Author: Staff Contributor

Yesterday our timeshare blog announced the release of the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 list, revealing the top 100 properties to receive offers to buy timeshare or rent timeshare in 2007. For properties on the HOT 100 list, there were over 48,000 offers to buy or rent placed last year alone.

While we noted that Hawaii timeshares claimed 4 of the top 10 spots on the HOT 100 list, I didn’t go into detail about how strongly Hawaii dominates the top of the list.

Hawaii timeshares start with the HOT 100’s number one property, WorldMark by Wyndham, multi-destination resorts because four of WorldMark by Wyndham’s 60+ timeshare resorts are in Hawaii. There is the: WorldMark by Wyndham Kapaa Shore timeshare resort; the WorldMark by Wyndham Valley Isle in Lahaina timeshare resort; the WorldMark by Wyndham Kihei timeshare resort; and the WorldMark by Wyndham Kona in Kailua-Kona timeshare resort.

As I mentioned in our timeshare blog yesterday, Hawaii timeshares also claimed second place on the list with the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas; fifth place with Diamond Resorts Ka’anapali Beach Club; sixth with Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club timeshares; and tenth with the Ko Olina Beach Club timeshares.

But Hawaii timeshares accounts for over 27 percent all timeshare resorts among the top 33 properties on the list. The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North timeshares, ranked 21; the Sands of Kahana Vacation Club timeshares, was number 24; Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village was number 29; and Marriott’s OceanWatch Villas timeshares ranked number 33.

Why Hawaii Timeshare?

America’s fiftieth state may be small, but in terms of what you get for your vacation dollar, it packs a punch. A Hawaii timeshare vacation means you can enjoy your choice of tropical forests, mountains, beautiful beaches, a cosmopolitan (Hawaii-style) nightlife, or a chance to explore a fascinating culture.

The diverse islands of Hawaii cater to honeymooners, surfers, retirees, family vacations, and everyone seeking the peaceful, laidback style of the islands.

While many of the first timeshares in the US were built in Hawaii, it has never lost its place as a top demand timeshare vacation destination. But let’s face it, Hawaii is one of the more expensive places to live or to visit on holiday because it is a small cluster of beautiful but relatively isolated islands, where most goods must be imported. When you add to that the fact that limited geographic area keeps land values for development very high, the cost of that fabulous Hawaii vacation can be pricey.

While you can’t cut costs by driving there instead of flying or going by cruise ship, you can take advantage of Hawaii timeshare resales to help you control two other vacation costs – meals and accommodations. The kitchen and dining areas found in most timeshares will let you choose to eat in as much as you like and save your restaurant dining for those special luaus. And when you buy Hawaii timeshare resales, you lock the price of your Hawaii vacation lodging in for as long as you own your timeshare. When you do get ready to resell Hawaii timeshare, you can do so with confidence, using indicators like the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 list to affirm that there is a strong and consistent market for Hawaii timeshare resales.

Follow this link to read the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 press release about Hawaii timeshare.

Sell My Timeshare NOW has just released its HOT 100 list featuring the timeshare resales and timeshare rentals that received the most offers to buy through our company in 2007 – more than 48,000 offers to buy timeshare or rent timeshare on properties at these 100 resorts alone!

Some interesting trends are evidenced in the list, including just how stable the top ten properties have been over the past year. The 8 timeshare resorts that top the list this year, all made the top 10 last year. Noteworthy is the jump WorldMark by Wyndham, multi-destination timeshare made from seventh on the previous list, to claim the top spot at number one for this year.

Two other trends are also shown. First, Hawaii timeshares claimed four places among the top ten: Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas in second place on the list; Diamond Resorts Ka’anapali Beach Club in fifth place; Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club timeshares in sixth; and the Ko Olina Beach Club timeshares, new to the top ten list this year, claiming the tenth spot. WorldMark by Wyndham’s multi-destination timeshare locations includes 4 resorts in Hawaii: Kapaa Shore; Valley Isle in Lahaina; Kihei; and Kona in Kailua-Kona.

The other trend that the HOT 100 list reveals is that Marriott is clearly a favorite timeshare brand, with Maui Ocean Club, Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, Newport Coast Villas, and Ko Olina Beach Club and all making the top ten list.

HOT 100 Timeshare List

The complete top ten list is shown below. You can view the full report, Sell My Timeshare NOW’s HOT 100, by clicking this link.

