Pocono Mountain Villas MOD Collection by Sonesta

We accepted a promotional stay from Club Exploria and booked at Exploria’s Pocono Mountain Resort, where we met sales agent Kerry Kearns. We told Kerry we only vacation on cruises and didn’t think the Exploria product fit our family. She said 172 biannual Expo points would let us book two cruises a year. We couldn’t access the booking site during the rescission period, so had no way to learn that this wasn’t true until later. Once we could get on the site, we found it would take 22 years of points to book one cruise. Kerry also said we could rent out points to cover maintenance fees if we didn’t need them. She said staff would contact us to explain how, usually around September each year. Nobody ever reached out. Other people have told me it’s extremely difficult to rent timeshare weeks, despite Kerry saying we could make thousands of dollars. She wrote all the promises and calculations on paper but wouldn’t give us a copy. On November 22, 2024, we bought a 2 BR Fairview biannual week 46, Unit #1537, at the Pocono Mountain Resort for $13,567.60. We put down $1,356.76 and financed $12.210.84. On April 20, 2025, we accepted another promotional stay from Exploria’s marketing department and booked at Gatlinburg Town Square. We loved the location and met Loletta Mead. She explained that Kerry had lied to us, because we couldn’t book a week’s vacation with what Kerry sold us. According to Loletta, we might only be able to book three days every other year. She said we were stuck and our only option was to buy a different plan with more points. She didn’t tell us Exploria was in the process of selling the Gatlinburg properties, and that was why we bought again. The second purchase was a 2 BR, Gatlinburg week 28, unit 102, for $31,147. We put down $3,850 and financed $27,297 @ 15.9%. We booked a second Gatlinburg trip for October of 2025 using our Expo points. When we arrived, we learned the whole Gatlinburg resort had been sold to Capital Vacations. That location was the reason we made the second purchase. Now we’re stuck with a timeshare we can’t use. Exploria said we could exchange through RCI to stay there, but looking into it showed I’d have to pay $400 extra to use my points for a week. There was no availability listed on the exchange site for any room size our family needed, and only four dates were available. We had to book a stay that wasn’t what we wanted. Everyone should steer clear of this predatory business.

The indoor pool was great and never overcrowded, and Wi-Fi worked well. We came Thursday and left Sunday. It was quiet Thursday and Friday, then busier over the weekend but still lovely and without issues. Activities on the property were easy to book, including tubing and horseback riding. Bring cash for those and the arcade: there’s no ATM on site, and those activities require cash. The horseback riding staff were kind and accommodating, especially with little ones. Everything else at the resort was cashless. There’s also a zip-lining place nearby that was lots of fun, the on-site restaurant Warehouse Alley was good, and Muellers down the street was a great breakfast spot. We were nervous about the booking and would’ve backed out if we could, but the reservation was non-refundable. After seeing some reviews so close to our travel date, we decided to go anyway, and I’m glad we did. Our family of 5 had a five-star stay. The bad reviews didn’t match our experience. We had a renovated unit that was spacious, with clean bathrooms, comfortable beds, and a kitchen stocked with utensils, mugs, plates, and bowls. We used paper goods. Bring paper towel and dish soap. Instacart groceries arrived without a problem, and we got shampoo and conditioner too. A surprise bonus was the loft in addition to two bedrooms. Both bedrooms had TVs, and the loft didn’t, which was fine. Parking right by the unit made unloading easy. Most places on the property require a drive, but everything is close and there’s a shuttle if you prefer not to drive. There were a few chipped paint spots and inexpensive flooring, but they didn’t bother us or put me off staying again. The couch had a large tear. It was clean and comfortable, though they should replace it. The fireplace wasn’t working when we arrived, but maintenance came right away and fixed it quickly. Check-in was easy, payment was straightforward, and we had no trouble getting into the unit. The check-in staff were friendly, helpful, and professional, and the concierges answer questions and make recommendations. Shantell at Guest Services was amazing, warm, and super helpful, and went above and beyond. Anthony, who runs the tubing and other activities, was top-notch, organized, friendly, and great with kids. The kids who run the tubing weren’t very friendly, and you could tell they didn’t want to be there, but Anthony made up for it and made the experience fun. Staff at horseback riding were also kind with the little ones. They charge $25 to rent a Fire Stick, but you can bring your own. Maybe some units are different, but ours was very good. I love this place, and we’re booked to come back in February.

The amenities are under construction, so you have to find things to do, though they still have indoor and outdoor pools, horseback riding, and a few other things on site. I left last week after staying in a beautiful renovated villa. It was one of their smaller units, but still really nice, with a spiral staircase leading to a loft and more rooms downstairs.

The room was nicely updated and the stay was okay, but it could’ve been cleaner. We found hair in the shower, the bed wasn’t very comfortable, and the walls are thin enough that you can hear the neighbors. The resort is spread out and has limited things on site, even something simple like coffee. Most restaurants are 10-20 minutes away. It has potential, but we probably wouldn’t stay again.