Timeshare in the Philippines: What You Actually Buy, Costs and Law
A timeshare in the Philippines is not real estate. It is a right to use a hotel or resort for a set number of nights or points each year, sold by a developer or a vacation club. Philippine law treats that right as a security, which means the seller must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission before offering it, and you should treat the purchase the way you would treat any investment contract: read the instrument, check the registration, and know how you get out. Here is what you are buying, what it costs over time, and how it compares with owning a condominium unit.
Three things sold under one word
| Product | What you own | Can a foreigner buy? | Resale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed or floating week | A contractual right to a unit type for a week each year, for a term of years | Yes; it is not land | Thin private market; developer buy-back is rare |
| Points or vacation club membership | Points redeemable across the operator’s hotels, often with an exchange network | Yes | Transfer rules set by the club; fees apply |
| Condotel unit | A titled condominium unit placed in the hotel’s rental pool | Yes, within the project’s 40% foreign share | Sold like any condo, subject to the pool agreement |
Only the third is property. The first two are what most people mean by timeshare, and they appreciate rarely; their value is in the holidays you take, not the price you will sell for.
What Philippine law says
The Securities Regulation Code (Republic Act 8799) defines securities to include investment contracts and proprietary or non-proprietary membership certificates. The SEC has repeatedly held, most recently in Office of the General Counsel Opinion 04-2024, that timeshares fall inside that definition because they are contracts for the future enjoyment of a privilege or service. Consequence: the seller needs a registration statement approved by the SEC and must give each prospective buyer the required information before the sale. A seller who cannot show SEC registration for the product is offering an unregistered security, whatever the brochure says.
The real cost over ten years
| Item | Illustration |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | PHP 600,000 for a one-week annual right over 20 years |
| Annual maintenance or membership dues | PHP 25,000, typically rising with inflation |
| Exchange or booking fees | PHP 3,000 to 8,000 per use when swapping resorts |
| Ten-year cost | About PHP 900,000 to 950,000, or PHP 90,000 to 95,000 per week of stay |
| Comparable hotel at rack rate | PHP 8,000 a night, PHP 56,000 a week; PHP 560,000 over ten years with no commitment |
The arithmetic only works if you will actually use the week every year, value the specific resorts, and treat the resale value as zero. Many buyers do use it and are happy; many more pay dues for years on weeks they no longer take.
Megaworld’s hotel programme
Megaworld sells timeshare interests in its hotel portfolio, which includes Twin Lakes Hotel near Tagaytay, Savoy Hotel Boracay, Belmont Hotel Mactan, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel, Hotel Lucky Chinatown and the Grand Westside Hotel in Parañaque. Each has a GRC page with the hotel’s facts and what a buyer should ask. The programme, inventory and current pricing are confirmed with Megaworld at inquiry; we present the instrument, the dues schedule and the exit terms before you commit, and we do not publish prices we cannot verify.
Questions to put to any timeshare seller
- Show me the SEC registration or permit to sell for this product.
- Is this a titled condotel unit or a right to use? If a right, for how many years, and what happens at the end?
- What were the dues for each of the last five years?
- How do I resell or surrender, what does it cost, and how many owners have done it?
- What is the cancellation period after signing, and is it in the contract?
- Who operates the hotel if the developer sells it?
Hotels and seasonal co-ownership in our catalog
Megaworld hotels with timeshare programmes and other seasonal co-ownership opportunities follow. Shown for discovery; terms are confirmed at inquiry.
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Sources: Republic Act 8799 (Securities Regulation Code), sections 3 and 8; SEC Office of the General Counsel Opinion No. 04-2024 on the applicability of registration requirements to timeshares (as summarised by Ocampo & Suralvo); Republic Act 4726 (Condominium Act). Cost figures are illustrations. Current as of October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is a timeshare in the Philippines real property?
Usually not. Weeks and points are contractual rights to use a hotel, not title. A condotel unit is titled real property placed in a rental pool.
Is timeshare regulated in the Philippines?
Yes. The SEC treats timeshares as securities under the Securities Regulation Code, so the seller must be SEC-registered and give buyers the required disclosures before sale.
Can a foreigner buy a timeshare?
Yes. A right to use is not land, so there is no foreign-ownership restriction; a condotel unit is subject to the 40% foreign share of the project.
Does Megaworld sell timeshares?
Yes, for its hotel portfolio, including Twin Lakes Hotel, Savoy Hotel Boracay and Belmont Hotel Mactan. Programme, inventory and pricing are confirmed with Megaworld at inquiry.
