Even www.forbes.com is getting into the spirit of the season - promoting nine great timeshare destinations where you can stay for a greatly reduced rate. They describe these nine choices like this - "good news for cash-strapped and none-too-proud vacationers willing to sit through a two-hour presentation in order to enjoy up to a week's worth of deeply discounted fun in the sun or on the slopes. If you're in that camp, here are nine gambits worth a look. ' (read the story here) With a few of their recommendations like Wyndham, Marriott, and Silverleaf they don't specify which resorts to choose but describe incentives for a budget minded traveler to stay at their resort for a seriously reduced rate.

This time of year, the Raintree's Club Regina Los Cabos looks especially enticing:

Especially with this stuff swirling around the midwest and northeast:

Palm trees, beaches, and warm ocean water sounds appealing!

In their article they mention Island One, Orlando Florida, a great fractional in Destin Florida - Emerald Grande, Consolidated Resorts Tahiti Village Las Vegas, and the Westin Maui Resort and Spa. All terrific destinations - especially if you want to dodge that blue and pink stuff in the above radar image....

Happy traveling in 2009!

Great beach and tropical timeshare deals for Cabo San Lucas Mexico are here.

And once I find it, how do I go about closing this deal and get the correct paperwork done?

The good news is that most Aruba timeshare closings are straightforward and move along relatively fast.  The closing costs are affordable and you would probably buying into a 99 year "right to use" or lease.

Sellers of Aruba timeshares are scattered all over the place, so you won't have much luck just looking in the local real estate section of the newspaper.  You will be more successful in using a timeshare broker who has a large selection of Aruba timeshares for sale and can guide you through all the necessary closing documents, escrow, and transfer.  Aruba Marriott timeshare resales are a hot market.  For example, Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club is described by RCI as being "Separated from the magnificent Caribbean Sea by a lovely white, sandy beach, this Five Star property offers the ultimate in luxury vacations."  If you can buy one at a significant discount through a timeshare resales broker like www.rpmls.com you will save thousands.

Additional Aruba Timeshares for Sale:  Costa Linda Beach Resort, La Cabana Beach Resort, Renaissance Aruba Resort, Playa Linda Beach Resort, Marriott's Aruba Surf Club, Casa Del Mar Beach Resort, Paradise Beach Villas, Caribbean Palm Village, and Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort.

For many, Christmas of 2008 will be like no other Christmas they have ever seen. Especially if you are one of those recently laid off by Wyndham, Marriott, or Blue Green. WFTV.com ran a story today announcing layoffs in the Orange County FL area. Wyndham laid off 300 more from their corporate office in Orange County and "168 people were laid off at the Marriott Vacation Club International ... and the Blue Green Time Share Corporation laid off 182 people in Orlando last month." (source)

A growing array of industries are feeling the impact of this economy. The vacation industry, travel and tourism, and entertainment seemed to trail manufacturing and retail in the timing of their slowdown. The timeshare industry has long been a very consistent part of many of the big hoteliers' portfolio. Sales of vacation ownerships have kept a strong interest because of the perceived (and real) value of their product. The ability to pay for years of vacations with today's dollars still makes sense - and probably always will.

This resilient industry will bounce back when optimism returns to the nation's economy. Until then, there are still some great deals to be found among the "top shelf" timeshare resorts when you buy them on the resale market.

From the Associated Press via www.forbes.com comes an update about the timeshare giants Wyndham and Marriott. Wyndham announced it is laying off 4,000 employees, (they called it "cutting 4,000 jobs") in response to a decline in their timeshare sales projected for 2009 of $1.2 billion from $2.0 billion in 2008. Wyndham's projected $1.2 billion in timeshare sales still sounds fairly strong with all things considered. Credit continues to be the issue with Wyndham financing about 70% of their sales. They will no doubt raise the bar when qualifying their buyers. So far this year, Wyndham's stock has plummeted 75%.

I look in on Marriott's blog from time to time. The Chairman and CEO of Marriott International writes on their blog fairly often. Yesterday a guest writer, Arne Sorenson, Marriott's chief financial officer, seemed quite positive in saying "Today, we're increasingly nimble in responding to demand trends. This includes our timeshare business, which we believe will weather the downturn just fine." This is likely due to a good balance sheet and a $1 billion line of credit still in place for Marriott. These days, it is all about the credit.

If you have ever had the experience of being in the "wheel house" of a big ship, you know that if you want to make a sharp turn, you have to have some speed going into the turn, and turn the helm at the right time. Our economy, like a big ship, cannot turn on a dime, but sectors of our economy whether it is hotel and tourism, manufacturing, or oil and gas can make the changes they need to survive. Let us all hope that their respective "helmsmen" are making the changes they need to keep up in this rapidly changing economy.

