Club Wyndham Smugglers' Notch Vermont

Smuggler's Notch itself is wonderful. I've visited a few times in both summer and winter, and my kids love it. The $125 gift card, though, wasn't worth the hassle of the timeshare presentation. We sat through it and never got an email about the promised gift. Tim said he'd follow up, then didn't, and later ignored my texts. I've owned with Wyndham since it was Fairfield, more than 20 years ago. I've usually sat through the hard-sell "updates" in the past, but this time I spent time with the team because I was actually considering adding points to my account. I learned from that mistake. They pressure people to make major financial decisions without a night to think, then turn aloof and hostile if you say no. They also push supposedly urgent "exploding" offers that have to be signed immediately, even though the urgency doesn't really exist. Wyndham acquisitions have also left my account unable to use certain features, and I'm told the only fix is to buy more points. With all the closures, the company seems to be going through financial difficulties. I'm now more likely to leave than spend another dollar. This company is a fraud.

The local scenery makes this a lovely place to stay, and there's plenty for kids to do. We paid $5 per person for a Notch pass covering three pool areas, two with waterslides, and the kids loved them. There are a few restaurants on the grounds, activity areas with zip lines and more, plus shuttles around the resort. Many places are walkable, though sidewalks would help since most of the grounds are connected by dirt roads. We've stayed at Club Wyndham Smugglers' Notch a couple of times, both outside winter, so I can't speak to the skiing. Each room has a ski locker, some buildings are trailside for skiing out and back, and the mountain looks huge. In summer you can drive to the resort from Stowe through the notch, a beautiful route that's closed for part of the year, when you have to approach from the west. If you're used to other Wyndham properties, some things are different. For example, drip coffee isn't free every day. The WiFi was terrible for us, though that might have been just our room.

The room was great, and the resort's skiing wasn't the best, but it met expectations for the conditions. What spoiled the trip was the promised free gift for doing a Timeshare presentation. We completed it, but no gift email ever came. Tim told me he'd follow up and never did, then ignored my later texts. Avoid the timeshare presentation BS.

We were told we'd have two queen beds in one room and a queen in the other, but one room had bunk beds that didn't work for our ages or for getting up at night. Someone had to use the pullout couch, which had a huge blood stain. We were also told on arrival that using the pool would cost over $300, though no one mentioned that when we called to ask about a pool. The keys the front desk gave us weren't activated, and one person in our group ended up trying every door in the building. We'd booked a getaway and specifically requested a first-floor room because one of us was 80 and had post polio syndrome. Instead, we were put on the top floor, and the desk said they couldn't help. This was one of the worst vacations we've had. It was in August, and we still haven't received any compensation for this nightmare.