Summer Bay Resort

I would like to start off by saying that right before my trip to Summer Bay, I learned about this site and wanted to check out reviews of the hotel since I was already starting to have problems with them even before the trip began. But now I'm looking for those reviews and they're not posted anymore, but they certainly existed and many people had similar problems like me. My family and I took our trip to Summer Bay December 28-January 1, 2004 booked through a marketing company who is currently selling timeshare tours for Summer Bay. Two weeks before our trip, I called to confirm the reservation. At the time I made the reservation (months ago), I told the reservation person that there were 2 adults and 1 infant and that I would need a crib in the room, she said no problem and that was the end of that. When I called 2 weeks ahead of time, they said they couldn't look at my reservation because pulling up my name in the computer was like checking-in. But they did tell me that if I wanted a crib in my room, it would be an additional $10 a day regardless on what the reservation people said. Needless to say, this trip was already starting bad. So the day comes when I check-in at the welcome center like instructed. I found out then that I would be staying at the motel across the street from the Summer Bay resort. I was appalled. I was told I would be staying in a suite on the resort. After I was done there, I checked-in at the motel. The receptionist there informed me that if I wanted to use any of the amenities at the resort, I would be charged $2.00 a day to my room. HHEEELLLOOO!!! Again, I was led to believe otherwise. We go find our room and it was located right outside the stairs. It was very nice to hear people vomit into the trash can (beside the stairs) in the middle of the night on New Year's Eve. But I digress...I suppose I should be happy that my motel room (not suite) was clean and had no bugs. But I simply wasn't. I was expecting a suite as promised with a crib and didn't expect to pay to use the pool. Another interesting point from this motel was the placement of the showerhead in the bathroom. Keep in mind that we were not in a handicap room. The showerhead was placed to wash a 4 foot person. I am 5'2" and I had to tilt my head back to wet all my hair. My husband is 6'2" and has had 2 back surgeries. This was an awful experience for him. So we attend this mandatory 90 minute thing. I have to admit that our tour guide was very nice and sympathetic to our situation and even called out his manager. This manager was a ****. I told him all of our complaints and what we expected based on the initial sales call. He simply said "you didn't actually think you were staying at the resort". And the tour guide asked him about the amenities charge. The manager just said "yes, thats what we do". I was appalled at the way this manager was handling my compliants. He finished off by saying that they are the leading timeshare sellers and they must be doing something right. I was speechless. Would I ever consider Summer Bay or refer them to my friends? NO NO NO!!! Maybe staying on the resort would've given me a different feeling for the place, but at this point I say NO!! My family and I definitely made the best out of a bad experience for the sake of 2 free park tickets and $20 meal voucher. And this unfortunate situation has left a foul taste in my mouth on all timeshare sales approaches.

Of the five resorts in the Orlando area I've exchanged to, this is the only one I would not recommend. The unit was very worn, and in need of repair. The sofabed was extremely uncomfortable. The upholstery was stained and dirty. Several blades on the ceiling fan were so loose that it was a hazard. The master bedroom lighting consisted of one 15-watt bulb. However, the worst part, was the ants. The kitchen area was full of tiny little ants that got into everything. We ended up storing everything in the refrigerator and freezer to try to keep the ants out of our food. I will never go back - I have also stayed at Vistanna, Marriott, Orange Lake, and Embassy, and would gladly return to and recommend any of them. Do yourself a favor and avoid Summer Bay at all costs.

We love Summer Bay!! Our children always had something to do each day whether it was swimming, fishing, basketball, crafts, game rooms, mini-golf, etc. We adults enjoyed swimming, relaxing in the hot tub spa, But I loved the Kareoke night!! We met some wonderful new friends from different parts of the world. The staff at Summer Bay were all very friendly and kind. The children enjoyed the staff in the activity center as well. They were a lot of fun!! The condo we stayed in was fantastic too. Very clean and everything we needed was there. So, if I had to rate Summer Bay from 1 -10...I would rate it an 11+!!!! What was also helpful is that in the 2 bedroom units, there were laundry facilities. With there being 6 of us, it was so nice not to have to lug around bags of dirty laundry to a laundrymat. All the theme parks are close and there is tons of shopping around the area that are also close by. This was our 2nd year staying at Summer Bay and we look forward to go back next year. Thanks Summer Bay for making our stay so very enjoyable. Lori From Connecticut ps...please tell the Kareoke guy (lucky Devil Kareoke) to keep up the good work and look forward to singing with him next year!!

