Grand Getaways

Destinations Beyond Your Backyard
For those who want to vacation beyond the Midwest, plenty of options exist. The Villa Group offers timeshares, fractional, and full ownerships in their Mexico properties. Destinations include Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, and Nuevo Vallarta, with Cancun and Loreto properties scheduled to open in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

The properties feature all the amenities expected from upscale oceanfront resorts: great views from private balconies, swimming, snorkeling, pristine beaches, spas, gourmet restaurants, and swimming pools. In the company’s Villa La Estancia developments, which are dedicated to full and fractional ownerships, owners can expect one-, two-, or three-bedroom suites that include spa bathrooms, luxury kitchens with breakfast bars, and high-end entertainment systems. Granite, travertine, and marble complete the villas’ elegant design.

Purchasing from the Villa Group makes sense for those who want regular vacations in Mexico with the option of trading time at other sophisticated properties, says José Castelló, corporate director of sales and marketing division for The Villa Group. “You’re going to freeze the cost of your vacation by buying real estate,” he says. “If you’re going to have vacation time for the next twenty-five years, chances are that the prices will go up.”

Those who appreciate the variety, locations, and comforts that a luxury hotel company provides but expect more than a standard room are turning to places such as Starwood Vacation Ownership, whose brands include Westin, Sheraton, St. Regis, and Luxury Collection.

Choose from the vacation ownership model, which are deeded one-week interests per year, or the fractional model, entitling owners to three or four weeks a year. Well-appointed, fully furnished residential homes are found throughout Starwood’s twenty resorts, including golf destinations such as the Westin Kierland in Scottsdale or tropical paradises such as the Harborside Resort at Atlantis in the Bahamas. Other popular locales include Myrtle Beach, Vail, Hawaii, Cancun, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and southern California.

Owners are automatically enrolled in the Starwood Preferred Guest program at a gold or platinum level and can exchange time among other Starwood Vacation resorts or hotels. These benefits, along with the typical amenities found in five-star resorts, create an appealing, no-hassle, and accessible lifestyle in enviable destinations. “Most of the locations we are in are extremely expensive to purchase a second home,” says David Matheson, vice president of corporate communications for Starwood Vacation Ownership. “Fractional ownership makes tremendous sense as you are only paying for what you use.”

No matter where you choose to purchase, you’ll likely see the advantages of fractional or full ownership immediately, as Bruce Teigen did. “I used to hear the horror stories from friends who own lake homes about how a storm would come in and knock down trees or how they would have break-ins,” he says. “I don’t want those frustrations. I want to drive up, unload the car, walk in the door, and start enjoying my vacation.”