The TimeShare

Maui Turtle

The wine will be Rock View winery’s Cabernet Reserve, Alexander Valley and the music will be Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce. I have been in 2 timeshares in my life. The first was over 27 years ago in Big Bear. We had just moved out here to California and for some reason we drove up the mountain from Redlands for the presentation. We went through the whole presentation with multiple no’s. It was like a ninja sword fight. For every objection or reason why you did not want to do this they had an answer. Now we just kept saying no. So finally when it was time for us to receive the free gift for attending they brought out the closer. It was Ranger Rick. I swear to you this guy came out in a national park looking ranger uniform. (It was up in the mountains.) This took another series of no’s until finally we were released. From the look on Ranger Rick’s face you would have thought we took away his first borne.

I have avoided every presentation of a time share since. I know they exploded in the 80’s and 90’s. Every hotel chain has got a time share offering. I know lots of people who have gone on cheap vacations and listened to the sales pitch to get the cheap vacation. We did not bite.

Now we roll forward 27 years and I was just in my second time share and I own it. How did it happen? Well, for those who follow my blog, I bought a company this summer. With it came a time share in Maui. Not the biggest asset they had but it was on the books. The original owner bought this unit in 1990 for $21,000. It is now worth $4800-6000. So the decision I made not to buy a timeshare 27 years ago was a good one. So do I like this time share? Well, it made me take a vacation to Maui! The time purchased is Dec.8-15 no matter when it falls. So this year was Monday to Monday. No one had used this week in 15 years. Why? They all had kids and this week is just before the holiday break. Well, my last child is in college and I want to start setting the tone that Mom and Dad have a life. (They did bark. Hey, they said what about us kids. I reminded them that I have no kids, they are all adults now! Bam!)

The unit itself is dated and in Kihei. Single bedroom but with a large living room and lanai. Yes, it is a garden view but who cares. I can walk to the open area near the pool to see the sunset. It is 3 blocks away from Wailea. For those in Southern California, Wailea is like Pelican Hill. Everything is beautiful and planned, no weeds allowed, nothing out of place. Wailea has condos selling for 6 million dollars. If Wailea is Pelican Hill, Kihei is Costa Mesa. You are close to the beach but you are obviously not in Newport.

It was great. Maui in December has perfect weather. We discovered some great beaches, played golf and ate a lot of fresh fish. There is a cove around the corner from Napili bay up past Kaanapali that must have 40 turtles nesting there. At the same time, 80 degrees, palm trees and Christmas decorations do not mix. They try but it is weird. Obviously Santa was created before people discovered tropical islands and the entire southern hemisphere.

But it is another world. The first question is who are these people? I met the guy from Phoenix who arrived November 5th. He has been doing that for 12 years. The retired couple from Switzerland who come to the islands for 7 weeks each year. The guy going back to Alaska after a month. The couples that own sequential weeks. This does not count the Canadians. They are everywhere.

So will I go back? And I am a timesharer? Of course I will. It is free. It gets you to Maui. So hopefully in 20 years someone will blog about how they met a guy who has been coming to his timeshare in Maui in December for 20 years.

So will I go back? And I am a timesharer? Of course I will. It is free. It gets you to Maui. So hopefully in 20 years someone will blog about how they met a guy who has been coming to his timeshare in Maui in December fo.