Is this a good deal on this Tortoga Beach Club?

II gives preference to a number of chains including Marriott, Disney Vacation Club, Four Seasons, Hyatt Vacation Club, Starwood, etc...but not Hilton. I have seen a number of summer and fall Sanibel weeks...and occasionally a late spring week...sitting online with II. So there are weeks available...and I have been able to see these with my non-HGVC weeks as well.

Personally, I never noticed a preference in RCI, either, but it's possible that it exists as you have been told. I have always thought that going through HGVC was the best way to get another HGVC resort on Sanibel. I have seen statistics that indicate this...but that was several years ago and I don't have them any longer. At any rate, you're not likely to get a Sanibel week from Christmas through early April using ANY exchange company. Certainly to count on it would be to set yourself up for disappointment more often than not.

Steve

Marilyn:

Re-reading your OP, I'm not clear on exactly what timeframe you would like to use a purchase to trade back into Sanibel. The impression I got was that it would be earlier than late Spring, because you are concerned that it might be too warm then.

That puts it into peak Snowbird Season, Weeks 1-15. I would even so bold as to include Weeks 51 and 52, that after that I no longer see any SW FL HGVC resorts in my daily searches. I do still see them outside of that timeframe.

I believe that is exactly what Steve is saying.

I have been discussing another Sanibel owner's comments in this thread directly with him, and I believe he concurs with that, too.

I believe my Crystal Ball, who has also been following my pursuit of SW FL, and who is also familiar with the area, would also concur, and would encourage you to buy to use and not try to finaggle a way to trade in.

Steve said:

At any rate, you're not likely to get a Sanibel week from Christmas through early April using ANY exchange company. Certainly to count on it would be to set yourself up for disappointment more often than not.

Steve

Click to expand...

Marilyn-Does the resort have any floating weeks? Our ability to get an early January week for 2008 was premised upon the fact that several January weeks (but not all) are within the float period.

Another 2 cents worth.

Through RCI, even then, outside of Snowbird Season, because SW FL is so desirable and the HGVC resorts the cream of the SW FL crop, it is still hard to get them, except (roughly) during hurricane season. And then, Sanibel is the hardest to get.

It is that, hurricane season, that keeps the HGVC resorts new and updated, as for some reason they seem to get the worst of it. Sorting like clicking the Refresh button.

Here is what I am seeing for the next two years. It would be interesting to see if anyone is seeing more. Or why not compare other sources, as this is a fairly frequent topic?

Seawatch On-the-Beach Resort (#0601)
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931, USA
Available Unit Size - 2 - 2
Check-in Date Range - 10/06/2007 - 10/06/2007

Club Regency of Marco Island (#2023)
Marco Island, FL 34145, USA
Available Unit Size - 2 - 2
Check-in Date Range - 12/06/2008 - 12/06/2008


Seawatch On-the-Beach Resort (#0601)
Fort Myers Beach , FL , 33931 USA
1 Bedroom 4 / 4 Full 04/05/2008 04/12/2008
1 Bedroom 4 / 4 Full 05/31/2008 06/07/2008

Club Regency of Marco Island (#2023)
Marco Island, FL 34145, USA
Available Unit Size - 2 - 2
Check-in Date Range - 05/24/2008 - 05/31/2008

Seawatch On-the-Beach Resort (#0601)
Fort Myers Beach , FL , 33931 USA
1 Bedroom 4 / 4 Full 07/12/2008 07/19/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 08/16/2008 08/23/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 08/23/2008 08/30/2008
1 Bedroom 4 / 4 Full 08/23/2008 08/30/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 08/30/2008 09/06/2008

The Surf Club of Marco (#0344)
Marco Island , FL , 34145 USA
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 08/02/2008 08/09/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 08/16/2008 08/23/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 08/23/2008 08/30/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 08/30/2008 09/06/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 09/13/2008 09/20/2008

Eagle's Nest Beach Resort (#0731)
Marco Island, FL 34145, USA
Available Unit Size - 1 - 1
Check-in Date Range - 09/19/2008 - 09/19/2008

Club Regency of Marco Island (#2023)
Marco Island , FL , 34145 USA
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 08/23/2008 08/30/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 09/06/2008 09/13/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 09/20/2008 09/27/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 10/11/2008 10/18/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 10/25/2008 11/01/2008

Seawatch On-the-Beach Resort (#0601)
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931, USA
Available Unit Size - 1 - 1
Check-in Date Range - 12/13/2008 - 12/13/2008

The Surf Club of Marco (#0344)
Marco Island, FL 34145, USA
Available Unit Size - 2 - 2
Check-in Date Range - 12/13/2008 - 12/13/2008

Club Regency of Marco Island (#2023)
Marco Island , FL , 34145 USA
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 12/06/2008 12/13/2008
2 Bedrooms 6 / 6 Full 12/13/2008 12/20/2008

wrxdoug said:

Marylyn, I do not know if any one else above has owned a fixed week silver 3,500 point unit in sanibel but I have. We owned a fixed week 40 at casa ybel for quite a few years and traded it through rci. I never ever had problems trading back into sanibel to a hgvc resort, sanibel cottages, shell island, hurricane house and I have gotten trades for august, may, late april and the fall. I never looked for January or Feb. as the chance it would be cold was not desirable to me. I can absolutely assure you if any hgvc sanibel resort is deposited in rci you have first preference over anyone else not sanibel no matter what the week. I can honestly say I have never seen with my prime week 14 shell island or casa ybel week an easter week or christmas week or presidents week deposited into rci. I would rent mine if it fell on easter week. If you can be flexible as to what summer, fall, spring week you can get back into sanibel but you will not get an easter or presidents week period but neither will any hgvc points people unless there is a person who decided to deposit a week like that due to some problem. All sanibel hgvc resorts weeks are red and prime for trades back into sanibel. They also pull any hgvc resorts deposited into rci platinum gold whatever as well. I pulled easter week for hgvc seaworld a 3 bedroom unit with that 3,500 point sanibel unit. I pulled hgvc 2 and 3 bedroom scotland summer weeks with that 3,500 point unit. So it depends what you mean by prime I am not sure. Doug

Click to expand...

Hi Doug,

I appreciate all your input about this offer I got for fixed week 20 at Tortogo Beach Club. I do still feel however that RCI has pulled the rug out from under owners in the past and I assume they will always do the same in the future. I have no reason to believe that they will continue to offer Sanibel Resorts to other Sanibel owners no matter what has happened in the past. I am sorry I am so cynical but I have not had one good experience with RCI. I just deposited my Gold Crown, Port O'Call, week 28, on HH and I am seeing junk for trades. Why would I believe that RCI would do anything good for its members in the future? I wish my RCI resorts would trade with II, but they don't, so that is an idle wish. I would love to own a Sanibel HGVC resort but it doesn't seem that this will be the one. I've learned from past experience not to believe that RCI will give me anything. But thank you for letting me know all the good trades you got. I am really happy for you--NO kidding. I just wonder why, if you were getting all these wonderful trades, you sold your fixed week at Casa Ybel.