allenwhite

Hi Everyone,

I am just looking for a little help in making a decision. My wife and I are currently thinking about joining a DC. It is currently just us and a newborn.

What we are looking for:

Mostly vacations for just the 2 (or 3) of us in the best resort style settings.
One longer vacation with friends.

Is there a DC that makes sense or should we stick with Hotels?
I would not want to be at a disadvantage in not taking full advantage of the larger 4-5 bedroom homes.

Are there any DCs with more of a point based programs that would allow us to choose between smaller, less expensive homes as well as the larger ones once a year or so?

Thanks,
Allen

Jazz1353

Allen,

I am the Membership Director for One Key. We are a point based Luxury Travel Club. In most of our locations we have homes ranging from 2-3 bedrooms to as large as 8 bedrooms. I believe this is one of our major strengths. This allows each member to choose the best home for themselves for each trip and pay for the amount of home they want.

Regards,
David Burg

__________________
David Burg
Vice President Membership
One Key

NeilGoBlue

A couple questions.. what do you mean when you say 'the best resort style settings?"

Do you plan on having more kids? I think DCs are at least a 10 year decision.. so while 4-5 bedrooms might be overkill now, it might not be in the future..

Will you always be traveling with just you and the kids? Or, if you have bigger homes, will you invite people? friends? relatives? (hint..hint.. babysitting)

allenwhite

Sorry.

What I meant is that we would currently prefer homes/villas with access to resort amenities. I.e. like the Esperanza in Cabo.

We probably do intend on having another child. And we would definitely look to travel with friends/family, but it would be less often.

Maybe one trip a year with a larger group and then several with just us.

I agree it is a longer term decision, just trying to decide if it makes sense for us to wait.

I just don’t want to feel like I am wasting money by either staying in a place much bigger than we need or that we are getting less than others for our money if we book smaller places.

Thanks again.

NeilGoBlue

You sound like you want it 'exact'.. if that's the case you should rent hotels/villas or whatever, you'll never get it exact with a timeshare/destination club/fractional..etc

There are several smaller properties that most clubs have..especially in cities..

I also think that if you bring your kids.. you'll need at least two bedrooms and possibly three.. right there you have a destination club level of capacity..

allenwhite

You might be right.

I was just wondering if there would be a club that would fit me well now or not.

If we could book more of the less expensive places over the next few years as they fit our needs and then focus on the larger homes in the future when it makes more sense, that would be perfect for us. A points type system would allow this. But I don't think that is the model of any of the DC's.

Thanks for your thoughts.

kddpac

High Country club is generally considered an "entry level" destination club. It has over 30 houses and condos, most with resort access. Some are 2 bedroom and there are a few "trophy" properties with 4-5 bedrooms. We are a young couple with no kids and travel 1-2 per year with family and we decided to join HCC a few months ago to test out the waters of the DC industry. If you have specific questions about it feel free to PM me or contact Heath at HCC, he is great!

Jazz1353

I do not want to sound to "Salesy" but with over 450 homes One Key does allow you to pick the exact type of home you want in 30 locations.

__________________
David Burg
Vice President Membership
One Key

allenwhite

Thanks Jazz. I tried to PM you, but I didn't have the 5 messages.

Jazz1353

just give me a call that would be best. Our number is 877-663-5399

__________________
David Burg
Vice President Membership
One Key

NorCal62

Hi Allen

My family joined Lusso last year and love it. We have older kids, so we are a bit ahead of you, but I WISH there had been destination clubs when they were babies. The level of travel is so much nicer and easier than with hotels and rentals. With the extra space you have the option of bringing another family, a babysitter, grandparents, etc. Your baby will be big before you know it, and it is so nice to have the room to spread out.

Lusso provides all of the baby gear you need - cribs, high chairs, car seats, toys, etc. Imagine no more shlepping all that stuff through the airports! Imagine not having to eat every meal in a restaurant (newborns in restaurants are manageable, but wait a few months, and it is not fun) - with your own kitchen you can eat in comfortably, or hire a chef to come in. Imagine not having to run to the grocery store every other day for supplies. Imagine having a concierge that you get to know personally who can help out with any situation, be it medical, finding sitters, etc.

