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Ancient ruins, fresh fruit everywhere, unbelievable chicken soup, rainforest, mars-like terrain, a deep history…

These are a few things that come to mind when thinking of my recent trip to Peru.  My mission for this trip was simple: check out the best timeshare properties Peru has to offer, scope out the countryside, explore the city, find the freshest ceviche, see the ruins at Machu Picchu… well, perhaps the mission wasn’t that clear.  But that’s most of the fun of traveling, isn’t it?

I was able to book a villa at the Sauce Alto Resort and Country Club in Cieneguilla (http://www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1503&resortCode=SCE&parentResortCode=SCE).  While the resort was nice, it wasn’t the main attraction here.  But, it definitely was a great jumping-off point to explore the rest of the Lima Province.

Lima itself was a very cool city.  Way more European than I would have guessed for South America.  Lots of cool eateries and bakeries, and surprisingly, excellent Chinese food.  Chifa is an interestingly delicious variation of chinese food where local Peruvian ingredients have been substituted in leu of the traditional Chinese ingredients which are not available in Peru.  Chinese settlers arrived in the late 19th Century and have been making Chifa for nearly 100 years, so it certainly is authentic in its own way.  Peruvians consider Chifa an important part of the culture surrounding Lima.

A rite of passage in Peru, Machu Picchu is obviously a must-do.  You can do the trip in 3 days, no problem.  The jump-off point is Cuzco.  There are some timeshare properties there, but I would just stay in a hotel, as they are cheap and relatively nice.

Driving south of Lima, you will enter a sort of “forgotten coast”.  This area stretches for hundreds of miles, and hours of driving.  If you have a 4×4 and the will to explore, I highly recommend venturing down these lesser-known spots.  The coastline is pristine and less populated than its northern counterparts.

Peru is a fantastic place to visit.  Please message me for all of my recommendations of things to do in Peru.

WOW.  I’ve been to Mexico before – Acapulco and Cancun – but this trip was truly unique and awesome.  Cabo is a magical place.  I booked a week at the Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar (http://www.haciendadelmar.com.mx) last minute, which cost me very few points.

The resort is spectacular.  Its broken up into two separate pieces – the Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar Hotel and Resort, and the Hacienda Del Mar vacation club, which is the portion devoted to timeshare.  Before getting there, I had read lots of reviews of the hotel, which described the place as a 5 star resort with world class restaurants and an eye-popping pool set up overlooking the ocean.

When I first arrived, I was a little disappointed – mainly because I was expecting a grandiose lobby with chandeliers – a 5-star check-in experience.  Well, apparently – the lobby is grandiose, and is a 5-star check-in experience, if you’re talking about the hotel lobby.  The timeshare lobby – was pretty lackluster and made me wonder if I was in the right place.  Don’t get me wrong – the staff was immaculately dressed, all in white, with neatly gelled hair and they were making every effort to make us feel welcomed.  But, the area behind the check-in desk was cluttered and a bit messy, and the lobby itself was small and nothing about it made you super excited.  Luckily for us, however, once the bellhop took our bags and packed them into his golf cart, everything was uphill from there.

He drove us 100m down the cobblestone street until we reached our villa, which was up on the second floor.  The resort is immaculately decorated, in the style of an old mexican mansion, so its pretty cool just walking around.  We opened the door and found a really nice, clean, themed one bedroom villa, complete with a kitchen and balcony with jacuzzi.  The decor and furniture was reminiscent of old-mexico which was a nice touch.

The restaurants on-site are some of the best I’ve seen at any resort.  The two we tried were Girasoles De La Hacienda, which was moderately priced Mexican food, and Pitahayas, which featured an expensive but eclectic Pacific-rim menu which had won the 5 Diamond Award seven times.  Both were extremely good.  In fact, I had the best fajitas of my life at Girasoles.  Pitahayas is a must-do; people from all over Cabo were driving to the resort just to eat there – and it was definitely worth it.  One of the best restaurants anywhere, no doubt about it.