Ships in San Diego Bay, courtesy of www.PDPhoto.org

With a population of 37.7 million, California is the most populous state in the union.  And, according to the California Travel and Tourism Commission "California is currently the number one travel destination in the country. Travel and tourism expenditures total $93.8 billion annually in California, support jobs for nearly 930,000 Californians and generate $5.6 billion in state and local tax revenues." No doubt about it, the demand for timeshare resort properties is huge in California.  In northern California the largest concentration of timeshare resort destinations is around Lake Tahoe.  In southern California, the timeshare properties are located in a triangle between Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and San Diego. When you first look at the list of resorts in California, it seems large.  But when you take into account the resident population and add tourism, the demand far exceeds the supply.

What conclusion could you draw from this?  More quality timeshare resorts could be built in California with high expectations for success.

If you want to buy a timeshare in California, here are a few featured properties from www.rpmls.com:  Marriott's Newport Villas, Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I, Lawrence Welk Resort Villas, Four Seasons Resort Aviara, Vista Mirage Resort, and Desert Springs Villas II.

If you are ready to say "Sell my California timeshare!" take a look a the professional services of this timeshare resales broker: www.rpmls.com.

An interactive wolf sanctuary from Elite Land Tours www.elitelandtours.com in Palm Springs California:

I often visit the www.cnn.com/travel website to see their ideas about travel, exciting vacations, and new deals being offered for the budget minded traveler. A very recent article there "Where the Travel Deals Are" highlighted places like Iceland, London, South Africa, and Hawaii. Their Hawaii section captured my attention the most when they described how generous and affordable they are making hotels and airfare.

Apparently the Hawaii tourism market has dropped 9% this year so they have taken drastic price reduction measures to attract more people. Now would be a great time to rent a timeshare, find a discount airfare and Go To Hawaii!

For example, you can find a five star resort with magnificent amenities, two bedrooms, totally furnished and with a brand name like Marriott or Westin for less than $1,000 a week.  That's less than $150 a day for a condo - lots of room and loaded with quality and luxury. Some of the top timeshare resorts we have rented out in Hawaii include Marriott's Maui Ocean Club, Wyndham Waikiki Beach Walk, Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, and more.

I'd say, go ahead and take the plunge: Go to Hawaii, rent a timeshare, save a lot of money, and have the vacation of your life.

Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Maui Hawaii Timeshare

In a word, nothing. The value of your timeshare will not be determined by the price of the timeshare resort developers stock price. Just because Wyndham's stock dropped by 7% on Monday, does not mean you should panic. The same goes for Marriott timeshare owners. The quality of service you receive as a timeshare owner will not likely be affected either.

These companies are still very profitable and any cuts they make in the short term will have more to do with new sales and new developments than current operations.  From the Associated Press, "Wyndham's stock has dropped more than 20 percent since Marriott International Inc. (nyse: MAR ) said Thursday that its timeshare sales have dried up amid the tight credit market and cutbacks in business and consumer spending." Large timeshare developers who have significant hotel business depend on the steady cash flow of timeshare sales. This cash flow is stopped when other businesses will not buy their loans. The emerging strategy is to focus their marketing on buyers with a higher credit rating.

As a side note, Starwood has taken a similar hit on their stock price but maintains an "outperform" rating by Oppenheimer. Starwood resorts include big names like Westin and Sheraton.

Chances are, when this economic storm passes, the big players in the timeshare world like Wyndham, Marriott, and Westgate will once again "lower the bar" to make more sales.

"History teaches us that we never learn from history."

PS: Anyone know if this has stopped resorts from exercising their "right of first refusal" on a timeshare resale?

MAR - Marriott, WYN - Wyndham, HOT - Starwood

Whether you are looking for surfing, diving, playing on the beach, or just soaking in the sun, here's my totally unscientific top ten picks for beach resort timeshares:

10. Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club - Separated from the magnificent Caribbean Sea by a lovely white, sandy beach, this Five Star property offers the ultimate in luxury vacations.Accommodations range from one to two bedroom villas that are elegantly appointed with full kitchen, kitchenette, formal living and dining areas, whirlpool spa in master bath, private balcony with ocean view, laundry facilities and more.

9. The Royal Mayan Cancun, Mexico. Guests will love this fabulous Five Star resort just a few minutes from a Mayan archaeological site and a championship golf course.

