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RCI Timeshare Otra Vez, Santa Fe, New Mexico Part 2

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

The RCI timeshare Otra Vez is a great place to exchange to when visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I dropped by and saw an actual working unit, not a model.  On a scale of 3-5 I’d give the timeshare units a solid 3.  They are very comfortable and well taken care of and are furnished in typical Santa Fe style.

The kitchens are well supplied and have wood burning fireplaces. There is Internet available free in each room as well.

The 2 greatest things about the Otra Vez are its location and the parking.  It’s located on a quiet street just 2 blocks from the historic Plaza with all of its shops, restaurants and art galleries.  Once you arrive at the Otra Vez you can park your car in their lot and easily explore most of the town on foot.  Parking in Santa Fe can be a nightmare so being able to park at the timeshare is a big plus.

This RCI timeshare is highly demanded and only has 18 units so put in your request early-especially for the summer months.  I’ll be staying there on exchange for the Fourth of July 2009 and will have more to report.  I started a search in June of 2008 and was confirmed in August 2008.

In the next post I’ll give you a little history of this interesting town.

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RCI TIMESHARE IN SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

Friday, November 28th, 2008

In this series of articles I’ll be reviewing the RCI Timeshare Otra Vez in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  First we’ll look at some interesting things to do in and around this historic town.

To really understand why the readers of Conde Nast Traveler put Santa Fe near the top of their must-see list, you’ll just have to experience it first hand.

The heart of the city and the place where Santa Fe was founded is the city’s historic Plaza. Surrounded by museums, historic buildings, restaurants, hotels, galleries, and endless shopping the Plaza is the place to start understanding Santa Fe. And this is where you’ll find the RCI timeshare Otra Vez.

Southwest Safaris will show you some amazing things about New Mexico and northern New Mexico: the terrain and geology. It’s much easier to understand from a small aircraft. The Grand Canyons Skyroamer trip covers most of the area and canyons west of Santa Fe, including Ghost Ranch, and others. You will see many kinds of rock formations, terrain and Indian ruins.   Photos can be taken from the plane with ordinary digital cameras.

The RCI timeshare is just blocks from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Opened to the public in July 1997, eleven years after the death of the artist from whom it takes its name, and one of the most significant artists of the 20th century, Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) was devoted to creating imagery that expressed what she called “the wideness and wonder of the world as I live in it.”

The Museum’s collection of over 2990 works comprises 1149 O’Keeffe paintings, drawings, and sculpture, including promised gifts and extended loans.

The Absolute Nirvana Spa is a gem hidden just blocks away from the historic Plaza and the Otra Vez timeshare.  Try the two-hour Lulur treatment, for an incredible massage experience, and a one-hour facial that feel almost like a massage.

In the next post I’ll review the RCI timeshare Otra Vez.

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Timeshare Resort Review: The Sands of Kahana

Friday, April 25th, 2008

When doing a timeshare exchange to Maui, the choices of the resorts that are on the beach are very limited, making an already difficult exchange even harder. The Sands of Kahana, while not the nicest timeshare resort, is one that has more exchange availability than the others. You’ll find it in Interval International and its code is SOK.  It used to be affiliated with RCI as well, but no longer.

Interval International has it listed as a 5 star. I’d rate it a 3 Star timeshare property.  I believe the 5 Star rating is due more to its location and demand than the luxe of the property.  The condos, and the resort itself, need updating and sprucing up. It’s going downhill from the nice resort it used to be. 

But, if you don’t expect a really nice 5 star resort like the Westin or Marriott, the Sands of Kahana can be an acceptable exchange just because there are so few timeshare resorts on the beach in Maui.

You can read about it in Trip Advisor.  As usual, the reviews are very mixed.

What the resort does have going for itself is its location on Kahana beach, the on-site restaurant, bar, bar-b-ques, tennis courts and activities desk.  Also, the condos are very spacious with very well equipped kitchens.  It is also near the Farmer’s Market, restaurants, Napili Bay for snorkeling and beautiful Kapalua.

The Sands of Kahana has much more exchange availability than the much more difficult to get Westin or Marriott in nearby Kaanapali Beach.  Those of you that own very high quality timeshare resorts and apply all of the suggestions, techniques and strategies I recommend in my exchange guide should request only the much nicer Westin and Marriott properties and leave out the Sands of Kahana.

The rest of you should request all 3 plus Diamond’s Kaanapali Beach Club, which I’ll review later.  You’ll still need to apply all of the strategies in my timeshare exchange guide book to get these very difficult resorts, but you should be successful if you do.

While staying at the Sands of Kahana have at least one breakfast at The Sea House on Napili Bay.  This is one of my favorite restaurants and is just 3 miles north of the resort right before you get into the beautiful Kapalua area.  This tranquil restaurant has great food that’s well priced, a friendly staff, a beautiful view of Napili Bay and great service all to the sounds of gentle Hawaiian music.  Don’t miss Mama’s Ribs and Chicken and Maui Tacos in the Napili Shopping Center for fast food and take out. 

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St. James Place

Monday, April 14th, 2008

You don’t have to be a skier to enjoy this Colorado Rocky Mountain resort.  There is plenty to see and do in the summertime as well.  The St. James Place, resort number 2266 in RCI, is in the beautiful Beaver Creek Village just a few miles from its famous sister, Vail.  Winter and summer are both the most highly demanded times for timeshare exchangers. 

A quick check with Travelocity pulled up a 2 bedroom in July for $329/night and no availability for December for skiing, so if you can exchange into the St. James Place, you’re getting a great value.

