rci exchanges into SXM - opinion

Hello all
Just wondering if anyone has had any luck exchanging their RCI weeks to resorts in SXM. I realize that due to some resorts still under construction, the choices may be limited. In the past, we have exchanged to places like Royal Palm, Saphhire, the old Caravansarai, La Vista beach, etc. I have had an ongoing search active for a few months now, and other than Belair Beach resort, nothing has come up. I have nothing against Belair, just a little too far from everything, I like to be able to walk to different restaurants, etc.
Any feedback or opinions on this. Does anyone else know of any other places that do RCI exchanges?
Thanks so much in advance for you help/opinions. Looking for a place in January 2020 or February.

Not that it will be of any help but I did an II exchange search for Jan/Feb and came up with zip also....

I just searched RCI to see, and it only came up with Tradewinds Sailboats or Secrets which is AI. Looked at the Secrets AI fee's and at that time of the year the range from $210 per day per person to $333. I would have to feel pretty committed to their food and beverages to justify that cost.

I am guessing it is limited options at that time of the year even if some of the larger resorts were open but with people beginning to come back to the island the demand is probably pretty high now.

Good luck!

You might try calling RCI. Sometimes the availability on the website is slow to get updated.

Since Secrets isn't open yet and isn't even THEORETICALLY supposed to open until February next year, I certainly wouldn't take that option.

We exchanged in the last of October and into the first week of November this year. We got one week at the Atrium and one week at Divi. I have had this in for a few months so I have not looked on RCI lately about availability, but if options are limited, I am glad I did mine early. Hope you have some success finding something.

We exchanged into Atrium in May of last year. Since our home resort is now open for our owned weeks, we haven't tried since then. Atrium came up right away last year. As Todd says, activity has increased dramatically. My son and daughter-in-law just returned from their honeymoon, and their flight coming home yesterday was full. A Friday in low season; I was surprised at that.

I can see that by the comments, it may be tough this year. Carol, you would probably know...but Royal Palm has always been a favourite, is from what you have read or heard about the same re opening? I have read February 2020? We have had exchanges into RP in the past and loved it there.

NO, no way that Royal Palm will be open in February 2020. I believe the latest from Diamond is around September 2020. And I would be surprised if it is open by then.

oh wow, thanks, I hadnt seen that.....I can only hope when it opens it will be as good as before. Love, love the location and resort, had many good times there. Thanks for info.

From the plans I've seen it will be even better than before Irma.

Awesome ! Thanks....maybe I will rent privately this coming January and just pay the price to extend my weeks thru RCI until 2021 and hope for an exchange at that time? We love the location of RP,,so we always want to stay in that area. Thanks all for your various inputs.

Hi, Meg,

January and February can be tough for TS exchanges under the best of circumstances but with so many units off the grid thanks to that b itch Irma, I think your current approach of seeking a rental might be best. And then there’s the time of year and so many still working on this summers vacations and not thinking ahead about paying their AMFs and depositing next years time.

If it were me, I’d definitely grab a true rental anywhere I thought I might like for 2020 and then devote serious effort to booking ahead for the following year. There will always be the few who make ‘special occasion’ plans way ahead and might deposit early to see them through but the onus is on you to keep checking, and for sure, don’t count on RCI to do the job of finding it for you.

Hi Pat, thanks for the tip. I have always just relied on my ongoing search thru RCI,,,guess I had better get looking myself for 2020 or for sure 2021. Everyday you learn something new, lol.

we did an exchange this year for La Terasse and have just done one for next year at the atrium... no problems and it was all done on line

Hello again.
Just curious...was it a one bedroom or two bedroom at Atrium? I have even called RCI and for the last month or so,,,I keep getting..."no exchanges avail". Makes me wonder what you actually have to do to get the truth. I would exchange into the Atrium in a heartbeat. lol

megamania--part of it could have to do with the time period you are requesting, versus when chuckval want to go, if they are going during the summer, for instance.

About 30 years ago we lived in New Hampshire and took a family vacation to Disneyworld. We were young and gullible and wound up purchasing a timeshare at the Orange Lake Country Club in Kissimmee, just outside of Disney. This was an all year red week resort due to its location. We were also convinced to purchase a membership with RCI. As the kids were getting older and we wanted to explore other areas of the country we would grab our RCI catalog (Yup before the interweb) and choose where we want to go. It never failed that even with our premium, as RCI representative described, location we always got the no exchanges available. When my RCI membership expired renewal came up we let it lapse and luckily was able to sell that albatross at OLCC. The only way we would ever buy a TS again is if we decide to go to the same place each year and for the same week(s) and the MF fees were reasonable. RCI, IMO, is not worth the fees due to my experience. Others may not have had the same issues we had but it has left a sour taste in our mouths.

Thanks for your input....what we have is a every other year vacation membership at a four season resort in Canada. Its located an hour from where we live. We rarely ever use it at that resort. It was dirt cheap and the maintenance fees are reasonable. So, every other year we exchange thru RCI to get a 2 or 3 bedroom week in SXM, cause that is the only place we like to take a winter vacation, usually in January of the year. Since 2005, we have never had a problem. For instance,,,a 3 bedroom at Royal Palm or La Vista Beach, or even once a penthouse at Saphhire,,,cost us approx 600 Canadian for the week plus our exchange fee of 199 u.s. thru RCI. This to me was and still is a great deal. We dont have to vacation every year to get use of our maintenance fees,,,but we can if we pay the in between year.
I am just finding that this year it seems to be an issue of no availability? I have to assume because of some of the resorts not operational due to Irma. I have always deposited my week into RCI early, because as I said, we rarely use the home resort in Canada, although we have during the winter months for a snowmobiling trip. So I hesitate to call it a timeshare that we have,,,its a little different.Not sure if that makes sense to you or not? Nevertheless,,,what carol said about time of year also makes sense to me. WE would never travel to sxm in the summer months or in hurricane season, so that is probably where we end up with fewer options....I appreciate the feedback on this forum,,,always good to hear of how others have manouvered the system, lol. Thank you

I didn't know LaVista Beach had a 3 bedroom unit or am I reading this wrong.

Correct, there are no 3 BR units at LVB. I think they are talking about the 3 BR at Royal Palm.

When we stayed at La Vista, it was a two bedroom,,,sorry I forgot to mention that.

Got it. La Vista Beach is a nice place to stay. Friends own 2 weeks there same time we are there in May.