Cabo.  The units were very large and well-appointed. I believe all of the units have ocean views. Drinks poolside are only $6 and 2 for $6 during happy hour.  The restaurants on the premises are very good.
5. The Royal Sands-My favorite spot in Cancun. Reminds me a bit of Marriott Aruba Surf Club in that it is a high-rise resort.  Unfortunately, they’ve instituted a mandatory all-inclusive mean plan ($100 per person per day) for exchangers. Next time in Cancun we will try the Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort.
6. Marriott Frenchman’s Cove-I’m not really crazy about Saint Thomas, USVI but enjoy the resort quite a bit. It’s a small but hilly resort. The pool area is really nice. You can use the facilities of the Frenchman’s Reef Resort, which is next door.  The units are standard Marriott, which is excellent.
7. Harborside at Atlantis-If you love Atlantis, this is the place you need to be.  The unit comes with 7 days admission to Atlantis for all the members of your party up to the maximum occupants allowed. Having a kitchen to cook on Paradise Island is huge because restaurants are a fortune. A$30 pizza anyone?  The pool area was nice to lay around but the water was on the cold side when we were there. Having a Starwood timeshare to trade into this resort is a huge help in securing a room here.
8. Marriott Shadow Ridge-Palm Desert is nice. Loved the adult pool area. There is plenty of room to walk around particularly when the golf course is closed. Great trails on the course.
9. Marriott Beach Place-Fort Lauderdale.  Not a place for those looking for an expansive resort. I like the ability to walk across the street and walk along the beach. Stores and restaurants are within walking distance. The pool area is tiny and fills up quickly. The room views are great for either room view type.
10. Villa Del Palmar-Another Cabo resort. The unit was ok. but the pool are was very enjoyable. Cheap happy hour drinks. too. Villa Del Arco is owned by the same owners and appeared to be much more upscale.
11. The Royal Carribean-Not a bad option in Cancun. Rooms are a little more dated than The Royal Sands, but still clean and roomy. Enjoyable pool area. As far as I know, they haven’t rolled out the mandatory all-inclusive here.
12. Marriott Legends Edge– On the bay in Panama City Beach, FL. Not real easy to get to by air. Would be much better ranked if this was a beach front resort. Pool area was ok. The highlight for me was a trip to the public beach nearby.
13. Marriott Cypress Harbor-A good option in Orlando. Nice pool areas and play areas for the kids. Rooms were typical Marriott with screened-in porches.
14. The Royal Mayan-My least favorite in Cancun, but still not a bad resort.  This property is up for sale as Royal Resorts slowly leaves Cancun.
15. Marriott Sabal Palms-Another Marriott in Orlando. The best feature of this resort is the use of the Marriott World Center facilities, which includes a great pool for the kids.
16. Marriott Manor Club-My least favorite, but I know others love this resort. We had some issues with the room here and when we went a number of summers ago the pool was way to hot to be enjoyable. Williamsburg has a great water park, however.

Royal Resorts Under Fire

Royal Resorts has come under fire on the Timeshare Users Group message board by both Royal Resorts owners and vacationers that exchange into their resorts.

The issue for exchangers is the mandatory all-inclusive (AI) dining plan that all exchangers must purchase when they exchange into the Royal Sands or Royal Haciendas. The AI runs $100 per person per night and for two people will run $1400 per week. This, unfortunately, will kill any exchanging I would do into both of these resorts.  I imagine others will come to the same conclusion.

Some owners are upset around the shroud of secrecy surrounding the sale of the Royal Mayan. At recent owners gatherings, Royal Resorts cited confidentiality agreements to withhold information from owners on who is marketing the resort, and how the Royal Mayan will be marketed. This, of course, makes owners nervous that some sort of deal will be reached that is not arms length and not in the best interest of the owners.  

It will be interesting to watch these two issues play out over time.