Are you ready for a vacation?
A few months ago, through my real estate business, Jack Edwards Real Estate, I donated two vacation certificates to local Elk Grove nonprofit organizations for their annual fundraising dinner. The question of course, is it worth your time and money to bid on one of these certificates at the live or silent auction at the fundraising dinner that you will be attending.
Of course the answer is always, “It Depends.” The biggest “It Depends,” is on when and where you want to travel. These certificates are not for the peak season, but for shoulder season. The shoulder season is the few weeks before or after the time that everyone wants to visit. Personally, I prefer to travel during the shoulder season because the crowds are much smaller, so for me they are always a big win.
I have stayed at many of the locations that are available with these certifiates, and will return to stay there again on a future trip. Since I own a timeshare, I sometimes stay at those locations using the timeshare or using a trade through RCI. If I am low on points, using one of these certificates may be a better option for me. It is all about how and where you travel. You can always bid on it and give it to a friend or one of your kids so that they can travel the world. Other than airfare, assuming that you are flying somewhere, the cost of the lodging is usually your most expensive part of the trip. At $200-$500 per night for some locations, or more, that makes this certifiate easily worth $1400 to $3500 depending on the cost per night at the resort of choice. This certificate can cover that cost.
Let me tell you about the certificate and you can decide for yourself. It comes from Resort Vacation Certificates, which is affiliated with RCI, the worldwide resort destination company. The certificate will give you hundreds of options for an exciting vacation, locally or around the world.
In some locations, you can use the certificate to cover the cost of your room at the resort, but in some locations, especially during peak times, you may have to pay a small fee for the whole week, not each night, in addition to using the certificate. The key is to plan early and book your vacation as soon as possible to get the best choice. You will have to book your vacation before April 25, 2025 and you must start your travel within 365 days of the date booked.
What do you do if you have the winning bid?
If you have the winning bid for the vacation certificate, you will need to provide an email address so that we can send you the certificate. Once you receive the email, you will be directed to create an account and log into the www.resortscerts.com website. You will be required to register your certificate before you can start to explore and ultimately redeem your certificate and complete your booking.
On the website, you will be able to view all of the available resorts as well as four videos with vacation ideas. I have included links to two of the videos here so that you can have a look before you even consider bidding for the vacation certificate. Orlando Video. Mazatlan Video.
Keep in mind that the certificate does not include any of your other expenditures such as air fare, transfers, activities or meals. Additionally, there will possibly be a required deposit, a resort fee, a charge for housekeeping, as well as a tourist tax. I have seen resorts in Arizona that charge an air conditioning fee. Some resorts require the visitor be over 21 years of age. If traveling to Africa, you may have to get vaccinations before you leave home. So, before booking, look at the bottom of the resort information page for any additional fees, local taxes or other restrictions. P.S. These fees are not just for certificate holders, they are mandatory for all guests including timeshare owners at the resort.
Here are some thoughts for international destinations. Three of my favorite places to visit would be Cabo San Lucas, Australia and Africa. I have included excerpts from the website showing where some of the resorts are located. You will have full access to all of the locations after you register your certificate. Again, as a reminder, book as soon as possible for the greatest selections. Also, you will see below that some resorts show that they offer upgrades as well as options for no additional fees. Some resorts also offer to sell you an “All Inclusive” option to cover some of your food and drinks. I just checked on a couple of the resorts discussed in this blog post and some have increased a little since this blog post was first created in April 2024.
In the first image below showing Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, I am showing some of the available resorts. We have stayed at a couple of these resorts. We have stayed several times at the one marked $470 on the right side of the map, which is the Worldmark Coral Baja and the one marked at $555 is the Pueblo Bonito Rose in Cabo San Lucas. The last time I checked, Pueblo Bonito Rose was getting a little run down, but next door is the sister resort of Pueblo Bonito Blanco. Coral Baja and Pueblo Bonito Blanco are great resorts. When the map shows “No charge,” that means that the resort certificate covers your room with out paying an upgrade fee. You may still be charged for other fees noted above.
Below is a graphic showing some options in the Melbourne area of Australia. We have stayed at Phillip Island and will be staying at Torquay this fall. As you can see, most of these resorts are available with an extra fee of between $200 & $302 dollars. Still not to bad for a week in a great resort.
For my Africa example, I am showing South Africa and the town of Hazyview which is just west of one of the main gates into Kruger National Park. We visited there in 2015 and stayed at the Sanbonani Lodge, shown in this example, and enjoyed visiting Kruger every day except for a spa day at the resort to rest and relax. $362 dollars for a week in a great resort is a great price. Don’t hesitate to ask me about any of these vacation locations.
It seems that most of the resorts in this area of South Africa will charge an extra fee of $361.75 per week for a two bedroom unit that sleeps 6 people. I don’t think you can stay at a Motel 6 for a week for $361.75. I just checked and you can stay at the Motel 6 in Rancho Cordova for about $832 from the 12th to the 19th of July to visit the California State Fair but you won’t get a two bedroom unit because they don’t have any of those. For 6 people, you would need 3 units which would cost you $2496 for the week. If it is for mom and dad and a couple of kids, you may get by with cramming everyone into one room for $832 for the week.
According to The Reserve, a local hotel in Hazyview, which would charge you $179 per night for a room with a bed and a fold out couch, “One of the most enticing aspects of staying in Hazyview is its proximity to the world-famous Kruger National Park.” The Phabeni Gate is less than 15 kilometers away. Keep in mind that if you want to visit Kruger National Park, they do charge an entry fee. When we were there in 2015, we purchased an annual pass for each of us before we left home and each morning we checked in at the gate and spent the day driving around and game watching. We fully enjoyed our first safari in Africa without breaking the bank. I just looked on May 31st for the Sanbonani and the price is now $365.19 for a week in August 2024. That is still pretty cheap for a week in a great resort. When is the prime time to visit Kruger? Check my guide on the best time to visit Africa and you will find that August is a prime time to visit.
So, are you ready to vacation? Start thinking about where you would like to go and how much less it would cost if you have a vacation certificate that covers most of the cost of lodging for your visit. Yes, there is still air fare or other transportation costs. And there is food; but I bet you were planning on eating if you stayed home for that week.
This is also the perfect vacation option if you want to visit resorts throughout the USA and Canada. Places like Las Vegas, San Diego, Palm Springs, Sedona, Banff, Calgary, Canmoor etc… I have told you a lot about what this vacation certificate is great for, but what it is not great for?
For example, these certificates are for resorts in vacation locations throughout the world, but generally not hotels in big cities, so don’t bid on this item if you want to visit London, Paris, Berlin or Sydney.