# Wyndham National Harbor visit



## vacationhopeful (Dec 24, 2010)

Staying in a 3bdr/2ba unit on the 8th floor. We are at the end of the hallway and the construction style makes this resort VERY quiet.

This National Harbor area is nice but bring the dollars. Did the Gaylord Hotel lobby show of dancing fountains, lighted glass Christmas tree and falling indoor snow last night. Enjoyed the ICE Structure show earlier Thursday AM. Lots of places to eat and almost all were packed.

As an extended family of 6 and with no reservations, we walked away from the Gaylord and ate a block up from the "Awakening Scupture" on the river front at _Ketchup_ after a 30 minute wait. Not too bad; great for the preteen who wanted comfort food of Mac & Cheese ($8).

Everyone enjoyed the Grinch movie brought from home (the Jim Carey version). We enjoyed the "down" time these 2 days have allowed - sis took a 3+ hour nap; dad and boys took a 2+ hour Wii session along with free pool & fussball tables in the activites center.

Taking a few days off from the seasonal stress was so worth it.  And the Grinch movie was perfect as it has been a few years since we all had seen it - not a teenager moved throughout the whole movie.


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## Explorer7 (Dec 24, 2010)

We've had several stays over the past year as we live less that 20 miles away; it really is a nice get away with a surprising number of discounted rooms and upgrades for VIP's throughout the year. During some seasons walking through the Gaylord and along the waterfront is often like visiting a tropical environment far removed from the DC area

We actually have a 3BR deluxe with balcony upgraded from a discounted 2br and a 4br pres reserve upgraded from a discounted 3br booked for Jan 2011.

I will be glad when there are more restaurant choices available as most are overpriced as you noted, even Ketchup if memory serves me had hamburgers available for close to 15 or 20 bucks.

An amusing item I discovered during my last visit is that self parking across the street is 11 dollars a day to anybody Wyndham or not, yet Wyndam still directs us to the parking pass booth where they push for the owner update.  In the past some of the Harbor updates have been pretty aggressive though amusing with the equipping we get by reading TUG. Like the one about the owner event that we must have missed and buying harbor points for higher RCI trading power since the Harbor is considered international property with a high level of trading power... TUG members know that the “missed major buying event” is an established sales tactic and that points deposited as a National Harbor Wyndham deed holder do not give you special trading power in RCI weeks. 

"ID"


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## vacationhopeful (Dec 24, 2010)

Yes, $20 hamburger. Other dining places seem to have $35+ as the starter entre price.

Baja Fresh opened on Wed... had lunch there on Thursday.

Extended family is from Annapolis area. 

Avoided owners' update meeting; that staff tried the 'explain new ownership features'; I said give me my parking tag. I got why are you being rude? I countered with the leave me alone or I, in my raised voiced, will be shouting how to buy points on eBay in the lobby!  NOT another word has been said to me from them or a phone call or a note on my doorknob.

It has been very pleasant stay ....


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## regatta333 (Dec 24, 2010)

They now have a grocery market at One National Harbor, with a good selection of groceries, produce, some prepared foods, wine, beer, etc.


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## siesta (Dec 24, 2010)

vacationhopeful said:


> Avoided owners' update meeting; that staff tried the 'explain new ownership features'; I said give me my parking tag. I got why are you being rude? I countered with the leave me alone or I, in my raised voiced, will be shouting how to buy points on eBay in the lobby!  NOT another word has been said to me from them or a phone call or a note on my doorknob.


 haha not exactly what I call subtle, but it seemed to be effective.


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## jules54 (Dec 24, 2010)

Nice cheaper sandwich/bakery also ice cream. Closer 
 Gaylord  same street as most of the other dining spots,can't remember name something french. Had both breakfast sanwiches and coffees. Also a dining rewards place.
We stayed over July 4th OMG food is very pricey in the area.
Has the CVS or Whole Foods opened yet? Those will be nice additions.


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## trinaqueen (Dec 24, 2010)

*No CVS Yet*

Sometime next year...Doesn't really seem like they have too much left to do 
They are just taking their slowest time.

Explorer7--Don't you just love those discounts and upgrades that you can take advantage of by being local!  I live in NOVA and I'm there all the time in the prez units. The 11th floor has such a great view.  I was lucky enough to get 2 units for NYE...i got a few VIP tickets to the sold out Gaylord party.


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## vacationhopeful (Dec 24, 2010)

CVS has shelves being installed. Lights are on. No date yet on the signage.


