Do you use the kitchen a lot when you TS?

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

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.

I agree that there are quite a few restaurants in the area of Westin that make cooking in seem not very interesting. But we do have limited budget and several lunches or dinners out can break the bank.

We do lunch or take out at P.F. Chang's, and one breakfast at Good Egg. And Flo's Asian Kitchen is always great for lunch or dinner.

Trader Joe's is close to Westin, so we pick up whatever we need as we need it. I actually enjoy my cooking much better than restaurants, so that is another reason we don't eat out a lot while at TS.

Emmy, I couldn't agree with you more about fast food....UGH...cannot stomach that stuff. We eat lots of fresh foods, salads, greens and veggies and fruit....so to have a meal at something like a KFC, UGH! These types of meals don't appeal to us.

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

I always book units with full kitchens. We eat most meals in, but try to go out for dinner at least once, and odd lunch if we are out and about. The only exception is when we are in Las Vegas. There we eat breakfast in, but lunch and dinner are out. Sometimes, we will have a late breakfast out and skip lunch.

Dori

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

We usually eat about half our meals in the unit. We try to buy all the items we'll need at once (put together a shopping list before we leave). Almost all breakfasts are in the unit. Used to be we'd eat mostly lunches out and dinners in, but now with a son who needs to sleep in the early afternoon, it tends to be lunches in and dinners out. If grills are easily availabe, we'll usually grill at least once for dinner. When travelling with family who have less financially, we'll typically eat even more meals in to help them with costs. Traveling with kids and no kitchens just isn't fun. Also my wife uses medication which needs to be refrigerated, and so a refrigerator is really pretty important to us, even if not using the full kitchen.

As far as spices go, I should probably pack some before I leave, but I usually forget. That's one thing I do like about Worldmark -- they have a small supply of various spices in the kitchen for your use. Fabulous!!

I wonder if the Kierland's microwave ovens are also convection ovens? We recently stayed at the HGVC South Beach, where the kitchen was fairly small, and the microwave there was also a convection oven. Worked OK, the one time we used it as such.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

I usually make breakfast in and make our main meal lunch and eat either leftovers or something small/easy for supper, don't laugh- sometimes a frozen dinner. If I'm at the beach will make a picnic or a sandwich because nothing is worse than to get out of a wet bathing suit , having to change, coming back and putting on more swimwear. I don't cook at all in Vegas . I just usually buy snacks, milk, juice, fruit, something to just munch on. I am trying to conserve a little more now. shaggy

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

The only meals I eat out are the ones I get with freebies from the owner updates.

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

We use the kitchen at our home resort in the UK simply because we like a cooked breakfast to set us up for the day. We've never made use of the kitchen abroad, partly because it has been so cheap to eat out and partly because we tend to be out and about so much we don't want the hassle when we get back.

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

absolutely and would never accept a unit witout kitchen

We make breakfast every morning especially if it's a beach vacation where we can eat on the balconey and watch the morning sun, beach and ocean.

We also sometimes make sandwiches for lunch or salads but usually eat out for dinner and sometimes for lunch. Having kitchen also works out great for cold drinks anytime and snacks

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Almost never in Mexico, but in the states just about more than half of our meals are in the unit.

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

We use the kitchen a lot. When on vacation, we usually eat two meals a day, and at random times. We'll eat out a few times, but mostly we use the stove, cook top or oven, or my husband barbecues.
Connie

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

We have to have a kitchen. It's a make or break decision in where we choose to stay. The first place we go when we arrive somewhere is the supermarket to pick up our groceries for the week. Breakfast is either in the unit or something to take with us as we head out. We make lunches to take with us as we're exploring or doing something. Come back for dinner. We usually will go out once or twice for dinner during the week as a treat. For us we'd rather spend the money saved on eating in/cooking on some activity

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

We have to have a kitchen too. We always do breakfast in and of course have snacks and drinks. If we are traveling with the kids and grandkids, we will cook more often in the unit to save money. Love timeshares that have grills available.

If it's just the 2 of us, we will often have a small snack around lunch time even if we are out and about we bring something with us. Then we have an early dinner. This beats the crowds at many places. Then maybe a small snack later in the evening. We try to find places where the locals go, not the big chain restaurants.

[PHILL12 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PHILL12]

Never thought that much about it until we left timesharing for about ten years.

We traveled and stayed in beautiful hotels. In Maui wife wanted to driver over to check out a timeshare we had exchange into years earlier.

That was when we decided to come back to timesharing with no regrets. My wife missed the kitchen area and cooking and it brought back all the memories of having our daughter or friends and the girls cooking or making lunch and just sitting around enjoying our resort.

It was then we thought how much more time we were losing on vacation because we either were at a meal or dressing to go out to eat.

With your timeshare you can kick back and enjoy your family and friends new and old that you might meet and still go out to dinner when you want and not when the clock tells you its time to eat.

My wife told me she would never complain again about stopping at a store on vacation!


PHIL

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

I always use the kitchen for breakfast and depending on where I am lunch or dinner. At the beach who wants to dress up and go out. Not me. I'm in flip flops and a bathing suit. Besides the view is included. But at Disney DVC I'm loving the meal plan and eat breakfast only. In cities I'm like most, have to experience the city's delights. Who can pass on Boston's seafood, San Anton's tex-mex or New York's everything. And since restaurants always give you huge portions, I take my to-go box and have a fridge to eat left overs for a snack another day. How I ever survived before timeshares I don't know. Never again back to hotels for me if I can help it.

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

We have to have a kitchen.... For us we'd rather spend the money saved on eating in/cooking on some activity

Yes, we prefer places with kitchens....very hard to stay in a limited kitchen, but have done so....it just takes some creative thinking for that. I agree, I would much rather spend $$$ on an activity then a meal....for $50 we can go on a sunset sail or a whale watch that makes a better memory than a steak dinner at some restaurant.

... With your timeshare you can kick back and enjoy your family and friends new and old that you might meet and still go out to dinner when you want and not when the clock tells you its time to eat.

My wife told me she would never complain again about stopping at a store on vacation!


PHIL

So true! You got the best of both worlds for a while, enjoying the "freedom" of no kitchen/shopping and exploring the world of hotels and restaurants...which we all should do at some time, but then with the TS have all those other special moments....like BB's wife cooking Thanksgiving dinner in a different TS each year....these can be very cool moments to remember.

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

Our eating habits when timesharing are the same as at home. We cook almost all of our meals, and got out for lunch and dinner maybe once a week. I can manage in almost any size kitchen, especially with the prepared dinners that you can get at Safeway or Trader Joe's etc. that are delicious and reasonably priced.

Recently I made Eggs Benedict from scratch for 7 - in the teeny tiny kitchen in a studio unit at Scottsdale Camelback Resort, for a very appreciative crowd.