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[Q=adampkelly] Is the Sheraton Vistana Villages the only "Mandatory Property" through the Starwood Network?[/Q] Here are the SVN Mandatory resorts: Harborside Resort, Vistana Villages, Westin St. John, Westin Kaanapali, and Westin Kierland. Resorts that are SVN Mandatory are more expensive bz the StarOptions are transferable, but you can't convert your StarOptions into StarPoints. You also need to pay $99/yr for SVN membership fee for SVN Mandatory resorts. If you do trade, there is a $135 (domestic) fee on top. If you do bank your StarOptions with Interval International, there is a fee too. I look at both initial $$ and annual $$. Resort HOA fee varies quite a bit. You have to know what kind of traveler you are, and optimize based on your needs. There is no right or wrong answer. Personally, I bought a resort that I would return every 2 years. Sheraton Desert Oasis was my first timeshare, I didn't want to pay too much for it; $1400 via Ebay. For my 1 premium bedroom (1200sqft), I pay $260/yr for 1 week (property tax & maint fee) EOY. We just got back last month, and we enjoyed our stay. It's a nice resort for us. Sheraton Desert Oasis has probably the lowest HOA fee within Starwood fleet. It's in the desert. No tornado, no storms, no tropical garden, no overwhelming lobby and common place. Cacti and desert trees don't need much care. There aren't any lawn. I would guess the HOA would remain low, even in the long run.