What is your favorite Bluegreen Resort and why?

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

For some reason, I gotta say Ormond Beach. We've been to Tenn, Branson, Daytona, Orlando multiple times, Hershey, AC, Williamsburg...

North Myrtle would be a close second.

I think its the fact that when we go to Ormond, its a "vacation" and not a trip. If that makes sense

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

Well that is definitely one of the pluses for exchanging thru a mini system as opposed to the big 2.

Minis provide a superior exchange experience and take the gamble out of exchanging. Of course it does come at a price premium compared to exchanging but some of think its worth it.

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I disagree that it's a price premium ! One can buy resale at maybe no cost, RCI membership included with dues.

There are no exchange fees and one can get multiple trips out of "a week of points" while week for week exchanging does cost a week + exchange fee (I have done very little of the Points for RCI Nightly Stays thing, but again, a fee for every trip booked via RCI).

We don't have to pay for "guest certificates" either and don't get punished badly for cancellations. And we can rent out a reservation if our plans change. Can't do that with RCI.

Please tell me what you see as 'paying a premium' as I see it as avoiding the RCI gouge...

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Of course, a negative of the mini-systems is that they tend to fold.

Some that were bragged about five years are gone now.

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

Of course, a negative of the mini-systems is that they tend to fold.

Some that were bragged about five years are gone now.

BG has been around 15 years at least, and I've owned during most of that time. Mgmt is solid, that makes a difference.

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

I disagree that it's a price premium ! One can buy resale at maybe no cost, RCI membership included with dues.

There are no exchange fees and one can get multiple trips out of "a week of points" while week for week exchanging does cost a week + exchange fee (I have done very little of the Points for RCI Nightly Stays thing, but again, a fee for every trip booked via RCI).

We don't have to pay for "guest certificates" either and don't get punished badly for cancellations. And we can rent out a reservation if our plans change. Can't do that with RCI.

Please tell me what you see as 'paying a premium' as I see it as avoiding the RCI gouge...

I guess it depends on your home resort and what you pay for MFs
The resort that I have considered for myself was Solara which require a lot of points and a higher MF than others.

Its cheaper for me to trade into most bluegreens than to take on points for me. Only problem is limited availability in many BG resorts in the exchange companies. That's a good thing for BG owners.

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[hac Member Find all posts View Profile Close hac]

We own with some of the big time share companies as well. We generally go to a resort for a week, or for a split week. But, we use Bluegreen differently. We do many weekend getaways with Bluegreen - many of these have been with bonus time - so we don't have to use our points. Living in Florida, there are quite a few easy weekend locations. Bluegreen has some great urban locations as well - more of a boutique hotel type accomodation in that there are not a lot of rooms, but accomodations are very nice.

We would agree that Bluegreen has done some very nice things with resorts they have taken over. We were in Aruba when they were redoing La Cabana. We have seen recent photos and I can't wait to go back and see the finished (or almost finished) product.! We (including Mom) were very impressed with the renovations they did at La Posada. And, Shenandoah and Arizona (CibolaVista) have always been nice resorts, but every time we go back they have added more ammenities or activities...................

[hac Member Find all posts View Profile Close hac]

Hammocks at Marathon, another location they have really added a lot to since we were first going there.............

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

I'm not so good with favorites. We've stayed at Christmas Mountain Village, Mountain Run, Mountain Loft, Laurel Crest, Hershey, Harbour Lights, Shorecrest I, The Fountains, Orlando Sunshine (both I and II), Fallls Village, and the Cliffs at Long Creek. We've visited Big Cedar, Carolina Grand, and SeaGlass Tower. Probably will never stay in SeaGlass Tower, because the units are so small and we're not that big on being downtown Myrtle Beach; will likely stay at Big Cedar eventually, and might give Carolina Grand a shot as well. We liked all the ones we stayed in just fine, because they all had what we value in timeshares -- full kitchens, a washer and dryer in the unit, and enough space to spread out -- but picking a favorite is tough. They all have different strengths and weaknesses.

Mountain Run could almost be our favorite -- I love that part of the world; it's the resort closest to home; the kids like the lake there and eldest son likes that there are a lot of places he can walk -- except I hate the kitchens there. Don't mind the lack of oven in the 1 BR so much as I hate the fact that the dishwasher is under the sink -- means the sink is single and shallow, and that the top rack of the dishwasher is scanty, and what's worse, you can't work at the sink when the dishwasher's open, which hampers efficiency. We generally go and do in the morning and then I'll have one of the kids empty the dishwasher while I'm getting lunch; can't do that at Mountain Run. Messes me all up. The MR kitchen bugs me enough I'm thinking about trying some of the RCI options, even though they're further from where I really want to be.

We like Mountain Loft better as a resort, but Laurel Crest is closer to Wilderness Wildlife Week and to Cade's Cove. Love Hershey, except for some reason I really missed having a porch, which I did not expect. Shorecrest I is right on the beach, but the units are kind of cramped compared to Harbour Lights, and we have to get two of them for my family. Harbour Lights has nice sized units that sleep eight, we like the view of the waterway, plus you can get the state park passes at Harbour Lights, which we make use of. The Fountains is closer to Walt Disney World, the units that sleep 8 have great views of the lake, and the pools are cool; OTOH, you're right by the pool at Orlando Sunshine, it has the hot tub with the waterfall that everyone likes, the units are bigger, and it's the quieter resort. The Big Cedar resort is pretty cool, but it's well outside of Branson and the units are kind of small. Falls Village has nice big units and it's right near Branson but far enough off the strip to be peaceable, however it doesn't have that lazy river.

Christmas Mountain Village was our first BG experience, we own there and have gone there the most often and it's terrific, but I guess because it's "basic Bluegreen" in my brain, it can't be my favorite. The pond there you can canoe on is tiny, ditto the uninspired mini golf course; the pools are not a big deal (the indoor one is nice for littles, but my kids are too old to get excited about it); the units we've stayed in were fine (we haven't done the Timbers yet); some of them had great views but some totally didn't; we really like Witches Gulch, but Wisconsin Dells as a destination doesn't compare to the ocean or the Boyne Mountain area or the Smoky Mountains; there's just nothing I can point at with CMV and say "special." But it has everything we demand of Bluegreen and we always have a great time there, plus it's halfway between our house and my parents' place, so it's less "our favorite" and more "our home resort," I guess.

The Cliffs at Long Creek may be even further from Branson than Big Cedar, and although the pool there is nice, the activities and the terrific lazy river are a long shuttle ride away. But who cares; the units at the Cliffs are spectacular, and the view is very nice, especially from the lower row. So as far as Presidentials go, the Cliffs wins, mostly because few of the other Presidentials really tempt me. We might stay at the Presidential at Daytona Seabreeze if we get down there while still traveling with the troops, but so many of the 3 BR Presidentials only sleep six, which annoys me. And, to be honest, although we like more space on vacation than a hotel suite offers, we don't like to go too big because then we don't end up hanging out together. Wasn't an issue with the Cliffs because we planned a Harry Potter marathon that week, so we were together for the movies and for the meals we made based on what the characters ate in the book for the movie(s) we were watching that day. Would also be a great place to stay with my extended family.

Favorite BG resort? Not sure.

Favorite Presidential? The Cliffs at Long Creek, by a good margin.