Summerbay Williamsburg Plantation Resor t

We loved our first stay in 301A, a deluxe with a full kitchen. The rooms are roomy, beds comfortable, and everything was clean. The full kitchen had what we needed, so check which type you book since the kitchenettes are upstairs. Our next visit was a completely different experience. In 91A, the fireplace switch was on but there was no pilot light, and we smelled gas. The back door was broken, so we moved. My husband showed my handicap placard to confirm the room was accessible, but the next option had 5-6 steps. My daughter went to the office and asked for a flat entrance, showing the placard again. Room 10A still had 3 steps. I had to crawl in and leave my wheelchair in the car. It sure didn't feel like handicapped guests were welcome.

I gave this place two chances, and both stays meant a bad night's sleep. The rooms aren't soundproof, and the noise didn't stop until I called the front desk twice each time. One night it was the people downstairs with their TV blasting. The other time, 5-6 people were partying at the picnic table right outside. At 2:30am I called because they were so loud, and I could smell what they were smoking. I do like the rooms with the huge tubs and saunas, and it's close to Busch Gardens, but I won't stay here again.

We all started feeling sick 2-3 days after arriving on Saturday. None of us had been ill before the trip, and we came from 4 different places. Our visit ended early, with my brother checking out Tuesday and my sister Wednesday, and others leaving too. We suspect the rooms hadn't been cleaned and sterilized properly, though we can't know for sure. The cleanliness was already a problem: stained chairs, blood on the sheets in one room, dirty bathroom walls, and mold on the coat closet ceiling. They didn't replace the sheets until the next day, after we called again. Thankfully there was a spare set for the sofa. The hall upstairs smelled like dogs, the second floor phones didn't work, and nobody fixed or replaced them even after we reported it 2 times. There also weren't enough paper products for a week's stay. We had to interrupt staff playing a board game just to get checked out while asking for parking permits for me and my siblings. Customer service was disheartening. Worst stay ever.

We had fun borrowing movies from the shelves, rummaging through them like at a Blockbuster. The property had plenty of trees and landscaping, and that never got in the way of entertainment. The Pickleball courts looked great, though the horseshoe pits were a bit rundown. We also used the barbecue pit, but had to bring suitable utensils because there were no barbecue tools in our unit. The condo and rooms were in good shape and well maintained. Our kitchen was a letdown because there was no oven, a detail missing from the listing, so we had to adapt recipes for the stove or microwave. It wasn't a dealbreaker. Coffee in the main lobby was sometimes out of order or missing products, though someone regularly attended to it. For quick help, go to the front desk, since calls went unanswered. The outdoor pool was chilly because it isn't heated, but the weather was good and we enjoyed the deck and chairs. The indoor pool was very loud, with lots of things floating in the water, and many kids were using the pool and hot tub. We enjoyed the stay and felt we got our money's worth. We'd come back.