In addition to the Mexico resorts, there are 11 other Raintree timeshare resorts located in the western US and Canada. Raintree Vacation Club resorts are located in Las Vegas, Park City, Jackson Hole, Telluride, Birch Bay, Whistler, Palm Springs, Phoenix and Hawaii. In Mexico, their resorts are located in Los Cabos, Vallarta, Cancun and Oaxaca, Zihuatanejo, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco.

For those people that have tropical blood flowing in their veins, you can enjoy the amenities at Kona Reef on the Big Island of Hawaii. Kona Reef is a beachfront timeshare resort featuring 1-bedroom units. This oceanfront property has a private pool, barbeque, and even a pavilion to have your luaus in.

Prefer the fresh air of the mountains and love to ski? You might want to try out the Whiski Jack Resorts in Whistler, British Columbia. Rather than being a single resort where you can vacation, the Whiski Jack comprisess a selection of condominiums located in seventeen different prime locations around Whistler. Not only will you get some of the best skiing slopes in Canada, but you can try out some of the best restaurants as well. With casual dining in an upscale environment and with over 90 different options you are sure to find something for your taste and budget.

These are just a couple of the options to choose from with Raintree Vacation Club. Enjoy Vegas dining, gambling and night life? Raintree’s Polo Towers Resort is one of the few Vegas Strip timeshares and it is very conveniently located across from the Monte Carlo, as well as being a quick walk to MGM, Planet Hollywood and the new City Center complex. I stayed at Polo Towers several years ago and really enjoyed the location, and I believe that they have refurbished since then so it is bound to be even nicer today.

Floor plans range from studio units up to 3 bedroom villas. Each of these is provided with fully equipped kitchens, dining areas, washers, dryers, televisions, stereos, DVD players and more. You can choose between variable or fixed vacation times as well as what sort of accommodations you want. Owners can choose to visit their home resort, or they can exchange to another Silverleaf Resort through the internal exchange program or exchange for non-Silverleaf resorts through RCI’s exchange program.

One of the better advantages of owning a Silverleaf timeshare is the bonus-time program that you can take advantage of as a Silverleaf owner. With this program, you can utilize their amenities on a day use basis, so if you live near one of their resorts you can spend your time there swimming, playing tennis, going horse-back riding, doing a little fishing or boating, or playing golf — for either little or no cost. Naturally, of course, what you can do is dependent on what that particular resort has available. at any of their resorts, and this applies to members of all levels. The bonus-time feature is pretty awesome if you life close enough to a resort to take advantage of it.

Silverleaf Resorts offers two types of resort, which they market a bit differently, Getaways and Destinations. Choose from any of Silverleaf’s Getaway Resorts for less hassle and easier accessibility. These resorts are located 1 to 2 hours from major metropolitan cities and are designed to entice locals into ownership so you can skip all of the expense and trouble of flying, and just load up the car to drive to your destination. I’ve previously suggested that the best timeshares to own are ones that are located within driving distance and Silverleaf certainly understands the advantage. This would also make it easier to take advantage of their bonus time offers. If you happen to live in Texas, you will have probably have lots of opportunity to take advantage of what Silverleaf has to offer as six of their resorts are located there. Silverleaf’s Destination Resorts , on the other hand, are found in popular tourist destinations such as Orlando, Branson and the Berkshires.

Silverleaf Getaway Resorts

• The Pinnacle Lodge, Fraser CO (near Denver and just outside Boulder)
• Apple Mountain Resort, Clarkesville, GA (near Atlanta GA and Blue Ridge Mountains)
• Fox River Resort, Sheridan, IL (only an hour from Chicago)
• Timber Creek Resort , Desoto, MO (near St. Louis)
• Holly Lake Ranch, HOlly Lanke Ranch, TX (near Dallas)
• Lake O’ the Woods, Flint, TX (near Dallas)
• Piney Shores Resort, Conroe, TX (near Houston)
• The Villages, Flint, TX (near Dallas)

Silverleaf Destination Resorts

• Orlando Breeze Resort, Davenport, FL (near Orlando)
• Oak N’ Spruce (South Lee, MA – Berkshires)
• Holiday Hills Resort, Branson MO
• Ozark Mountain Resort, Kimberling City, MO
• Hill Country Resort, Canyon Lake, TX (about midway between San Antonio and Austin)
• Silverleaf’s Seaside Resort, Galveston TX (near Houston)

Silverleaf Resorts Scam?

