Historic Powhatan Resort in Williamsburg

Mjasp · May 18, 2008

Has anyone stayed at the Hostoric Powhatan Resort in Williamsburg, Va.?

This is neither a gold or silver crown resort, but it has pretty good reviews.
The only bad reviews are those that have stayed in older unrenovated units, but I called the resort and the front desk staff said they are 90% done with renovating all the rooms.

Then I looked at the reviews on Trip advisor and decided to take the chance and book it through RCI exchange. It's something different, we've never been to Williamsburg and I am looking forward to it, although it may be a lot too warm for my liking as we are going the end of August. But hey, we usually do Disney in August, so this may feel like Alaska to us LOL

Any comments would be appreciated.

stugy · May 18, 2008

Hi
We just returned from Powhatan last sunday. We were very pleased with our unit (252C). It had been totally refurbished and was in great condition and very clean. Bed even had a pillow top mattress which I enjoyed. I don't understand why they would have upholstered chairs at the dining room table with likelihood that kids would spill drinks, food, etc. But the unit was lovely. I did run into some people who were in units that were not refurbished and they did have some issues. I guess it's the luck of the draw.
The staff is very pleasant and accomodating. Everyone was helpful and friendly. In the past, we had run into some people at the front desk who could be quite "snippy". We were told that Diamond fired the staff and hired all new. The grounds were lovely although there are still quite a few geese and some goose "poop" abounds. Watch the kids with the geese, they can be aggressive. Of course, while we were there, they had babies and could have been overly protective.
My opinion is that "Diamond" is the best thing that happened to Powhatan.
It will be hot and humid in August.
Pat

pjrose · May 18, 2008

I've never stayed there and am planning a winter trip to Williamsburg. What's the indoor pool like at Powhatan?

JoeMid · May 18, 2008

Mjasp said:
Has anyone stayed at the Hostoric Powhatan Resort in Williamsburg, Va.?

This is neither a gold or silver crown resort, but it has pretty good reviews.
The only bad reviews are those that have stayed in older unrenovated units, but I called the resort and the front desk staff said they are 90% done with renovating all the rooms.

Then I looked at the reviews on Trip advisor and decided to take the chance and book it through RCI exchange. It's something different, we've never been to Williamsburg and I am looking forward to it, although it may be a lot too warm for my liking as we are going the end of August. But hey, we usually do Disney in August, so this may feel like Alaska to us LOL

Any comments would be appreciated.

If they are 90% done with a cycle of renovations then they are 0% done with the next cycle which should start when that 10% is finally completed. Think about it. That being said, I've never had a bad stay there regardless of the unit assigned.

pjrose said:
I've never stayed there and am planning a winter trip to Williamsburg. What's the indoor pool like at Powhatan?

Small, but it serves its purpose.

Mjasp · May 18, 2008

Joe...How is the outdoor pool, now that we are on the pool subject?

I've never read about a restaurant on site but in my RCI tidbit about the resort, I thought it said a restaurant.

Have you been in the unrefurbished units recently. I wonder why with the renovation they have NO rating...Silver or Gold or even the hospitality rating, it's funny no rating and people do seem to like this resort.

Oh well...I booked it and I'm not a nitpicky person...I only ask for a CLEAN unit and NO bugs. If things are outdated it's OK as long as they are CLEAN!
I think we will have a good time!

4BoxersGranny · May 18, 2008

There are two restaurants on the Powhattan property. There is the grille which has a bar and TVs. It is in the building with the indoor pool and other activities. The other restaurant is "The Kitchen" an upscale eatery with a menu that is not your everyday fare. Also we like the Indian Fields Tavern located on historic route 5 a few miles from Powhattan. It is located in an old farmhouse. Great food and atmosphere.

I think there is a lot to do in the area; Yorktown is right on the James River and has a pub that is fun to visit. Personally, my husband and I love Colonial Williamsburg and all the surrounding area so much that we use to go every year and stay at Powhattan (which we owned until bought by Sunterra and then we converted and bought more points.) We were there in 2006 and had a renovated unit then. We usually go in the spring or fall and stay away in the summer. Have also gone at Christmas and enjoyed the festivities that are put on in Colonial Williamsburg.

