Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is available for a Getaway week in Interval International from July 12-19.  Only studios are available at this writing and you can pick it up for only $886/week.  That’s only $126.57/night for a $500/night room.  Act quickly before it’s gone.

Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is one of the most difficult timeshare resorts in Interval International to exchange in to.  One reason is because the people who buy there spend a substantial amount for their purchase and are therefore less likely to want to exchange it somewhere else.

Another reason it is such a difficult timeshare exchange is because of the sweetheart deal Marriott has with Interval International.  When any Marriott owner deposits a week with Interval International it goes into a separate exchange pool for 30 days that is made available exclusively to other Marriott owners.  This drastically reduces the amount of weeks made available to non-Marriott owners and is very unfair.

Of course another reason it’s such a difficult timeshare exchange is because of the demand for Hawaii in general, and Maui in particular.  The waiting list for Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is enormous and you must have both a very powerful exchanging timeshare and to have maximized your exchange power to be placed high enough up on the wait list to get confirmed.

To learn how to maximize your exchange power in both Interval International and RCI Click Here Now.

Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is one of my favorite timeshare properties.  The views of the island of Lanai or the West Maui Mountains are incredible.  It’s location right on Kaanapali Beach is one of the best and besides the restaurants on site, you are a short walking distance to Whaler’s Village for access to many more shops and restaurants. Don’t miss the old whaling village of Lahaina Town nearby.

Don’t miss this rare chance to visit one of the most beautiful islands in the world and stay at one of Interval International’s best timeshare resorts.

For those of you that like to take a timeshare vacation on the 4th of July in RCI or Interval International, you should already have your request in for 2009.  I’ve found, in the 18 years that I’ve been in the timeshare business, that the people who exchange for holidays are the most knowledgeable timeshare exchangers in the world.

There are two things that make getting a timeshare exchange during a holiday so difficult.  First is the fact that the owners are more likely to want to use their home resort on holidays so fewer weeks are given up to RCI and Interval International. 

Second, the demand for holiday weeks is much greater than normal.  Fewer weeks coupled with much greater demand leads to a much more difficult timeshare exchange.

There is already a waiting list for many timeshare for next 4th of July so get your request in now.

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. 

When doing an Interval International or RCI timeshare exchange to Maui, don’t forget the golf clubs. Yesterday I played the North course at Makena carved from the slopes of Haleakala Volcano. 

Opened in 1993, it’s a challenging, beautiful and tranquil course from beginning to end and a lot less busy than the South Course.  The South course is more popular because it has two holes on the ocean but the staff and the locals like the North course better for the views. 

Although I didn’t see the South course, Ziggy the starter, told me that since it is lower and flatter, you don’t see much of the ocean except for the two ocean holes.  He gave me my choice of pairing up with some other golfers on the South course or playing as a single on the North. 

 Rather than hit and wait and take 5 1/2 hours to play the North I chose the South so I could take my time, a lot of pictures, play 2 balls and record my observations.  I never would have guessed that I could play on any course on a Sunday in Maui as a single.

The North course gains 900 feet in elevation and has incredible ocean views of the entire southern coast of Maui, with Molokini Crater lined up behind many of the greens.  With 3 sets of tees, this par 72 Robert Trent Jones, Jr. course ranges from 6914 to 6151 yards. 

The greens have a lot of undulations are very challenging.  The course had been aerated a month and a half ago so they were in nearly perfect condition.  The ball ran very true and smooth but it was like putting on a billiard table.

I was above the hole on the number 10 green and put a bit to hard and it went 20 yards off the green.  When in Maui, don’t miss this course.  It’s like a stroll through nature.

The 2 most distinct tourist areas in Maui are Lahaina and Kihei and both have a lot to offer.  Most of the island’s golf, and many of the islands attractions, are nearer the Kihei area. 

You can expect nearly an hour’s drive from Lahaina to get to most of the golf courses near Kihei.  The trade off is that many of Lahaina’s timeshares are on the beach where most of Kihei’s are across the street from the beach.

To really explore what Maui has to offer I’d recommend staying in Kihei at least once over the more popular Lahaina area.  From there you’ll be much closer to the summit of Haleakala crater for sunrise, the road to Hana, the beaches of Makena, La Perouse Bay to swim with dolphins, Iao Needle and the Up Country of Maui just to name a few.

The timeshares in Kihei are older and consist of a mix of full ownership condos, hotel rental condos and timeshare condos and don’t have the resort feel to them as do some of the newer ones near Lahaina.  So stay in Kihei for its location rather than it luxe.   I’ve stayed in the timeshares in Kihei several times and enjoyed the properties and the convenience of the town of Kihei.