If you look for information about Silverleaf Resorts online you will see a lot of complaints that Silverleaf is a scam. After having reviewed many of the complaints, my feeling is that the are NOT a scam. However, like many timeshares, their sales tactics can be very high pressure and invasive, which often leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of anyone who feels they were pressured into buying something for too much money. This isn’t at all uncommon with timeshares, which are why there are laws in place to protect the buyer.

If you are reading this article shortly after purchasing a Silverleaf Resort ownership, you may want to take a look at my article on how to cancel timeshare contracts. You will have a short period to rescind the contract, if that is what you want to do.

In the long run, I think the majority of timeshares are too expensive when purchased from the developer, but can often be excellent value if purchased at resale. Just keep in mind that Silverleaf no longers transfers bonus time to resales, so if you can make use of it (A LOT) then you may want to consider buying directly from them. I would carefully weigh the pros and cons however before shelling out any money.

So if you aren’t happy with your timeshare purchase, rescind now and review what they have available at your leisure — then you can decide for yourself whether to purchase directly from the timeshare company or whether you would like to find an owner who is ready to sell. Silverleaf Resorts don’t come up on Ebay as much as I would like (which actually suggest to me that most owners are happy with their ownership), but you can review some of what’s available on Ebay below.

The first timeshare project that Spinnaker developed was in 1983 at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In 1989 they expanded to Beaver Creek, Colorado. The expansion continued in 1998 when they moved into Branson, Missouri, and, finally, in 1999, to Ormond Beach, Florida. New resorts are currently being developed in these states by Spinnaker.

The company branched out even more in 1993, when they created a property management company. This management company was formed expressly to manage property that belongs to Spinnaker. The company was named Southwind Management Corporation. Currently, it manages more than 550 timeshare units. It also runs The Players Club Hotel located on Hilton Head Island.

As you can see from the locations of the Spinnaker developments, they provide timeshares in some of the most popular locations in the United States. Whether your interests include golfing, relaxing and/or swimming on the beach, shopping, enjoying big name music stars or amusement parks, Spinnaker may have a timeshare property that will meet your needs. The resort units appear to be of high quality and many of their resorts offer tennis, pools and and marinas (at Hilton Head).

How The Spinnaker Resorts Timeshare System Works

The Spinnaker Resorts timeshare system is a traditional deeded timeshare.  However, they also offer the owner bonus time program.  Through this program you will be able to receive at least a 50% savings at any resort location as long as you make your reservation 30 days in advance and it isn’t during a holiday.  This will make it easier for you to take an additional vacation, extend a vacation or book more space for your family and friends.

What Some of the Spinnaker Resorts Have To Offer

These timeshares on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina offer a lot of great things to see and do, including:

• The beach where you can walk, run, bike or travel via horseback for several miles across pristine sand.
• Golf can be played on picturesque courses like the renowned Heritage Golf Course.
• Tennis can be played on any type of court you like.
• Beautiful sunsets can be viewed from anywhere around the area.
• Harbour Town has lots of restaurants and shops to enjoy.
• Daytrips can be taken to Charleston SC, Beaufort SC or Savannah GA where great architecture and culinary arts can be indulged in.

Bluewater Resort And Marina

This is one of Spinnaker’s newest resorts with a little of something for everyone.  There is also a private dock with 4 double kayaks and 8 single kayaks.  Here you will find an experience unlike any other Hilton Head timeshare resort can provide.  All of the resort’s units are beautiful and will make you feel right at home. The cottages are great for tranquil, lazy days but if you are feeling energetic, you may enjoy:

• 12 miles of bike paths
• The beach
• Shopping
• Golfing
• Cultural excursions

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RCI has been in business since 1974, providing the points based system and a week-exchange system. It’s a subsidiary of a larger group, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, so there are a huge number of affiliated resorts to pick from. RCI itself stands for Resorts Condominium International, though most people just refer to it as RCI.

With larger timeshare groups, you have to make sure to register early, and double check your reservations. There has been a history of complaints of problems reserving places to stay, and sometimes reservations can be dropped without warning. Just make sure to check early and check often as your vacation date nears to make sure your name is still there.

