Just back from a week at the Desert Club, the Clubhouse is complete and fully functional. Check in was a breeze, the "Water Feature/ Fountain" in front of the clubhouse was turned into a planter. I guess they had problems with the Fountain Permit? and it would have delayed the opening of the clubhouse so they turned it into a planter. not sure if it will eventualy become the fountain they built??? still no Liquor License, so no Tiki Bar yet.
Prospector Joes Deli was open Burgers, Pizzas, Salads, wraps etc. and they have breakfast items as well. didn't eat there so I can't comment on the food. a bit pricey 9.99 for a burger. the Marketplace store has the basic neccesities to put together some lite meals but a little heavy on Las Vegas trinkets. No Desert Club Logo items yet. they did have fresh bread ($3.25 for a loaf of wheat bread) there were some fresh Fruit and veggies in the cooler as well. I think if you were going to do much cooking during the week a trip to the grocery store is still in order. I believe they still make a shuttle run to Von's one day a week. we were placed in Building 17 unit 303 which is about the furthest from the front gate as you can get, But it wasn't a problem as I can use the excersise! the rear gate was open during the day and staffed with a security Guard. the unit was very clean. and in order. the Couch was starting to show some age. when we arrived at the room there was a strong musty odor in the room. I think they had shampoo'd the carpets and shut the unit up before the carpet was totaly dry. a call to the front desk and someone was right there to deodorize the room and 10 mins later it was fine.
there was no sign of any sales activity at the resort and the sales center showed as being renovated on the resort map. I'm sure that Orange Lake is setting it up to their standards, and I've been told that they are going to renovate the remaining 138 units to a higher standard than Summer Bay did with the original units! so I'm sure that the models are being redone as well as the sales center. I would guess the resort was probably at 50-60% occupancy give or take, even though one of the largest trade shows was in town that week . the resort was very quiet. other than the sign out front I didn't notice any difference in the level of customer service that Summer bay had. the place was spotless, all the staff were friendly and helpful. I do think there is room for improvement, there were some minor maint. items in the unit that could have been adressed , the store could have more grocery items and such. and I think they need to advertise their existance a little better as they are kinda out of the way in the basement of the clubhouse. the Deli could make a killing if they advertised a little better and maybe delivered Pizzas etc. to the units? Menu in the room? anyway... the place is looking better all the time. once the Tiki Bar is open and Orange lake gets their feet under them, it's going to be awsome. we had 3 other groups staying there for the convention as well ,and they were all impressed with the place! all in all a great week (and I didn't loose a lot of money!) RT
