Travel Hack – How to Enjoy a 4.5 star Resort at 3.5 Star Prices!

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Travel Hack – How to Enjoy a 4.5 star Resort at 3.5 Star Prices!

I am not a timeshare owner, but I have been enjoying the perks of timeshare travel for much of my adult life. It started back when my aunt (who was a timeshare owner) gifted us the use of her timeshare units at a few of our favorite destinations. Traveling with a family, I quickly fell in love with the larger units we could get and the quality of the properties. Along the way, I learned a few travel hacks that have helped my family continue to enjoy better vacations at lower prices over the years.

Here are three main travel hacks I have learned staying in timeshare properties over the years.

1 – You can rent timeshare points or weeks from other owners. This has provided us opportunities to travel to places like the Marriott Ko’Olinas Resort in Oahu, Hawaii for much less than it would have cost to rent a room directly from the hotel (and provided us with extra perks like free parking). We share all about how you can rent someone else’s timeshare points to use on your vacation here. I really love this tip, especially if you want to enjoy larger units (like one and two bedrooms) and better rates than you can often find when you book it directly as a hotel stay.

2 – There are also many vacations you can book through various timeshare programs, for discounted rates or even for free. The catch is that you have to qualify (usually be married and they usually have income threshold requirements), and participate in a timeshare presentation while you are on the property. If you are up for all of that, you can often get a 3 nt/4 day vacation at significantly discounted prices or sometimes even for free. For example, I recently got an invite to book 4 nights and 5 days at the Marriott Enclaves in Palm Springs for just $364 for the entire stay. I did not end up using it (as I was traveling with my mom and kids and that did not qualify), but it is just an example of real-life offers out there. A tip on how to get these offers is to sign up for the rewards programs for hotel lines like Marriott and Hilton. I usually receive them yearly.

3 – And finally, the one I want to focus on and share more details about here is how to book timeshare units and enjoy access to luxurious resort amenities at more pricey resorts in the process. This usually involves finding a resort property that has a main hotel and then surrounding timeshare units. I will share more details on the benefits of this travel hack below, but we recently wanted to visit the JW Marriott in Desert Springs (Palm Springs area) and a regular hotel room has been fluctuating from around $350 to over $700/a night while I have been watching prices. Instead ,we booked the Marriott Desert Springs Villas 1 (next door and in easy walking distance) It has been fluctuating between $150 to $250/nt recently, and we got access to all the JW Marriott ammenities (and studio room with a kitchenette too).

How We Enjoyed a 4.5 Star Resort at 3.5 Star Prices

As mentioned above, we recently used this trick for a spring break trip to the Palm Springs area, but it is not the first time I have done this, and we have plans to do it moving forward too. The idea is to find a resort that you love the ammenities of, but that also has surrounding timeshare units that are part of the same hotel chain.

Generally, resorts have restaurants that anyone can access, but things like their pools and other activities like sport courts are reserved for their guests only. When you use this travel trick, you are booking the timeshare units that have been granted access to the same ammenities you get if you are staying directly onsite with the resort.

Here are some pros and cons to doing this (that are generally true in my experience, but you will want to double-check the specific resorts you are looking at because these are not hard and fast rules that apply across the board):

Pros

• You will generally find more affordable rates in the timeshare units, vs the main hotel.
• The rooms are often more spacious, and usually include a kitchen or kitchenette so you can save money on eating out too.
• Some offer shuttle services to the main resorts.
• Typically, you get access to the main resorts ammenities, but it does not work the other way around. That means that while you can go to the main resort, guests of the main resort are not coming over to use the timeshare resorts pools, etc. I love this because it often doubles the access of pools you can go do, but it also usually means you will have a quieter or less crowded pool area you will have access to.
• The timeshare units often do not include the resort fees that a main resort might have.

Cons

• Often times timeshare units do not get regular maid service. If you have a one week+ stay booked, they will usually come in mid-week, but other than that, you can call for any extra supplies needed. If you have a 1 bedroom+ unit they often come with in-unit washer and dryers, so you can easily wash your towels. Some people find this a plus since they do not want to do any cleaning on vacation, but I personally prefer it. I find it easier to keep the place tidy when it is larger and has things like a washer and dryer and dishwasher, but this will be a con for some.
• Walking distance can be longer, depending on where on the property you are staying. I love to walk, so this does not typically bother me, but if you want to be right in the center of the main resort this may be a con for you.
• Sometimes the timeshare resorts will be more limited in terms of dining options. A typical scenario is that they will have a poolside bar and grill and a marketplace with coffee/sandwiches and pizza, and you usually have access to grills and a kitchenette or kitchen in your unit. There are generally more restaurant options in walking distance at the main resort, but in terms of options right onsite, they can be fewer.

