We just got back from Whistler 10/20/03. I didn't know how to post a link, so I copied my trip report below. Feel free to ask me any specific questions.
Tara
Our exchange to Club Intrawest - Blackcomb
I just thought I would post a quick review about our exchange to Club Intrawest - Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia. DH and I just got back from our week there. Despite the weather, I must say we enjoyed it.
We booked the exchange in January, approximately 10 months out. It was 124 points to exchange to a 1 Bedroom for the week, Sunday to Sunday. This is low season for the resort.
Checkin at the resort was easy and painless. Our unit looked exactly like the pictures I was able to find on the internet. The only disappointment was that I think we had the worst view in the whole place. We were in their "Bridge" section, right near two very busy hallways. Overall, the square footage seemed to be about the same as a 1 BR at BCV, maybe smaller. The "comfortable" occupancy was listed as two, but the maximum is 4. The decor reminded me of the WL, reds, greens and blues with wrought iron and wood. The entryway was large with plenty of room for taking off coats, etc. Probably needed for ski season, but seemed like some dead space in off season.
The kitchen was probably comparable in size, but with a different layout. The washer/dryer is in a pantry-type closet off the kitchen. The kitchen was fully stocked with service for 6. The resort provides laundry detergent and dishsoap free of charge for members.
The living/dining area was much larger than at BCV. There was a full dining room table with 4 chairs, plus two at the "bar" at the kitchen counter. The living room has a large closet, fireplace, tv, sofabed and 2 chairs. The TV equipment seemed dated.
The bedroom had a king bed (hard as a rock with uncomfortable bedding), tv, chair, but seemed like a much tighter fit than at BCV. The jacuzzi tub is off the bedroom and was large. There was a vanity beyond the tub, plus a large closet. Something missing in the BCV. The shower, toilet and another sink were in a separate bath accessible from the hall or from the bedroom.
Intrawest has no restaurants or spas or anything like that. They have a workout room, two separate pool areas (one adults only), two common rooms (again one adults only) and they offer 3 movies every night.
Whistler is an absolutely gorgeous location. The weather Monday and Tuesday was beautiful. We were able to golf and explore just about everything. Wednesday it started to snow (the mountains were breathtaking). Then it turned to rain and never stopped. The road between Whistler and Vancouver flooded and part washed away. There was no way to get back to Vancouver to catch our flight. Intrawest was quite nice and said they would let us extend our stay complimentary until the road re-opened. Sunday, we had to take a helicopter from Whistler to Vancouver, so we could get back home. Our luggage is still there until the Fed Ex trucks can get there to ship it home.
We did the tour of the Club while we were there. This was for a couple of reasons: (1) $100 they offered and (2) we are fairly new to the timeshare thing and were intrigued at how this stacks up to
DVC. First off, these guys are quite aggressive. Every day we walked through the village, we were approached by a representative about attending a presentation. We scheduled ours for Wednsday at 10:00. We were told it would be 90 minutes. We actually did not get started until about 10:20 and went to about 12:20.
The Intrawest system is based on points. They actually say they used DVC as a model. The minimum purchase is 120, at $125/point. The price goes down in a graded scale if you buy 150 or more points. Maintenance fees are about $4/point per year, but can be waived based on referrals. The actual number of points needed to stay is much lower than DVC. I think our week would have been around 70 Intrawest points. Intrawest has 7 or so vacation resorts (Vancouver, Whistler, Hawaii, Mont Tremblant, Sandestin, and they are building in Mexico and one in Ontario). There is no home resort concept. You can book 11 months out for stays of 6 or more nights, or 4 months out for 5 nights or less. You can bank/borrow in the same fashion as DVC, with a max of 3 years points at one time. Intrawest does not expire after a set number of years. It goes in perpetuity. One thing I caught a glimpse of that seemed very nice was their online reservation system. They said they trade through RCI and they seem to have options similar to the Concierge Collection.
DH and I love DVC, but I must admit that the Intrawest system is an attractive option. We would consider purchasing in the system in the future instead of an add on to DVC.
Our salesperson was quite pushy. She knew we own DVC and how we work that with our vacation schedules and our needs. Her "recommendation" was that we buy 120 points. When I told her we would need to think about it to analyze our finances, vacation habits/needs etc. to determine the # of points that would work for us, she told me that was what she was for - to tell me what I needed. That put a bad taste in my mouth. In addition, they give you no information to take with you. So, after giving a firm "No" and signing to verify that we declined their additional incentives, DH were on our way with our $100. We asked for a business card, but were told that they don't have them. If we change our mind, we just call the 800# and deal with whomever answers.
If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer.
tara