In fact, the majority of timeshares in Lahaina, and all over the Hawaiian Islands are of mixed use as well, so if you want a “resort experience” make sure to consult with RCI and Interval International when placing a request.

In RCI you’ll find Kamaole Beach Club, Kapulanikai Vacation Suites, Maui Lea at Maui Hill, Maui Oceanfront Inn Vacation Club, Maui Sunset l and ll and Royal Aloha Village by the Sea in the Kihei area. 

In Interval International you’ll find Kamaole Beach Club, WorldMark Kihei, Maui Beach Vacation Club, Maui Banyan and Maui Schooner in the Kihei area.

Of course in order to do a timeshare exchange to any of the Hawaiian Islands, especially Maui, is one of the hardest timeshare exchanges you’ll ever attempt. To learn how to increase your chances of any timeshare exchange exponentially and to become a master of timeshare exchanges in both RCI and Interval International…

 Click Here for the best resource on timeshare exchanging in the world. 

I just read a post on a blog about donating your timeshare to a charity for a tax deduction.  I haven’t looked into the recommended charity Donate for a Cause, but on the surface, it looks like a good one.  Here’s my response:

“I’m all for helping charities like Donate for a Cause, but rather than walk away from your timeshare with only a small deduction, you’d be better off learning how to use your timeshare correctly.

The number one reason quoted for buying a timeshare is for exchanging it.  Ironically, the number one reason quoted for wanting to sell a timeshare is frustration with the exchange process. 

I’ve done nearly 50 timeshare exchanges with RCI and Interval International in 17 years, the last one to the Westin on Kaanapali Beach in Maui.  If I would have had to pay for the 1 bedroom out of my pocket, I would have been out $600/night.  Because I’ve discovered how to work the exchange system, I only paid $129 for the entire week.

Yes, I had to pay a maintenance fee of $600/year, but altogether this added up to about one night’s stay.

Timeshares, like most anything else, work well if you learn how to use them properly.  So don’t blame the timeshare for not working but the timeshare owner for not learning how to use it properly.”

Certainly, if you’re not going to use your timeshare anymore or leave it to your heirs, leaving it to charity would be a good thing.  If you do go down that road rather than reselling it, make sure you check with the BBB near the location of the charity to see if it is legitimate.  Call the charity to see how much of each dollar goes to overhead (read saleries and such) and how much actually goes to the charity itself.

In the meantime, learn how to become an exchange expert by getting my guidebook “The Insider’s Secrets to Exchanging Your RCI Timeshare.”

Here’s  Tip #3 on how to get more exchange power out of your timeshare week.  Again, I’ll reveal an Insider’s Secret that few if
any timeshare owners know of or use.

Here’s a recap of what we’ve covered so far.

First, you’ll always want to bank next year’s week in the previous year.  You’ll have to pay your HOA dues early but you will not be double billed.  You may however, receive a supplemental bill if your HOA dues went up after you paid them.

Second, always start your search in RCI and Interval International as early as possible even if you don’t know where you want to vacation. Ideally, this should be done the day you bank your week to get an early timestamp on your request. 

You want to request resorts that are impossible to get and during the peak time of year.  Then simply change your request when you know where you really want to vacation.

TIP #3 NEVER CANCEL A SEARCH ONCE IT’S STARTED OR LET IT EXPIRE
 
In Tip #2 I explained how important it is to start your search in a as hard to get location soon as possible to get an early timestamp
on it.  As an example I suggested requesting Ocho Cascadas in February.

What should you do as you get closer to February and you still haven’t made up your mind where you want to vacation?

As February approaches you’ll want to change your request in Interval International to February of the following year.  If you cancel the request, or simply let it expire you will be back to square one when putting in your request for your desired vacation destination.

Additionally, I’d change the request for Ocho Cascadas in January because if you have a very powerful timeshare you just might get
confirmed through a last minute cancellation.

These are 3 very powerful ways to get what you want when dealing with the exchange companies.  But it is only the tip of the iceberg.

For many more ways to supercharge your exchange check out

www.TheTimeshareExpert.com/rcisecrets.html

There you can learn about the best guide on timeshare exchanging on the planet,

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

Learn 18 Insider’s Secrets to supercharging your exchange power, read 8 case studies and discover 6 very powerful strategies on
placing your request.

You’ll learn how to get priority over millions of timeshare owner giving you an unfair advantage when exchanging.

Don’t miss it.  Go there now!

http://www.TheTimeshareExpert.Com/rcisecrets.html

Exchange Tip #2, like the first tip, is one you may have heard before but read it carefully.  In it I reveal a strategy and technique
that few timeshare owners know or use.  Used correctly, it will give you an unfair advantage over millions of timeshare owners when exchanging.

