Favorite Resorts that are not Gold Crown

[lgreenspan]

I normally seek out Gold Crown resorts but would be interested in hearing about great resorts you have visited that are not Gold Crown.

 

[A.Win]

When searching in RCI, I like to sort them by rating. I find that gold crowns are generally on top, but you will sometimes see other resorts that are ahead of gold crown resorts.

 

[Jan M.]

We've stayed at some resorts that while there was nothing wrong with them we saw nothing special that justified them being gold crown. You can't expect the smaller resorts to offer everything the bigger resorts do. Some smaller resorts are like the old Avis commercial "We try harder" and it shows.

First impressions say a lot about a resort. Are the grounds attractive and well maintained? A resort that has a few scrubby looking shrubs, a few trees and maybe a few flowers has little to no eye appeal and not what people expect of a vacation property. The first thing most people scope out after they get settled in their unit and sometimes even before they get to their unit is the pool area. If the resort is in a warmer area where people go in the winter time, does it have a decent size pool? Is the pool area attractive and well furnished with lounges, chairs and tables with umbrellas? If it is a beach resort is the beach nice? Most people staying at a beach resort want to walk on the beach. We've stayed at resorts that the beach was so sloped or the sand so rough to walk in that we ended up walking on the sidewalks in front of the resorts. When there has been a big storm or there has been recent sand replacement it is understandable that the beach may not be optimal for walking so I have to cut a resort some slack when that is the case. Any beach resort that doesn't have a box for sand toys and a place for beach chairs or boogie boards other guests leave behind is an epic fail in our book.

The next thing I grade on is the units. Is the furniture and carpet or tile in good shape? Are the furniture and beds comfortable? Is the unit adequately furnished with end tables, night stands and lamps? Is the kitchen reasonably well equipped? No kitchen scissors loses a resort a point right off the bat with both of us. If the unit has a musty smell, the ac units are typically in need of cleaning, not just a new filter, then that loses a resort big points in our book. Units that are not as well cleaned as they should be or when our socks are dirty from the tile or carpeted floors are another thing that loses a resort points. However I ask other people staying at the resort if they had the same thing with their unit before I jump to any conclusion about the resort.

Smaller resorts don't typically have activities and sometimes don't even have any kind of a rec room but any larger resort that doesn't have those isn't a gold crown resort. Smaller resorts often have a nice selection of books and DVD's you can borrow and bikes that guests are free to use which compensates for not having the activities the larger resorts have. A growing trend is that many people absolutely want a decent fitness center at the resorts. The smaller resorts that don't have anything and even the bigger resorts that just don't have the space for anything more than a dinky fitness center that most people will turn up their noses at could compensate by making a deal with a nearby fitness center for their guests to be able to buy a reasonably priced guest pass for the week. Is the resort in tune with what people want and responsive to those wants?

Are the front desk staff welcoming and helpful? When a resort has front desk staff that clearly have no idea what working in the hospitality industry means that also means the resort manager isn't a good one. When that is our experience at check in before we even look around or get to our unit my expectations have already just dropped. I know we are not going to have a gold crown resort experience with this stay. We really appreciate it when we stop by the front desk when they aren't busy and they tell us about the restaurants they and their families like that have great food, have great happy hour or early bird specials. Does their local movie theater have cheap tickets on a certain day? Is there something in the area that may not be a big tourist attraction but a lot of people enjoy? I remember one stay when I called the front desk at a fairly large resort to find out if there was a Christmas Eve service in the area. I mentioned that I thought it was strange that there was nothing about Christmas Eve services in the area handed out when we checked in and that no one gave us the typical welcome packet of information most resorts give guests. The person I spoke with had no idea nor any interest in getting that information for us. I stewed for a few minutes then decided to call back and ask to speak to the resort manager. He said of course we have that information and his tone didn't bode well for the person who took my call nor the person who checked us in. Within 15 minutes someone came to our door with a welcome packet and the hand out about Church services.

 

[WinniWoman]

To me, even the Gold Crown resorts are not that "great". And we own at two Gold Crowns. I have stayed at some Gold Crowns that I didn't like at all.

