Maximise Your Time-Share
Do you still own time-share or club point time-share?
First
of all, from my own experience, flexible points time-share is
definitely more user-friendly than a fixed week in a specific resort.
Unless of course you don't like variety and you want to go back every
year at the same time, then that will work for you. Another thing
to consider, is that not all clubs are created equal. I have lots of
points in The Holiday Club, South Africa, and what I love about them is
that you don't pay any reservation fees, only a yearly levy and the rest
is free. This is true even when they book you in through RCI or any of
their other affiliates. That is also a major advantage above traditional
time-share.
Availability can be a problem, and I
believe, is the single most complained about issue in the industry,
especially for last-minute bookings and also at special event times.
So,
a serious request to all of you who own traditional weeks in these
resorts - Please space-bank them to make it available to other guests!
Even if you don't want to use the points you get in return, it's such a
waste for those units standing empty when there are many people trying
to get in..
I can of course only advise on Holiday Club and RCI,
as that is what I know best, but the general idea should work equally
well on all clubs
This is my advice on availability -
plan your year in advance and book ahead for special trips. If you can't
find what you are looking for, place your name on the waiting list, I
have been able to get in that way almost always, provided you have
enough time.
I have noticed with our points, that school holidays
are very often not sold out and last-minute deals can be had for very
few points, even over Easter and Christmas. My personal feeling is that
the normal points needed for those times are so high, that the members
don't use it, and then they have to find guests at the last minute to
fill up the gaps.
Mid-weeks use much less points than weekends,
and are normally more available. Within two weeks of the time, whatever
is available, will get discounted up to 50% and sometimes even less. A
great idea for last-minute getaway, but there are no guarantees.
A
senior couple friends of mine, own only a very limited amount of
points, but they utilise it in such a way that they stretch maximum out
of it. For instance, they would book a mid-week out of season, in one of
Mpumalanga's resorts, stay in Pretoriuskop Rest camp (National Parks
Board) for the weekend, and take up another mid-week after that in
another resort. In that way they have almost 2 weeks' worth of vacation
with points that might not pay for a full week elsewhere.
Really,
as you can see from above, I believe that holiday points are excellent
for spur of the moment getaways when you can be flexible and go out of
season.
Then, of course, there is the issue of paying levies,
like any normal time-share or owning a property outright, some money
needs to be available for maintenance and upgrading. I have to just note
here that most of these resorts are kept in perfect condition. A
great idea for making up some of your levy payments, is to rent out a
week or weekend, as we do with events like Comrades in KZN and the Argus
race in Cape Town.
I am sitting on the balcony of our lovely unit
in La Montagne, Ballito on the 7th floor, watching the great view from
up here, writing this article (lovely office views this week). Sunday is
Comrades 2015, and my husband is running as well, which is why we are
here at this time. We have also booked 3 units in Umdloti, which we have
sold to fellow runners.
I asked at the reception about normal
rentals in this complex (La Montagne) and almost fainted at the answer.
The price for two people per night is R1 700 out of season and R2 800 in
season. We have used 11 points for an 8 night stay, equalling about R1
400 of our yearly levies for the points - less than 10%. So, duh! More
than 90% savings this week alone, definitely cheaper, even with paying levies!
My
top 3 favourite resorts (all RCI resorts) are Ngwenya Lodge, on the
South border of Kruger Park, Kiara Lodge, next to Golden Gate Highlands
Park, Crystal Springs, High up in the mountains close to Pilgrim's Rest,
Mpumalanga. If and when you do own some points, be sure to check them
out! These are excellent show case areas of what our beautiful country
has to offer.
There are, of course, many seaside resorts as well if the beach is what you are looking for.
So
far this year, we have also been to Table View Cabanas and Royal
Atlantic in Sea Point, Cape Town for the Argus cycle race. This, I hope,
does prove that you can find accommodation even in full-packed weeks
due to sporting events, if you do it right.
For overseas travel,
I still prefer to go for Home Exchange, as explained in my blog, for
the reasons listed, as well as the fact that it is also cheaper than the
International booking fee, because it's free! We are using our points
frequently, especially since my husband is an active marathon runner and
cyclist. This works well for all of his out-of-town adventures and
other break-aways. I will definitely recommend it as another way to
travel at discount!
Please refer to my blog for more money-saving tips while travelling. http://www.maturetravellerdiscount.com
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