8. Marriott's Kauai Beach Club - On the southern coast of Kauai, 51 tropical acres provide the garden setting for Marriott's Kauai Beach Club. The one and two bedroom vacation ownership villas and luxury hotel offer two restaurants, world-class swimming pool complex, two championship golf courses, tennis and a myriad of beach activities on the quarter mile of Kalapaki Beach.

7. Mayan Palace Nuevo Vallarta - Situated on the beach, 15 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, Mayan Palace Nuevo Vallarta is a retreat for recreational water activities. When the sun goes down, explore the exciting nightlife, designer shops, and the international restaurants of Puerto Vallarta.

6. Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas - Accommodations feature lanai with ocean view, stone flooring and distinctive Hawaiian themed decor. Activities and amenities include two spas, waterslide, steam room, swimming pool, gameroom, poolside bar, sauna, fitness center, tennis,washer and dryer in both portions of the lockout units and more.

5. Marriott's Maui Ocean Club - My top choice for Maui, located on one of the world's most famous beaches is Marriott's Maui Ocean Club. Amenities include golf, tennis, watersports, lavish swimming pools, waterfalls, live entertainment, health club, shopping, restaurants, children's activity center and much more. Suite amenities include private balconies, separate living and dining areas, and kitchenette. Don't miss historic Lahaina only minutes away.

4. Pueblo Bonito Rose Resort - This awesome resort is located in the mystical, desert landscape of the southern Baja California peninsula. Situated at Land's End, Pueblo Bonito Rose is surrounded by beautiful coastline, magnificent sea life, and the majestic nature of Los Cabos.

3. Charter Club of Marco Beach - One of the best of Florida's Ten Thousand Islands, Marco Island will delight water lovers, sightseers, and sun worshipers. A beachfront location allows guests to be right in the midsts of one of the world's best shelling areas.

2. Vidafel Mayan Palace-Acapulco - This fabulous tropical paradise is in the new Acapulco Diamente Zone and offers beautiful lakes and gardens thoughout the property. Amenities include golf, tennis, restaurants, beach, live entertainment, playground, and the largest swimming pool in the world.

1. Harborside Resort at Atlantis - My number 1 choice. Surrounded by the beautiful Caribbean and pure-white beaches, Harborside Resort at Atlantis is ideally situated in the perfect spot for relaxing and adventure. These luxurious villas feature full kitchens, formal living and dining areas, whirlpool bath and private terraces.

So that's my top ten. Let me know if you would nominate others for this list!

Here's a narrated slide show of these ten resorts!

Just when you might think vacation travel is slowing down, Marriott announced it's plans to build Marriott's Lakeshore Reserve at Grand Lakes near Orlando Florida. According to www.finchannel.com "The 500-acre Grande Lakes campus is already home to a JW Marriott hotel and a Ritz-Carlton, the latter including a golf club and a spa. The resort is proposed to eventually include 340 villas and townhomes, with the first phase slated for occupancy by summer 2010." Terrific news for the Orlando area for sure!  Historically, the timeshare division has been the most steady performer for all of Marriott and, from the looks of it, they will continue to build more.

This news is also great for those who own a Marriott Vacation Club timeshare: more options!  But if you have come to the point where you feel the need to part ways with your Marriott Vacation Club timeshare, then check out the services of www.rpmls.com.  They have the size, systems, and experience to get your timeshare sold for you.

Check out these other Marriott timeshares for sale. Or, look at these Orlando area timeshares for sale. You will also find helpful guides for selling timeshare, buying timeshare, interactive maps, and more at www.rpmls.com.

More Details on Selling or Buying a Marriott Timeshare

If you have decided to sell your Marriott Maui Ocean Club timeshare, you probably have mixed emotions. This has to be one of the most beautiful timeshare resorts in the world.  It is hard to beat Maui - Ocean - Marriott - Beach - Luxury - Quality!  You find all that and more at this resort.  On the other hand, if your circumstances have changed so that you can no longer use your timeshare or afford it, it is time to sell. That's where www.rpmls.com comes to lend a hand.  There you can find a wealth of information about timeshare sales, the timeshare market in Hawaii & Maui, and the process of getting your timeshare sold.

And, if you are thinking of buying a timeshare in Maui, it would be hard to go wrong with Marriott Maui Ocean Club.  You would be part of the best name in the timeshare industry (Marriott), on one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific Ocean (Maui), and be able to enjoy the quality service and attention that Marriott timeshare owners rave about.  So when you are ready to take the plunge, call on the timeshare professionals at www.rpmls.com so that you can save a significant amount of money compared to what you would pay at the resort. Other great Marriott timeshare deals nearby include Marriott's Kauai Beach Club and Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club.

No hassle, no pressure, just a good deal!