And the pool, whoa.  Its ridiculous – definitely the best out of any resort I’ve stayed at.  I had read reviews that said the pool got too crowded, but it definitely wasn’t when I was there.  The hotel pool, or should I say pools, drop off, infinity pool style so it feels like you are floating over the adjacent beach and ocean.  Also, there is a tequila bar right there – so if you want to become an expert on Mexico’s most well known indigenous liquor – its the perfect opportunity.

The resort featured daily maid service – and they really did their job.  We spent most of our trip surfing out in the desert, so by the time we got back and ate some food the last thing we wanted to do was clean dishes or tidy up the villa.  The maids ensured that everything was absolutely spotless every evening we came back.

As for Cabo itself – wow.  The place is paradise!  Spend some time on the beach, or walking around Cabo.  There truly is world-class fishing there, so charter a boat and get out there.  I saw countless fish jumping out of the water all day long; it seemed like there were too many fish in the water and you’d be doing them a favor by getting them out of there!  Rent a dune-buggy or ATV and go flying around through the desert or down the beach on the East Cape.

I will definitely go back to Cabo and I highly recommend it.  Aside from the lackluster check-in experience, I’d recommend the Hacienda Del Mar.  If you want to be right in Cabo, check out Club Cascadas which you can book through Trading Places Premier Access.  You can also book any one of the Pueblo Bonito Resorts through RCI, which are very nice.

I’m really happy Wyndham has made VIP upgrades available online – it was something we have been asking for now for a while.  In the past, I would always book a unit online and then call Wyndham within the upgrade period (60 days for Platinum, 45 days for Gold, and 30 days for VIP) and get the upgrade.  However, now it can all be done online, which is much faster and preferable for most over making a phone call.

To use the VIP upgrade feature if you are making a reservation within the upgrade window, just click on the unit size which is smaller than the one you want – and instead of clicking the “Select” button next to it, just click the “Upgrade” button.  This will bring up a screen allowing you to select which unit you want to upgrade into.

To upgrade an existing reservation, click on “My Membership” and then “View Confirmations”.  Find the reservation and  then click the Upgrade button.  You may also get to this screen by clicking “My Reservations” located on the Membership Quick Links menu.

For more information, click this link: https://www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com/ffr/member/help/learningCenter/details.do?id=LIB-0002375

Wyndham owners who are fortunate enough to be a part of the Outrigger Resort Club (included with Hawaii ownership) now have the ability to stay at the Kapalua Villas on Maui.  If you aren’t familiar with this part of Maui – you need to check it out.  After living on Maui for 5 years, I developed a love for Kapalua and its without a doubt my favorite part of the island!

The Kapalua Resort is a 23,000 acre “natural paradise” with two world-class golf courses, unspoiled (and empty) beaches, ancient lava flows, and fields of fresh pineapple.  Some of the best restaurants on Maui are there – including Sansei’s, Merriman’s, Pineapple Grill, and Kai.  Kapalua is host to the Kapalua Food and Wine Festival each year, and from 1994-2008 was host to the Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz Championship PGA Tournament which kicks off the PGA season.

The beach right in front of the villas was my favorite place to surf and I remember thinking “I wish I could stay here with my points…”.  Well, what a delight that its been added to our Outrigger Resort Club portfolio, and availability begins October 2010.

View the Wyndham resort information at https://www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com/ffr/resort.do?id=9151

For information on the Kapalua Resort visit

www.kapalua.com

Here are the details for the Adventure Club Trips for 2010:

Locations:

“Tropical Escape” – Paradise Island, Bahamas – April 29 – May 2, 2010

“Southern California Dreaming” – Laguna Niguel, CA July 8-11, 2010

“Football Fantasy” – Dallas, TX – Fall, 2010

“Holiday in the City” – New York, NY – December 16-19, 2010

General Info:

Accommodations in luxurious resorts, a knowledgeable tour guide, most meals, group activities, free time for exploration, and the opportunity to make new life-long friends.  Owners are responsible for their own transportation to destination.

Cost per trip:

600,000 points for double occupancy

400,000 points for single occupancy

Regular, Bonus, Cancelled, and PIC points can be used

Points can be rented for $10.00 per 1,000 points within 90 days of travel

Borrowed points may not be used

Contact the VIP reservation line at 888-884-4321 for more information.

