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Marriott Aruba Surf Club

Goaltender

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Owner of DP purchased last year in St. Thomas before I found TUG, UGH! Stayed last month at Marriott Aruba Ocean Club, again before reading about Hell week, but still had a great time. Went to another presentation and was offered a Platinum week @ Surf Club for $40K that can be converted to 4075 DP points. Wife is a beach person and really enjoys Aruba and prefers an Ocean View which is what was offered. My question is what if we were to purchase an OV Platinum week at the Surf Club resale, what is a reasonable price to expect and what are the closing costs? I see weeks on Redweek between $15K-$40K for Platinum and higher for PP weeks. I've inquired on a few and been told my closing costs including Marriott fees would only be $500! That seems low to me. Also, I was looking at a "deeded" week but also reading this group I'm seeing that Aruba is only RTU. A broker told me that the RTU will automatically be renewed in 2061 unless the government pays the developer FMV and that purchase would be split amount the owners. TIA for all advice.
 

infamazz

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Many others can give you an in-depth cost-benefit analysis of direct purchase vs. resale of weeks and DPs. I can just say that, if you intend on returning to Aruba every year, a resale week would be the best course of action. If you want an Ocean View at the Surf Club, do not pay more than $12-$13K. Ocean Club would probably command a bit higher prices due to the fact that there are less units, but I can't imagine it being more than $15K. When you buy resale, $500 closing costs sounds about right as well. I'll leave it to others to answer more detailed questions.
 

Goaltender

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Many others can give you an in-depth cost-benefit analysis of direct purchase vs. resale of weeks and DPs. I can just say that, if you intend on returning to Aruba every year, a resale week would be the best course of action. If you want an Ocean View at the Surf Club, do not pay more than $12-$13K. Ocean Club would probably command a bit higher prices due to the fact that there are less units, but I can't imagine it being more than $15K. When you buy resale, $500 closing costs sounds about right as well. I'll leave it to others to answer more detailed questions.
Thank you!
 

coachBoris

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Marriott Aruba Surf Club
Owner of DP purchased last year in St. Thomas before I found TUG, UGH! Stayed last month at Marriott Aruba Ocean Club, again before reading about Hell week, but still had a great time. Went to another presentation and was offered a Platinum week @ Surf Club for $40K that can be converted to 4075 DP points. Wife is a beach person and really enjoys Aruba and prefers an Ocean View which is what was offered. My question is what if we were to purchase an OV Platinum week at the Surf Club resale, what is a reasonable price to expect and what are the closing costs? I see weeks on Redweek between $15K-$40K for Platinum and higher for PP weeks. I've inquired on a few and been told my closing costs including Marriott fees would only be $500! That seems low to me. Also, I was looking at a "deeded" week but also reading this group I'm seeing that Aruba is only RTU. A broker told me that the RTU will automatically be renewed in 2061 unless the government pays the developer FMV and that purchase would be split amount the owners. TIA for all advice.
Don't know if you have purchased at the Aruba Surf Club yet, I just got the waiver of ROFR back on a 2BR Gold OS for 4400.00.
 

Theiggy

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Don't know if you have purchased at the Aruba Surf Club yet, I just got the waiver of ROFR back on a 2BR Gold OS for 4400.00.

Ooh that’s a great price for ocean side! Love the lighthouse tower!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

coachBoris

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Ooh that’s a great price for ocean side! Love the lighthouse tower!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We were there this past May with friends that own there and had a blast! We wanted to buy OS because we like the Lighthouse tower. We own two HGVClub properties, this is our first Marriott.
 

Theiggy

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We were there this past May with friends that own there and had a blast! We wanted to buy OS because we like the Lighthouse tower. We own two HGVClub properties, this is our first Marriott.

You will love it! All but the maint fees :). How did you find this one if you don’t mind me asking?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

coachBoris

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You will love it! All but the maint fees :). How did you find this one if you don’t mind me asking?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, thought about the maint fees but with the purchase price for the 2BR OS break even in 2 years. We used points to stay in a 1BR last May. To stay next May for 7 day stay in a 1BR costs 2835.00 AAA rate. So about 1000.00 more than maint fees.

We found this on TUG for sale, asking 6500.00 but took the 4400.00 I offer, they waited about 3 weeks to respond. I saw a 2BR OS listed on Redweek for 4250.00 today but of course I am already under contract. If this was listed sooner I would have offered 3400.00 but not sure it would pass Marriott ROFR. https://www.redweek.com/posting/R783090
 

m61376

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My favorite place. Enjoy!!

And I agree, btw- love the Lighthouse tower. We own a Plat OS week and a Hold week in the Compass tower (that's a 3BR so only on Compass tower). O love the 3 BE but prefer the Lighthouse tower for convenience to the beach,
 

coachBoris

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Great price! Out of curiosity did you happen to get 2018 usage?
No, usage starts in 2019; same with maint fees. We were not going to use this year anyway as we just returned from Aruba in May.
 

coachBoris

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My favorite place. Enjoy!!

