My ideal vacation includes...

[GregT]

Quality time with my beautiful wife and kids on a beach somewhere. A BBQ dinner overlooking the ocean with a few of my favorite beverages that I made myself.

Definitely +1

I love taking the food/appetizers/cocktails down to the BBQ near sunset (I bought a special timeshare cookie sheet for transportation purposes) and then sitting there, cooking dinner, sipping the wine and thinking about how fortunate we are.

Great thread and great memories.

Best,

Greg

 

[chellej]

no clutter:whoopie:

 

[pjrose]

But you know what I really like?! Hotels. Just love em. Love the lobby and room service and maid service and the spa. Love the bell hops and the pool bar and the gift shop. And the restaurant. The potted plants. Chandeliers.

Our timeshares have all of that - maybe not the chandeliers (never noticed) - and also multiple restaurants and lobby bars and comfy lobby areas to sit in, and still we have two bedrooms, two baths, living room, dining area, full kitchen, huge terrace.....

And the maid service is not at all intrusive. We can say "no" or "later" or tell them to just do the kids' room but not ours, or vice versa.

 

[heathpack]

Our timeshares have all of that - maybe not the chandeliers (never noticed) - and also multiple restaurants and lobby bars and comfy lobby areas to sit in, and still we have two bedrooms, two baths, living room, dining area, full kitchen, huge terrace.....

And the maid service is not at all intrusive. We can say "no" or "later" or tell them to just do the kids' room but not ours, or vice versa.

Yes that's why we LOVE your TS, most of all the wait service on the beach! And the laundry lady who did all of our wash for something like $7. The Royals are the perfect example of the best of both worlds, IMO.

H

PS Yes there are chandeliers, at least at the Sands!

 

[jlwquilter]

Definitely +1

I love taking the food/appetizers/cocktails down to the BBQ near sunset (I bought a special timeshare cookie sheet for transportation purposes) and then sitting there, cooking dinner, sipping the wine and thinking about how fortunate we are.

Great thread and great memories.

Best,

Greg

What a great idea! I will now put one on my pack list for drive to destinations. DH is always juggling the plate with the steaks, the seasonings, BBQ utensils,, water bottle for flare ups, etc. A tray just makes so much sense. Thanks!

PS: why do the simplest things always escape me? LOL!

 

[jlwquilter]

I like the hot tub! I have a pool at home but not a hot tub. LOVE sitting in one every night even if for a few minutes. Even better if I get to sit in one while DH grills dinner

I like the space. Not having to climb over suitecases. 2 bathrooms. DD having her own room/space (a few times she's had a pull out sofa bed in the living room and that's still better than a hotel room, but mostly we stay in 2 bed units). Fridge for sodas, water, tea makings (which we can usually get in a hotel room) but also for real food, leftovers, etc.

Washer and dryer IN THE UNIT. DH is a big sweaty guy and not washing his clothes for a week is not really a good option (phew! and it ruins the clothes to sit that long unwashed). I steer away from resorts that have laundry rooms. It sucks for me to have to spend several hours several times a week doing laundry, cooped up in a laundry room. I like doing the wash during the night and throwing the clothes in the dryer in the morning. So easy and convenient.

Overall I love having the comforts of home away from home.

 

[Larry]

Our timeshares have all of that - maybe not the chandeliers (never noticed) - and also multiple restaurants and lobby bars and comfy lobby areas to sit in, and still we have two bedrooms, two baths, living room, dining area, full kitchen, huge terrace.....

And the maid service is not at all intrusive. We can say "no" or "later" or tell them to just do the kids' room but not ours, or vice versa.

I totally agree with both you and Heathpack. We travel mostly to the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and Vegas and I need hotel amenities when I stay at a timeshare. Love the extra room of timeshares over hotel rooms but I do not want either me or my wife to make the beds in the morning, mop up sand from the beach, wash dishes etc. etc.

We own several timeshares in Aruba that have daily maid service and hotel amenities either right on property or hotel right next door. I have stayed at several Marriott and Westin timeshares and although the timeshare villas were very nice the hotel type amenities were non-existant, which I did not like at all. Not saying I won't stay at Marriott or Westin just that I would be a better vacation if they provided hotel type amenities at their timeshares.

I will continue my timeshare vacations in places like;

Mayan Resorts
Royal Resorts
All Gold Crown Aruba timeshares ( Except Marriotts)
European timeshares ( don't need fancy lobby but do need maid service)
Windjammer Landing
The Crane Residence club
Herod's Palace
Sandals Ocho Rios
Melia timeshares

I really don't understand the argument that people give that they don't like the intrusiveness of maid service, since all of the resorts I list have a DO NOT DISTURB sign that can be left on door every day and all day if you don't want them to come in.