1. WorldMark by Wyndham, (Multi-Destination)
2. Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Maui, Hawaii U.S.A.
3. Orange Lake’s West Village, Orlando, Florida U.S.A.
4. Marriott Timeshare’s Aruba Surf Club, Palm Beach, Aruba
5. Diamond Resorts Ka’anapali Beach Club, Maui, Hawaii U.S.A.
6. Marriott Timeshare’s Maui Ocean Club, Maui, Hawaii U.S.A.
7. Marriott Timeshare’s Newport Coast Villas, Newport Coast, California U.S.A.
8. Harborside Resort at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
9. Manhattan Club, New York, New York U.S.A.
10. Marriott Timeshare’s Ko Olina Beach Club, Oahu, Hawaii U.S.A.

Click this link to read Sell My Timeshare NOW’s press release about the HOT 100

Thinking about a trip to Florida? Many Central Florida tourist attractions are offering special prices, discount coupons, and other incentives to help vacationers offset the cost of travel this year.

For timeshare owners, or vacationers who want to take advantage of timeshare rentals, Orlando offers more timeshare resorts than anywhere in the world. Since our timeshare blog often writes about the brand name properties, (Hilton timeshare, Marriott timeshare, Disney Vacation Club, etc.) I thought I would share with you some information on a timeshare property you may not be familiar with, but that is consistently a popular destination.

Vacation at Calypso Cay Timeshare Resort

Calypso Cay Vacation Villas timeshare resort is located in Kissimmee, Florida, which means it is just south of Orlando and only 7 miles from the Walt Disney World theme parks. This timeshare resort is within minutes of Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and all the other Central Florida attractions you and your family enjoy. If you plan beach time in addition to relaxing by the pool, you’ll be roughly an hour from the Atlantic beaches and only slightly over an hour to the Gulf of Mexico.

True to its name, the design and furnishings of the Calypso Cay timeshare resort reflect the balmy breezes and sun-soaked feel of a lazy Florida afternoon. Calypso Cay offers one, two, and three-bedroom timeshare units, themed in cheerful, island decor. There are laundry facilities on property, entertainment centers in each timeshare unit, and an in-suite web access portal, making it easy for you to book travel arrangements online, plan details of your daily outings, or simply surf the Internet.

While the location of Calypso Cay Vacation Villas is convenient to all you want to do and explore, you may find yourself satisfied to never leave this timeshare resort. You can enjoy the pool and Tiki bar, nightly entertainment at the bandstand, or play mini golf at the resort’s own putt-putt course.

Calypso Cay was designed to be an island retreat in the heart of this family vacation destination. The opportunities available in Calypso Cay timeshare resales and Calypso Cay timeshare rentals will amaze you. Contact Sell My Timeshare NOW to learn more, and then pack your flip-flops and your straw hat, because a Calypso Cay vacation is waiting for you.

While tourism may be taking a hit in some parts of the US, Central Florida (the Orlando-Kissimmee vacation area) saw a 3.4 percent increase in tourism in the first four months of 2008, over the same period last year. So for everyone who plans on enjoying a holiday in Orlando or an Orlando timeshare vacation, here’s an important word of caution.

Residents of Orlando (and other similar high-tourism destinations) know that restaurants, gas stations, and other goods and services often are priced higher, the closer you get to the tourist attractions. Gas has always been a few pennies higher near the theme parks in Orlando than it is in other parts of the town. And for the small difference, it rarely made sense for timeshare owners or other vacationers to drive the extra miles to fill up their tank with the more competitively priced fuel they could buy at stations further away from the tourist centers. But with the price of gasoline soaring, sadly some proprietors of gas stations in Orlando have decided to hit their customers where it hurts, with a double whammy.

This Could End Your Timeshare Vacation on a Sour Note

A few gas stations near the Orlando International Airport are taking the painfully high $3.65 a gallon (a price that will probably be even higher by the time you read this) current rate for gas in Central Florida, and hiking it up to over $5.00 a gallon. According to WFTV News, Suncoast Energy near Orlando International Airport, for example, is charging $5.19 a gallon for premium gas. If you have a 15-gallon tank on your vehicle it would cost almost $78 to fill up at that price and over $93 for a full tank in a car with an 18-gallon tank.

The owners of Suncoast Energy and other stations that are charging the high prices realize that people coming back from timeshare vacations and other holidays, who need to return a rental car before they rush off to the airport, usually need to refill the tank in order to return the car “full”. After zipping out to the airport on the toll road, planning to fill up the tank, turn in the car, and rush off to catch a flight, vacationers find themselves trapped, with little choice but to pump gas into the rental car at the tune of $75 to $100 to fill an empty tank.

It’s greedy on the part of these gas station owners, but it isn’t illegal. Let’s hope that local and state governments are able to stop this kind of price gouging. Let’s also hope that our federal officials come up with ways to help get the price of gas down for all of us.

Until then, be wary. Don’t let your Orlando timeshare vacation end on a sour note.