Have a great time!

Helen

Mjasp · May 18, 2008

Thank You so much for all the replies. I am getting so excited now. Like I said I was concerned because of NO rating but the reviews pretty much all look good.

Keep the reviews and anything else you want to add coming.

Thanks
Joanna

JoeMid · May 18, 2008

stugy said:
We were told that Diamond fired the staff and hired all new. My opinion is that "Diamond" is the best thing that happened to Powhatan.

B.S.

Mjasp said:
Joe...How is the outdoor pool, now that we are on the pool subject?

I've never read about a restaurant on site but in my RCI tidbit about the resort, I thought it said a restaurant.

Have you been in the unrefurbished units recently. I wonder why with the renovation they have NO rating...Silver or Gold or even the hospitality rating, it's funny no rating and people do seem to like this resort.

Oh well...I booked it and I'm not a nitpicky person...I only ask for a CLEAN unit and NO bugs. If things are outdated it's OK as long as they are CLEAN!
I think we will have a good time!

Outdoor pools are great when in season; The Grille is GOOD, The Kitchen is GREAT, don't miss it. My last stay was in a unit that was not yet renovated in the current cycle (that 10% left figure is B.S.) and it was fine.

4BoxersGranny said:
Yorktown is right on the James River

Actually Jamestown is right on the James River while Yorktown is all the way on the other side of the peninsula, you guessed it, on the York River.

Mjasp · May 18, 2008

JoeMid said:
B.S.

Outdoor pools are great when in season; The Grille is GOOD, The Kitchen is GREAT, don't miss it.

Outdoor Pool(s) plural? So there is more than one outdoor pool?

PigsDad · May 19, 2008

Mjasp said:
JoeMid said:

B.S.

Outdoor pools are great when in season; The Grille is GOOD, The Kitchen is GREAT, don't miss it.

Outdoor Pool(s) plural? So there is more than one outdoor pool?

Click to expand...

Yes, three pools. One is designated as adults only.

We stayed there last summer and had a great time. I had read the poor reviews from people complaining that the units were needed renovation. Our unit was not renovated, and we thought it was just fine. Sure, it didn't have granite counter tops, was little worn, but it was clean and spacious.

Kurt

Mjasp · May 19, 2008

Oh Kirt...Thank You, glad to hear from someone who has stayed in a unit that wasn't renovated.

So they have 3 OUTDOOR pools? Wow, I think I am going to be pleasantly surprised by this resort.

I read the outdoor pool (singular) is so small and I kept thinking UH OH in the summer it is going to be packed and I'm going to have a whiney kid saying this place is so small we can't even get into the pool.

hvsteve1 · May 19, 2008

We have owned there since early on. This resort is, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful we have stayed at with the ponds, gardens and, don't forget, the historic plantation house. This building is a contemporary of the ones in the historic district and has things about it that date to both the pre-revolutionary and civil war periods. It has been restored, furnished and, if nothing has changed in the past few years, is open to visitors.

The indoor pool was refurbished a few years ago. It was not to be to big a job but, once they started working on it, found parts of the original construction were not properly done, so they ended up replacing that part of the building. If nothing has changed recently, this is also the only timeshare I have seen with raquetball courts.

There has and has not been a restuarant in the main building in various years, but somebody has always been operating the kitchen. It is a small version of some of the historic taverns in the historic district and often gets listed as one of the top restuarants in that part of Virginia. It's also pricey, so you will probably eat there only once.

PP was a gold crown resort, but lost it when the original operator let it get run down. Owners paid a special assessment and the place has been almost entirely upgraded. Some of us think the lack of a gold crown designation after all these years is political. We always run into people trading in who think it's one of the best trades they've ever had.

Robnsunny · May 19, 2008

Get a pass to Water Country to beat the heat. Combo passes with Busch Gradens are quite reasonable. Do Busch Gardens (beautiful park) or history (plenty of it) in the morning and evening and the water park in the afternoon.

casey2 · May 19, 2008

Great Place

granted I don't have much TS experience.
We've been Guests with my InLaws at 4 or 5 Places now, and we visited and are awaiting closing on a Marriott Waiohai in HI.

