The Timeshare Authority blog has been tweeting, twittering, and blogging about the HOT 100 List of timeshare resales and timeshare rentals for nearly two months. We’ve worked our way up through the HOTTEST 10 timeshares on the list and now we are finally down to the timeshare resorts that ranked number one and number two on the HOT List.

Coming in as the number 2 timeshare of the 100 properties ranked is Harborside Resort At Atlantis on Paradise Island, in the Bahamas. This Caribbean timeshare resort is known as one of the most amazing properties anywhere in the world and it is no surprise that it makes the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT List year after year.

Harborside Resort At Atlantis Timeshare is part of the Starwood Vacation Network and is one of six properties that make up the Atlantis resort Paradise Island complex. When you vacation at Harborside Resort At Atlantis, you have complementary access to all of the facilities and attractions, including the six-story Mayan Temple water slide that drops you—where else—but seemingly into a pool of live sharks.

Whether you choose to swim with the dolphins, snorkel with the marine life, test your luck at the casinos, or indulge yourself at the spa, there is practically nothing you can imagine in a Caribbean timeshare vacation that isn’t available in grand scale at Harborside Resort At Atlantis.

The Number 1 Timeshare on Everyone’s List

Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club is located on the sparkly white sands of Palm Beach, Aruba, looking out at the beautiful Caribbean Sea. This popular Marriott timeshare affords timeshare owners and timeshare guests access to the on-site Stellaris Casino and the Aruba Marriott Resort, as well as the Mandara Spa, waterfall pool and Las Vegas-style entertainment.

With your choice of one, two, or three-bedroom timeshare units, all with separate living and dining areas, plus fully equipped kitchens, Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club is a fantasy destination for family vacations, honeymoons, or just that special escape you’ve been promising yourself. Best of all as a Marriott timeshare owner, the Aruba Surf Club doesn’t have to be a once in a lifetime event; instead you can choose to vacation here year after year, taking advantage of the quality and dependability that is recognized in Marriott timeshare.

As August rolls in, many people see this month as their last opportunity to take a “summer vacation.” August also means that it’s time for The Timeshare Authority to post the last updates on the 2010 HOT 100 List of timeshare resales and timeshare rentals. Remember, these timeshares received the greatest number of offers to buy or rent at Sell My Timeshare NOW. They are the “HOTTEST” timeshares on the consumer list to purchase or rent on the secondary market.

Orange Lake’s West Village Timeshare, a Popular Orlando Timeshare

Ranking as number 5 on the HOTTEST 10 list is Orange Lake’s West Village, an Orlando, Florida timeshare resort. Providing you easy access to all the amenities at Orange Lake, West Village timeshare units are the most centrally located at the resort. You’ll be nearby the Disney Planning Center, the RCI timeshare exchange desk, the Connections Business Center & Internet Cafe, (all located in the West Village Clubhouse) as well as close to the Gary McCord Golf Academy, the movie theater, game arcade, and the resort’s pools and hub of water sports.

Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas Timeshare, in Demand in Maui

The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas is one of two Hawaii timeshares to make the top five on the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOTTEST 10 list. Located on a pristine stretch of north Ka’anapali Beach in Lahaina, Maui, this beautiful Hawaii timeshare resort has an all-villa design, with each unit including luxurious jetted spa tubs and fully equipped kitchens complete with marble countertops. From the beautiful beach to the lagoon pools, the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas promise you an elegant island holiday at the property ranked number 4 on the list of the HOTTEST 10 timeshares.

Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club Timeshare in Oahu, Hawaii

Coming in as number 3 on the list is Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club, located in Oahu, Hawaii. Outstanding Marriot timeshares have dominated the HOTTEST 10 List again this year, and the Ko Olina Beach Club is no exception, from the lush tropical foliage, to the coral reefs, to the 18-hole championship golf course. Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club is only thirty minutes from the shopping and entertainment of Honolulu, but tucked in a tropical hideaway, it is worlds apart from the demands of daily life.

And although these three hot timeshare properties all offer you endless reasons to finally get around to that vacation you have been promising yourself, don’t decide just yet, because tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority blog will look at the timeshare resorts that made the list as number 1 and 2!

When the Travel Promotion Act was signed by President Obama in March of this year, the media focused a great deal of attention on what it could mean for hotels, airlines, theme parks, all of the travel-related industries, and even timeshare resorts. Often overlooked in the discussion were campgrounds and RV parks, which include timeshare campgrounds, and what an important boost this would could be for these facilities.

