# Please help, torn and only have until tonight



## jstapleton (Sep 16, 2008)

I currently have Wyndham Palm-Aire on hold for Easter week. Check in on Good Friday which is what I exactly wanted for check in date. Two bedroom, which is also what we wanted.

Although it got an 8.0 rating on TUG, it still got mixed reviews.
Then, I just went onto tripadvisor and I read about old, smelly rooms.
I don't want to be away with my family (2 kids-15 and 11 year old) and be scared to sleep at night in a buggy room or just dirty, which I really can't stand.

Do you think I should wait and keep calling or do you think with an 8 rating from tug it will be ok? I am using my Orlando OLCC Spring Break week so know it is not a good/great trader. 
I am not experienced like you all and really need your help.
It is too late for trades for Easter, should I be happy with what I got or should I keep a search and keep searching and calling?

PLEASE HELP ME. Thank you very much!


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## jstapleton (Sep 16, 2008)

Please, 18 views and not one answer. I really don't know what to do.
I look forward to hearing your advice.
Thank you very much.


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## falmouth3 (Sep 16, 2008)

I don't know the resort, but quite honestly, I find that TUG reviewers are generally expecting a lot from a resort so if it got an 8, I'd say it's a decent resort.  

Getting the exact dates you want in Orlando, especially that time of year, isn't a given.  So if I were you, I'd grab it and look forward to my vacation.


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## vacationhopeful (Sep 16, 2008)

Palm Aire has a lot to offer. Golf, pools, and Wyndham activities.  Plus, you can use your Wyndham parking pass and drive over to Wyndham Royal Vista and use its pools and beach access.  The Fitness Center, located on the 2nd floor next to the activity center has a M&F shower/bathroom - to change out of those wet beach clothes.   Just be sure to bring your activity card from Palm Aire.  Wyndham Santa Barbara has bathrooms (with showers also) with outside entrance from the pool/hot tub area.  Wyndham Sea Gardens has a GREAT Luau dinner & show night at a modest cost - just be sure to sign up and pay at the very beginning of the week.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale area has so many activities for your kids age groups.  I am sure you will have a nice vacation.


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## Big Matt (Sep 16, 2008)

Go look at tripadvisor again.  It's rated 7/29 hotels in Pompano Beach.  There are 2/3 ratings of 4 or 5.  I'd say that it's either a situation where some people complain a lot (people on tripadvisor generally rate timeshares lower because many expect full service restaurants, etc.) or there are some rooms that need repair.

I'd grab it if that's what you want and be very pushy if you get a room with issues.  The other folks rating it 4 or 5 must have liked it a lot.


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## sfwilshire (Sep 16, 2008)

It has been several years since we were there, but we didn't like much about it. Our unit has some real maintenance issues, as did the alarm system for that matter, which went off all day one day. Other than being across the street from the track, the location had no appeal.

The guys mowing the golf course in the early hours every morning were disappointing.

If you're nervous about getting anything for those dates, you can always reserve it and do a retrade if something better comes up.

Personally, if offered to me, I'd take a pass.

Sheila


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## lprstn (Sep 16, 2008)

I liked it so maybe I'm not to pickey   .  But you are talking to someone who stayed at Shawnee (in the older section).  My kids loved the Palm Aire, the spa I loved.  They have nice pools, and personally our room was very nice.  It was a typical Wyndham design.


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## cirkus (Sep 17, 2008)

I'm there several times a year because I have to be in the area,  but don't use the facilities much. I have had some bad rooms in the past and have learned to request a specific building that has been consistent in the quality and condition. The building I request is Sable Palms.

The area is ok, especially during the day, but I've been told not good to walk around at night. It is right across the street from the casino. Nice pool. When I'm going there for more than a few days, I try to stay at Royal Vista, a sister resort where I'm also an owner at, which is right on the beach. If your not a Wyndham owner though, Royal Vista trades thru II. Its further away from where I need to go, but the beach is nice. 
Bill


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## jstapleton (Sep 17, 2008)

Thank you all very much for your honest answers.
I ended up taking it last night.
I will make a note on what building to request (thank you) and hope for the best. 

For those that have been before, it says the beach is approximately 5 minutes away, is this the case? We will have our car so not worried about how to get there just how long it will take.

As for the issues with the lawn maintanance early morning, we own at OLCC and all units overlook golf courses and this is a normal occurrence but hopefully with the air on, we won't hear much.

Thank you.


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## jstapleton (Sep 17, 2008)

Thank you all very much for your honest answers.
I ended up taking it last night.
I will make a note on what building to request (thank you) and hope for the best. 

For those that have been before, it says the beach is approximately 5 minutes away, is this the case? We will have our car so not worried about how to get there just how long it will take.

As for the issues with the lawn maintanance early morning, we own at OLCC and all units overlook golf courses and this is a normal occurrence but hopefully with the air on, we won't hear much.

Thank you very much. I booked based on your answers to me. Thank you again for your help.


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## theo (Sep 17, 2008)

*Good luck...*



jstapleton said:


> I will make a note on what building to request...



