Edb, Thanks for that insight. But I like to be practical and as much as I liked traveling to SXM I've decided that it's shine has just worn off. I've been an owner for about 5 years and I traded into RI for a couple of years before that. On one occasion (I don't remember what year it was) they were hit with a hurricane and no one sent me a letter or email that they were closed. I hurried and transferred into Oyster Bay at the last minute. Furthermore the last few years I especially don't like because it seemed as though I always got sick from their A/C system and emptying out the dehumidifier every few hours! The MF's went up but I never saw any improvements other than the vegetation outside which was very nice. As far as our unit I loved the location but the furnishings were never changed. $770 for a 1 bedroom is pretty high. Now comes the flights - from were I live (Chicago) the price is pretty high and I've always understood that they were in the hurricane zone but I didn't think it would affect week 16. Finally I do not belong to any of the exchange companies so this week would be forfeited and I would just be paying for a possible year 18. I guess I'm a little bit disappointed with SXM -cost, bugs, crime and since I like to drive around I don't feel comfortable with that anymore. So, I feel very bad for the people of all of the islands. I know that they all lost so much and that it will take a lot of effort to bring back the island - it's just that I was thinking about letting it go before Irma and now I will.