Following the passage of the bill, the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds projected that US campgrounds and RV parks should see and additional 50,000 campers this summer. If this proves accurate—and stats are already showing record numbers visiting the nation’s National Parks—then the increase will translate to more than $14 million in revenue for lodging, plus another $30 million that will filter down to related businesses.

Did You Know there are RV and Campground Timeshares?

Many vacationers, even timeshare owners and frequent campers, are surprised to learn that RV Park timeshares exist and that they can also be purchased on the secondary market as campground timeshare resales. If this is a new or interesting idea to you, you may want to peruse ads for campground resales, where you will find a diversity of accommodations from tent and trailer sites, to rustic cabins, and stationary mobile homes, located in serene and peaceful destinations nationwide.

This past week, Vice President Biden visited Yellowstone National Park, while President Obama and his family vacationed at Maine’s beautiful Acadia National Park. While Biden’s trip was business in nature, the First Family, was, like millions of other vacationers, simply enjoying family time outdoors, in the beauty of nature.

If you have never watched Ken Burn’s six-part documentary on America’s National Parks, try to carve out a little time to do so. You can watch this as a replay on PBS next time it airs, or purchase the DVD. You will find it spectacular and amazing. Burns, who describes the US National Park System as “an utterly American invention,” explains that, “nobody else had ever set aside land in the past. Only kings did that. Only rich people got that. In America, in a democratic experiment everybody could own this land.”

When you look at it that way, I guess you consider all of America’s National Park a kind of ‘timeshare’ that you support through your tax dollars.

Related posts on The Timeshare Authority Blog:

• Travel Promotion Act Signed. What Does it Mean to Tourism, Timeshares, and the US Economy?
• The Power of Your Dollar When Your Timeshare Vacation Takes You to a National Forest

Even though The Timeshare Authority is a blog, where opining is permissible, we’ve tried to maintain a journalistic approach to the matter of Marriott Vacation Club’s new timeshare points plan. After all, it is an optional timeshare points program, in which timeshare owners can choose whether they participate or not.

But because there continues to be so many voiced concerns and opinions about the program, we’re going to pass along some of those comments, specifically as they appeared on Bill Marriott’s personal blog Marriott on the Move and on the SellMyTimeshareNOW forum.

Bill Marriott Writes about Marriott Timeshare Points

If you visit Marriott on the Move, published on June 25, 2010 (Providing Our Timeshare Owners with More Flexibility), you can read what Bill Marriott, Chairman and CEO of Marriott International says, including this description of the program:

On that timeshare blog post, you will find many comments about the program, some expressing concern that Marriott timeshare owners who participate in the points program are not receiving a sufficient number of points to allow them to plan vacations at most of the included properties. In some cases, these timeshare owners are saying the ownership they purchased that should have covered a 7-day timeshare vacation, now only converts to enough points to permit them to say 5 or 6 days.

Other complaints include the difference in the points values for some resorts as compared to others, as well as the fact that the program is currently limited to North American timeshare properties.

Timeshare Owners Speak Out

On the SellMyTimeshareNOW Timeshare forum, you will find comments about the Marriott timeshare points system under the subheading: Timeshare Exchange and Points Systems. One Marriott timeshare owner wrote, “One thing that left me a little bit annoyed was the points to get into one of my home resorts in the same season was slightly more than the number of points they give you. For example, my Barony Beach week was worth 3250 points but (if) I wanted to use it for the same season in the same property it was something like 3400 points.”

Another Marriott owner looked at the new system in terms of dollars and cents, writing, “So as I see it, we only get 85.74% of our current value under the new point system (6 nights in lieu of 7) OR We pay a premium of 26% ((1,000 points at $9.20 = $9,200 / our current investment of $35,000.”)

Finding Answers that Work for Timeshare Owners and Developers

While everyone understands it is impossible to create one system (on any topic, but certainly on that of timeshare points) that works for everyone, it is important that a timeshare points program be effective for the majority of timeshare owners who participate in it. Today’s business world is consumer driven; everyone who succeeds in any field or niche of industry must respect that.

Right now is an exciting time to be part of the timeshare industry because developers, timeshare brokers, and timeshare resales companies are writing new pages in the story of timeshare ownership, setting higher standards for customer service and then striving to exceed them whenever possible. In the history of timeshares, it has never been more important than it is right now, for the stories of timeshare ownership include lots of ‘happy endings’.

Other recent posts on The Timeshare Authority blog addressing Marriott Timeshare Points:

• Questions Persist about the New Marriott Timeshare Points Program
• More Details on New Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Timeshare Points
• Timeshare Points at Marriott Vacation Club are Changing – Timeshare Owners Still Have Questions