Do you use the kitchen a lot when you TS?

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

We have always used the kitchens when on a TS vacation. We prefer to cook most of our meals in the unit, and will go out for a breakfast or a lunch once or twice, and usually limit ourselves to one dinner out....this helps us enjoy the surrounding area without stretching our budget beyond its limits.

Since we do like to use the kitchen, we prefer TS that have Full Kitchens and are often disappointed when we arrive to find out there is no oven, only a stovetop...but we can make do with that setup if we have to.

The Westin Kierland is a place that has no oven...at least in the buildings we have stayed in....they do have a microwave, but we don't like MW ovens for cooking food...I just have an aversion to anything cooked that way.

So, what is your traditional approach when planning and/or using a TS....do you use the kitchen very much or not?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

When traveling with the kids, we use it more than without them. I hate going out for breakfast, so almost always cook breakfast in with or without the kids. At beach resorts, we use the kitchen for lunches sometimes, otherwise pack a picnic for the beach.

I don't think I've ever used an oven in a timeshare, though I barely use it at home, either...

I think I'd cook more in the timeshares if the cookware were better (at least if the kitchen had what I was used to), and if they came equipped with herbs/spices/etc... But I find the shopping too complicated to cook real meals, especially if we're out of the country or anywhere remote.

When we used to go to Hilton Head, we'd cook more there, even grill. The grocery stores are convenient and have a great selection. Still, we'd tend to keep it simpler than if I were cooking at home. And I always used to buy a teflon pan at the grocery store our first day...

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

I don't normally cook on vacation, because one of my favorites things to do is go out for dinner.....Lunch and breakfast, too.


We do not often spend much time at the timeshare while vacationing, even when staying at really nice resorts. We are out, and about most of the day, and that makes preparing meals more difficult.

We do use the kitchen for coffee, drinks, snacks, fruit, and that kind of stuff.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

We have always used the kitchens when on a TS vacation. We prefer to cook most of our meals in the unit, and will go out for a breakfast or a lunch once or twice, and usually limit ourselves to one dinner out....this helps us enjoy the surrounding area without stretching our budget beyond its limits.

Since we do like to use the kitchen, we prefer TS that have Full Kitchens and are often disappointed when we arrive to find out there is no oven, only a stovetop...but we can make do with that setup if we have to.

The Westin Kierland is a place that has no oven...at least in the buildings we have stayed in....they do have a microwave, but we don't like MW ovens for cooking food...I just have an aversion to anything cooked that way.

So, what is your traditional approach when planning and/or using a TS....do you use the kitchen very much or not?

The Westin Kierland has full kitchens in the larger 1 bedrooms. Apparently you've been staying in smaller 1 bedrooms which, IMO are glorified studio units.

It's pretty easy to tell if you'll have a stove or not by looking for either the K or LK. LK is for units with Limited Kitchens and most of the time they won't have a stove. K is for units with full kitchens and I believe all of them will have a stove. If you look at your I.I. confirmation, it will tell you what the kitchen has in it.

As for cooking, we don't really cook all that much in the unit. Sometime it depends on where we are staying, what's available and at what prices in terms of restaurants and how much time we want to spend in the unit rather than out seeing the sights.

For instance, we go to Singer Island, FL every year. We're really not out running around seeing the sights anymore and, since we own an ocean front unit at this resort, we pretty much have a table with the best view around. So we'll cook more in the unit and enjoy a nice dinner on our balcony at sunset.

On the flip side we were just in Boston and, when you can get a lobster dinner for as little as $10.99 and it's only a couple of blocks from where you're staying, why would you want to cook dinner.

Most times we'll have breakfast in the unit, then be out the door exploring. Since we don't want to take the time to come all the way back to the timeshare for lunch, we'll find something affordable wherever we are. Dinner will depend upon where we happen to be. If it's a long ways from the timeshare, we'll eat out. If everything is on the expensive side, I'll make sure that we plan our days so that I can cook at least a few dinners in our unit.