Specific Example – Get Access to the JW Marriott Resort When You Stay At the Marriott Palm Desert Villas

We have used this travel hack a few times now, and most recently for our Palm Springs getaway. I wanted to provide a review on how that vacation went for us, so you can see exactly how this might play out, and the pros and cons of it.

The JW Palm Desert Resort is a 4.5-star property in Palm Desert (about 20 minutes outside of Palm Springs) and it is a gorgeous resort, but along with that high-end feel comes a high end price tag. For the dates we were traveling, this resort was selling standard rooms for around $600 a night (it has recently been fluctuating between $350  to over $700 a night). This was well out of our price range, so we came up with a back up plan. I had learned that the Marriott Desert Springs Villas next door provided access to the JW ammenities during weekdays. There are two sets of villas, and both get access to most of the ammenities, but the Marriott Desert Springs Villas 1 was closer in proximity, offered complimentary day passes to the spa, and had larger rooms and outdoor spaces, so we chose that location. Rates here have been going for around $150 to about $250/nt depending on dates booked (we were traveling during a high season for this area), and got access to the JW ammenities. While I know that is not chump change, this was going to be a short trip for us and so we wanted to splurge by staying at a nice resort, and this is how we were able to get access to the resort we wanted at a price we could manage for this short trip. Plus, since there were so many ammenities available to us between the three properties, that meant we would not be spending much extra on activities outside the resort.

Here is what we had access to for our stay:

Multiple Pool Areas. Not only did we get access to the JW Marriott pools, but also the adjoining villas (Villas 2), so in total, I believe there were 7 pools we could visit. I was traveling with multiple generations (teens and grandma), so this was ideal. The kids could go to the JW Marriott Pool with music and poolside service, and my mom and I could relax at quieter spots she enjoyed. There was one that had a fun splash pad for younger kids, too, so this is a great way to have something for everyone.

Boat Rides that launch from the lobby. This is a cool attraction at the JW that I have not seen anywhere else, and we got to use it just like all of the guests staying on the JW property.

FREE Day Spa Passes. This one is only available if you are staying in the Villas 1, but you can get a free day pass to get access to their saunas, salt water pool, massage chairs and lots more for the day! Considering Day Spa Passes generally range from $100 + in this area, this was a great amenity.

Arcade Game Room, including Bowling. They have an arcade onsite with lots of games for families to enjoy. Anyone can access the arcade, but so it is not specific to staying on one of the properties, but still worth mentioning.

Tennis Courts and Other Sports Courts. You can book complimentary 1 hour court sessions with gear included each day (during the week). These start at $35/hr and go up, so this was another fun benefit.

Mini Golf. This is resort is on a golf course, but they also have an 18 hole putting course you can use for free.

The property we stayed on was sprawling. It had beautiful mountain backdrops, and very comfortable rooms, and I enjoyed walking back and forth between the properties. 

The other thing I really love about this travel hack is that you often get more spacious accommodations. For example, we generally book at least a one to two bedroom unit, but this destination was very expensive for spring break dates, so we opted for one of their studio units. We still had a small kitchenette with a good size refrigerator, and large deck for our unit. This meant we could stock some drinks and snacks (we did breakfast and lunch items too) so we did not have to eat out for every single meal. This helped us save some money on food and splurge when we wanted to.

The views were gorgeous from all properties, so we sacrificed nothing there.

Examples of More Locations To Use This Travel Hack At:

Tracking down these opportunities is really all about knowing where to look. Once I started staying onsite at some of the timeshares, and learning that some had other properties nearby that we could also use ammenities from, I learned to start looking for this in the planning stage (rather than just discovering it once we were traveling). Timeshare travel forums are great for this kind of research, as it often is not advertised on the hotel websites. In the example we shared above, I learned about this when I started to do research in the timeshare forums. Initially, we were booked at the Villas 2, but after more research and learning that only Villas 1 got the free spa day passes (and was a closer walk) we changed our stay over to that one, and it worked out perfectly for us.