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## belfry (Dec 24, 2010)

Explorer wrote..._An amusing item I discovered during my last visit is that self parking across the street is 11 dollars a day to anybody Wyndham or not, yet Wyndam still directs us to the parking pass booth where they push for the owner update._

I live in Maryland and visit National Harbor quite often. I stopped going over to the parking pass booth as well. That parking garage is a public garage. Anyone can park there.  I have parked my car there for the length of 4 days without any problems.
Belfry


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## Explorer7 (Dec 25, 2010)

trinaqueen said:


> Sometime next year...Doesn't really seem like they have too much left to do
> They are just taking their slowest time.
> 
> Explorer7--Don't you just love those discounts and upgrades that you can take advantage of by being local!  I live in NOVA and I'm there all the time in the prez units. The 11th floor has such a great view.  I was lucky enough to get 2 units for NYE...i got a few VIP tickets to the sold out Gaylord party.



Wow, 2 units NYE, that's quite a hookup...  I do love the discounts and upgrades, it gets even better this year for my wife and me as both of us will be retired and can grab discounts Sunday through Thursday when availability is highest and points are at their lowest. With 6 Wyndham resorts within 120 miles this has been and will be an incredible experience for us. I am so glad to hear that the grocery store is open and that Baja Fresh are finally open at the harbor

Mute point now but last winter and spring $11 per day used to  allow for in and out priviledges at the self park parking lot, but now unless one is using valet parking for $20 per day for in and out priviledges I don't see a need to ever go back to the parking pass desk for the self parking.


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## Free2Roam (Apr 6, 2011)

*Checking in Wyndham National Harbor tomorrow*

I just called to ask details about parking:

$11/day for self-park at St. George parking garage (hourly rates also available). But if you leave and return, pay another $11 (or the hourly rate) 
$17/day for self-park at St. George with in/out privileges
$20/day valet (also parked at St. George) with in/out privileges

I'll probably skip the valet parking so I can avoid getting a "parking pass".

I'm a local so I'm very familiar with the area... just doing a little getaway weekend for my birthday.  

Is there anything else I should know about the resort?


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## vckempson (Apr 7, 2011)

We stayed at the National Harbor Wynham a feww weeks ago.  The CVS is now open and very well stocked with a variety of food and essentials.  The prices were very good.  There's also a small gourmet grocery store across the street from CVS on the corner.  My daughter went to the gourmet shop one night, as she was looking to bring back a six pack.  No go.  They sell individual bottles.  She brought back some brew pub type specials that were pricey but delicious.

BTW, we found National Harbor delightful but kind of odd.  It had an adult disney world kind of feel to it.  The streets blend into the sidewalks, trees are lit with music from the streetlights.  Sometimes the tree lights change and coordinate with the music.  Many restaurants have seating in the streets.  It's all so clean that it's almost fake.  Very nice, just kind of surreal.  

Our only complaint was the lack of sound insulation under/around the entrance door to the unit.  We had a 2 bdrm but still needed to use the foldout couch for my one daughter.  She was awakened repeatedly through the night from the noise of people passing by returning to their rooms.  

Have fun.


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## Free2Roam (Apr 8, 2011)

*Thanks for the info!*

I checked in a few hrs ago.  Very nice units. Can't wait to see the rest in the daylight!


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## Millisara (Apr 25, 2011)

FreeIn2010 said:


> I checked in a few hrs ago.  Very nice units. Can't wait to see the rest in the daylight!


FreeIn2010- did you like your stay at the National Harbor?


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## Free2Roam (Apr 26, 2011)

M - Thanks for asking! This gave me a chance to relive the weekend.  

We reserved three units... a 2bdrm Presidential unit, a regular 2 bdrm, and a 1 bdrm.  

The Presidential unit was very, very nice! The only thing I didn't care for was the layout of the furniture in the main living area (no room to move around)... so we temporarily rearranged the furniture to suit our needs.  The bellman told me people do that all the time.  

The other 2bdrm seemed a little cramped...probably because the Presidential unit was so much larger.  The bedrooms were a decent size, but the main living areas (kitchen, dining, living rooms) just didn't flow very well.  Those three areas are in an L-shape, but the kitchen has a counter that sort of juts out breaking the flow.  

Strangely, the 1bdrm seemed larger than the 2 bdrm.  It was all open space, no walls or counters breaking up the space.  Very comfortable.  

We explored the activity center a little... there are arcade games, foosball & pool tables, a Wii room, a gym and an indoor pool. The gym and pool were smaller than I expected given the size of the resort.   But I guess with so much to do in the area, people don't really go there to stay on-site.

It rained most of the weekend, so I only explored the harbor a little bit.  I did make my way down to grab a bite to eat and see The Awakening (a statue that used to be in Hains Point in Washington DC) and take a few pictures. 

Also, if you're so inclined... there's a nightclub at the top of The Gaylord Hotel that - I thought (being a local) was only open to guests at the Gaylord.  I learned that it's also open to Wyndham guests.  Since it was my birthday weekend, I figured I should check it out.  The ambiance was nice and the nighttime view was awesome, but the crowd (and music) was a bit too young for me, so I didn't stick around long.   

Until this visit, I had never stayed at any of the resorts close to home.  We have already talked about doing it again next year!


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