Time share near Washington, D.C.?

[over2u]

We hope to have a few days in February 2008 to visit D.C.--tried to find a thread in 'search' which would give us an idea of what time shares might be best for that area--but could not locate such a thread. So does anyone have any recommendations? I haven't been able to find any in D.C., but are the Masnutten area time shares do-able with a car? Or via public transport into the City? Any suggestions would be appreciated....

[neash]

Massanutten is a long drive into Washington (~3 hrs).
Closer to town is the Faifield at Alexnadria, VA. If you just want to do a one day trip into DC,Massanutten is ok ; not if you plan to spend more time.

[elaine]

those roads can be icy and dangerous--thus, I would not stay at MAssanutten if Dc was my winter destination. FF Alex is the closest--right outside of DC. Next, is Presidential Resort in VA--the good--near I-95 and train and commuter bus goes from Fredericksburg right into DC (takes 1.5 hours)--the bad---the cabins would be rather desolute during the winter--it's not a resort with lots of winter visitors and amenities (it's a summer lake place).
Personally, if you can't get into FF, I would consider staying at a suite-style hotel near DC. Dulles airport usually has really good weekend rates and many places have free shuttles to the metro.

[AwayWeGo]

Virginia's Bryce & Massanutten ski areas are loaded with timeshares. BlueGreen's Shenandoah Crossing is down there between Orange VA & Charlottesville VA. Williamsburg VA has lots of timeshares. Ditto Virginia Beach. I think there's 1 down there somewhere in the vicinity of Fredericksburg VA. Unfortunately those are all significantly more than a hop & skip & jump from Washington DC. FairField Old Town Alexandria VA, as mentioned, is just a hop & skip & jump into Washington DC via Metro subway, but availability at that timeshare is limited.

Some years back, the Disney folks were seriously moving toward a humongous history-theme park out by Manassas VA -- which might eventually have included Disney timeshares, I don't know. As it turned out, not even the Disney suits were the equal of Northern Virginia's anti-sprawl & anti-overdevelopment forces, so plans for Disney's Great America (I think it was called) were 86d in short order.

Timeshare accommodations in & around Washington DC are still an unmet need, in the view of some timeshare fans. Capitol Hill, Foggy Bottom, Upper Northwest, etc., would all be good timeshare spots. But it is hard to imagine timeshare hawkers offering tour freebies all up & down The Mall, over by the White House, & up by the Capitol, at the zoo & Supreme Court & Smithsonian Institution, & Library Of Congress & National Archives & Arlington Cemetery, etc.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

[over2u]

Thanks for sharing your local knowledge, all--much appreciated!!

[cr4909]

Originally Posted by elaine

Personally, if you can't get into FF, I would consider staying at a suite-style hotel near DC. Dulles airport usually has really good weekend rates and many places have free shuttles to the metro.

I concur. Also, Georgetown Suites and Quincy Suites in downtown would be good options if you want to be closer to the action. Also, be sure to look at vrbo.com for rentals.

FF Alexandria would be good, but if you're not a Wyndham/Fairfield owner, it's impossible to get. This may change in the future as Wydnham is developing a new timeshare resort in D.C, but until then better consider other options.

[mshatty]

There are some persons/companies that rent out Wyndham/Fairfield units, including Washington DC Old Alexandria. You may want to try them. One I have used is called Timeshare Adventures. Steve Blea is the owner. Another source for such a rental is Extra Holidays by Wyndham.