TIME SHARING 2006

We are back from a 3-month sojourn across the great country of the USA. During this time, we stayed at several timeshares along the way; and here is our review of these vacation resorts:

PALACE VIEW BY SPINNAKER
Branson, MO
This is a very nice family-oriented vacation resort RCI Gold Crown, in one of the best family desitations--Branson, MO. We stayed a week in a 2 bedroom lockout and invited my two sisters to join us. The guest bedroom suite had a king bed, pull-out sofa, bath and mini-kitchen, with washer/dryer, and small dining and living area. The master suite had a king bed, pull-out sofa, spa bath and shower, full kitchen, large dining and living area, with a large patio, and central heating and air.

The elevators (four floors) were centrally located in each building and luggage carts were readily available. There was always plenty of parking space and the grounds were very nicely landscaped.

The resort staff had organized daily activities at the resort, such as board games, bingo, treasure hunts, and ice cream socials. Two pools are on site, one indoor--one outdoor, in addition to an exercise room. The hot tub was a popular spot! Discount tickets to the Branson shows were available in the lobby. DSL was available in the lobby and dial-up internet was available in the unit.

All in all, a great vacation place, which we can highly recommend.

We rate this resort a 10 out of 10!

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ANGEL FIRE RESORT
Angel Fire, NM

Angel Fire Resort is a hotel, of which a portion is devoted to timeshares; and it is an Affiliate resort of Fairfield Resorts. It is a ski destination--elevation 9-10,000 feet. We occupied a "studio", which was the smaller unit of a 2 bedroom lockout. The bed was a murphy bed; and there was a pull-out sofa, bath with washer/dryer, mini-kitchen with small dining and living area.

There was a small indoor pool and hot tub, near the lobby. There was no oranized activities for guests and the on-site restaurant was closed until "ski time". The studio was clean and sufficent for the two of us, except that the carpet was dirty and stained--my poor white socks were grey and dingy. Also the hallway carpeting leading to the timeshare units were dirty and stained. DSL was available in the lobby; however, dial-up could not be used in the studio because the outlets were located behind furniture that could not be moved.

The elevators (four floors) were located at the far end of the hall from our studio and it was difficult for loading and unloading, even with the luggage carts that were available. There was a "tour desk" in the lobby; but for the 5 days we were there, we never saw a person at the desk to assist in tours. There was A/C in the lobby area of the hotel, but not in the timeshare units. There was plenty of parking space available. The grounds were adequately landscaped.

We rate this resort a 7 out of 10.

The Angel Fire area is part of the "Enchanted Circle", an area including the villages of Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Red River, and Taos, NM; and the best part of our stay was a self-driving tour of this "circle" and a quiet time at a Vietnam Memorial, build by a local doctor to remember his son, who was killed in Vietnam.

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OROFINO BY STRAIGHT CREEK
Dillon, CO
This area is also a ski destination--elevation 8-9,000 feet. We occupied a two bedroom unit, with full kitchen, 2 1/2 bath, with washer/dryer, large dining and living area. The bedrooms and two baths were located upstairs. There was electric heat, but no A/C. This is apparently an older timeshare resort and was not up to par with other resorts we have visited. The furniture and mattresses really needed to be replaced.

There was no landscaping to accent the buildings and the check-in/check-out office was located several miles away. There was no planned activities for guests. There was limited parking space available.

We rate this resort a 4 out of 10.

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STONERIDGE RESORT
Blanchard, ID
Stoneridge Resort is in the beautiful "panhandle" of Idaho, about 20 miles north of Corde Alene. Our "Studio" had a king bed, pull-out sofa, bath, mini-kitchen, and small dining area. Each unit had a separate storage closet, accessed from the hallway The laundry was located at the check-in building. Thankfully, We were on the ground floor, as there were no elevators.

The resort amenities were all located very conveniently close to the resort buildings. There was an indoor pool, spa and sauna; a shuffle board area, indoor basketball court, outdoor picnic area, tennis courts and golf course. There were planned activities for guests and a complimentary hot-dog lunch on Saturday. There was limited parking. DSL was available in the lobby and dial-up was available in the units. The grounds were very nicely landscaped and there was a nice restaurant on-site.

We rate this resort a 9 out of 10.