Generally speaking we just go with the flow. I try not to buy to much when we first get there because I hate wasting food. As the week progresses, I'll pick up what we need once we decide what sound good that night. I always try to pick up a few snacks, something to drink and, if they have gas grills at the timeshare, I'll pick up a couple of steaks. That way I know we'll have at least one good meal while we're on vacation.

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

We use a kitchen when there is one and only go out to eat once or twice ourselves. Been known to cook a mean meatloaf in a microwave, then we eat meatloaf sandwich for lunch.

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

Oh, yeah, we cook. It depends on the area. Some places have great restaurants right nearby, and some places have not-so-great restaurants nowhere nearby. And we have three kids who are, in varying degrees, picky eaters. We're the people who are always using the oven for the first time.

We pack up a medium-sized cooler with things from the freezer, meat and Trader Joe's stuff and Chinese dumplings from the local Chinese dumpling factory, and off we go. We try to bring a large bag of produce and kitchen staples and dry cereal and tinfoil and spices, too. If we've been to a place before, we might know if the quality of the grocery store is good or not, and if it's not so great, we'll bring extra food, or if the stores are good, we'll bring less. But we always bring something.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

It depends on where we are and the prices.

Always eat breakfasts in and lunches to go. A couple of dinners as well. If we are in a pricey place ( and I'm a NYer so thing REALLY pricey) we will have 1 or 2 dinners out. If a place that is reasonable we'll have 3 or 4 dinners out.

First night anywhere is usually a rotisserie chicken and salad in the unit. That's become a tradition.

Granted we very rarely go out if we are home.

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

First of all, I don't cook but DH does. We always eat breakfast in, except maybe last morning and that depends. We usually eat lunch out and dinner in; although sometimes it's lunch in and dinner out. DH has some Timeshare meals that are simpler than normal fare. We just got back from Massenutten and knew we would not have a full oven and only a two burner hot plate, so planned accordingly. Used the grills outside a couple of times.

Nancy

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

Depends on where we are. When we go to our unit in central Oregon, we eat almost every meal in. There's a decent grill on the deck overlooking the golf course, so we BBQ a lot. When we've gone to SoCal, we've eaten some breakfasts in the unit, but that was about it. Too many other things to occupy our time.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

My oldest son has extensive food allergies. So, we need a kitchen to prepare food for him even when we go out.

Before timesharing, we used to go to Homewood Suites so we could have a kitchen. Now, I don't see how we would travel anywhere without a kitchen.

We are so timeshare centric that for Thanksgiving, my wife always prepares dinner in a timeshare kitchen. This year, it will be in the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

First of all, I don't cook but DH does. We always eat breakfast in, except maybe last morning and that depends. We usually eat lunch out and dinner in; although sometimes it's lunch in and dinner out. DH has some Timeshare meals that are simpler than normal fare. We just got back from Massenutten and knew we would not have a full oven and only a two burner hot plate, so planned accordingly. Used the grills outside a couple of times.

Nancy

I am like you as I don't like to cook and certainly not while on vacation. My SO loved to cook too and did it at home since he was retired but he can't anymore because his left arm is paralyzed after the stroke in Maui.

We enjoy having breakfast late on our balcony while watching the ocean and eat out early for dinner but not as often now because it is getting more expensive everywhere unless you go to a fast food restaurant which we don't like.

We enjoy our sunsets with some nice snacks and wine and skip having dinner. It works for us.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

My oldest son has extensive food allergies. So, we need a kitchen to prepare food for him even when we go out.

Before timesharing, we used to go to Homewood Suites so we could have a kitchen. Now, I don't see how we would travel anywhere without a kitchen.

We are so timeshare centric that for Thanksgiving, my wife always prepares dinner in a timeshare kitchen. This year, it will be in the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

That sounds wonderful, Boca. A kitchen is necessary if you have a family and certainly if someone has food allergies. This is when a timeshare condo really saves you money by eating a decent meal in. I don't know how anyone can stomach a fast food restaurant meal unless once in a blue moon when it is very convenient.

