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.

Hilton Grand Vacations plans on opening their West 57th Street club in New York City in the second quarter of 2009.  It consists of 161 luxurious studio, 1 bedroom and penthouse suites located one block from Central Park.

With floor to ceiling windows, elegant furnishings, flat screen televisions, marble and granite details and much more, combined with its location, it’s sure to sell out quickly.  Opening prices will range from $58,000-$100,000 per week.  To read more, click here.

So what about timeshare exchange possibilities?  Of course it will be one of the most difficult exchanges you’d ever do because the people who pay that kind of money for a timeshare aren’t going to be in a hurry to give it up to go somewhere else.

Typically, it takes 5 years before there’s any decent amount of exchange activity.  Since West 57th Street is part of the Hilton Club, Hilton members will be scooping up most of the availability in the beginning before RCI members.  This is typical for any new timeshare that opens in a marquis location, is a brand named and part of a club.

So here are a few timeshare exchange strategies to help you out for this, or any extremely difficult exchange.

First, call RCI and see if they are taking requests for West 57th Street now.  If they are, give as many dates as possible that you’ll accept between October 2009, a few months after grand opening, and May 2010. (you can’t request more than 2 years in advance)

Next, tell RCI you’ll accept any size suite, including a studio, even if you’re giving up a 2 bedroom.  This increases your chances exponentially.

Finally, before you do the first 2 things, you should get my guidebook on how to maximize your exchange power for even more valuable timeshare exchange tips.  Click Here Now to read more about it. You’ll need all the help you can get to be successful at getting into Hilton’s West 57th Street. 

Even doing everything right this will be a very difficult exchange but you may be pleasantly surprised.

You can now start your search for a timeshare exchange in RCI for only $1 instead of the normal $164 or $199 fee.  The offer is good only until May 30, 2008 and I would recommend it only for new searches. 

In other words, if you currently have a search going and have paid the full exchange fee, don’t cancel it and ask for a refund so you can start the same search for only $1.  If you do, you will start your search all over and you will be placed lower on the waiting list. You will be responsible for the balance of the exchange fee once you are confirmed.

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 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. 

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.

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.

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 Insider’s Secrets to Exchanging Your RCI Timeshare -
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.

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.