I have to say again that it's been our experience that Summer Bay has the best customer service of any resort we've ever visited (all Gold Crown). It is not the most upscale of them all (Marriott and HGVC Tuscany were more luxurious), but I've never had any reason to complain about customer care. The pool houses are the oldest of the Summer Bay units and thus have the most wear and tear, but they updated them a couple of years ago, so they're in reasonably good condition. While I do have a nice inground pool at home, we still enjoy having our own private pool while on vacation. It's a nice perk that's rarely seen elsewhere. And it certainly doesn't preclude you from using the many public pools at Summer Bay. The main pool/clubhouse complex is very close to the house units, so you get the best of both worlds. We also enjoy the privacy of the detached houses - having no one above, below or immediately beside you is a big bonus.
I did wonder about noise levels in the former activities center unit since it's located just a few steps from the main pool area. We noticed when we were there last week that they've moved the live poolside entertainment nearer to the tiki bar which is closer to that house unit, but that location aims the speakers away from the houses, so it might actually minimize noise a little. A fellow TUGger had terrible complaints about noise when she was in the closest house unit on the OTHER side of the street (which is much farther from the pool than the former activities center unit). We stayed in that same house a few months after she did and had no noise problems at all. We actually loved being so close to the playground, tennis courts, main pool/clubhouse, etc. I think the time of year you visit makes a huge difference. We go at off-peak times, so that might explain our more quiet experiences.
Cindy
