First Timer

Hi,

I am looking at renting a Timeshare in Aruba. I was advised to go through RedWeek.com by someone who owns (but does not rent) a timeshare.

Since this would be my first Timeshare rental and first time to Aruba for a week's stay, is there anything I should know before hand? Are there any "other fees' that I should be aware of before? Does anyone have any good suggestions for which places in Aruba are good to stay at -clean, good food, atmosphere etc. Lastly-if anyone can suggest a person to get a timeshare from, that would help. I am worried about scams.

Thank you

IMO, the hotel districts in Aruba are pretty safe and secure. Aruba has a good bus system going between the hotels and Orangestad (capital). If you are in the high rise district, you can walk to several shops and restaurants. My wife and I were there two years ago and took taxis and buses. Sightseeing excursions would pick up people at the various hotels. For more info, go to the TUG forum (www.tugbbs.com), where there is a separate thread dedicated to the Caribbean. Ask your question there; you'll get plenty of responses.

Do you mind me asking where you stayed and if you have any other suggestions of where to rent from?

We stayed at the Caribbean Palm Village which was about a mile (walking distance for us) from the high rise district. The resort itself was not on the beach, but they did have a shuttle available. My daughters stayed at the DIVI village.

Other rental sites are TUG:(http://tug2.com/timesharemarketplace/) myresortnetwork.com,vacationtimesharerentals.com, even craigslist, ebay and bidshares.

When do you plan on going and how big of a unit do you need? I cannot give you any specific information since the forum cannot be used for anything that looks like an ad.

skyauction and wyndham-vacations.com are public sites that rent RCI inventory. For gov't employees and their friends & families there is www.getravelop.com.