KwikChex Member Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket featured in The Mirror
Credits: Mirror
By: Tom Howell
How do timeshares stack up against package holidays?
We checked TripAdvisor ratings to find out
It’s the time of year to start thinking about holidays away from home – so we’ve turned to TripAdvisor to see how traditional package deals compare to timeshares
January is a popular time for booking holidays. Christmas is over yet there’s still months of cold weather in store and so having some sunshine to look forward to makes the weather all the more bearable.
But, before you splash out on that much-needed week away to sunnier climbs, if high standards of accommodation are an important factor in your decision making, you may want to take a serious look to see how timeshare holidays stack up against run-of-the-mill style package holidays.
For those who aren’t familiar with the concept of timeshare, the general basis is that you own the right to occupy a holiday apartment or villa for a period of time each year. You can then either visit the resort at which you own or “exchange” it to visit another timeshare resort from one of thousands all around the world.
Either way, by joining an exchange club (you’ll need to own a timeshare first) you can then rent additional holidays at other resorts.
So, by owning just the one “Week” you can still get 3 or 4 holidays a year. The result should be better value holidays in a higher standard of accommodation given that the resorts members have an active interest in keeping up standards.
Whilst the concept is sound and relatively straight-forward enough, timeshare has a less than immaculate image which, by-in-large, originates from the way in which it has been sold to people. A mix of high pressure sales presentations and the odd rogue trader have left some owners with a product that is ill-suited to their needs or one that they barely understand.
However, things are changing and nowadays many timeshare owners have found that the resale market can provide lower entry costs, a greater range of products and a more informed choice.
So, how does the standard of accommodation measure-up? To answer this we turned to TripAdvisor with a list of the top 50 best-selling timeshare resorts of 2013 from Europe’s largest timeshare resale company, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket. The results are impressive to say the least.
Of their Top 50 best-selling timeshare resorts from around the world, no less than 40 have been awarded Trip Advisors “Certificate of Excellence”, an award Trip Advisor say themselves “is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews…and represent the upper echelon of business listed on the website, with only the top 10 percent receiving the prestigious award.”
Breaking the results down a little further, the island of Madeira deserves a special mention. This small island is a popular destination for timeshare holidays and has 5 resorts in the Top 50, all of which hold Trip Advisor’s CoE with the exception of 1 which holds the Travellers Choice Winner award. Combining all the reviews posted on these resorts a staggering 93% of the reviewers rated their stay as “Excellent” or “Very Good” and only 2% considered their experience to be less than average.
Another island worthy of recognition is Gran Canaria which also has 5 resorts in the top 50, 4 of which have the CoE. Furthermore, out of over 400 reviews these resorts have been given, 89% considered their experience to be either “Excellent” or “Very Good”.
Finally, with 8 resorts in the Top 50, the Costa Del Sol boasts some impressive retreats including the Marbella Beach Resort and Playa Andaluza. All 8 resorts have been awarded the CoE for 2013 and of over 1400 reviews of these 8 resorts, 87% of users rated the resorts they visited as “Excellent” or “Very Good”.
Timeshare clearly isn’t suitable for everyone. Couples and families who enjoy the freedom of self catering holidays, high quality accommodation and the facilities of a well-equipped hotel will benefit the most especially if they have the flexibility to holiday outside of the peak school holiday periods.
Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket has a large range of resale timeshares starting from as little as just £995.
Above excerpts and read the full article on www.mirror.co.uk
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