i know there's a timeshare thread on this forum but i figured i'll get much more eyeballs by posting it on here.....

anyhow, i'm seriously considering purchasing a timeshare in aruba but just can't understand what the real benefit of it is. what does one get for paying 20-40k upfront for a deed to 1 week /year at the resort? considering average rooms in aruba go for 400/day or 2800/week - it will take 10 years just to recover your costs + annual maintenance fee of 1000.

and from what i understand, timeshares do not appreciate in price over the years - so that kills the investment thesis.

i would appreciate if all who own timeshares, share their thoughts on the pros and cons.

owning a timeshare is not an investment. you will almost certainly lose money. we own 4 weeks at divi village and would not trade it for the world. we have a full kitchen and a great view and get to see the same people every year. we party for all the time we are there and love it. we get to see friends from oregon to ny and just enjoy their company. we have been to most of the caribbean islands and enjoy aruba and divi village the most.

It took us ten years to finally decide to purchase, so I understand your concern. First, you have to buy aftermarket to make it worthwhile. If you are patient, you can buy for a fraction of the list price. So, for the cost of air and a yearly fee, we have a two bedroom, two bath, deeded, oceanfront unit. Amortize over ten or twenty years and you see a significant savings over a smaller, hotel room. We can control some costs because we have a kitchen available. We can bank or trade if desired. We can bring friends or family, as our unit sleeps six. We can rent privately or through the resort if we decide not to travel and recover our fees and a little more.
Depending on how we use our unit, we will recover our purchase price in two to five years. Because we banked this year, we go next year for two weeks while paying only one annual fee. That's a suite in Aruba for less than fifty dollars per night for two couples for 14 days. That alone recovers most of the purchase price, based on the type of resort we usually visit.
It is a difficult decision and you have to know what you expect from a vacation and what you usually spend. For us, it is a guaranteed vacation to Aruba for the cost of a plane ticket and an annual fee.
Good Luck,
Walt

"Vacation is what you make of it, take from it and what you leave behind."

yea i was wondering about time share also.

while we were in aruba last week we ran into two couples that have had a time share at the dutch village for a long time now. they love it. they prefered being locked in a set week. they also said with all the deals out there that it may be better not to buy time share at this point.

we sat through a sales pitch at the divi links i think it was. they had this point system and also allowed you to take a week in a big window. they were also signing you up for rci i think it was which opens you up to like 4000 places you can actually stay at in the states or other islands. and since aruba is at the top of the point system when you buy there you can actually stay at a place that has less points and put your extra points towards plane tickets and an upgraded room. sounded cool but i would have to look into it and find out where the catch is.

i like the potion of going other places if i wanted to. also like th eoption of different weeks because getting the same week off of work every year could be a problem. i just have to learn alot more about them before i could feel comfortable about buying a time share.

i do think if i had a time share i would vacation more. it would almost force me not to put things off and end up having 3 years go buy before i realize it. so i think that would be a positive thing for me and the family.

do not rush to buy, go onto the computer and scroll through the different resale companies to find a timeshare that is in your price range, the dates you prefer and the unit size that suits you. You will find one and at your requirements. I origianlly bought from Divi then bought again through a resale. Amazing cost difference.....A few I have scrolled through are...TIMESHARES ONLY and HOLIDAY TRAVEL.....Good luck...

Aruba, my home away from home !!

Just remember one thing. Them timeshare salesmen and women will tell you whatever they want to so you will buy. You can only believe about half. They make it sound so easy to trade and with RCI, I can NEVER trade into Aruba. I would NEVER join RCI. I called my resort 3 times to see what it would cost to switch to II and they never call me back.

January 23rd 2009, 16th trip to Aruba

Only buy a re-sale. Search for one on the internet. Take your time... Pay half or less than price of a new one.

....with CindyO near California Lighthouse
Next Aruba trip in

We have a Studio and a 1 Bedroom at the Divi Village Golf and Beach club, both same week #34. They sold it to us as a 2 bedroom timeshare. Both are RCI points, but the week is guaranteed if we want it.

Anyway, we are going to be selling our Studio unit very soon after we get back. All we're looking to get is the cost we have outstanding on the loan (around 10K) It's a deeded right, with 38 years remaining after the end of next week.

We'd definitely do it again, but would have only bought the one bedroom. Either way, we'll be ahead after the first 3 years

Definitely only go with a resale. I use sell timeshare for Fairfield (Wyndham ) resorts and points are not a good idea for the buyer. There is no real benefit to you, just to the resort. Also, don't depend on a trade with RCI. If you own Aruba you can go almost anywhere else, but don't expect to get back into Aruba with another timeshare in high season.

As for why to own a timeshare? No matter how much you pay to a hotel, its still 'rent'. You can't get one penny of it back. If you buy a timeshare and after 10 years decide you don't want it anymore, you can get most of what you paid when you sell.

Also, when doing your calculations for $400 a night for 7 nights for 10 years, you didn't take into consideration that the price of the hotel room will continue to rise. Maintenance fees never go up at the same rate as hotel rates.

As for the price you quoted and $1000 for maintenance, you must be looking at the Marriott and there are much better opportunites for timeshare ownership in ARuba that won't cost you nearly as much.

Figure out what size unit you need and if you need help, let me know. macalh@aol.com

yes, i was looking at the surf club. the price for oceanfront gold season is about 40k at list price but someone i know is selling it for 28k. considering how much my wife and i love aruba - we gave it a thought. however, i can't come to terms with the upfront cost of the unit. it seems like a lot of people on this forum own timeshares at the divi - is that any better than the surf club?

i can understand locking in the price of the unit at today's dollar for perpetuity. but, it will take at least 10-15 years to recoup it. after that, i guess it's all good.