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.

The airlines are at it again.  As if flying isn’t expensive enough already, now the some airlines are adding on fees to what were once given for free seeking to offset higher fuel costs.  You’re likely to find these extra fees tacked on as fuel surcharges, booking a ticket by phone rather than the Internet, handling fees and extra luggage fees. Click here to read the entire article on MSN.

Following US Airway’s (my least favorite airline) lead, Northwest, Delta, United and Continental have started to charge if you want to check more than one bag.  Now expect to pay at least an extra $25 per bag if you’re checking more than one per person.  Look for many new fees to be implemented May 5, 2008.

Be sure to weigh your bags before you leave.  If you even slightly exceed 50 pounds per bag you could be hit with another $80-$100.  And once you’re at the airport ready to leave for your timeshare vacation, they have you over a barrel.

Those of you planning on doing a timeshare exchange to Hawaii should check out airfares before you’re week is confirmed.  Aloha Airlines, Hawaii’s second largest airline that’s been in service for 60 years, filed for bankruptcy and suspended operations.  A few days later, ATA, a low cost provider of air transport to Hawaii, did the same. 

Who knows if this will be good for the traveler or bad but A quick look on the Internet found fares ranging from about $550 to $1700 roundtrip from Phoenix to Maui.  Only Hawaiian Airlines had the fare for $550.  Plus, no charge for the second bag of checked luggage. 

US Airways, not surprisingly, wants $1064 round trip and they don’t even buy you dinner first - unless, that is, you count a bag of pretzels.

So before putting in your request for your timeshare exchange do some homework to find out what you can expect to pay for airfares and luggage. 

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 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.