There are a lot of places online offering points for many RCI Travel locations. Ebay has many auctions for RCI points at different resorts. If you’re looking to buy points, pay attention to where the place is, because while you can apply your points towards any vacation location, sometimes the points have been applied towards one resort, and you’ll be forced to pay a fee to transfer them to another resort.

Luckily, the fee to transfer is limited, so you never have to pay too much to switch between locations. RCI has one of the largest networks of places to go, too. There’s a couple hundred at least on every continent, and it includes several in the Middle East as well. Just make sure to check with the hotel you plan to visit about any limitations or precautions they advice before you leave.

As I had mentioned earlier, RCI travel has had a few complaints about their cancellation policy and transferring of locations. People have reported that their policy of dropping reservations can be done without notice, and often the money spent is not refunded unless you call into them and ask for it. So always make sure to always check your contract when you sign it. If you’re getting a good deal, and don’t mind the possibility of a little hassle in the future, they’ve got a great variety of resorts.

Because RCI Travel is a large timeshare company, one of the largest in the world, you may have trouble booking around the time you’d wish to go. The favored locations will go quick, and you can always sell back points early enough if you’re not going to use the points towards any other locations.

RCI offers many, many different resorts to choose from, and you’ll never have to go to the same place twice if you don’t want to, which is a huge plus for people who like to take a new vacation every year or couple years. Just make sure you know what you’re getting into when you sign a contract for a condo or timeshare.

Vacation Internationale has been in business for over 35 years, and was one of the first timeshare companies to offer a points-based system. You can go to anywhere you’d like among their network of resorts, you just pay out the points and choose where you want to go. If you always have trouble finding where you’d like to go for a vacation and you don’t like to return to the same resort year after year, VI can be a great choice for you.

Points-based systems, like Vacation International’s, can be a blessing and a curse. You purchase how many points you would like to have, and then you spend them where you would like to go. It’s great if you want to be able to move between different resorts, but the more popular resorts with all the amenities will cost more of those points. But, if you don’t see the points as a drawback, Vacational Internationale is a good choice.

When you buy into VI’s timeshares, you can choose between Right To Use and deeded. While you’ll save some money with the right to use, up to several thousand a year assuming you financed, you don’t own the property and when the contract ends, you can’t sell it off to get some money back. On the other hand, we all know how difficult it can be to sell a timeshare and since they are never worth that much on the resale market, the Right to Use option may really be your best bet. If you think your beneficiaries won’t want to be saddled with a timeshare after you die, just buy a Right to Use timeshare and eventually you won’t have to worry about the hassle of selling or inheriting.

The Pines at Sun River, Oregon

Vacational Internationale offers some nicer resorts, but none of them are particularly fancy or upscale (at least as far as I’ve seen). If you plan on staying in one of their more popular resorts in Hawaii or Mexico, the points cost can be steeper. A one week stay will run 105 points, which is not too bad, but if you’re looking at a couple trips, than you’ll have to go to one of the less common destinations like the Oregon coast or the Northeast.
Even with how big VI is, their resorts are nice and clean. The Mexico destinations are safe and clean, which is a huge plus if you’re travelling alone or with younger members of your family. All the places were kept pretty secure, as well.

If you want to buy a Vacation Internationale membership, Ebay is a great place to start. The resale market for VI Resorts has dropped considerably and you can get amazing deals if you wait patiently for just the right timeshare auction on Ebay. It is mostly the Right to Use contracts that become available, but as I mentioned previously, this may be just the right way to go for you. Many of the sales are well below $1000 for closing bids. But just remember your total cost may include closing and transfer fees.

Keep in mind that some of the contracts are offered for every two years, also known as EOY (for Every other year). Meaning you get your full allotment of points every other year. This can be a good way to save money if you travel less frequently, but you will want to keep it in mind when you look at resale options, so you know exactly what you are getting.

The Sunterra club vacation points have been reformatted by Diamond Resorts International. Former Sunterra members can still use their points through the Diamond Club, which offers travelers a chance to own part of a resort. The point system allows members to select accommodations that suit their personal preferences. The rooms range from basic accommodation to three bedroom suites. Timeshare owners are allowed to bring their children along, especially to destinations such as Disney World.The rewards can be used as “currency” for purchasing airline tickets, accommodation, and maintenance fees.

