was a time when my wife received an invitation from Club Panoly for a “product” seminar on time-share. It was on a Saturday. I just finished 36-holes of golf the whole day and i have to rush to get my wife and off to Club Panoly at around 5PM. I was still on my golf shoes then. Their were 5 other couples there. We were told it will take around 30-45 minutes only. No problem.
As it turned out, it lasted for more than 4 hours, with combined video presentation and pure harangue from Club Panoly staff. We were like being subjected to intense brainwashing. Through all those hours, we were not given a break. The Panoly staff were hellbent in breaking our will. Finally, 2 couples gave in. One issued a check, the other allowed their card to be swiped, all for initial payment for a time-share in Club Panoly Boracay. As a reward, they were given some yellow skyflakes crackers and a glass of juice. And for us who did not shell out ridiculous initial payment, we can only swallow our saliva. After we were finally allowed to leave, i told my wife that Panoly should be pronounced as “Pa-no-lie” — Cebuano word for devil.
After that experience, i scoff at anything that suggests time-share vacation, or Panoly, for that matter. (Say it again – Panoly! Ohhhh…)
I would have liked the idea of timeshare if not for the bad experience with Panoly.
Now here comes vacation rental.
My friend in Canada said she and her husband are going for Bali vacation this summer through vacation rental arrangement. I went to my trusted online advisor, Mr. Google, to find out about vacation rental. And i found this one nice website:
The difference between timeshare and vacation rental is that in the former, you have to go through middlemen (like Club Pa-no-lie).
In the latter, some properties are listed by the owners of private resorts. Thus, if i built a resort in the Philippines, i can list it on http://www.goin2travel.com/ on my own accord, and i will only be transacting with http://www.goin2travel.com/ for a reasonable rate from 155 – 275 US dollars a year (http://www.goin2travel.com/rates.htm). No hardselling-sales agents from Pa-no-lie to harass me. 😀
With the growing numbers of affluent Filipino overseas workers, and the growing affordability of international tourism, vacation rentals will surely be a hit among the noveau-riche Filipinos. One can inquire from the website. The prospective vacationer has the option to deal directly with the homeowner or through the direct agent of the resort.
However, there is no Philippine resort-member in the http://www.goin2travel.com/ directory yet. I hope there will be Philippine-based resorts, private, commercial or semi-government (the ones ran by Dept. Of Tourism) will make it to the list to promote the various resorts in the country. There is surely a big difference about just having a website and having a professional to handle the internet-based bookings (http://www.goin2travel.com/Vacation_Rentals/testimonials.htm).
I am looking at Garden City of Samal Island, Pearl Farm, various Palawan resorts, Camiguin resorts, Alibuag/Mantangale resorts, Bukidnon’s mountain resorts, Mt Apo resorts, and various resorts in the rest Mindanao island to show up on http://www.goin2travel.com/ directory.
In the meantime, i am drooling about the possibility of taking my family on a Costa Rica vacation, among the playas of Guanacaste, on my next work break.
Also these looks like great vacation offers :
Musings of Don Kihote 