Timeshares--Love Them or Hate Them?

Resort at Puerta Vallarta in Mexico--MMSikes

In recent months, we've gotten many annoying unsolicited telephone calls from companies wanting to relieve us of our "timeshare burden". We have owned timeshares since 1980 and have enjoyed using them and trading them. They have made possible trips we probably never would have taken without our timeshare ownerships.

Some of our destinations have included Trinidad, Puerta Vallarta, Los Cabos, Kauai, Maui, St. Thomas, Sint Maarten, Barbados, Antigua, Key West, Palm Beach, Palm Springs, San Diego, Sedona ... The list goes on and on. We've visited numerous resorts in Canada that we would never have known about without our timeshare affiliation. Several years ago, we went on an adventure to the south of France, encountering a railroad strike en route.

Twelve years ago, we purchased a second timeshare at Island Club in Hilton Head, SC because we wanted to use it each year as our tennis week. The resort has outstanding tennis facilities and excellent teaching pros which makes it ideal for our vacations.

Horses near Avon, Colorado timeshare -- MMSikes

There are people who feel burdened by timeshares they purchased under duress of persistent sales people. Maintenance fees and other costs have risen. Still, we have enjoyed our ownerships and our trades. We have experienced many amazing adventures because of them. And I have found numerous possible settings for new books. A win/win for timeshare ownership.