Over one million guests stay at these resorts every year. Diamond Resorts and its subsidiaries, such as Sunterra, have over 5,500 employees working at 160 resorts. The points can be exchanged to give owners flexibility with their vacation choices. The company and its affiliates give members a chance to participate in airline mileage programs, go on cultural excursions, own villas, and so forth.

Members can take a vacation in just about any country, including the US, Mexico, Scotland, the Caribbean, France, Germany, Ireland, Canary Islands, and more. Some of the resorts are located in popular tourist spots while others are located in quiet, isolated areas. There are a variety of options for travelers; they can: spend a romantic honeymoon in Hawaii, spend some quiet time in an Irish cottage, enjoy the Vegas nightlife, spend a family vacation at Disney World, explore the Swiss Alps, etc.

One of the most popular resorts is the Ka’anapali Beach Club in Maui. It is centered around a pool complex with waterfalls, rock gardens, a spa tub, and slides. In addition to relaxing in the sun, guests can spend time at the resort’s facilities as well, including the beauty salon, spa, gift shop, snack bars, and so forth. The hotel has one and two bedroom suites, all consisting of general amenities, disabled access amenities, a bathroom, and partial kitchen.

The Polo Towers in Las Vegas is one of the most famous timeshare resorts. Located on the Vegas Strip, this resort has numerous villas and suites, both of which have one bedroom and two bedroom units. Polo Towers is situated in the center of the city, near all the attractions, casinos, shops, restaurants, and spas. This is an ideal choice for members who are seeking thrills and excitement.

There are plenty of international resorts located throughout the Caribbean Islands and Europe. Sunterra Timeshares makes international travel more affordable. Whether travelers want to explore the Scottish Highlands or go snorkeling in St. Maarten, they have a variety of options. All the resorts, cottages, and villas are located in areas with beautiful scenery. Diamond Resorts Owners can enjoy local activities or spend their days lounging around the resort. All vacation properties offer amenities to suit every type of traveler – honeymooners, kids, disabled guests, adventure-seekers, seniors, and so forth.

The company has seen a yearly growth average of 20% over the past ten years. It has a significant number of returning customers and loyal owners. The luxury resorts are available to anyone – not just owners. Guests can take advantage of timeshare rentals without ownership. Westgate has a Right of First Refusal policy for whenever a seller wishes to sell his or her timeshare to a third party buyer. This company has the right to refuse the buyer and can buy the timeshare back itself at a specified price.

The resorts are located in popular locations, including Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Branson, Gatlinburg, Las Vegas, etc. Timeshare owners can visit Disney World, explore the Smokey Mountains, gamble in Vegas, relax on the beach, or enjoy a number of other activities throughout the United States. There is also an option to exchange resort vacation time for a cruise. This offer is available for members with ICE Platinum Rewards.

A lot of owners choose to take advantage of the exchange opportunities. The company offers flexible options for those who want to exchange their timeshare of one resort for a vacation at another resort. For instance, if a member who owns a week’s worth of vacation time in Orlando would rather go to Vegas, he or she can make an exchange with a Vegas timeshare owner.

All the resorts offer a variety of accommodations, ranging from comfortable, one-bedroom units to full-service presidential suites. One of the most popular vacation locations is Orlando. There are dozens of villas located throughout central Florida, some of which are in Kissimmee, right outside of Disney World’s entrance. The Westgate properties have plenty of amenities, including heated swimming pools, fitness centers, gift shops, attraction tickets desks, and more. Each individual villa unit has a living room, kitchen, washer and dryer, wireless internet access, etc.

Another popular destination is Las Vegas. There are two properties for members to choose from: Westgate Flamingo Bay and PH Towers. Flamingo Bay is located three miles from the Strip, and offers plenty of outdoor and indoor amenities. PH Towers is one of the largest timeshare properties in the world. It is fully integrated with a major casino on East Harmon Avenue. Flamingo Bay is an ideal choice for those who are seeking a quiet, relaxing vacation, and PH Towers is ideal for those who prefer luxury.

The Myrtle Beach Resort and Spa is the perfect place for a beach vacation. Guests can relax next to the pool or enjoy themselves at the Recreational Center. Owners of Westgate Timeshare can participate in plenty of activities in Myrtle Beach. The company offers an activity guide just for members. Other resorts around the country also participate in regular events, such as spa treatments, contests, games, tournaments, shell hunts, and workshops.