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

The Westin Kierland has full kitchens in the larger 1 bedrooms. Apparently you've been staying in smaller 1 bedrooms which, IMO are glorified studio units.

It's pretty easy to tell if you'll have a stove or not by looking for either the K or LK. LK is for units with Limited Kitchens and most of the time they won't have a stove. K is for units with full kitchens and I believe all of them will have a stove. If you look at your I.I. confirmation, it will tell you what the kitchen has in it.

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

The cooktop is a four in the larger one BR, and 2 burner in smaller, what you call glorified studio...never had an oven in the unit. But maybe in the first phase they have ovens, we have stayed in the newer built units for the most part.

As for cooking, we don't really cook all that much in the unit. Sometime it depends on where we are staying, what's available and at what prices in terms of restaurants and how much time we want to spend in the unit rather than out seeing the sights.

For instance, we go to Singer Island, FL every year. We're really not out running around seeing the sights anymore and, since we own an ocean front unit at this resort, we pretty much have a table with the best view around. So we'll cook more in the unit and enjoy a nice dinner on our balcony at sunset.

Yes, resorts where you are very familiar, and which are "stay and relax" vacations usually find folks cooking more in the unit.

On the flip side we were just in Boston and, when you can get a lobster dinner for as little as $10.99 and it's only a couple of blocks from where you're staying, why would you want to cook dinner.

As long as it isn't a Red Lobster, I couldn't agree more!

[quote]Most times we'll have breakfast in the unit, then be out the door exploring. Since we don't want to take the time to come all the way back to the timeshare for lunch, we'll find something affordable wherever we are. Dinner will depend upon where we happen to be. If it's a long ways from the timeshare, we'll eat out. If everything is on the expensive side, I'll make sure that we plan our days so that I can cook at least a few dinners in our unit. [quote]
This sounds familiar. Except, when we go out and about, we most times plan a picnic...if we find a more appealing lunch spot, we save the picnic and indulgbe in lunch out.

Generally speaking we just go with the flow. I try not to buy to much when we first get there because I hate wasting food. As the week progresses, I'll pick up what we need once we decide what sound good that night. I always try to pick up a few snacks, something to drink and, if they have gas grills at the timeshare, I'll pick up a couple of steaks. That way I know we'll have at least one good meal while we're on vacation.

It is amazing how much food can be wasted if you don't plan, isn't it? Whatever we don't use, we always leave with a note to housekeeping that we hope they are allowed to keep and use the items, or in some places, there is often a local food bank bin that allows us to donate unopened items, but that is usually rare, as we don't overbuy very often. We have been TS'ng too long to indulge in overbuying food.

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

,,,...

We are so timeshare centric that for Thanksgiving, my wife always prepares dinner in a timeshare kitchen. This year, it will be in the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Oh, BB, I feel soooooooo bad for you.....

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

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

The cooktop is a four in the larger one BR, and 2 burner in smaller, what you call glorified studio...never had an oven in the unit. But maybe in the first phase they have ovens, we have stayed in the newer built units for the most part.

I had to go back and look at my pictures and you're absolutely correct. It's a full kitchen but, there are cabinets where a stove should be.

After looking at my photo's I remembered commenting to my wife how odd it was to have a full kitchen but no stove. I guess you can tell how often we ate in when we were in Scottsdale. To many good restaurants within easy driving distance of the Westin the didn't break the bank, A day spent driving down to Tombstone, another day in Sedona and another day spent driving up to Natural Bridge State Park. That's three days off the top of my head we weren't even in town. Toss in the dinner we had over at my aunt and uncle's home, who live in Tempe and going out to dinner with them and you have five out of the 7 nights we were there. Most breakfast's that trip were at The Good Egg. For the life of me I can't recall what we did for lunch's on that trip. Maybe we just skipped them after having a relatively large breakfast.