Here are some places to start looking though, to make your searches easier.

Look for these types of units by Hotel Brand.

The two we have used most often include:

• Marriott Vacation Club
• Hilton Grand Vacations

Look by location: 

• Hawaii has these offerings on multiple islands. One we have been eyeing for some time now is the Hilton Waikoloa Village, for example, on the big island. Turtle Bay is another option on the Northshore of Oahu, to give you a couple of ideas of where to look.
• Las Vegas has some of these, and I preferred them as we were able to stay in a quiet resort without casinos, but get easy access to all the action when we wanted to go.
• Palm Dessert (as mentioned above)
• Disney Resorts – Disney even offers this at some of their properties, where they have special timeshare units that offer their own pool and lounges, etc, but will also provide you access to the main Disney property that they are sitting on.

Other ideas are to check travel forums. I like https://tugbbs.com for timeshare questions. You could even ask Chat gbt or water large language model you might use to ask questions.

More Similar, But Slightly Different Ideas:

Here are two more ideas that follow a similar concept, but play out a little differently.

1 – We have also shared about the Vidanta Resorts in the past (AMAZING!), that follow a similar, but slightly different concept. They offer many different tiers of resorts on the same massive property, and you get access to different benefits based on the tier you are staying in (mostly just different pool access). You can read our review of staying in the Grand Mayan at the Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, to find more information on how that one works.

2- Look for properties that may have an RV Park near them, that provide access to a main resort area. Many of the RV parks offer beautiful cabins or yurts to stay in, and their own ammenities (like pools) but also offer access to the main resort areas. I have generally found these options at Casino Resorts. Three in the Northwest that we have stayed at this way (and enjoyed) include:

• The Seven Feathers RV Resort in Medford Oregon area. This spot has its own indoor pool, but then you can take a shuttle down to the main resort to enjoy their casino, arcade and restaurants.
• The Northern Quest Casino Resort in Spokane WA. This spot has cabins near the main resort, and the resort itself has lots of fun ammenities.
• Angel of the Winds in Arlington WA. They recently opened a new RV park with a few cabins, and have their own pool, but the main resort offers an entertainment arena, bowling alley, VR sports and more.

3- Stay at Properties That Offer Access to “Sister” Properties. For example, when we booked a stay at the Pueblo Bonita Rose in Cabo San Lucas, it also offered us access to use the Los Cabos resort right next door (their pools and restaurants) and they had a shuttle that would take you to other properties for day trips too. We spent a day at two of the other resorts just as a way to have two day excursions at no extra cost.

Tips For Using This Travel Hack:

• Do Your Research. There are sometimes restrictions on when and how the amenities for the main hotel will be available to you, so you will want to call ahead to confirm what those are. For example, sometimes there are blackout dates when you cannot use the main hotel ammenities, or perhaps it is only available on weekdays. Sometimes there will be different surrounding timeshare locations, and each one may have different access levels, so make sure you understand that all really well before going.
• Travel in the Off Seasons. You will likely have more access and fewer crowds if you do this. Some spots will limit access for dates they are at capacity.
• Pay Attention to the Location of Your Unit. Some of these properties can be very large, and depending on the location of your unit it can be a short walk, or a very long walk, to the main resort. Many offer shuttle service too, but it is worth doing a little planning ahead to stay closer to the main resort if you plan to use it often. You can call ahead and ask them which buildings provide the most convenient access, and request to stay in one of those (requests are not always honored, but most places try their best to do so).
• Join The Hotels Rewards Program. This lets you earn points for these stays that you can use towards free travel in the future! Just another way to stack those travel savings.
• Pay Attention To Resort Fees. In my experience, staying at the timeshare units will often save you on daily resort fees (but you still get access to what they cover). For example, on a recent stay we did, the main hotel had a resort fee of $38/nt and we had none. However, we did have a $25/nt parking fee if you were staying there (but if you booked with an owners points you had none), so you will want to pay attention to how all of those additional fees work. Usually the timeshare sides come out with fewer fees. There are some trade offs for that too though, as often you do not get maid service in the timeshare units, so that is another thing to consider.