- Joined
- Oct 31, 2022
- Messages
- 1,675
- Reaction score
- 1,144
- Location
- Southern Tier NY
- Resorts Owned
-
HGVC Seaworld
Wyndham Smoky Mountains
Foxrun Lake Lure
Here's an abridged version of my TUG2 review. Video reviews to follow once I can edit them back home.
This resort is strongly a 5 / average resort. I bumped it .5 for location and value in RCI Extra Vacations. The location isn't on a beach and is actually right near a highway so you don't have a view (parking lot) and do hear car sounds. However, the warm temps even in the middle of December is worth it at a fraction of the cost of a beach location.
I can see the location being good for adults 30+ who want dining options, lots of shopping options, quiet time at a pool and very large hot tub, and 45 minute drives into Ft Lauderdale, Miami and the Everglades.
Also on the plus side is they only tried for about a minute to get me to go to a presentation.
Negatives:
Does not have a Sauna or Steam Room. Doesn't have Ping Pong that I can see.
The beds aren't good - they pop and groan as you move on them, they don't isolate any movement.
Needs some basic maintenance
- the toilet in the B room seems to leak if you sit or move wrong (luckily it seems to be from the "clean tank" but soaks your pants.
- The A bathroom light is missing one of the 2 screws holding it so it tilts crazily on the wall mount and seems like it might fall off.
Laundry is central on each floor, but expensive - $2 a cycle, and unless you have a roll of quarters, the app requires a minimum deposit of $10. Worse, if you happen to set the dryer to medium heat as the default is, it doesn't dry anything, so you get to pay another $2 a load to actually dry them at high heat.
Positives:
Furniture is in good condition and clean.
Water is quite good out of the tap - not often the case in my trips.
Internet is the best I've ever had at any resort - fast and stable, great for work and Zoom.
The pool is top notch, an basically empty after 6PM in mid December, but the air temp is still 75 most of the time so very calming to use. The Hot Tub is huge and set pretty hot, but a bit busier. However, it seems like maybe 1/6 of the jets work. Not a huge deal, but I don't get the feeling they're going to fix them.
Conclusion: This is a good resort for a certain person - at least in winter. If you're working remote and just want warm outdoors after work, or if you're retired and just looking to cheaply escape the cold, this is a good option. Especially if your main interest is the hot tub and different restaurants. It would be a great resort if the refurb / maintenance was sorted out - and in this case mostly new mattresses. However, it's not ideal for much of anything else - kids would be bored, people looking for theme parks or time on the beach would be frustrated, and the dings for maintenance / mattress really bring it down.
This resort is strongly a 5 / average resort. I bumped it .5 for location and value in RCI Extra Vacations. The location isn't on a beach and is actually right near a highway so you don't have a view (parking lot) and do hear car sounds. However, the warm temps even in the middle of December is worth it at a fraction of the cost of a beach location.
I can see the location being good for adults 30+ who want dining options, lots of shopping options, quiet time at a pool and very large hot tub, and 45 minute drives into Ft Lauderdale, Miami and the Everglades.
Also on the plus side is they only tried for about a minute to get me to go to a presentation.
Negatives:
Does not have a Sauna or Steam Room. Doesn't have Ping Pong that I can see.
The beds aren't good - they pop and groan as you move on them, they don't isolate any movement.
Needs some basic maintenance
- the toilet in the B room seems to leak if you sit or move wrong (luckily it seems to be from the "clean tank" but soaks your pants.
- The A bathroom light is missing one of the 2 screws holding it so it tilts crazily on the wall mount and seems like it might fall off.
Laundry is central on each floor, but expensive - $2 a cycle, and unless you have a roll of quarters, the app requires a minimum deposit of $10. Worse, if you happen to set the dryer to medium heat as the default is, it doesn't dry anything, so you get to pay another $2 a load to actually dry them at high heat.
Positives:
Furniture is in good condition and clean.
Water is quite good out of the tap - not often the case in my trips.
Internet is the best I've ever had at any resort - fast and stable, great for work and Zoom.
The pool is top notch, an basically empty after 6PM in mid December, but the air temp is still 75 most of the time so very calming to use. The Hot Tub is huge and set pretty hot, but a bit busier. However, it seems like maybe 1/6 of the jets work. Not a huge deal, but I don't get the feeling they're going to fix them.
Conclusion: This is a good resort for a certain person - at least in winter. If you're working remote and just want warm outdoors after work, or if you're retired and just looking to cheaply escape the cold, this is a good option. Especially if your main interest is the hot tub and different restaurants. It would be a great resort if the refurb / maintenance was sorted out - and in this case mostly new mattresses. However, it's not ideal for much of anything else - kids would be bored, people looking for theme parks or time on the beach would be frustrated, and the dings for maintenance / mattress really bring it down.
