Festiva - Ellington (Myrtle Beach)

Hi everyone,

I'm kind of nervous about a mistake I may have made potentially. I bought a time share from Festiva in Myrtle Beach. I really really loved the area so it seemed like the right thing to do. I was offered a bunch of benefits if I signed up imediately so I did. However, I was not ready to make the huge investment into the newly constructed units so I purchased a cheap off season unit for about $6000 with an option to buy the new unit for $27K within the next 18 months. I was told that once construction is complete they would be sold for 40K. I did some poking around online and it seems like there is some negative info re: Festiva. Does anyone have any experiences with the company? I'd like to find out now and cut my losses at $6K if its not a good deal. Also, how do I find out if the newer units are even worth the $27K they are offering it for. I will say that i thought they were beautiful. If the time share is all it is cracked up to be, then I will be very happy with it. Also, I was told that I can get other Festiva travel and crusie vacations at very low rates. Has anyone done this? Is it as great as it appears to be?

Please let me know. Thanks.

There does not seem to be a lot of Festiva information being talked about on these boards. I am an owner at Festiva (First timeshare week purchased from the developer; then a second through resale.) Some of my perceptions/experiences are as follows.
- I love my weeks at the Church Street Inn. Great city to visit, wonderful staff, and very acceptable rooms. I make reservations 8 - 12 months out and have always gotten the week I wanted.
- Since I have owned at Festiva (3 years) they have added several new resorts and even a hotel. Opportunities for internal exchanges are now available in some great destinations. (I haven't done that yet, because we keep returning to our home resort.)
- We stayed at the Main Street Inn in Hilton Head over the Labor Day weekend. My wife and I loved it, and so did all of the other guests we talked to. The staff was extremely friendly, just like at the Church Street Inn.
- All of my dealings with the central staff at Headquarters have been very satisfactory. They are friendly and efficient, and leave me with a positive feeling.
- Now for the negative - As you see a lot on these boards, we were told things in the original sales presentation that were just not true. About a year ago, Festiva got into trouble in Branson for telling lies in their sales presentations. We experienced some of the same false promises in ours. Even though we have loved being an owner, this has tarnished our feelings about the company to some degree. Their Senior Management needs to put an absolute stop to these practices. I believe (hope) Festiva is a better company than this indicates.

I have not used Festiva Travel and Cruises so I can't give you first hand feedback.

I hope you enjoy your ownership. I do believe their system of owner discounts on rentals and the growing family of resorts and hotel/condo opportunities, along with Festiva Travel and Cruises will offer you many quality vacation options. With luck, you may not even need to commit more money.

Most people on these boards would encourage you to buy resale rather than from the developer. Prices are significantly less. Keep this option in mind if you wish to invest more into timeshares.

Festiva

Wachasaw area is really nice, however, there is lots of crazy talk around MB about these people's business ethics.

I know several people who have worked on the frontline sales and in administration there and they left because of ethics and morals issues.

Do you prefer frontbeach or off beach such as Ellington?

Whatever, you purchased there is probably fine for now? However, I would suggest that you do lots and lots of discovery before spending anymore $$$ with this group.