Happy with Hacienda?

Does anyone else feel like they got drugged? I think buying a timeshare at the Hacienda will haunt us for the rest of our lives.

Is anyone glad they purchased?

Has anyone found a way around using RCI?

We just used RCI to go to Kauai and are pleased with the exchange (hard to complain in Hawaii!). We are still on our 2 free years of membership with RCI. Don't know what to do when that expires. Have a hard time forking out more dough for their membership and ridiculous exchange rates, but will have a hard time facing the Hacienda again for the first time. Would really love to discover a forum of owners seeking to exchange amongst themselves!

Please share any positives, insight, or loopholes.

So happy I traded up for a penthouse and can't WAIT to use it! The resort has been awesome the 3 times I have been there. The staff is overly accomodating. I am assuming you stayed in a condo, NOT the hotel, which is expensive. Roberto, our, concierge would and DID do anything for us.

I couldn't access your comment to HdM, so I cannot comment on YOUR experience directly. If you own it, Sell it Here...use Sunnybeach as your contact...she was great! Better yet! Sell it to me!

What is your major concern with your Hacienda time share purchase? We have been owners for 9-10 years, and have always enjoyed the resort. We weren't very smart with our purchase, as we bought from the developer. Resale prices are much lower. We have learned how to make our reservations for the following year, and look forward to vacationing again in February 2007. I don't think that I would join RCI and pay their exchange fees (higher every year). If I wasn't going to use my unit at HDM, I would rent the unit to someone else, and use the money to rent from another timeshare owner at a different location. Bruce

We actually haven't stayed at the HdM yet becuz we just bought in '05 & are taking advantage of the 2-yrs of RCI. I agree, the resort is very nice & that is what caused us to let our guard down in the 1st place. I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed staying there. I hope we can get over our mental hurdle & go down there to enjoy it one of these days. But, believe me, my wife has suggested selling our share many times becuz of the post stress syndrome! If we could do it without taking such a hit, I would do it, but I'm not willing to cut our losses just yet. Is Sunnybeach just another owner?

Our major concern is that we bought from the developer as well & get sick just thinking about all the money we threw away for a share of HdM. We hope to get past that some day!

I agree with you regarding RCI. Boy, they have a sweet little deal going. I really appreciate your suggestion Bruce, but it is the renting part that gets complicated. I don't know of any good avenues for doing so and we would have to rent it at a pretty good discount (aka lose $) to entice anyone.

-Sam

samt12 wrote:

We actually haven't stayed at the HdM yet becuz we just bought in '05 & are taking advantage of the 2-yrs of RCI. I agree, the resort is very nice & that is what caused us to let our guard down in the 1st place. I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed staying there. I hope we can get over our mental hurdle & go down there to enjoy it one of these days. But, believe me, my wife has suggested selling our share many times becuz of the post stress syndrome! If we could do it without taking such a hit, I would do it, but I'm not willing to cut our losses just yet. Is Sunnybeach just another owner?

Don't know who Sunnybeach is. I gathered that it was a salesperson. What size unit did you buy? It's true that to sell your unit now would result in a loss. It's a thing called "buyers remorse", and hundreds of thousands of buyers have experienced the same thing, including us. Just enjoy the many vacations with your spouse or family. Renting is not complicated at all, and you should not have any problem recovering your annual maintenance fee. If you have not gotten familiar with TUG ( Timeshare User Group), I would suggest you go to the website; www.tug2.net and check out all the information there. It's a great resource. Bruce

Sunnybeach is the "broker" who lives in Cabo...a lovely lady who was a great help to us down there. She works her auctions through redweek.com and specializes in Cabo being familiar with the area...said she has lived there for 15 years...

Overall we are happy we purchased our first timeshare at HDM. I advise everyone to buy a resale, saving $1000s. We were blown away by the amazing place, the location is one of the best beach fronts we have ever seen! With my wifes excitement it convinced me to sign the contract, of course we would have saved had we just came home and bought a resell. But life is not perfect and it is one of the nichest places we have ever visited in the World, and we have spent months travelling Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, Brazil, etc. Enjoy it while you can, it goes fast!

judy1432 wrote:

Sunnybeach is the "broker" who lives in Cabo...a lovely lady who was a great help to us down there. She works her auctions through redweek.com and specializes in Cabo being familiar with the area...said she has lived there for 15 years...

did this lady help you sell? i am trying to sell and looking for some help.

No I bought through her...she sells for many HdM owners. Just go through some of the listings for HdMar and contact her through them. Tell her Judy from Wisconsin says Hello...

samt12 wrote:

Does anyone else feel like they got drugged? I think buying a timeshare at the Hacienda will haunt us for the rest of our lives.