I would put PP up on the list with Waiohai. It's not HI, but the grounds were very nice, and our renovated two bedroom was just as nice as the Waiohai.

There is also a putt putt course, nature trails, a pond for fishing.
Adult pool and kids pool, I think are only separated by a fence.

We were so buys in our 4 days with seeing the sights that we didn't spend much time doing things at the resort.

Don't loose your room key or they will charge you $10.... that was a first.
We later found it when we got home - oh well....

Mjasp · May 19, 2008

Wow comparing it to a Marriott is pretty impressive. I think we did the right thing going with this resort.

What/how do you mean it isn't rated because it's political? Explain that please, you aren't the first one who has written that.

Thx

PigsDad · May 20, 2008

Robnsunny said:
Get a pass to Water Country to beat the heat. Combo passes with Busch Gradens are quite reasonable. Do Busch Gardens (beautiful park) or history (plenty of it) in the morning and evening and the water park in the afternoon.

I agree -- that is the basic scheduled we did last summer and it worked out great. We went with the 7-4-1 pass (we purchased it from the gowilliamsburg site) and would do historic sites in the morning, and hit the waterpark or spend time at the PP pool in the heat of the day. Then we would venture to someplace new for dinner in the evening. It was a wonderful family vacation.

Kurt

rod · May 20, 2008

hvsteve1 said:
PP was a gold crown resort, but lost it when the original operator let it get run down. Owners paid a special assessment and the place has been almost entirely upgraded.

The original operator kept it very well maintained, but then sold out to Signature Resorts in May of 1997. Then later that same year Signature renamed themselves Sunterra and in 1998 cut back on upkeep; the most noticeable immediate change was the disappearance of the college kids painting the exterior trim on the buildings that I had seen every summer since we purchased a summer week in 1990. But by 2002 it was necessary to levy a special assessment to refurbish the resort, and the maintenance fees have doubled between 2003 and 2008.

Mjasp said:
So they have 3 OUTDOOR pools? Wow, I think I am going to be pleasantly surprised by this resort.

I read the outdoor pool (singular) is so small and I kept thinking UH OH in the summer it is going to be packed and I'm going to have a whiney kid saying this place is so small we can't even get into the pool.

As for the pools, it does get very hot and humid in the summer, and there are approximately 900 timeshare units at this resort. The pools that have been mentioned are the only pools; in my opinion they need at least a couple more.

hvsteve1 said:
Some of us think the lack of a gold crown designation after all these years is political.

Mjasp said:
What/how do you mean it isn't rated because it's political? Explain that please, you aren't the first one who has written that.

Sunterra rolled out the Club Sunterra points program in 1999, selling points packages. Club Sunterra members exchange only through II, not RCI; owners who do not convert to points still exchange through RCI, but RCI is no longer getting new members through Sunterra. This makes RCI unhappy, so no good ratings for Powhatan.

Mjasp · May 20, 2008

Ahhh, now that makes sense. Why should RCI rate them if there are so few owners who use them. By the way, I got my trade through RCI.

So what is the rating II gives this resort?

anneag · Jun 10, 2008

We went during spring break two years ago and I don't think our unit was a refurbished one. We had a great time and I don't have really any complaints. The unit was big enough to accommodate my husband and me and our three teenage boys, had all the ammenities we needed and was clean. The kids really enjoyed the hot tub on the porch. Since it was the end of March, the outdoor pools were not open, so I can't help you there. We did swim in the indoor pool once, but it was CROWDED. Actually, in my opinion, this was one of our most successful famiy vacations. We did all the Williamsburg events, visited Norfolk for a day trip, then drove to Anapolis to see the Naval Academy and then on to DC. It was an exhausting trip, but well worth it.

Mjasp · Jun 10, 2008

I am so glad to hear you had such a great time. I am so looking forward to it

Historic Powhatan Resort in Williamsburg

Mjasp

stugy

Tug Review Crew

pjrose

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

JoeMid

Mjasp

4BoxersGranny

Mjasp

JoeMid

Mjasp

PigsDad

Mjasp

hvsteve1

Tug Review Crew: Rookie

Robnsunny

casey2

Mjasp

PigsDad

rod

Mjasp

anneag

Mjasp