Hi,

Does anyone know if there is an RCI timeshare hotel on the island. I thought Divi was, but I can only find interval. I have friends who have RCI membership and I am encouraging them to come to Bon. We usually stay at Carib inn, so I hoping to find something on that end of the island, but anywhere that takes RCI would be ok.
Thanks in advance. Lydia

Lydia, Lions Dive is (or used to be RCI Time Share). According to the RCI website, they still list it as existing. "Lions Dive Resort Bonaire (#2322) and on the website they still have RCI info: http://www.lionsdivebonaire.com/rcimembers.shtml

Buddy's bought Lion's Dive about a year ago, and I'm not sure what the status is. I have an "inherited" RCI membership and I had my name in for Lion's Dive for about 3 years with no luck (space banking). It is very popular, and again, with Buddy's taking it over I'm not sure what the whole status is.

If you find out anymore info, please let me know!

I have friends using there RCI Time Share at the Divi Flamingo this Christmas, she had to book exactly 6 months to the day in advance.

Bev, Divi is RCI? I thought it was another time share corporation. I'll have to check that one out today. I know Lions was nearly impossible to get (even after waiting 3 years). If Divi is easier, I'm excited about that!

my neighbors have a time share at hilton head...thru marriott i believe. a year or two they told us that they'd visit us on bonaire since they could trade for time at the divi. we told them they could if they wanted but that they could also stay with us...so far they haven't been there.

OK, just looked it up and Divi is indeed RCI...hmmm...I'm going to have to make a request for space bank! woohoooo!

Divi Flamingo Beach Resort (#5305)!

Divi and Lions Dive are both RCI. I've stayed at both by trading a week in Hawaii through RCI. I was at Divi in January this year and will be at Lions Dive for two weeks in December.

Thanks everyone, that was very helpful.

I am curious, if you are using an RCI timeshare, are the rooms the same at the Divi, can you get ocean view? Is there a way to compare what you get with this resort compared to others?

I know nothing about this, and would just like to pass the info on to friends who have a timeshare with RCI that they use in Mexico, mostly. Getting them to Bon will be an effort, and if they can use the timeshare, more likely to come. Lydia

Lydia, I tried to use my timeshare at the Divi and had my name down for over a year with no luck. The lady at Interval said I likely wouldn't get into the Divi because my timeshare was too GOOD in comparison to the Divi. How can it be TOO GOOD? I told her I would take anything! But it just didn't happen. Good Luck.

I've traded my "better" timeshare in Hawaii for both the Divi and Lions Dive many times. Two weeks at the Divi in the last year and I'll be at Lions Dive two weeks in December. What the RCI and International people mean is that the computer won't match your home resort with one of those "Lower Value" resorts in Bonaire. What I did was call on a regular basis and ask them to manually override the computer match and see if they were available. It's worked for me. But it may take some time. Best of luck.

have a look at:

http://www.perfectholidaysolutions.com/vacation_club.html

regards,

machiel

I went to the RCI link and have a few thoughts. I bought a resale time share in Hawaii for $2500 and an annual maintenance of $250. I then joined RCI. My resort in Hawaii is a hundred yards from the beach in Waikiki. I've used it to trade into Bonaire many times. The point I'm making is this: Before you buy a time share at retail consider buying a wholesale unit (resale)for a fraction of the cost. You can then trade or go to your home resort for much less than if you pay retail. Sometimes the annual maintenance fee, plus the annual RCI fee, plus the trade fee, is more than simply renting--which is much easier now days because of the Internet. Just a few thoughts.

At the moment are there a view new resorts in Timesharing on Bonaire Windsock, Yachtclub and the pre construction Sea-Side Vacation Club directly located on the see with a beautifull look to Klein Bonaire

Note from Moderators: Based on information received from Divi Flamingo, this post has been removed.

(Message edited by modcynde on January 7, 2008)

I have been trying to use my late brother's timeshare exchange through Interval International for the past 3 years and got the same response from II ... 'too good for the Divi". I did not know about the manual override and will give that a try. Maintenance fees with Interval are atrocious, my niece has to pay ~ 800.00 US.

cheryl, good luck. I've tried to use my RCI time share and space bank to get to Divi, or Lions...never any openings

Cheryl, last December I traded two weeks from my Hawaii timeshare into Buddy (Lions Dive) and the previous January (2005) I traded a week into the Divi. The October before that (2004) I traded a week to the Divi. Apparently, the RCI resorts in Bonaire are not rated very high and so the RCI computer would not match my Hawaii resort. I had to call back repeatedly and ask for a manual search. I probably called a couple times a week--but it paid off. I hope this helps.

Bill, in other words, be persistent and do not give up? How far in advance did you book, and also, did you have a better chance if you chose non peak periods?

Yes, you read me right--be persistent--call two or three times a week. I think I booked the two weeks in December back in July. I also believe non-peak is easier to get. The two weeks in December fell over the Christmas holiday and I think I just lucked out. I actually stayed at Buddy (formerly Lions Dive) on two other occasions using the time share. In terms of II--I don't know how they work. If I had to pay $800 for the II fee, plus the annual maintenance fee at the home resort, plus the trade fee, I'd sell my time share. At some point the cost of a timeshare exceeds what it would cost to just pay for a room at a resort. I bought my timeshare for $2500 in Hawaii about 10 years ago as a resale. The maintenance fee is low and the RCI fee isn't bad, so it works great for us. We trade into some nice places--two of which are the Divi and Buddy Dive. By the way--you may occasionally get an RCI service rep who isn't familiar with the manual override. Good luck.

Bill, good to know. I'm looking at where we can go in 2007 with the time share, and guess rather than trying online as I normally do, will call and see if I can do it manually! This is good news for me!