The Joy of Off-Season Timeshare Travel

Everyone loves Aspen during the ski season, or the Caribbean when the cold winds of winter are blowing back home. While it's always exciting to vacation in your timeshare during the peak season, traveling off-season has its own special delights.

Personally, I love the peace and quiet of vacationing in a timeshare during the off-season. The solitude is restorative. I return from vacation relaxed and rejuvenated. If I'm staying in a timeshare resort, the service is even more attentive than usual. There are no lines at my favorite local restaurants. Without the noisy hubbub of peak season crowds, I can dally over my coffee and actually enjoy a pleasant conversation with friends. I can browse through my favorite shops without dodging elbows. There's no line at the register and I can enjoy personal attention from the staff. Actually, during the off-season many smaller shops let their staffs go and you'll receive personalized service from the owner herself.

Resort towns take on a different aura once the tourists go home. When you visit off-season you get to see a town as it really is. You overhear gossip in the checkout lane at the grocery and hear people catching up on each others' lives on street corners. Local folks are willing to engage in friendly conversations and share a bit of their lives. I've gotten some of my best tips on great restaurants, darling little shops, interesting museums and the most scenic hiking and biking trails from town locals during off-season chats. Without all the stress and crush of tourists, local folks have time to get to know you and share a bit of their town's history and stories with you. I find these moments make for some of my most magical memories.

One of my favorite off-season destinations is Aspen, Colorado. The high country west of Denver is gorgeous from the bloom of spring flowers, through the dense greens of the summer forest, and into the changing colors of fall. Right now the aspens are glowing, bright yellow leaves shining amidst their stark white and black-streaked trunks. Kebler Pass and McClure Pass near Aspen are prime leaf peeping areas in the fall. I love to rent a horse and just amble along the trails for hours, taking in nature at its finest. Cycling is also enjoyable and the landscape isn't all hills, though you will build up your leg muscles! Hikers will find many wonderful trails and you don't have to bother with snowshoes in the off-season. White-water rafting, kayaking, mountain climbing and para gliding are available for the more adventurous. Traditionalists can enjoy excellent fly-fishing, tennis, golf and numerous other outdoor activities.

Exchanges offer some great deals on off-season timeshare vacations. You won't mind the lower prices at local restaurants or shops either. One of my favorite timeshares in the Aspen area is the elegant Hyatt Grand Aspen. I love the grand Victorian air and luxuriously appointed suites. Located right in the heart of downtown Aspen at the base of stunning Ajax Mountain, the Hyatt Grand Aspen is just steps away from Aspen's fabulously eclectic shops and charming restaurants. Click here for more information. Photos shown in this post are of the Hyatt Grand Aspen. To preview other great timeshares in Aspen, Colorado area, click the post title.