2BR Suite at Pueblo Bonito Sunset

Yes it’s true, my wife and I have purchased two timeshares in Cabo San Lucas Mexico on e-Bay. Since a few people have been asking I thought I’d give the “Coles notes” version of what this process is like and what to expect if you want to do the same. First – some background. When people grow tired of their timeshare or they foreclose on it, the resorts that own the vacation “rental” (which is what a timeshare is).. buy the timeshare back from the owner. What then happens (in short form)

• Timeshare is sent to a timeshare-holdings company
• Holding company puts the timeshare up for sale on e-Bay
• People bid (usual e-Bay stuff happens here)
• Winner of the bid has won the rights to use the timeshare
• Once paperwork is signed (digitally at first, you must get final “deed” documents signed, notarized and faxed back to holdings company) you own the timeshare

My wife and I were married at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula. We couldn’t afford to stay at the resort but since some of our family had bought timeshares online we thought we’d watch e-Bay for a timeshare at Pueblo Bonito. After winning this auction (we paid $350 to win it) we paid our paperwork (transfer fees) and maintenance fees for 2010. What this means now is that we can stay in a luxury studio suite at the resort for 1 week every year for the next 25 years. We pay $495 for the entire week (7 days). This is actually what the resort charges PER NIGHT for the same room…

Last week, just for fun we bid on another resort, Cabo Villas on the Sea of Cortez side of the Baja Peninsula which was where my bachelor party was held (on the roof at the Baja Brewing Company.) We actually won this auction for $1. With the transfer fees, our costs were $300 US for a timeshare which if purchased through the resort would cost about $14,000 US.

Cabo Villas Beach Club

Essentially what you pay for is your right to book a week at the resort every year and pay a fraction of what it would cost to book the same accommodations through the hotel. We have had no problems dealing with either the timeshare closing companies (or escrow agencies) or the resorts once we have become owners.

There are tons of timeshares for sale on e-Bay and not just in Mexico but in the Bahamas, Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji and even in Banff….The great part is that you can join RCI and trade up your timeshares to stay in resorts all over the world. I’ll blog some more about RCI in another post to explain how the banking and trading of timeshares works.

Before leaving for Cabo San Lucas, Melody (my wife) had gathered a bunch of t-shirts from her school (Calgary Preparatory School) that they were no longer in need of. These t-shirts filled a suitcase which we checked and brought with us to take to the Captain’s Kid’s Daycare Center. This school in Cabo San Lucas, literally a 10 minute drive North of the resort areas that line downtown Cabo was a very eye-opening and humbling experience.

The school is situated in one of the “better off” areas according to the director giving us the tour. We could see that most of the neighbourhood citizens didn’t have running water, electricity or even walls or ceilings over their head. We saw a truck with a loud-speaker on the hood which the driver would read the daily news through as 90+% of the people living there could not read. This driver of the truck was also selling water to those who stopped him in the street – right outside the school.

The school facilities actually started as a simple palapa – or small grass hut – in the neighborhood. After years of donations and support the facility now has classrooms, a medical clinic, shelter, showers, running water, a kitchen and secure entry for all the children. Patricia Lozano, the director who showed us the school mentioned the need for security considering the poor conditions of the surrounding area. When we were there, the thrift shop that the school also operates out of the facility was closed due to the fact that no one has any money until people are paid on the 15th of the month.

During the visit we went through each of the classes with children in the age-range of 1-5 years old. Melody, being a pre-school teacher, taught the kids couple of songs and all I could do was snap pictures and sing along. Despite the tough conditions of the neighborhood and some of the heartbreaking stories about some of the kids attending the school, the children seemed so happy to have visitors and were constantly smiling and waving and craving attention.

We gave the t-shirts to Patricia and last week received the photo (above) of all the student population wearing their “Calgary Preparatory School” t-shirts and ball-caps that we’d donated to them.

Both Melody and I intend to visit the Captain’s Kids each year we go to Cabo and will donate whatever we can to such an excellent foundation for the children of Cabo San Lucas.

To see the slideshow on Flickr of all the photos taken that day at Captain’s Kids, click the photo above or click here!