And I agree, btw- love the Lighthouse tower. We own a Plat OS week and a Hold week in the Compass tower (that's a 3BR so only on Compass tower). O love the 3 BE but prefer the Lighthouse tower for convenience to the beach,
Yeah, that's why we offered on the OS, saw a OV for 2900.00 but realized it would cost more in the long run to trade through II each time to get the Lighthouse Tower. We have friends that own an OS and the convenience to the beach, unloading groceries at the underground parking area near the LH check in area. So we are happy with the 4400.00 for the OS.
 

LUVourMarriotts

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Question for you all: Can a resale week at Surf Club automatically be used as points, or is there some additional fee that I would have to pay Marriott? I'm talking about a 3rd party resale week. So, is a Surf Club week automatically part of the points program, or does Marriott still charge per BI to get use of the points that week offers? Thank you.
 

Fasttr

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Question for you all: Can a resale week at Surf Club automatically be used as points, or is there some additional fee that I would have to pay Marriott? I'm talking about a 3rd party resale week. So, is a Surf Club week automatically part of the points program, or does Marriott still charge per BI to get use of the points that week offers? Thank you.
Is this a newly acquired resale week from the 3rd party resale market? If so, there is no "normal" process to enroll that in the points program. That said, in each of the past few summers, they have offered a limited time promotion to enroll previously non enrollable weeks with the purchase of 3000 Trust points, which would run you around $33-35K.
 

JIMinNC

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Question for you all: Can a resale week at Surf Club automatically be used as points, or is there some additional fee that I would have to pay Marriott? I'm talking about a 3rd party resale week. So, is a Surf Club week automatically part of the points program, or does Marriott still charge per BI to get use of the points that week offers? Thank you.

The short answer is no. A third party resale Aruba week cannot normally participate in Points. On the other hand, based on posts like the OP in this thread, Aruba weeks purchased direct from Marriott are usually eligible for points enrollment, but those are priced like developer weeks - very high.

A third party resale Aruba week would be like any other third party resale. It is ineligible for points, except during the limited-time promotions that Fasttr mentioned above. But those require you to buy 3000 Trust points.

The per Beneficial Interest fees you mentioned in your question apply only to resale Trust points, not resale weeks.
 

jdg0928

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If you want an Ocean View at the Surf Club, do not pay more than $12-$13K.

Paid $3,950 for a 2BR OV in January 2018 which included 2018 use -- I'm sitting in the unit now! Fees were $250 for closing and another $100 for transfer for a total cost of $4,300.
 

Happy Days

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Hello. are all the 2 bedrooms in Aruba Surf Club Lock Off or are some regular 2 bedrooms? Thanks
 

jdg0928

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I've not been in the Lighthouse building, but I'm pretty confident it's the same layout as Compass and Spyglass. If so, all of the 2BR are lockoffs. The only ones which I'm not very sure about would be Oceanfront.
 

m61376

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Paid $3,950 for a 2BR OV in January 2018 which included 2018 use -- I'm sitting in the unit now! Fees were $250 for closing and another $100 for transfer for a total cost of $4,300.
That's the going resaled price for a Gold season week, not Platunum season..
 

m61376

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I've not been in the Lighthouse building, but I'm pretty confident it's the same layout as Compass and Spyglass. If so, all of the 2BR are lockoffs. The only ones which I'm not very sure about would be Oceanfront.
All units are lock-offs- the 2 BR's lock off to a 1BR and studio, and the 3 BR's to a 2 BR and very large studio. Those studios are the only island view units.
 

jdg0928

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That's the going resaled price for a Gold season week, not Platunum season..

Sorry if I missed the season designation. You are correct about that price being for a Gold week. I'll blame it on being relaxed and in vacation mode!

In your following post, you mention "island view units." I'm just wondering what you mean by that. I've never seen any of the rooms in that building, other than looking up from the lazy river ;)
 

m61376

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Sorry if I missed the season designation. You are correct about that price being for a Gold week. I'll blame it on being relaxed and in vacation mode!

In your following post, you mention "island view units." I'm just wondering what you mean by that. I've never seen any of the rooms in that building, other than looking up from the lazy river ;)
All the 2BR units are OF, OS, OV or GV. However, the 3 BR units are classified as partial OV, because the 2BR master portion is OV but the studio lock-out is island view. Those are the units in the front of the building as you pull up. Higher floors have gorgeous views across the island to the ocean on the other side. They are much larger than the 2BR lock-out; almost double in size.
 

jdg0928

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All the 2BR units are OF, OS, OV or GV. However, the 3 BR units are classified as partial OV, because the 2BR master portion is OV but the studio lock-out is island view. Those are the units in the front of the building as you pull up. Higher floors have gorgeous views across the island to the ocean on the other side. They are much larger than the 2BR lock-out; almost double in size.

Ah, got it. I thought the 3BR were all at the end of Compass, as you mention, but I could never figure out the layout. We've only stayed in that building once, and it was years ago. The larger size makes sense with the connection to the rooms on the north and south side of that building. I meant to ask at the front desk when we were there but forgot. Thanks for the info!
 

Happy Days

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update: i took the information and advice provided here and successfully purchased a 2 bedroom at Aruba Surf Club. I booked a week in October and I can't wait to go there and actually see what it is I purchased. Thanks again everybody for helping me understand how timeshare resales work. I probably would not have proceeded without the advice given here.

So "danki pasa bon dia" to you :)
 
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