Home away from home- great resort, many amenities
Written: Oct 30 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: large property, new furnishings, clean rooms, friendly staff, close to Disney
Cons: pushy sales department
The Bottom Line: Great for families, lots of on-site activities, spacious and clean rooms with lots of amenities. Definitely recommended.
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| icemaiden02's Full Review: Summer Bay Resort |
We stayed in a 2-bedroom condominium at Summer Bay Resort located 6 miles from Disney in October 2005 through an RCI exchange. The six miles is deceiving however, as it'll take you only 15 minutes to Disney at 7am, but this could increase to 45 minutes if you're trying to travel at 11am.
The resort is lovely. They're located on a spacious property, with only 40% of their land currently developed. They are looking to expand considerably, and there is quite a bit of construction going on at the outer ends of their property. The property is well-kept; the grass is manicured and green, the water sprinklers come on every night at 11pm for 20 minutes, and there are always ground-keepers picking up trash or driving around in golf buggies. The staff at the front desk are helpful and friendly, and ready to assist. Line for check-in, even though there were five families in front of me, took under 10 minutes.
We immediately encountered a problem when we got to our room. The electronic key-card to the front entrance would not work. Security came over within minutes, and let us in. We also found the drain in the master bathroom was clogged and did not drain well. Maintenance was present within 5 minutes with Draino and fixed it right away. No problems with drainage after that incident for the rest of the week. Maintenance even offered to bring a complimentary bottle of red wine for the inconvenience.
The condominium unit we were staying in was a 2-bedroom unit on one side, and shared a foyer with an adjacent 1-bedroom unit next to us. There is a keyed entry to the foyer, and then separate keyed entries to our respective apartments. Condos at this resort differ from villas in that villas do not have balconies. The condo was furnished with a full kitchen (pots, pans, dishes, forks/knives, bowls, coffee pot, stove, fridge, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, kitchen towels). There was complimentary coffee and sugar packets, as well as salt and pepper, and dish detergent. The living room was large and featured three sofas with a central coffee table, and a 32-inch TV and VCR. There was also a 5-CD radio and a side study desk to write notes at. In a closet between the kitchen and the living room, we found a full-size ironing board and iron, as well as a stacked washer-dryer unit (and even free liquid detergent packets!)
The master bedroom featured a king-size bed with overhanging drapes with four high-posts that gave the theme of a plantation resort. There are lots of pineapple/plantation/palm tree decor around (curtains, paintings, etc). The master bedroom also features a large TV, an alarm clock, and conveniently, the resort offers a "wake up call" service. Attached to the master bedroom in an open-design forum is the bathroom. There is a spacious jacuzzi that comfortably fits two, a standing shower, and a toilet that is sequested off into behind closed doors (since there is no door between the master bathroom and bedroom). The bathroom was fully equipped with hair dryer, soap, shampoo, and towels. The closet had hangers and carried additional pillows and blankets for comfort.
The second bedroom was equal in size to the master bedroom but featured two twin (single) beds. There was a small end table and a closet for clothes, and also another TV. The second bathroom is located next to this room, which had a long mirror and bathroom marbled sink (spanned six feet), and a bathtub. All amenities were present too (towels, soap, shampoo, etc).
There are four or five small swimming pools scattered throughout this large resort, so guests do not have to go to the central clubhouse to enjoy the pools. There was one located less than fifteen steps from our balcony (we were on the first floor, so it's more of a porch). It was very convenient and much appreciated. There are also numerous man-made lakes with fountains that kept the property cool during the day.
Clubhouse has a game room (arcade games, pool/snooker, table tennis and board games), as well as a tikibar and swimming pool. THere is also an attached lake with a beach for water activities such as jet skiing and canoeing. There is a convenience store that carries medical needs (painkillers, aloe vera, sunblock), snacks (chips, cookies, candy) and icecream (ten flavors). There are also sandwiches available. There is a giftshop with postcards, t-shirts, shot glasses, photo frames, and games. There is nightly karaoke in front of the tikibar and a carricature artist that is available onsite for drawings (around $15).
The only downer to our vacation was their sales pitch to buy timeshare with them. It took over 2+ hours despite us saying "NO" repeatedly, though we got a free breakfast and cheap tickets to Sea World as a result of it. Be firm and keep saying "NO" even if it seems like they aren't listening.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
icemaiden02
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Member: Clare
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
High school marine biology teacher who has lived in five countries. Enjoy traveling and photography.
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