Has anyone used this auction, and is it good value???

I'm on their mailing list, but I've never actually bought any trips from them. I've seen some offers that looked like good deals, but I'd be sure to price the trip on your own for comparison and be sure to read all the fine print regarding black out dates, etc.

I know there are some people on this board who have used them. Each time I've seen something that looked good, I checked what I could book it for myself and I could do it cheaper (usually MUCH cheaper myself). They always include "extras" that are very expensive. If you know you would want all of the extras, then it's an ok deal. But if you'd opt out of all the extras or even some of the extras, in my experience, it's cheaper to do on your own. (Extras are sometimes things like "a filet mignon meal served by a butler on your private verandah." While it would be costly to arrange that yourself, if you don't eat filet mignon or want a butler watching you eat, then it has no value to you. But Luxury Link would value that at say, $300, making it look like the whole package is a great deal.)

i used it for my honeymoon, and it was great. we stayed at francis ford coppola's resorts in belize, and it cost less than 1/2 of the regular price, and the place was packed.

2 pieces of advice. 1. check with the hotel directly about availability BEFORE purchasing the package; we almost got majorly messed-up because of this. 2. some deals on there are better than others. some are excellent; some are just ok. like kathie said, contact the hotel directly and see if you can get a better price on the parts of the package that really interest you.

good luck

I have also used LL a number of times Venice, Prague, Savannah, The Luxury Collection's Haciendas in the Yucatan, Ladera in St Lucia. As Kathie suggests it's important to check the comparable prices elsewhere, for example I recently visted Kupu Kupu Barong in Bali and the direct price was cheaper than the LL auction.

On all of the auctions I've won the price has been considerable cheaper than even discounted offers and in some cases it was at a great place that rarely discounts. I would say they're normally half price.

When they first started it was an even greater deal but that having been said there are still some excellent deals especially for upgraded room or for off season deals. Sometimes the inculsion really matter eg tax and service charges, or transfer by boat that you need.

I would only go if I could secure a good rate and as alibi suggests you MUST read the fine print and check availability BEFORE you bid. LL has worked for me because we have very flexible schedules. You can also check the prior winning bids by scrolling down on the main auction page.

The regular auctions are a much better deal than the Best Buys or the Dutch auctions.However, I agree with the above advice you have to assess each auction individually. Is it off season, what price can you get elsewhere? Do you want or need the upgraded room or other amenities? Do they have availability?

Sometimes places offer great deals when they are first listed and then the prices go up...for example Ana Mandara is now much more expensive.

Hope this helps!