If it's an exchange, it would seem that a specific unit in a specific building was deposited, then offered to you and accepted as an exchange, to now be assigned to you. I wouldn't expect too much in the way of being able to "request" a particular building, which may well not at all be what was deposited for exchange. Nonetheless, I guess it can't hurt to ask...


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## jstapleton (Sep 17, 2008)

theo said:


> If it's an exchange, it would seem that a specific unit in a specific building was deposited, then offered to you and accepted as an exchange, to now be assigned to you. I wouldn't expect too much in the way of being able to "request" a particular building, which may well not at all be what was deposited for exchange. Nonetheless, I guess it can't hurt to ask...




Thanks. I did think the same thing and called RCI before I accepted the trade. They told me they didn't have that info. but I thought how could they not since it was exactly what you said above. Someone deposited a specific unit and I took it.


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## theo (Sep 17, 2008)

*Could be true...*



jstapleton said:


> Thanks. I did think the same thing and called RCI before I accepted the trade. They told me they didn't have that info. but I thought how could they not since it was exactly what you said above. Someone deposited a specific unit and I took it.



It might be that in the arcane and often dysfunctional RCI computer system, VC's may not actually "see" the specific unit info in front of them, even though it's "on file" somewhere?  I don't claim to know. Personally, I stay about as far away from RCI as I possibly can...


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## Mel (Sep 17, 2008)

theo said:


> It might be that in the arcane and often dysfunctional RCI computer system, VC's may not actually "see" the specific unit info in front of them, even though it's "on file" somewhere?  I don't claim to know. Personally, I stay about as far away from RCI as I possibly can...



It depends on the resort.  Some resorts do not assign the specific deposit to the exchanger - Orange Lake is one of those, where I deposit a specific unit, but the RCI confirmation will simply state a unit type.  The resort assigns the unit at check-in.  When I've asked the VCs have always been able to tell me what unit I'm getting, though they note it could be changed.


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## jstapleton (Sep 17, 2008)

Thank you Mel. I too own at OLCC and absolutely love it there when we visit Disney. Thank you again everyone for your help.


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## suzanne (Sep 17, 2008)

We just spent the week of Sept. 7, 2008 there in a two bedroom for 8/6. It was in the Fountain Palm building, Unit #777. The unit was very clean, furnishings were in good repair. The kitchen was fully stocked with anything you might need for preparing a meal as well as dishwasher soap, paper towels etc. The firidge had an icemaker that worked very well. There was a full size electric range. There was a large microwave, the turntable was there but did not work. There was also a toaster, blender and coffee maker and teapot. All were very clean, but were older and starting shows signs of wear & tear. The dining table was in a corner, it had a circular bench seat around the back side with two chairs on the other side. I would say it could sit 6 in total. The table was a large round wood table.

The living room had a sofa that made into a bed, loveseat and two chairs that went with the dining room table, but not sure whre they would have fit. There was a decent size tv in a free standing wall unit, it also had a dvd player and a nice cd player. Large coffee table, two end tables with lamps and a ceiling fan. The unit had a small balcony with two chairs and a tiny plastic table. It had a railing but is not screened so be careful if your kids are small and out on it. We were on the 7th floor and on one side of the builing was a good sized pool with kids pool and hot tub, our balcony looked out to another smaller pool and hot tub. The building there was in the process of being renovated. 

The master bedroom had a king size bed, same tv as the living room, which sat on the dresser. There was the largest safe I have ever seen in a condo in the closet, free for guest to use.  There was plenty of storage as there was a closet in the master bedroom, living room and the master bathroom had a stack washer & dryer. Soap was included. There was also another closet in the bathroom, where ther was a large jacuzzi tub. The shower was freestanding with glass doors, with double sinks. The toilet was in a room by itself. All was very clean. The 2nd bedroom had two double beds, a smaller tv, dresser, chair and closet. The 2nd bathroom is off the dining area, it is a full bath with tub/shower toilet and sink. There was ample pillows and blankets. We did not use the 2nd bedroom  but the bed in the master was very comfortable. There was also lots of towels in both bathrooms, plus large towels for the jacuzzi tub or pools.

There was also a small playground for little kids, tennis courts and there was a golf course behind the reort as well. They also had a small bar and sandwich shop. We did not use either so can't comment on the prices or what they offered. We would definately stay here again if we needed to be in the area. The grounds and pool areas were well maintained as were all the common areas we saw. People were constantly cleaning and doing grounds work. We did not see a bug or ant anywhere and trust me I am one of those people who look as I hate both.

Since the only unit we saw was ours, I can't say what the others were like or the other buildings. But our unit was very good. The only thing that we found lacking was good restaurants in the area, but your not very far away from many areas that have great food. The casino/harness track is also just across the street if your into gambling. The only other thing is that there was no midweek maid service. I think if you want service you can let the front desk know and they will do it for a fee. We did not need it as there was just the two of us. There is a garbage shute on each floor. There was wo elevators which were pretty fast, we never had to wait for one of them more than a minute or two. They also offered a few daily activities, but we did not go to any of them. We saw lots of familes with small kids, and adults of various ages so it appeared to be a goood family resort.