TIP #2 REQUEST EARLY

O.K. I know you’re probably rolling your eyes at this one because it’s so obvious.  But keep reading to learn some Insider’s Secrets few timeshare owners know of or use.

Requesting early, in either RCI or Interval International, especially combined with banking early, will really increase your exchange power.  But again, many timeshare owners don’t put in their requests until they know exactly where and when they want to go.  It’s natural.

So what do you do?

INSIDER’S SECRET

Put in a request for a resort that you have little if any chance of getting, to timestamp your request date as early as possible. 
 
In the timeshare world, if I request a resort today and you request the exact same thing tomorrow, and everything else between us is
equal, I’ll get confirmed before you because I requested one measly day before you did.

When do you think the bulk of millions of timeshare owners put in their exchange requests in RCI and Interval International?  If you guessed the first quarter of the year you’d be right.  That’s because the holidays are over, people are looking forward to a fresh start on the year AND they’ve just received and paid their HOA’s. 

This serves to remind them to start planning for their vacation. You want to be ahead of the multitudes of exchangers and get your
request in before the first quarter of the year.

This means you had better get a request for next year in this year.

I request from RCI, Borgo di Vagli in Tuscany, Italy in the summertime at the same time I bank my week just to get my request
time stamped early. And later, when I know where I really want to go, I call back simply change my request.

I use the same technique with Interval International requesting the Franz Klammer Lodge, a Fairmont Hotels and Resorts property, for Christmas and New Years and Ocho Cascadas in February. 

Interval International once told me that they only get 30 exchanges a year from Ocho Cascadas and I’d venture a guess that
none of them are February weeks.

If you want to read about how you can learn many more ways to supercharge your exchange power, and exponentially increase your chances of exchanging into the best resorts in the world, go to

www.TheTimeshareExpert.com/rcisecrets.html

That’s it for now.  Look for Tip #3 to tie it all together.

Here’s a big secret to increasing your exchange power in RCI and Interval International - Bank Early!!

I know, you’ve heard this before and you’re thinking, “Big deal!
What kind of advice is this?”

In two words, extremely important!

I’ve found, that even though this is common knowledge, and timeshare
owners are constantly reminded of this by the exchange companies,
few people understand or use this simple strategy that really
increases your exchange power.

Here’s why.

Most people believe they have to know where they want to exchange to before they bank their week with RCI or Interval International. So they wait and wait so they can put their request in at the same time as they bank.  This is a big mistake and can really harm your exchange power.

You do not need to know when and where you want to use your week on exchange in order to bank it. You just need to know if you want to
use it in your home resort or not. 

If you know you’re definitely not going to use your week at your home resort, then bank it as early as possible. You can decide later
where to use it. 

The reason banking early with RCI and Interval International is so important is because of the pecking order of timeshare.  Simply put, if I bank my week today, and you bank your week tomorrow, and every thing else between us is equal, I have priority over you when exchanging just because I banked my week one measly day before you.

INSIDER’S SECRET

Most people bank their week in the first quarter of the year.  This is because they’ve been busy with the holidays at the end of the
year and have either like taking a Christmas or New Years vacation, or don’t.

Either way, as January rolls around, they receive their HOA bill reminding them to do something with their timeshare. So here’s the secret. 

Always bank next years week this year to get ahead of the crowd.

Here’s another little known fact….

INSIDER’S SECRET

For every month over 12 months in advance you bank your week with RCI and Interval International, your trading power increases.  For every month under 12 months your trading power decreases.  For example, if you bank an July 2009 week in May of 2008 you will have significantly more trading power than if you bank that same July 2009 week in January 2009.

In addition, you’ll have a bigger window of opportunity to use it. You’ll have between May of 2008 and July of 2011 to decide where
to use that week! Not only do you now have more than 3 years to make up your mind but also your exchange power increases enormously.

Banking early especially makes sense if you want to travel in the first quarter of the year.  For instance, if you want to exchange to
Maui in February to see the humpback whales, you’d best not be starting that search in January of the same year. 

Most, but not all timeshare resorts, allow you to bank your week 1-2 years in advance.  Find out your home resorts policy and take
advantage of this powerful strategy.

 Remember, the more in advance you do things in the timeshare world, the more choice and power you have. So don’t wait, bank your week today.

While banking early will increase your exchange power, there are many more things you can do to supercharge your exchange power!  To learn more about that, check out my guidebook

“The Insider’s Secrets to Exchanging Your RCI Timeshare.”

It’s the only guidebook of its kind in the timeshare industry and is loaded with tips and secrets I’ve learned in the 17 years I’ve been in the  industry.

Congratulations to Eli Manning and the New York Giants for their stunning upset in winning Super Bowl XLII.  You’ve got to hand it to them for a game well played and for running through the playoffs as a wildcard. 