Again if I want a specific location (like taking my family including grandkids to Disney) I will at least try to stay at a Orlando resort that has hotels attached.

 

[stmartinfan]

A beach! Or that's high on the list for some of my vacation time.

Otherwise, it's space in our unit - having a separate bedroom, so people with different sleep patterns don't disturb each other. Enjoying a fresh made cup of coffee and my morning toast in my PJs, on my schedule. When my kids were younger, not having to sit through a restaurant meal that took too long and cost too much 3x a day - although that's still nice now that they are young adults!

I could care less about hotel amenities. In fact, when we do non-timeshare vacations and will be staying somewhere more than 2 days, we usually try to rent an apartment. I care more about the space and comfort than I do having an overpriced drink the lobby. We're self sufficient people, and I personally find it interesting to live more like a local, staying in a neighborhood and picking up groceries or take out meals at the local shops. Our apartment in Notting Hill has fall was a perfect example - walking a block to the local street market was great fun!

 

[mrsstats]

Good to know I'm not alone. The things I listed above, I truly love about timesharing. However, I know that these are the same exact things that I need to warn or explain about to my friends, who just don't get it. My definition of an ideal vacation is definitely not the same as my friends.

I truly agree with this statement. When we go to Atlantic City for 2 nights, it reminds me of why I love timeshares.

 

[Passepartout]

Timeshare is not the ONLY way we travel. So we go with the flow wherever we are. If there's no daily maid service- we don't mind pulling up the bed. OTOH, on cruises, twice- or more- daily bed making, turn down service with a chocolate on one of the 6 pillows is nice too. Multiple bars/restaurants in walking distance and no driving. Yup, I can deal with that too.

If we TS, and cook in, we team up and do grocery shopping and washing dishes. If we go out, we know how to enjoy that too.

There is no ONE right way to vacation.

In the last year, we've taken 4 cruises, 4 timeshare weeks, several RV trips, a few hotel stays, and a couple of B&Bs. Every one was different. And every one was enjoyable in it's own way. If we want no change, and no part of life to open the envelope just a little further, we would just stay home and have the housekeeper come in a little more often. She'd like it and the dog wouldn't have to go to the boarding kennel.

Jim

 

[ampaholic]

Timeshare is not the ONLY way we travel. So we go with the flow wherever we are. If there's no daily maid service- we don't mind pulling up the bed. OTOH, on cruises, twice- or more- daily bed making, turn down service with a chocolate on one of the 6 pillows is nice too. Multiple bars/restaurants in walking distance and no driving. Yup, I can deal with that too.

If we TS, and cook in, we team up and do grocery shopping and washing dishes. If we go out, we know how to enjoy that too.

There is no ONE right way to vacation.

In the last year, we've taken 4 cruises, 4 timeshare weeks, several RV trips, a few hotel stays, and a couple of B&Bs. Every one was different. And every one was enjoyable in it's own way. If we want no change, and no part of life to open the envelope just a little further, we would just stay home and have the housekeeper come in a little more often. She'd like it and the dog wouldn't have to go to the boarding kennel.

Jim

I agree, vacationing is a lot like cooking: Sometimes you want another chief's best, sometimes you want to make your own gourmet meal and sometimes you just want a quick bowl of chili

 

[pjrose]

I thought of a few more to add to the list:

solid construction (don't want to hear the neighbors' conversations or activities, and please no toddler-races upstairs)

safety - controlled access, visible security guards, and don't have to worry about my kids wandering around the grounds (by age 12 or so)

Not a party atmosphere - not interested in a bunch of noise or drunks.

I don't think anyone added internet or wifi to the list LOL - most of us probably expect and use it, but ideally I wish it weren't there to intrude on my vacation!

 

[geekette]

What a great idea! I will now put one on my pack list for drive to destinations. DH is always juggling the plate with the steaks, the seasonings, BBQ utensils,, water bottle for flare ups, etc. A tray just makes so much sense. Thanks!

PS: why do the simplest things always escape me? LOL!

we use a cooler. on a driving vacation, we always have one.

 

[jlwquilter]

We are at our (nearly) yearly drive to destination for Thanksgiving.

DH used the tray last night and tonight for grilling. Loves it! Asked why it took me so long to come up with this idea (hmm, why didn't HE come up with it I wonder ). I did give credit to my wonderful smart TUG friends

Yes, we travel with a cooler too. Have from the start on that one :whoopie: