Oak N Spruce in MA

Hi
We have a 2 bed. unit at the Oak N Spruce in MA for the end of June.We are traveling here so we may take our pet. Most reviews on Tug are favorable as it being a comfortable resort but not a luxury resort. Other sites have less favorable reviews. We just received our conformation yesterday and RCI couldn't tell me anything about the unit, we will be getting. Maybe when we receive the paper work their will be more info. I have a bad knee and don't do alot of steps well and did see some units are on the 3rd floor.RCI said I could call the resort and request a 1st floor unit. If anyone has been there recently and could give any information on the units, and which are older and newer, I would appreciate it.
Thank you
GKK

we go to Oak and Spruce every summer for Tanglewood, Shakespeare, etc. There are both older and newer units. We always have to request ground level as my husband does not do steps well. Call Concierge (Jim) and let him know your needs. He has always accomodated us. We also take our pet, well one of them, anyway. It always bothers us to see people who do not clean up after their pet and we fear the day will come when they prohibit pets because of this. It's a nice resort, not luxurious, in a great location. Hope you have a great time. It can get a tad noisy in the prime season with all the kids, but hey that what vacation is all about.
Oh, we are not owners there, we also trade in through RCI.
Have fun
Pat

Thanks Pat, that is good to know and I will contact them.
Do both the old and new buildings have first floor 2 bedroom units ? We have had timeshare for over 20 years and this is the first time we will be taking our dog, should be an experience!
GKK

Some of the old buildings have no steps to enter but are 2 levels inside. You should let him know that you have difficulty with steps and that will put you in a new building. All of these have ground level units. What is your check in day? I believe Sat check ins that are 6-6 are the presidential units and many of these are handicapped accessible. We usually have a 6-4 and it works out fine. Your check in day determines what building you will be in.
Pat

Thanks again Pat...you are being so helpful! We have a Friday June 27 check in. RCI said I should call a week before about the steps, but I think it would be better to call as soon as I get the confirmation in the mail. I so appreciate your responses.
GKK

We always call just about 2 weeks before we go. Friday check ins are both old and new buildings. But I am sure when you talk with Jim, you will be assigned to a new building as the old ones (Fri check-in) are 2 story. Also, when you get a new building you will have a small porch where your dog can sit out and watch the people and activities, unless he's super small and can get through the railings or super large and can get over them. We have a Scotty who can't do either, but she loves to "people watch." As I said, the units are not luxurious, but they are comfortable and will meet your needs. The location is the best. I don't think Tanglewood is open yet, but there are some wonderful plays at the Berkshire Theatre just down the road and there is Shakespeare and wonderful day trips. Be sure to go to Tanglewood just to explore. The grounds are lovely. And there is the Norman Rockwell museum, Shaker village, and wonderful small towns to explore.
If shopping is on your agenda, there are outlets a few miles away. And the office area at the resort has brochures on many, many things to do. We always go for 2 weeks and we are fairly busy the whole time, and we don't use the pools, etc. We just go, go go.
As I said, they have been very accomodating to our needs and I'm sure they will do what they can for you. They do tend to prioritize RCI traders, unless that has changed. Oh, they do charge a pet fee that they say is used to "sanitize" the unit after your pet. I think it is $55 and I'm not sure about the sanitizing, but our dog is exceptionally clean and is flea free, so I'm not sure what they did when we departed.
They were building more buildings when we were there last year. I have no clue where all the people are going to park their cars, as it does get congested with buildings right up close to one another. It does have it's drawbacks but is one of our favorite places because of it's proximity to all the cultural events, etc
Pat

Hi Pat,
I will wait a week or so then give Jim a call .All your information has been very helpful. We will check out the places you suggested. We have a French Bulldog, she is about 23# , and it would be nice if we could get a nice patio or porch to sit outside. I know I will be hesitant about leaving her to site see. She is not a barker and we will take her kennel to keep her safe if we go out, but having never taken her before I will worry how she will act in a strange place. We can at least take some short outings. You have been wonderful about sharing your information and once again I appreciate it very much. Hope you have some wonderful vacations coming up too!
GKK

Thanks, hope you like it as much as we do. Every new unit has a porch or balcony so you should be fine. We crate our Scottie (kennel) when we are out. She's used to be crated at home too when we are out. Have a great time.
Pat

Pat,
If you read this ,just wanted you to know we just returned from Oak & Spruce and it was much nicer than we expected! We were very satisfied with our unit and had a very nice time. Got the ground floor unit as we requested. Loved all the little towns around the area.Our dog loved her first vacation! We thank you again for all the information you provided us with.
GKK

Pat and GKK, thanks for the info. We're going to Oak n Spruce for the first time in November, really looking forward to it!

Hi
Hope you are as lucky as we were wth our unit! I had read some bad reviews, which always makes you worry. There are many units there so maybe it depends on what unit you get. I have a map of the resort, but when I got my confirmation from RCI, their was not a unit number on it, so couldn't tell a head of time where we were going to be.
We did have some problems with parking...you are to only have 1 car by the unit and you are given a pass for the window. If you have extra cars, they are to be parked in a different area. We would always see cars without passes, and a couple times when we returned to the resort their was not a place to park by our building. We went to the office and informed them of the problem and they looked into it right away. Other than that we thought the resort was very nice.
GKK

planning trip

Hi, sorry i am bring back a thread but i looked into that suggestion for the theatre and it is on my list to visit i was woundering if there where any other suggestions of places to go.

This is my first trip and i am trying to keep it simple and close to the resort. It is just me and my girlfriend and we are going in january.

Check out the Clark museum in Williamstown, also the Williamstown theatre. There is a Shaker village in Hancock. I don't know any of their off season schedules (theaters) but do check them out. We've taken a trip into Vermont from Williamstown and that's a nice jaunt. If you get the daily paper, the Berkshire Eagle, it will list all kinds of activities. I can't think of anything else right now. Tanglewood will not be open but makes a nice place for a walk. Oh, we did the Berkshire museum this year. At $10 each it was not worth it. Nothing compared to our Pgh museum (Carnegie).
If I think of anything else, I will post.
Pat

berkshire

i found out the berkshire theatre doenst have any plays for january shucks... i was liking the sounds of that theatre