Resources: Official Westgate Website

Monarch is a great choice if you like to vacation mainly in California — with resorts located in Tahoe, Palm Springs and Capistrano Beach, as an owner you would get to experience three very different California environment since this is a points-based timeshare program. With only nine resorts, Monarch is basically a mini-system compared to programs like Wyndham or Worldmark, but if you love their locations, then purchasing a contract on the timeshare resale market is an excellent buy.

Just be aware though, that if you decide to buy resale, you want to keep an eye on what exactly you are getting. Some Monarch sales will be for deeded properties, and for those the points can only be used at the home resort. To maximize use of Monarch Grand Vacations resorts, you’ll want to make sure to buy a non-deeded resale, so you can use your MGV points at any resort on their mini-system.

One other thing to think about if you are looking at buying Monarch Grand points are the maintenance fees. While California timeshares, particularly beach resorts, tend to have higher than average maintenance fees regardless of brand, Monarch Grand Vacations maintenance fees can seem somewhat out of line considering the quality of the resorts. Their resorts are nice, but not exactly the Marriott.

Are you going to buy Monarch points on Ebay? Then you’ll also want to look out for sellers who want to gouge you with closing fees. Since most Monarch sales will not be for deeded property, there’s no need for overinflated closing fees. You should expect to pay about $200 or maybe a bit more. I would skip any auctions where the closing fees for buying Monarch Grand Vacations is over $400.

Be sure to buy enough points. If you want to stay in a one bedroom unit every year, 266 points will get you what you need. Monarch charges for combining contracts (a whopping $300) so make sure you buy the points you need the first time and you’ll save some money further down the line.

There are many 72 point resales of MGV points available on Ebay and I don’t recommend any of them as a deal — you really need at least 133 points to book a week at any of their resorts. I don’t even know why such smaller points packages are sold. Of course, you don’t have to stay a week if you don’t want to. One nice thing about Monarch is that you can book for any length of stay, so if you only have time to get away for a weekend, you can just book a couple of nights.

And a few final things to keep in mind. MGV points are issued for two years, so your points allocation is good for 24 months. So if you buy 266 points, that can get you two 133 point reservations over two years. It’s up to you how you use them though — so take two vacations this year, or one vacation this year and next. If you don’t use your points however, it will be important that you deposit them for exchange (Monarch is affiliated with Interval International, which is awesome) because you cannot bank or borrow points.

Access to StarOptions is limited on the resale market to a smaller number of resorts. So if you are looking to use the StarOptions program then you will want to look to buy a resale at one of the following Starwood destinations:

1. Vistana Villages in Orlando
2. Harborside Resort , Atlantis – Bahamas
3. Westin Resort St. John – Virgin Islands
4. Westin Resorts at Ka’anapali Ka’anapali-North in Hawaii
5. Kierlan Villas at the Westin Resort in Scottsdale

Of course, if none of these destinations fit your vacation plans, there are plenty of other resorts available and while you won’t be able to use StarOptions, you’ll still have lots of exchange flexibility with Interval International or RCI, depending on each resort’s particular affiliate, so pick the right Starwood timeshare based on your needs and you’ll find a great bargain!

The Royal Holiday Clubs points membership is probably the most well known among timeshare buyers as it allows you almost unheard of access to great urban locations such as New York City, San Francisco, London and Paris, due to RHC’s on-going relationships with privately owned timeshare resorts and hotels. So in addition to resorts that are directly owned by Royal Holiday Club, as a points membership owner, you have access to all kinds of resorts. This could potentially be a great savings on exchange fees since you won’t have to stay outside the RHC system.  As a fixed week member, you also have access to the wider availability of RHC resorts too.

One thing that you will want to keep in mind is that if you buy Royal Holiday Club directly from them and then decide you want to follow through with timeshare contract cancellation, the laws applicable are those of Mexico. Mexican law provides five days to cancel a timeshare contract.

One other thing to note as well is that Royal Holiday Club, like all Mexican based timeshares, is a right-to-use membership. This means that your membership will eventually expire (depending on what use year you buy) and you will no longer be paying maintenance fees or be eligible to continue using points. Most of the contracts I’ve seen on Ebay expire sometime after 2020, but you want to verify any contract details before purchasing.