Who is going to clean up this mess? What about the dirty dishes? When are we going to do the laundry?
These are some of the questions we often ask ourselves when we are traveling, whether it is in one of our timeshares or when staying in hotels. We thought it might be helpful to cover some of the housekeeping issues. Because we have bought deeded property with our timeshares, we have the attitude that this is our home and we should treat it as such. We try to keep it in good shape and leave it in good shape.
One of the first differences between timeshares and hotels is that you do NOT get daily room service. We have stayed at a few that will come in during midweek to take out trash and do a quick tidy up. Also, some do a towel exchange for guests mid-week. We find that timeshares are doing this less and less and, unless you want to pay extra, it is your responsibility to take care of the unit for the week. We know many people that really like this, as they don’t have to worry about someone coming into the unit all the time.
Let’s talk about dishes. Most timeshares come with a full kitchen. This, of course, helps to save money on eating out or is great for a quick breakfast, snacks and light meals; but it does produce dirty dishes. The full kitchens come with a dishwasher, which we use. Most timeshares ask you to fill and run the dishwasher when you check out, so they only have to put the dishes away when getting the unit ready for the next guests. So when we leave there are NO dirty dishes and we clean up the kitchen.
Another area that you need to deal with is the trash. Because no one comes in during the week, and we are doing some cooking, we tend to generate some trash. Again, each timeshare is a little different, but you still need to deal with it. Most give you an ample supply of trash bags and let you know where the dumpsters are or where a trash chute is located for you to place your trash. Some have you put it out in front of your unit before noon each day and they pick it up. A lot of timeshares ask that you take care of the trash when you check out and we always do, even if they don’t ask.
A quick note about furniture. We often move some of it around to suit our living style, but we always return the furniture to the original places as we found it. Some timeshares have indicated that there would be a charge if they have to move furniture back.
Another nice benefit of staying in timeshares is that most have washers and dryers in each unit. Some have a central laundry room for the resort and most are free or charge a nominal fee. Most resorts give you one or two packets of laundry soap. We usually do laundry a couple of times a week, so we take extra. This is nice because you don’t have to pack as many clothes, and we try to go home with clean clothes. We have discovered a new 3 in 1 laundry product from Purex. It is a laundry sheet that contains detergent, softener, and anti-static. If interested, you can buy from Amazon.com
Housekeeping is never fun (at least in our book!), but with a little planning it should only be a minimal distraction during a great timeshare travel experience!
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