Hope this info helps. I would be happy to answer any other question if I can.

Suzanne


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## Dori (Sep 17, 2008)

We stayed at Fairways of Palm Aire a few years ago and liked it very much.  There is shopping in the vicinty and a Walmart just across the road.  They have a very good activity programme.  We especially loved the animal show.  My DH loved the "make your own drinks" activity, where he learned to make and sample different exotic drinks.  There are several pools that are very nice.  They have lunch specials that are very reasonable. 

I would gladly return to this resort.  

BTW... the beach is at least 15-20 minutes away. 

Dori


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## jstapleton (Sep 18, 2008)

Wow! Thank you all so much! I am happy to hear some good recent reviews.

Suzanne, I VERY much appreciate that you took so much time to write a report about your unit and surrounding area. Thank you.

I didn't think the beach was that far but either way we will have to get in our car so 10 extra minutes won't matter.

Was the beach that is close a nice beach?
Thank you all again!


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## Jan&Ern (Sep 18, 2008)

When you stay at Palm Aire you can park your car at Royal Dunes since they are sister resorts. We stayed at Palm Aire several years ago and had 3 units that were lovely. There are two large pools and plenty of chairs/tables around them. Lots of activities too. The drive to the beach is about 15 minutes or less depending on traffic. We went to the beach every day and parked at Royal Dunes and had no problem doing so. I'd definitely go there again. And we even went to the track one night and watched the buggy races. It was a ton of fun.


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## sfwilshire (Sep 18, 2008)

jstapleton said:


> For those that have been before, it says the beach is approximately 5 minutes away, is this the case? We will have our car so not worried about how to get there just how long it will take.



I remember it as being much longer than that, but I can't say for sure. You might find the address for the sister resort at the beach and mapquest the distance between. That would give you an idea.

Sheila


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## Jennie (Sep 19, 2008)

It's going to take way more than 5 minutes to get to the beach, especially with all the traffic during Sring break weeks. Heck, it take almost 5 minutes to drive from the parking lot to the exit gate of Palm Aire. They do have free shuttle service to the "sister resorts" along A1A where the beaches are located.

There are 5 buildings at Palm Aire, three older ones and two newer very modern ones. The units in the new buildings are very modern and beutiful--very typical of the new Wyndham Fairfield resorts. The units in the older buildings were very different--small. dreary, worn furniture and carpeting, old kitchens and bathrooms, etc... I stayed three different times but the last was 4 years ago so maybe things are better now. I believe that the "mixed" ratings and reviews come from people who stayed in the different buildings. 

A lot of the people who come to Palm Aire are Fairfield owners (fixed deeded weeks as well as those who are using Fairfield Points to make reservations). The resort accommodates their wishes first, rightfully so. They know which buildings are the best and have their preferences listed on their reservation. Since the resort will probably be quite full during the week you will be there, the chances of you getting a unit in one of the newer buildings is not great. 

No matter how often you call, the resort will not tell you which unit or building you will be getting. They seem to make the decision on the check-in date. And, as mentioned previously, Fairfield owners are given the best available units. The "crumbs" are tossed at the RCI exchangers.  

The grounds and activities at Palm Aire are very nice. You should enjoy it even if you get one of the older units. Cleanliness and bugs are not an issue, just the dreariness and older furniture and appliances.


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## jstapleton (Sep 20, 2008)

Jennie said:


> It's going to take way more than 5 minutes to get to the beach, especially with all the traffic during Sring break weeks. Heck, it take almost 5 minutes to drive from the parking lot to the exit gate of Palm Aire. They do have free shuttle service to the "sister resorts" along A1A where the beaches are located.
> 
> There are 5 buildings at Palm Aire, three older ones and two newer very modern ones. The units in the new buildings are very modern and beutiful--very typical of the new Wyndham Fairfield resorts. The units in the older buildings were very different--small. dreary, worn furniture and carpeting, old kitchens and bathrooms, etc... I stayed three different times but the last was 4 years ago so maybe things are better now. I believe that the "mixed" ratings and reviews come from people who stayed in the different buildings.
> 
> ...




Thank you very much.
Although I know they cannot guarantee me where I will be and I will get the "crumbs", do you happen to know the names or areas of the newer buildings so I can request upon check in, even though I know it is a shot in the dark? Thanks so much!


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## pranas (Sep 29, 2008)

Do yourself a favor and don't walk outside of Palm Aire at night. The security at the casino across the street is also not that great and there was a public outcry about it not that long ago. 

Yes, I am a local but live on the barrier island.


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## jstapleton (Sep 30, 2008)

pranas said:


> Do yourself a favor and don't walk outside of Palm Aire at night. The security at the casino across the street is also not that great and there was a public outcry about it not that long ago.
> 
> Yes, I am a local but live on the barrier island.




Thank you very much for the above.  Where are cars for Palm Aire parked. Is it in proximity to the casino. Is Palm Aire gated? I much appreciate your advice.


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