Crown Resorts at the Poconos

The area around the property was pleasant, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here. The rooms and interior felt dated, and the furniture and bed sheets didn’t look clean. There were instructions posted everywhere, which made the vacation feel like a burden. Before arrival, I called to ask about check-in and whether the kitchen had appliances. They said they would answer only after I gave my card details for the damage deposit. I provided them, and then they said they didn’t know whether the property had kitchen appliances. That was strange, especially since appliances were there.

I chose this resort mainly because I wanted to use the balconies, and only found out they couldn’t be used after booking. The lack of communication continued when I left a message after the first night saying I wouldn’t stay the second night. No one replied. There was no useful contact from the resort at check-in or checkout either. I spent about six hours mostly cleaning, then gave up and left the keys, but no staff were there to help with booking or checkout issues. The place was dirty, with a huge number of ants in the kitchen, stink bugs, and dried dead bugs on the blankets. I bought a mattress protector and sheets because the bed didn’t look clean. While looking for an outlet for my fan, I noticed what I assume were undergarments hanging behind the master dresser. I checked out around midnight and would rather drive two hours home than stay there. It was a nightmare.

The view from our unit was great, and the location worked perfectly for what we wanted to do. The people I spoke with were courteous, which is why I gave a 2 instead of a 1. The unit was dated, though we only used it to sleep and wake up. Outside, the roof framing was exposed and rotting, flashing hung loose, shingles were displaced, and the decks were breaking in several places. Two of the three sliding doors were already broken when we arrived. I can only imagine what shape the roof plywood is in. A few dollars and a trip to Home Depot could make a real difference. As a landlord, seeing all the damage and missed potential made me wince. A county inspector would have plenty to look at in the obvious violations.

We had comfortable, spacious units with two floors each, plenty of room in the shared areas, and lots of dishes, cookware, utensils, and towels. The recreation center is about four minutes away, with an indoor pool, a summer outdoor pool, a game room, and more. It’s also close to popular stores and family spots. This isn’t a five star resort, but it gave us more than I expected, especially for a place in the mountains. My gripes: the parking lot is a long way from the units, there’s no TV in the twin bedroom, and even with a cleaning fee included, you basically have to clean the unit yourself. Hopefully we’ll get the same three units when we come back this summer.