What an awesome trip!  Whenever I visit a Wyndham property, I always do my best to ensure that the employees don’t know that I work for Wyndham, so I can get an idea of the quality of service they’re going to provide to the owners when we show up.  The Wyndham Canterbury in San Francisco passed the test with flying colors.  The staff was awesome, the resort immaculate, and the city, well that speaks for itself!

The resort sits right on Sutter Street, which is right up the hill from the center of Union Square.  There are tons of little restaurants, coffee shops, and art galleries a stone’s throw from the resort, so there is a ton of stuff to keep you busy.  The resort itself is totally unique; originally built in the 1930’s and recently renovated by Wyndham, it is shining and sparkling and brand new, while maintaining its early 20th century feel, dripping in history.

For whatever reason, the resort was only at about 50% occupancy when I was there, which means, for all you VIP owners, lots of availability for discounted reservations and free upgrades.  There are two towers, with the Whitehall tower consisting exclusively of Presidential Suites.  I highly recommend the Presidential Suites – they are some of the best I’ve seen with Wyndham; definitely the type of accommodations you’d want to live in if you moved to San Francisco.

Some local spots I checked out and highly recommend – hands down the best Chinese food I’ve ever had at House of Nanking.  Travel back in time to the Prohibition days: sip a vintage Bourbon cocktail by the fireplace, surrounded by old oak barrels at Rickhouse (the bartenders really know what they’re doing).  I was lucky enough to be introduced to the Alembic on Haight St by one of my local SF foodie friends.  A true culinary experience in an upscale almost trendy atmosphere without trying too hard.  Right by the resort, check out Flybar for some yummy appetizers, pizza, and some late-night shuffle board.  For lunch or late night snack, grab a sandwich at Bite which is a two minute walk from the resort.  I had a “Vinny’s Bag of Donuts” and it was awesome.

Check out the pics and definitely check out the resort!

One Bedroom Presidential Living Area

Cool Kitchen Setup

Kitchen in One Bedroom Presidential

The Lobby of the Resort

I recently returned from the Wyndham Bali Hai Villas on Kauai for a weekend trip, it was awesome.  The property is gorgeous and the island of Kauai must be one of the most beautiful places in the world.  The best part of it all was, I was able to book a 2 bedroom Presidential Suite for a fraction of the points!  As a VIP Gold, I receive a 35% discount whenever I book within 60 days of travel.  However, VIPs also get free upgrade to bigger villas.  So, in the same phone call, I was able to book a 1 bedroom lower unit with a 35% discount for only 42,575 points – and then, I requested an upgrade to the Presidential Suite, which they granted me for no extra points!  So, all-in-all, I stayed in a villa that should have been 112,000 points for those 2 nights for only 42,575!

VIP Platinum owners receive a 50% discount and a 60 day upgrade window.

VIP Gold owner receive a 35% discount and a 45 days upgrade window.

VIP owners receive a 25% discount and a 30 day upgrade window.

There are lots of VIP benefits in addition to the ones outlined here.  You can read more about them at https://www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com/ffr/member/help/learningCenter/details.do?id=LIB-0002127

Many of my owners have been reporting that they’ve been contacted by so-called rental agencies offering to rent out their points.  The companies ask for an up-front fee of $2000 or $3000 for a lifetime membership into the rental pool.  Please be aware that these companies are bogus and they will keep your “membership fee” and will never rent out your points.  Please disregard any phone calls you receive, and if you are unsure, just call your Wyndham Vacation Planning Counselor at 800-251-8736 and ask them for help.

Do you have friends and family who would benefit from ownership with Wyndham?  Ask me about the new referral bonus program and get your friends and family involved!

Planning a trip to New York city?  Would you like to be able to “eat” your points?  How about turn your points into a new iPod touch?  Read on!

Are you up to date on the Wyndham Rewards program?  As a Wyndham owner, you can now convert your points into Wyndham Rewards points that can be used for Wyndham hotels in New York, Chicago, and even Paris.  Beyond that, you can use your Rewards points for gift certificates at Best Buy and Home Depot.

To convert your points to Wyndham Rewards points, call 1-866-388-7117.  For more information on redemption options, visit www.WyndhamRewards.com or call 1-866-WYN-RWDS.