Lusso has the 21 day program now - and their membership deposit is 100% refundable, which was a big factor for us.

Good luck with your decision!

DC4MS

Special Note to all readers ---

Please provide helpful opinions and advice - without "over-promoting" your own club (especially if you work for the club).

Members here are free to post a simple explanation of what you particularly like about your own club.

Please re-read what the Original Message is asking for and try to answer it in those contexts. Obviously, if you want to recommend a specific club, you are free to do that, just don't make it a "Hard Sell"

The BEST posts are the ones that provide educational, logical, balanced, and informative information to help the original poster evaluate the dozens of choices. There may even be instances where someone may not be a fit for any Destination Club and may be better off with hotels, timeshares, rentals, etc. so we really want to be as objective and fair as possible.

I also thing the original poster should provide a little more info about their interests, typical travel patterns, and typical vacation budgets so we all can try to help them with their evaluation process.

smtravelor

We frequently travel with just one child and have quickly gotten used to having a whole house at our disposal. We sometimes bring a babysitter and, when we do, it is really nice to have the extra bedrooms and baths. It would be difficult to think about staying in a regular hotel room anymore, so you shouldn't be concerned about not taking advantage of the larger houses. We book our DC vacations by destination, not by the size of the house, and traveling in a smaller family group gives you much more flexibility in deciding where you want to go since you can use a 2 bedroom condo or a bigger house.

vineyarder

Perhaps you might want to speak with Jim Pippin at The Veras group (The Veras Group - Destination Club Advisors), as they specialize in helping people determine which (if any) DC is best for them, at no cost to you... I have no affiliation with the Veras group, but I can recommend Jim Pippin personally...

__________________
*************
Living in a vacuum sucks!

TarheelTraveler

I'm a very happy member of A&K, they make life great for those traveling with the kids (i.e., all of the baby gear, movies, video games, etc.), offer the 100% refundable deposit, have the potential appreciation component, have security of the membership deposit, offer great value as compared to renting/prepaid cards in most situations, etc. However, I'd still recommend looking at certain other clubs, because you want to make sure you know what's out there and feel like you've made an informed decision.

From personal experience (I've got one child just like allenwhite), you can easily fill up a 3-4,000 sq. ft. house when on vacation just like you can at home. Plus, you've got the flexibility to bring your child's friends, a babysitter, relatives, your friends, etc. on trips when you want. If you don't, you've wasted a bedroom or two, which is really not a big deal. Unless you're in a metropolitan area, you probably have a bedroom or two that doesn't get used on a regular basis.

I think a lot of it boils down to expectations. If you want to travel in similar fashion as to what most members have at home, then a DC is great. You're not giving up on anything when you travel, and you're probably in a better place than home.

If cost is a driving force behind the decision, you ought to look at a great club like HCC. Their houses/condos will be smaller and less expensive, or in less prime locations, but you are also paying a lot less money in deposits and dues.

You could always rent a few properties comparable to the DCs, and see what feels right for your family.

ER Traveler

Many clubs have homes within hotel resorts and at least at ER it seems to be a trend. It really is the best of both worlds.

As for size and extra bedrooms I think most of the clubs try to have at least 3 bedrooms in the non-metro locations so their homes will have resell appeal and because it's what most members want. Even if you don't bring extra friends and family on vacation now, your kids will want to bring friends when they're older and believe me, you'll be glad they did especially if you only have one child.

Another reason to consider joining a DC now if you think you might in the future is that the clubs will just get more expensive as time goes on and you can lock in at today's rates.

And finally, the most compelling reason I joined is for the enhanced travel experience in terms of convenience, space, amenities and service that consistently exceeds any hotel/resort concierge service I've ever had.

Quintess Michael

I have to agree with ER Traveler.
If you know you are going to take at least 1 big trip a year, I would look at clubs that can provide a large home as well as some smaller ones. Getting in now would allow you to have a lower deposit. And what if your next child is triplets??

Additionally, being affiliated with The Leading Hotels of the World, Quintess might offer you some pretty nice options for the nights you want to stay in a hotel.
Good luck with whatever you decide, and welcome to the Forum!

__________________
Michael Aumock
Director, Membership Development
Quintess, The Leading Residences of the World