Located less than 200 yards to slopes at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain you’ll enjoy some of the finest skiing in North America. If you’re taking the kids, Beaver Creek’s children’s ski school is world-renowned.

You’ll find the ski terrain ranges from novice to expert.  Plus, once you are checked in you can forget your car as the Village has every amenity imaginable. Within a very short walk through the European style village you’ll find an outdoor ice rink, the magnificent Vilar Center for the performing arts, dining with cuisine for everyone, from pizza and burgers to fine dining and World-class spa treatment.

The St. James Place offers several hot tubs, both indoors and out and a fitness room. All condos, except the hotel units, have fully equipped kitchens, washers, dryers and a fireplace in each unit.

Beaver Creek has plenty of on-site and nearby activities to keep you busy summer.  Enjoy hiking, biking, rafting, horseback riding, tennis, chairlift rides and plenty of great golf courses.

And of course, some of the best skiing in all of North America.  Here are some quick facts.

Season

 November 21, 2007 – April 13, 2008

Hours of Operation (MST)

 8:30am-4:00pm

Base Elevation

 8,100 ft. / 2,469 m

Summit Elevation

 11,440 ft. / 3,488 m

Vertical Rise

 4,040 ft. / 1,231 m
   

Number of Trails

 148

Number of Lifts

 17

Beginner Terrain

  19% (340 acres)

Intermediate Terrain

 43% (771 acres)

Advanced/Expert Terrain

 38% (694 acres)

Bowls

  2, Rose Bowl and Larkspur Bowl
Gondolas  2

High-Speed Quads

 10
Triple Chair 

 2

Double Chair

 3

Total Uphill Capacity/hour

 25,939 skiers/hour
   

Snowmaking

 605 acres

Average Annual Snowfall

 310 inches / 787 cm

Total Skiable Area

 1,805 acres

Longest Run (Centennial)

 2¾ miles

Terrain Park

 3

Half Pipe

 1

So get your timeshare exchange request for the St. James Place in now with RCI.  If you increase your chances of exchanging into this world class resort you need a lot of exchange help.  You’ll find it at TheTimeshareExpert.Com.

Have fun.

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The Hilton Grand Vacations Club at the Kalia Tower

Monday, April 7th, 2008

Where can you stay in a villa, in one of the best beach front resorts in the world that has its own Penguin colony?

The Hilton Grand Vacations Club at the Kalia Tower

The resort in on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. And it sits right on one of the most famous beaches in the world, Waikiki.

The Kalia Tower has been extensively renovated and the studio and one bedroom suites are absolutely beautiful.  The rooms have ocean or mountain views and are part of a 22 acre complex complete with shops, restaurants and Penguin colony.

There are also 60 variety of tropical birds, swimming pools and waterfalls.  All within steps of the beach.

Don’t miss visiting Pearl Harbor Memorial, The Polynesian Cultural Center and a trip to the north shore to see some fabulous surfing.  Also, don’t miss nearby Hanauma Bay to snorkel with thousands of tropical fish.

If you’d like to exchange to this hard to get resort, make sure you pick up my timeshare exchange guide to learn the insider’s secrets few if any timeshare owners know.  It’s called…

“The Insider’s Secrets to Exchanging Your RCI Timeshare -
The Da Vinci Code of Timeshare Exchanging”

You’ll find more about it at

www.TheTimeshareExpert.com/rcisecrets.html.

 In next resort I review you will be skiing on some of the finest slopes in North America.  And once your checked in you can forget your car.

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The Crane Beach Resort, Barbados RCI

Friday, April 4th, 2008

The Crane Beach Resort, on the island of Barbados, is one of the best exchanges I’ve ever done.  It’s said that it is the first resort ever built in the Caribbean! The main building, which still exists, started accepting guests at the end of the 1700′s.

The Crane sits on a bluff above one of the most beautiful palm lined, pink sand beaches you’ll ever see.  You take a switchback staircase down to it where the staff will bring you drinks and rent you umbrellas and body boards.  The shallow slope of the beach makes it safe for swimming and even though there were good waves for body surfing, I detected no undertow or rip currents. 

It’s also on the quieter and more remote side of Barbados and is very romantic.  It’s away from the hustle and bustle of Bridgetown, the capital, and the more popular resort area of St. Lawrence Gap. 

The pool has one of the most dramatic settings you’ll ever find.  At far end of the pool are  sets of Dorian columns that are backed by the ocean.  It’s truly a breathtaking setting.  You can see some pictures of it here.

There are a great restaurant and pool bar on site and a grocery store nearby.  Because the Crane is more remote you’ll either want to rent a car or take tours to see the other parts of the beautiful island. 

Be warned, Barbados is a former British Colony so you drive on the left, which takes some getting used to for many of us.  Also, be sure to look both ways when stepping off a sidewalk because the cars will be coming from a direction you’re not used to.

Make sure you visit Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, a beautifully manicured mangrove swamp filled with the natural flora and fauna of Barbados.  Look for the beautiful Rainbow Eucalyptus trees the bare trunks of which are covered with the pastel colors of the rainbow.

Barbados is also outside of the hurricane zone so you can safely travel there anytime of the year.  Winter is best, of course, but the hardest time to exchange.  I was there in May and it was great.

You can check it out at http://www.thecrane.com/.

You’ll find this one of the most challenging timeshare exchanges you’ll ever do.  If you want any chance of exchanging to this resort, make sure you pick up

“The Timshare Exchange Bible-The Da Vinci Code of Timeshare Exchanging.”

In the next post find out which resort you can stay at with its own penguin colony while still wearing shorts all week.

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