So much for all of the talk of Tom Brady  and the New England Patriots  and their perfect season. Although, I think it will be a long time before we see another 18/0 season.

Have you ever dreamed of going to the Super Bowl?  If you have, now’s the time to put in your exchange request to RCI and Interval International  for both the 2009 and 2010 Super Bowls. Super Bowl 2009 will be played on February 1, 2009 in Tampa, FL and in Miami on February 7, 2010. 

Even though it’s a little late, in my opinion, to exchange for the 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa, it’s offset by the fact that the nearest timeshares to Tampa are in Orlando.

Normally there are so many timeshare weeks available in Orlando it wouldn’t be a problem.  Still, if you get with it now, and you own a timeshare with decent exchange power, you may have a good chance of being confirmed.

Miami in 2010 is a different story.  While you’ll have the advantage of putting in your request 2 years in advance, the scarcity of weeks available in Miami will make it difficult for all but a few lucky timeshare owners with extraordinary exchange power to get confirmed. 

If you follow the many recommendations in The Insider’s Secrets to Exchanging Your RCI Timeshare you’ll increase your chance exponentially. 

Here are a few tips from the guide.

Search for both the 2009 and 2010 Super Bowl off of your 2008 deposit.  Many people don’t think, or even know, you can have a simultaneous search spanning 2 years from only one deposited/banked week. 

If you want to increase your chances even more, pay your 2009 HOA now, bank a week and search off of that week as well. 

You might be thinking “Why would I search for the exact same thing off of 2 of my weeks?  What if both my 2008 and 2009 week are confirmed for the same Super Bowl week?”

The odds on this happening are negligible while the benefits are enormous.  The first thing to recognize is that if you didn’t deposit your 2008 week in 2007 then it will have less exchange power than 2009 week that you deposited in 2008.

The second thing to recognize is that by starting your search on your 2009 week in 2008 you have significantly increased, or supercharged, your exchange power for that 2009 week.

For more great strategies check out “The Da Vinci Code” of exchanging a timeshare at The Insider’s Secrets to Exchanging Your RCI Timeshare.

With the popularity of timesharing growing at record rates, and with better and better incentives to entice you, many of you reading this blog may end up at a timeshare presentation this year. 

There are many questions to ask the salesperson or sales manager if you do get interested in purchasing at a timeshare resort, but this one question will get, and keep, the salesperson real very quickly when used early on and often.

 Is that in writing or can you give me that in writing?

First and foremost you must understand that just because the salesperson says something does not mean the company will back it up.  I know that seem obvious but you’re under so much pressure and so much information is thrown at you during the presentation it’s easy to become overwhelmed. 

Some salespeople excel in pitching “fading or fadeable heat”.  Fadeable heat is industry jargon for lies (heat) that you won’t remember (fadeable). So many facts, figures and emotions are thrown at you in a typical timeshare presentation that by the time you decide to purchase you’re too tired and worn out to remember all of the “facts” you were told. 

Plus the person that goes over your contracts, in many instances, will gloss over important points you may have been told that aren’t necessarily true because they are on commission as well and don’t want to blow the sale.

If you get used to asking the salesperson “Is that in writing” from the beginning, it will force the salesperson to be more honest in his presentation.  You want to do this on the important claims by the salesperson and not on every little detail. 

For example, if the salesperson says that the resort is a RCI Gold Crown resort, there’s no need to ask for that in writing since you can look in the current RCI directory or for a plaque on the wall for verification.

If, however, he says that you can buy one week and “it trades two for one” in RCI or Interval International, I’d want to see that in writing were I to buy. 

If true, what you will most likely find in the documents is that for each week you give up to exchange, RCI or Interval International will match with a bonus week.  This is very different than “it trades two for one” and is commonly misused in the timeshare industry.

The difference is that the week you own has a certain trading power that can be enhanced enormously if you know how.  My guide “The Insider’s Secrets to Exchanging Your RCI Timeshare” explains this in detail and is something you must have if you own a timeshare. 

The bonus week comes from the exchange company and has no exchange power.  Big difference!  Bonus weeks are usually at lesser-demanded resorts and during non-peak travel times.  A bonus week at a fantastic beachfront resort in Hawaii or the Caribbean is rare indeed. 

Plus, you pay more than the exchange fee to use a bonus week and there are conditions tied to using it. 

 Many salespeople don’t know this, or prefer not to know it, and simply say your week exchanges two for one.  If you learn how to use a bonus week properly they can be a good value, but to simply imply that they are just like your exchange week is very misleading.

Become a smarter consumer by asking if a promise or claim given by the salesperson is in writing and then take it a step or two further by digging down to what the promise really means.  If you’re considering a purchase, make a list what you were promised in writing and make sure each one is verified in the contract.