Do you use the kitchen a lot when you TS?

[mpizza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mpizza]

I'm using the kitchen table in a timeshare right now to check emails!

Seriously, I'm always watching my weight, so one great meal (with wine and dessert of course!) at a restaurant each day is enough for me. The rest of the day I eat yogurt or fruit or a light salad.

Maria
Posted via Mobile Device

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

All we need is a refrigerator for drinks and snacks. We never cook in the unit. My wife is an excellent cook but I feel it is only fair that she has a break so we do not cook any meals. Often we will use "room service" if we don't feel like going out. We will not stay at a resort that does not have "room service" which limits our timeshare visits a lot as we like the service and amenities of a luxury resort/hotel. The only exception to this is if we are in an urban timeshare in New York City, San Francisco, San Diego where you can just walk out the door and have your choice of several restaurants.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

It depends on where we are and whom we are with on how much we use the Kitchen, but on average probably 2 meals a day and the other one we eat out.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

We're at the Worldmark New Braunsfel this Memorial Day weekend. We have a 3BR and love it!. It has a great fully furnished kitchen. We have 7 adults. We've had big family breakfasts 2 mornings. It's really nice to sit around in pajamas and not have to dress to go out.

Otherwise, we will use the kitchen for occasional lunch or dinners.

My preference is to have a kitchen.

[Lisa P Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lisa P]

We prefer a full kitchen, whether we use it a lot on that trip or not. If a resort has some units with full kitchen and some with partial or no kitchen, you're more likely to get a better unit (larger dining/living area, nicer bath, balcony) with the full kitchen units.

...something small/easy for supper, don't laugh- sometimes a frozen dinner.

No laughs here. If we have a crowd, the easier prep, the better. Whatever works! It's your vacation!

The first place we go when we arrive somewhere is the supermarket to pick up our groceries for the week.... For us we'd rather spend the money saved on eating in/cooking on some activity

Same here. We buy enough for 3-4 days' worth of eating in and it's usually just right with a midweek stop for fresh milk and produce. We do like dinner out in a local-type restaurant, once or twice in the week, but we watch our budget so we can afford more vacations!

[chap19150 Member Find all posts View Profile Close chap19150]

We use the kitchen occasionally. Usually nobody wants to spend time in the kitchen while on vacation.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Heck yes, we use the kitchen. I bring a kit with my most used spices and cook up some nice meals. Not always happy with the cookware, but I can't fly with my suitcase full of frying pans.

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

Full Kitchen is a must!

Actually, we have stayed in 2 BR units, and never had an oven. Stove top,yes, no oven.

Well, this is a real bummer. We have a week at Kierland next March and I assumed I would have a real kitchen!

We eat well on vacation but almost all our meals are prepared in our timeshare. One of the reasons I like drive-to destinations is so I can take my big "timeshare supply" box. It has lots of herbs & spices, my favorite knives, pans & griddle, waffle iron, etc. We spend a lot more on groceries than we do when at home because we eat (and drink ) more upscale than usual. If we make our own grilled steaks and lobster tails rather than pay someone else to serve us we can then have money left in the budget for tickets to shows and excursions. And since I love to cook, my meals are usually better than what we get at most restaurants.

We are great fans of the deli section in most major grocery stores and have made good use of the frozen food section, too.

A partial kitchen is certainly better than none. What is a real bummer is the timeshares with no outdoor grills, like the Hyatts and the Mexico resorts. Please tell me the Westin has barbeques.!!!!

[longtimer Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close longtimer]

We use the kitchen for breakfasts and dinners. Lunchtime we are usually out somewhere, so we'll eat out. It saves a considerable amount of money because we only generally have one meal a day to worry about and lunches are usually much cheaper than dinners. I do take along a non-stick pan because I don't like cooking with the cheap pans they give you in the TS kitchens. I love to cook and don't mind preparing some simple meals for dinner. (I've even taken the crock pot along on occasion.) Clean up really isn't much of an issue because we can put everything in the dishwasher and have clean plates, pans and utensils for breakfast. One year we vacationed during my daughter's birthday. I took along a cake mix and pan and baked her a birthday cake. The people upstairs were envious because they could smell the cake baking.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

We use it mostly for breakfast but we do rarely go out get cookie dough and bake cookies. On a few trips with a large group we did cook diner 1 night.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Well, this is a real bummer. We have a week at Kierland next March and I assumed I would have a real kitchen!

We eat well on vacation but almost all our meals are prepared in our timeshare. One of the reasons I like drive-to destinations is so I can take my big "timeshare supply" box. It has lots of herbs & spices, my favorite knives, pans & griddle, waffle iron, etc. We spend a lot more on groceries than we do when at home because we eat (and drink ) more upscale than usual. If we make our own grilled steaks and lobster tails rather than pay someone else to serve us we can then have money left in the budget for tickets to shows and excursions. And since I love to cook, my meals are usually better than what we get at most restaurants.

We are great fans of the deli section in most major grocery stores and have made good use of the frozen food section, too.

A partial kitchen is certainly better than none. What is a real bummer is the timeshares with no outdoor grills, like the Hyatts and the Mexico resorts. Please tell me the Westin has barbeques.!!!!

No worries, as there are plenty of barbecues at the Westin.

When dealing with the "no oven" issue, it does take some planning...but it is doable...as long as I have a full refrigerator and dishwasher, a stove top and a decent range of cookware, and some space to get things organized, I can usually make a decent meal. Assuming we are driving to the TS, sometimes I will freeze lasagne, using it as an ice block, for the cooler in which I have my standard setup foods for one week. If there is no oven, but there is a large pot, I sometimes nest cookware (like pyrexware) and use the stove top as an oven for my food...but you have to watch carefully so that nothing burns, dries up or gets too hot. Moving the pan back and forth on the burner usually works.

My most ambitious dinner cooked in a timeshare was sauerbrauten...I even brought my enamel dutch oven with me for the occasion.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

I make extensive use of the kitchen.

For whatever reason, I enjoy using someone else's kitchen. And it saves us a ton of money and time.

Since DH is diabetic, a fridge is great to have for keeping insulin cold and for a stash of juice.

[d0ugie_fresh Member Find all posts View Profile Close d0ugie_fresh]

Kitchen is a big plus for us!

One of the reasons we like to use our timeshare is because we know we'll have use of a kitchen. Any time we're traveling, we always try to make sure the kitchen area is nice. My wife loves to cook (even on vacation). So not only do I get a better meal than eating out (not only does she love to cook, she's GOOD at it), and it's cheaper.

That being said.. if it's just me traveling.. I could do without a kitchen.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

...snip..That being said.. if it's just me traveling.. I could do without a kitchen.

I recently spent 5 days in a hotel. I am not a big eater, so would have a dinner from the restaurant and would have half of it for later. I had a mini fridge in the room and had to walk down the hall to use a microwave. Made me appreciate a kitchen. Too bad there wasn't a timeshare in the area, I could have used that.

[deede Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close deede]

No, I do not use the kitchen a lot. Hubby cooks his breakfast daily.