# Powhatan Resort, Williamsburg VA



## Denise (Apr 23, 2012)

Does anyone know if the 3 bedroom units have been refurbished? Thank you.


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## natasha5687 (Apr 23, 2012)

I was just there 2 weeks ago but stayed in a 2 bedroom unit.  I requested a refurbished unit and the request was honored if that helps.  The gentleman at the check in counter had a diagram of refurbished units so if you call they may be able to tell you.


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## wauhob3 (Apr 29, 2012)

Did you call ahead to request a refurbished unit or ask when you got there?


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## natasha5687 (Apr 29, 2012)

wauhob3 said:


> Did you call ahead to request a refurbished unit or ask when you got there?



I called about 10 days ahead of arrival.


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## pedro47 (Apr 29, 2012)

Good luck on your request .  I would request for a delux villas.


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## robcrusoe (Apr 29, 2012)

Denise said:


> Does anyone know if the 3 bedroom units have been refurbished? Thank you.


3BRs are the oldest/original units at this resort and have been refurbished 4-5 maybe six times, although I know that's not your question it does answer what you wrote, all units there are on a five to six year refurbish schedule, as often as the management thinks they can press the 'owners' to do it meaning more/higher annual fees which consist of maintenance and reserve for refurbishment.


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## robcrusoe (Apr 29, 2012)

pedro47 said:


> Good luck on your request .  I would request for a delux villas.


there are no Deluxe 3BRs.  The 4BR lockoffs that were built as Deluxe were all built after THE Club and/or it's predecessor, and while they can't take away your birthday for asking, they are usually reserved for Club members as far as I can tell and seem to be dumped into Club inventory at later dates when the management decides they can't use them for tours, not a known fact, just my casual observation.


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## wauhob3 (May 6, 2012)

Thanks we did a last minute exchange and only have a one bedroom but I sent an email last week and requested a refurbished unit and they responded it was added to our reservation but cannot be guaranteed. I'll report back after the vacation if we did or not.


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## wauhob3 (May 20, 2012)

wauhob3 said:


> Thanks we did a last minute exchange and only have a one bedroom but I sent an email last week and requested a refurbished unit and they responded it was added to our reservation but cannot be guaranteed. I'll report back after the vacation if we did or not.



Our request was honored and we were placed in a unit updated in 2009. It was building 4 unit 66B. The unit was nicely decorated and really had sleeping for 6 but definitely only dishes and towels for 4. It had a loft that had two pull out chairs for single beds and a fold out couch. The bedroom had a king size bed. I was surprised it only had 4 bath towels. We were glad we had beach towels to supplement. The kitchen was deemed as a partial kitchen but was a full one just compact. The resort exceeded my expectations due to the mixed reviews. Edited to add a downside which I forgot to add in a review I just wrote was that the resort charges 29.95 per device for WIFI. We didn't choose to do this. I might have if it was per unit but we had more than one lap top so we got by with smart phone and the resort has a computer lab that you can use. My GPS went down and we did have to go to starbucks to upload the software update since the resorts wouldn't accept downloads to do the software update.


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## mtforeman (May 29, 2012)

*Glad you enjoyed your stay!*

We own a timeshare at this resort, and we are incredibly happy with it.  Since DRI took over management, while the maintenance fees went way up, they have been actively improving this resort everywhere you look.  We purchased resale after the fees had already gone up, so ours have been fairly stable for the last couple years.  We bought through a TUG ad!

We bought a renovated 4br unit, sight unseen, 4th of July weekend (most years).  My husband was amazed--it was beautiful and wonderful.  Maybe a bit worn, but any problems were always handled promptly.  Everyone in our family was thrilled, and we had a wonderful experience.  We had baby deer on our back porch.  

We enjoyed everything about the resort, and we have no regrets about our decision.  We couldn't get time off from work this year, so we banked it in RCI.  We were extremely happy with the number of TPU's we received.  

I think the resort just keeps getting better and better, but everyone has different experiences, and getting an "old"/unrenovated unit might not be the most fun!


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## stugy (Jun 11, 2012)

We are at Powattan right now.  We requested  a unit with a back deck in the shade (honored) and a refurbished unit.....not honored.  The walkway into our unit has warped boards and there are no new kitchen countertops.  There are no cabinets above the sink so our food remains in a box.  The hot tub was cold so we asked for maintenance.  It is now lukewarm!!!!.  There is no decor (arrangements on table or coffee table.  Furniture is old.  The master bedroom has a bed and a dresser, no chair.  
I wrote a glowing review about this resort last year when we truly got a refurbishedd unit.  I really felt Diamond was doing a wonderful job.  That really depends on what unit you are lucky to get.  I take that back now.  Yesterday we got the dreaded take a tour call.  I told them if I could buy the unit I was in for $$1.00,, I would pass.   so my question is, who really gets the refurbished units, owers,  club members, traders from RCI, renters, or traders from independents!  Why don't they just refurbish all their units like they did at Foxhunt at Sapphire Valley.  Then everyone gets the same.  I know this is a mega resort but they get mega maintenance fees too.    Oh, the geese and swans are gone.  no more goose poop.  so that is good.
Pat