Don't get me wrong, we love going to them and they are better than some and not as good as others.

We have certainly been to resorts that were silver crown and also the level below that, and they were ok.

I think as Jan said above, there are pluses and minuses at both. A lot of things factor in to whether or not you are satisfied with your stay at a resort.

 

[MrockStar]

To me, even the Gold Crown resorts are not that "great". And we own at two Gold Crowns. I have stayed at some Gold Crowns that I didn't like at all.

Don't get me wrong, we love going to them and they are better than some and not as good as others.

We have certainly been to resorts that were silver crown and also the level below that, and they were ok.

I think as Jan said above, there are pluses and minuses at both. A lot of things factor in to whether or not you are satisfied with your stay at a resort.

I agree with all of what Jan M said, I personally prefer the smaller resorts and we are mostly beach and pool people so those areas matter more than gold or silver crown rating to us. Clean and well maintained along with great customer service also matter a lot.

 

[Panina]

I normally seek out Gold Crown resorts but would be interested in hearing about great resorts you have visited that are not Gold Crown.

I think its important to let us know what is most important to you eg: fitness center, activity program, beachfront, walking distance to restaurants, granite in unit, etc.

There are many resorts that are not gold crown that are gems, some even have no rating but what is a gem to one might be a disaster to another.

If I am at a resort that is in a great location, is clean, has a beachfront terrace I am ok with no activity program, just an outdoor pool and a simple unit, small kitchen, small bath, no granite. Others would not be happy.

 

[lgreenspan]

I think it depends greatly on the location of the resort. If it is in a area where we would spend the majority of our time sightseeing I just look for a clean comfortable room in a good location. Anytime I am going to spend a lot of time around the pool and relaxing we do enjoy extra amenities ( bar service , on site food)
What I was really looking for was some specific resorts others have enjoyed that I may have overlooked in the past because they were not Gold Crown.

 

[mdurette]

Could you possibly add a few destinations you are thinking about? That may help us narrow it down to provide you with specific resorts. I will admit, I won't be much help as I tend to travel to "resorts" vs "areas" as our vacation time is usually about getting away and relaxing vs exploring. With this in mind...I tend to for the rated resorts as they typically have more amenities and activities.

But, I believe all the Marriotts that trade with RCI (rare to find) have NO rating at all and can be easily overlooked.

 

[lgreenspan]

Could you possibly add a few destinations you are thinking about? That may help us narrow it down to provide you with specific resorts.

Anywhere in the US or Canada.

 

[Jolson]

Discovery Beach Resort in Cocoa Beach, Florida. All units directly face the ocean and the location is very close to the pier. The resort is older but well kept and has an excellent restaurant/cafe on site that has really great food at pretty decent prices.

I recently just stayed at this resort on an exchange in a 3 bedroom, 3 bath. My family really enjoyed this resort.

 

[taterhed]

I try to back-up the reviews on RCI with Tripadvisor (almost worthless now, but still; it's information), Oyster and other review sights.

many times, the pictures are very telling (damning) and convince me to reserve/avoid the resort. Tug reviews are another great source of course...

 

[theo]

"Gold Crown" status means absolutely nothing to us.

Jan M. articulated well in her post above what's important. For us, it's location, property cleanliness and maintenance, friendly and competent staff. How RCI "rates" a timeshare property is of no particular interest to us at all. YMMV.

 

[Jan M.]

Discovery Beach Resort in Cocoa Beach, Florida. All units directly face the ocean and the location is very close to the pier. The resort is older but well kept and has an excellent restaurant/cafe on site that has really great food at pretty decent prices.

I recently just stayed at this resort on an exchange in a 3 bedroom, 3 bath. My family really enjoyed this resort.

We own there! If you can get a stay in this area when they are launching one of the big rockets from Kennedy Space Center they are worth watching. The smaller rockets launches aren't impressive. We were headed back from dinner to where we planned to watch from and saw cars pulled over beside the road. We figured if there were that many cars that those people must know it is a good spot and it was. We could feel the heat!