Trade/Exchange for Westin St. John USVI XMas - Suggestions

[farbster]

Hi,

I'm not sure where to start, so here goes...We own 170 points @ Villas Wilderness Lodge (Feb use I believe). Currently, there are 175 available.

We would like to get a 2 BR @ the Westin St. John USVI around Xmas (say starting 12/18 or so for about 10 days.).

I called Disney and they had nothing available through Interval.

I would trade/rent my points, or not - I'd be willing to pay for a rental in St. John with actual money

Does anyone know the best way/ways to do this? Any sites to recommend other than the one with the color and the week dot com and also the one that starts out with the type of boat that pulls other boats

I am not holding any reservations at Disney now, so i'm not sure how to work it. How do I figure the value of my 175 DVC points? I don't want to give them all up if someone would be satisfied for half of them.

If anyone has any questions about my rambling message, please let me know. I'd be happy to clarify.

lawrence

 

[LisaRex]

First of all, you're not going to be able to get a 10 day reservation at Westin St. John because the timeshare owners buy it by the week. So you'll have to figure out if you want 1 week or 2.

Secondly, note that the last 2 weeks of the year (weeks 51/52) are not available to most owners. Weeks 51/52 command a very stiff premium from the developer, and the owners of such units are few and far between. Even platinum floating owners at WSJ are having a hard time getting into their home resort during popular weeks, such as during the summer and over the major holidays. You'll be lucky to find any for rent at all.

But if you do, you'll need to be prepared to spend a LOT of money to rent at the Westin over Christmas. I'm talking $5k for a studio, if you can find a studio for rent (most units at WSJ are 2-3 bdrms).

As far as online rental sites, search "Vacation Rentals by Owner" on Yahoo. There are a few good sites, with the first 2 results being the best known. I've personally used the first one with no issues.

 

[farbster]

thanks for responding. I'm well aware it'll be expensive, as the last 5 yrs. we've rented a 2BR from marriott Ocean Club in Aruba directly from marriott. I hope we can add on to the villa at the hotel, so moving 1x won't be the end of the world.

I'll try those sites you referenced via the yahoo search.

thanks again!

 

[mtdsnylvr]

We have actually rented twice in St. John. The first time was 15 years ago, from a private individual for a place called "Villa Caribbe". It was just my husband and myself.

Two years ago (in June), we rented through www.caribbeanvilla.com for a house called "Hawksbill". The rent was very reasonable and the house was great. Most important to me, it was extremely clean and well maintained. The bug guy came to spray during our stay. I was surprised, however, that the island did not seem as safe on that trip. We were advised not to leave our children home while we went to dinner. We felt we got great advice from our Caribbean villa rental agency. That trip included us and our 2 children, then 12 and 9. I would be happy to share any more details if you'd like. It is probably one of the most gorgeous places we've been.

We have visited the Westin both times. In fact, the first time it wasn't a Westin. It is beautiful, but definately more of a groomed hotel experience. If you go, be sure to go watch them feed the iguanas.

 

[awatt]

If you are open to StThomas the condos in Cowpet Bay on the East End are lovely. You can see them on VRBO. Great location, very good amenities.

 

[Dean]

Your starting late at a resort that is very high demand year around. I would doubt you'd have much chance of success but it never hurts to try. Do look at other options. One thing you might want to investigate is whether a starwood owner can reserve the full 10 days and you could either rent or work out a direct exchange. Do have a back up plan.

 

[farbster]

any suggestions as to where Starwood owners hang out? I"ll google to see if there are any forums out there...

thanks for everyones help. I know we're starting late, but we still want to try.

 

[Dean]

any suggestions as to where Starwood owners hang out? I"ll google to see if there are any forums out there...

thanks for everyones help. I know we're starting late, but we still want to try.

Post on the rent/trade board as so do check there though they rarely post, go to redweeks.com, myresortsnetwork.com and the Timeshare Users group (tug2.net) where you can find exchange offerings. Timesharing today might also be an option for some. IF you see an add listed for rent or even for sale, contact them and ask about an exchange.