5 stars
6/13/22 - 6/16/22
Video Walkthrough: https://youtu.be/dQdcdv-yfAw
Backstory
What an amazing family vacation that we didn’t even know we needed or wanted! Lol. This vacation was booked using RCI timeshare points about 4 months in advance. We talked about visiting this resort in a previous post Summer Bay Orlando by Exploria. This is our third time staying which I guess means we frequent this location but every time we stay we use and learn about more amenities located at or near the resort.
This was basically a just because family vacation. I noticed on the RCI availability calendar this location had a 3 day bookable opening so I booked it mainly because it had a private pool and our kids never get to swim and have pool fun. I’m extremely happy I did because it was an all around pleasurable vacation.
Check In: Surprisingly check in went well. Normally at resorts that are associated with time shares check in can be quite long and painful. They are usually trying to bribe you to get you to attend sales meetings and sending you around to multiple people to get all of the access passes (room keys, parking passes, wristbands, etc) you will need during your stay. Check in was smooth, there was a $250 incidental hold placed on our card and an $88 dollar short stay fee for staying less than a week. We received rubber wristbands containing an RFID chip for opening the door, garage door opener, and a welcome packet with a map, activities calendar, and other resort related randomness.
Room: We stayed in their 3 bed 3 bath private pool house and the accommodation was simply phenomenal for a small family. The house was located steps away from the main pavilion and on site restaurants which was helpful.
Now let’s talk about the house starting with the private screened in and heated pool. The pool is 25ft x 15ft, so not large but large enough for you and a few others to get in and splash around. Plenty of patio furniture for others to sit pool side and enjoy. Also, located right outside the screen is a nice gas grill.
The house has a spacious split floor plan and 1 car garage. There are two master bedrooms, each with a king size bed and full size bathroom. Each master bedroom has a wall in shower and jetted whirlpool tub. One of the master bedrooms seemed to be slightly more updated than the other with a slightly larger walk in shower and more modern soaking/jetted whirlpool tub. Across from master bedrooms and separated by the living room is the third bedroom which has two twin beds and is basically the kids room.
The living room area was nicely decorated and spacious. The dining and bar area is adjoining and allows for even more space which our kids took FULL advantage of. Lol. This area leads into the fully equipped kitchen where there is a little nook area for dining and a stacked washer/dryer combo in the closet.
We have pics but you should really check out the full walk through video we made on YouTube.
Buccaneer bay: Great little on site water park for the kids. We didn’t have the entire water park to ourselves this time but very enjoyable for the kids. It was fun watching my daughter go down the water slide and all the other kids engaging my wife in conversation, lol. I guess kids can sense the Pre-K teacher in her! There are only a few shaded areas for the parents so don’t be too shy to either pull a chair into the shade or share a shaded table with someone.
Activities: If you are looking for activities there’s plenty to do right at the resort. There are multiple pools and kid friendly pool areas if you are looking for some wet fun. You can also rent paddle boards, jet skis, or other water sport related equipment. There is a sand pit area next to the lake but unfortunately it was hotter than a desert so we decided not to go. Instead we attended a great exotic animal show hosted by Gatorland. The animal handler showed and explained multiple animals and let us hold a baby gator at the end of the show. The resort also host other activities some which are free and other are paid activities.
Location: Conveniently located close to everything you could need. There’s a Publix next door to the resort and many many shopping stores, restaurants, small parks, etc. Access to everything you could need within a 2 mile radius.
Check out: Unfortunately, like many businesses across the US, they seemed to be understaffed at the time of our checkout. Only one person was working the front counter and there was a line of us waiting to check out. Finally the front counter employee said if you are just checking out please place your door bands in the bucket and your are good.
Conclusion: Overall, amazing family trip. This was our third time at this resort but each time our visit seems to get better and better. Any wait to see what we experience on our next stay. Lol.
Oh one thing to note. We struggled with cell phone connection at the resort and even in the house at times. Also, we tried about 5 different drinks at their bar, none of them were tasty. So we ended up going to Cheddars up the street and ordering some to go drinks.
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