I just just got back from a trip to Summer Bay with my husband and 2 kids. We were "hooked" through a telephone solicitation. I knew in advance that the offer only included a hotel room, so I paid additional to stay at Summer Bay in a 2 bedroom condo. The condo was very nice and spacious. I loved the master bedroom with the tub in the room! Having the washer and dryer in the unit was very handy and I used it a great deal (I hate to take home a bunch of dirty laundry). We found the landscaping to be beautiful and each of the staff that we dealt with was very helpful. The dishwasher would not close tight, so my husband reported it to the front desk at 8:00pm one evening. Within 15 minutes, someone was there to fix it - amazing service. The tour/presentation took longer than 90 minutes, but we did not feel very pressured to buy. We purchased and look forward to returning to Summer Bay!

When the $1,000 certificate offer flashed across my computer screen, I thought..."Okay, I'll bite." Boy was the taste bad! Immediately the sales person turned me off. She first challenged the fact the certificate offered $1,000 points but then refused to give me the details without getting all of my personal info, i.e. phone number, email address, credit card, etc. She did, however, tell me to write down the name of a company, but never identified it was indeed the company making the actual offer. Her last words before I hung up..."I'm not 2 years old you know...you called us...we didn't call you." Well, she was right about that one and one thing rings true, I WON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE!!!

My family had a great time at this resort. We traveled in May and the weather was perfect every day. The resort was beautiful and the rooms were nicely decorated. We stayed in a one bedroom condo that was a good walk from the main club house, but we were able to park right in front of the building and take the elevator to our 2nd story condo. The kitchen had all the standard stuff, plus a blender, coffee maker, microwave, toaster, dishwasher, and a small amount of dish soap & detergent. The floor in the main room was all tile, which was cold in the morning, but nice when you came in from the pool with dirty and wet feet. The view from our balcony was great. There was a little pond with a lighted fountain and a smaller pool for the guests of the buildings in that area. We used this pool the most, as the main one was often very crowded. I was surprised at how quiet the entire resort was considering its size. My kids really enjoyed the lake with its many activities including, jet skies, small power boats, paddle boats, and a water trampoline and slide. While these items were great for the whole family, they were expensive when you started doing more than one thing. There were great activities at the club house which we wish we had had more time to participate in, but we spent every day at one of the area parks. We only had a couple of problems durning our stay. We couldn't get the TV to work in the living room, but we called on this the first night and while we were out the next day they came and fixed it. The whirlpool tub in our room also did not work and they were not able to repair it during our stay. On the up side the water pressure was great and we never ran out of hot water. Overall it was a great stay at a beautiful resort.

stayed at the summer bay resort from 08/22/03-08/28/03 with 18 family members. At first i was a little upset that we did not get housekeeping service however, i came to understand that it was an home away from home setting. this was the first time i every stated at at resort and i do not think i can go back to less. the resort was beauitful, the rooms was clean and the staff was very friendly. we had an complete kitchen in our villa which was two bedroom. our kid went to the clubhouse to swim everyday by themself that was how safe i felt on the property. At the sales presentation, the salesman was not pushy and he did not tried to convince me of the buy went i told him no. overall i really enjoy my stay and would return again

Our two trips to Summer Bay were great! My family found the staff to be very helpful,my youngest fell and cut himself and one of the house keeper's brought him back to our room and even gave him a chocolate bar. Our heart's were touched by her kind act! I have read some of the other people's reviews and realize you cannot please everyone! The Rutherfords will be back again!

My family of 5 had the time of our life at the Summer Bay Resort, I would proudly reccommend this resort to my friends & family and will be having my family reunion here next year as well.

We were there on the 9th to the 15th Aug 03. This was the best hotel of the 3 we stayed in on our trip to florida this year. We had a 2 bed with kitchen. Every thing was clean and immaculate and big.We had 3 tv's so the kids were happy.The place was for 8 but we were 5 so we had plenty of space. We paid $83 per night. We found it a bit far from all the action but they had plenty to do on the resort which we didnt have time to use. The only gripe was no maid service or clean towels but they had a washer dryer but you had to buy wash powder and toilet roll your self.