Travel Auctions
 

I wonder if any travelers out there have used travel auctions such as 'luxurylink' for vacation bargains? I am interested in knowing if planning the trip through such an agency was successful & easy & if you have any tips.

Thank you for any feedback!

I've used both Luxurylink and SkyAuction with good service from each. Luxurylink tends to have more upscale places to offer, but there are occasionally really terrific finds on Sky Auction. Currently they have some nice auctions to a few plantation hotels on St. Kitts that I would love to try, as well as places as like Old Bahama Bay and the Beach House on Barbuda. I used them sucessfully in the past to bid on packages to Cobblers Cove on Barbados and even to Guana Island in the BVI.

More recently I bid on a package on Luxurylink for the Mt. Nevis Hotel and was also pleased with the result.

To use these successfully, just get an idea of how much any given package would cost (don't always trust the figure given by Luxlink, for example) at a rack rate. Then consider contacting the hotel or resort directly to ask for a deal. When you're armed with specifics, then set your own bid maximum so you don't get caught up in a bidding war. Finally, have some flexibility in your travel dates and contact the hotel before you bid on a package. In my experience they're accommodating about letting you know relative availability for various dates when you tell them you want to bid on an auction package.

If for any reason you don't win a package you bid on, it's always worth contacting the resort to see if they would be willing to accept your highest bid on a similar package. GOod luck and hope you find the perfect place for vacation!

I have used Skyauction as well and was very pleased. I watched a couple auctions for the resort I was interested in before finally bidding on one (it seems that once an auction ended, they'd start a new one for the same resort, but with a differnt end date.) I got a great rate, the communication with Skyauction was very good, and everything went smoothly.

Thank you, ejcrowe! this is just the info/advice i was looking for. i now have the courage to try this service. will keep you posted!

Thanks, also, Lisa! I have not searched Skyauction, only Luxurylink, so I will do some additional searching.

I ahve aslo used Sky Auction and Luxury Link with very good success. Both have some excellent deals. Only downside is that if you win your credit card is charged right away so be prepared to pay up front. As EJ said do your homework first and set a bid limit. If you don't win the same auction will reappear probably the next week.

I've had excellent results with both the regular and best shot auctions on luxurylink. You've received some good advice already on doing your homework. If you do a search on these boards under luxurylink, you'll find many previous posts with lots of information. Once you 'win' a package, you contact the hotel or resort directly to make your reservations. I also call before bidding to make sure the dates I want are available. Good luck!

This may be a silly question but is Skyauction open to Canadian residents as well?

Thank you!