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## timeos2 (Jun 11, 2012)

Unfortunately this resort is so large & the type of buildings so mixed that what you get is a crap shoot. It is an almost impossible undertaking to refurbish all the units to get them into similar condition, so the resort is in what seems to be a never ending process of renovation work. If you luck out and get a newly renovated unit it can be a great experience. If you aren't so lucky then your impression is not a good one. There are more units in that state than the renovated ones. Plus for years the common areas also had major problems/closures (not sure if those have largely been completed or not today). The indoor pool had an ongoing, 4+ year fix - last time we were there it STILL wasn't 100% functional.  

The place is just too large to manage in any cohesive fashion. It is an all too common problem with mega-resorts that grow far beyond the ability of management and owners to handle.


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## JeffW (Jun 11, 2012)

mtforeman said:


> ..We were extremely happy with the number of TPU's we received..!



Can I ask what that amount was?  My parents own 2x2br units there for early April.  M/F w/ assessment for 2013 was like $1280, for only 32 (16 x 2) TPU's.  I'm not sure I'd consider that a good value.

Jeff


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## hvsteve1 (Jun 11, 2012)

Powhatan is a crapshoot as to what unit you get. There are "refurbished" units that are now starting to need an update, deluxe units that look brand new and "refurbished" units that were recently gutted and look as good as the deluxe.

As to _stugy _having a problem with food storage, we were in a renovated unit with the cabinet above the sink removed, which was a big improvement.  In that unit, they had placed a flat screen TV above the fireplace and replaced the shelves next to the fireplace, that had held the TV, with a built in unit that had shelves with doors and drawers.  Those shelves were the perfect place for food storage. I don't know if the unit _stugy_ got was somewhere between old and new and didn't have the new storage unit.

As a very long time owner I have been through the various developers and suffered as what was once a Gold Crown resort got to the point where nobody wanted to trade into it.  Diamond has been spending a lot of their (and our) money to upgrade the place over the past few years.  Diamond has now announced a budget of $9.4 million for 2012 renovations so I am assuming that, as the next year or so goes on, there will be less and less units that make people unhappy.  Much money has been put into renovations of the amenities in recent years and the last of those projects, the exterior of the manor house, a new miniature golf course and renovated game room, should finish that off. So I assume all the renovation money is going into units.  If the renovated units look as good as the one we were in last month, that, along with the great location and beautiful grounds, should make this one of the more desirable resorts in the area.

On the subject of deluxe units...be aware they take more points than a standard 2 BR.  I don't know if they are somehow reserved for owners, but our newly renovated older 2 BR, which was a pretty complete gut job, was almost identical to the deluxe unit we toured last year except for some slight differences in layout.  And it didn't cost the extra points.

I have a very detailed review on Powhatan Plantation (as I still prefer to call it) which has been submitted and should come up any day.


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## stugy (Jun 12, 2012)

We have no storage unit.  There are no flat screens and the old large tvs are still next to  the fireplace and in the bedroom.  This is no inbetween unit.  None of it has been refurbished.
Pat


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## timeos2 (Jun 13, 2012)

robcrusoe said:


> OMG CRTs!!  What will you do?



:hysterical: How things change.


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## Kagehitokiri2 (Jun 13, 2012)

JeffW said:


> Can I ask what that amount was?  My parents own 2x2br units there for early April.  M/F w/ assessment for 2013 was like $1280, for only 32 (16 x 2) TPU's.  I'm not sure I'd consider that a good value.



sounds about right (or less TPUs) as an owner i agree with you
its depressing seeing values posted for other TS



hvsteve1 said:


> Diamond has now announced a budget of $9.4 million for 2012 renovations


well thats good at least



robcrusoe said:


> OMG CRTs!!  What will you do?


ill take other things like infrastructure over TVs anyday


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## mtforeman (Jan 15, 2013)

JeffW said:


> Can I ask what that amount was?  My parents own 2x2br units there for early April.  M/F w/ assessment for 2013 was like $1280, for only 32 (16 x 2) TPU's.  I'm not sure I'd consider that a good value.
> 
> Jeff




Just checking back on old posts--sorry I missed this question.  Our TPU were 32 per 1/2 of the unit, so 64 when we banked both parts. However, it has come down from that now, and for 2014, they are only offering 22 per half of the unit, or 44 total.  I hope it goes back up a bit.


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## mtforeman (Jan 15, 2013)

mtforeman said:


> Just checking back on old posts--sorry I missed this question.  Our TPU were 32 per 1/2 of the unit, so 64 when we banked both parts. However, it has come down from that now, and for 2014, they are only offering 22 per half of the unit, or 44 total.  I hope it goes back up a bit.



Wrong info--they are actually down to 20 per floor (40 total) now.


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