Is anyone glad they purchased?

Has anyone found a way around using RCI?

We just used RCI to go to Kauai and are pleased with the exchange (hard to complain in Hawaii!). We are still on our 2 free years of membership with RCI. Don't know what to do when that expires. Have a hard time forking out more dough for their membership and ridiculous exchange rates, but will have a hard time facing the Hacienda again for the first time. Would really love to discover a forum of owners seeking to exchange amongst themselves!

Please share any positives, insight, or loopholes.

We purchased pre-construction in April 1994. There were no buildings at the time, just a model with layouts. We also had a sick feeling after we returned home. We've been staying there almost every year since Dec 1995 and have been extremely pleased!!! They do a great job listening to the owners and making improvements each year based on feedback. We are going again in April, we can't wait!

I'm glad to hear that owners at least enjoy going there.

judy1432 wrote:

No I bought through her...she sells for many HdM owners. Just go through some of the listings for HdMar and contact her through them. Tell her Judy from Wisconsin says Hello...

Great--thanks for the lead!

kc36 wrote:

Overall we are happy we purchased our first timeshare at HDM. I advise everyone to buy a resale, saving $1000s. We were blown away by the amazing place, the location is one of the best beach fronts we have ever seen! With my wifes excitement it convinced me to sign the contract, of course we would have saved had we just came home and bought a resell. But life is not perfect and it is one of the nichest places we have ever visited in the World, and we have spent months travelling Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, Brazil, etc. Enjoy it while you can, it goes fast!

Thanks for the advice and words of encouragement!

We love Hacienda del Mar and hate RCI. We recently sold a week thru Redweek, and last year we traded a week thru SFX (San Francisco Exchange) for a week in Costa Rica. SFX only deals with 5 star resorts and they keep begging us to deposit another week with them, which we will if we can't sell the week. They were really easy to deal with, no charge to join, but had to pay an exchange fee. Also, if you deposit your week early with them, they will give you 2 weeks somewhere else for it!

m1256 wrote:

We love Hacienda del Mar and hate RCI. We recently sold a week thru Redweek, and last year we traded a week thru SFX (San Francisco Exchange) for a week in Costa Rica. SFX only deals with 5 star resorts and they keep begging us to deposit another week with them, which we will if we can't sell the week. They were really easy to deal with, no charge to join, but had to pay an exchange fee. Also, if you deposit your week early with them, they will give you 2 weeks somewhere else for it!

Great! Thanks for the insight. I'll have to look into SFX.

We also really enjoy vacationing at Hacienda and the Los Cabos area. We have found that in order to reserve the week that works best for us (week 7), it is absolutely necessary to make those reservations 365 days in advance. We own fixed weeks 8 & 9 at another resort, so want to coordinate the time. If we chose to go to another vacation area, it is easy to rent on RedWeek, or exchange through SFX. It is a premium resort in a premium area, so just forget about what you paid, and enjoy. It works for us.

breddymn wrote:

We also really enjoy vacationing at Hacienda and the Los Cabos area. We have found that in order to reserve the week that works best for us (week 7), it is absolutely necessary to make those reservations 365 days in advance. We own fixed weeks 8 & 9 at another resort, so want to coordinate the time. If we chose to go to another vacation area, it is easy to rent on RedWeek, or exchange through SFX. It is a premium resort in a premium area, so just forget about what you paid, and enjoy. It works for us.

Thank you very much for the advice! I think the key is fogetting what we paid. Once we can do that, I hope we will be able to enjoy it more. I will definitely have to start utilizing Redweek more. Thanks again!

samt12 wrote:

Does anyone else feel like they got drugged? I think buying a timeshare at the Hacienda will haunt us for the rest of our lives.

Is anyone glad they purchased?

Has anyone found a way around using RCI?

We just used RCI to go to Kauai and are pleased with the exchange (hard to complain in Hawaii!). We are still on our 2 free years of membership with RCI. Don't know what to do when that expires. Have a hard time forking out more dough for their membership and ridiculous exchange rates, but will have a hard time facing the Hacienda again for the first time. Would really love to discover a forum of owners seeking to exchange amongst themselves!

Please share any positives, insight, or loopholes.

We also are sorry that we bought there and don't want to pay the high maintenance fees.

I have been going to Hacienda for the past 5 years, though my husband purchased during the construction of the resort. We are both very pleased with the resort, the staff is wonderful and the accommodations are outstanding. The resort is always being developed with better facilities, including the most recent work-out facility and spa...how beautiful!!! I have recommended Hacienda to other individuals and everyone loves it.