Club Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Bay — Hotel in Fairfield Bay

We arrived to ask to see a suite and were told “we don’t do that”. We went to see the exterior of a unit 15 minutes away with a “not to scale” map. Got lost for 1 hour, checked in hoping for the best as they were “closing”. I realize this is not a hotel, but still. I booked on the Wyndham app where security deposits are always shown in the “hotel policies”. Yet I was told at 8:01PM pay the $250 deposit or lose your $600 on a non-refundable reservation I made after not even being able to see the exterior of a unit. There are two options on the Wyndham app-a 1 or 2 bedroom suite. I assumed (after asking if they do Wyndham Diamond upgrades) that we would be upgraded to a 2 bedroom as that is the next/only option. The following morning I emailed the Rooms manager at the email provided (it and the WiFi code were borh incorrect) at 8AM. After emailing and not hearing back from the Rooms Manager, I texted the office at 11AM. Manager claimed the deposit requirement not showing on the Wyndham app was an IT issue, but 1 month later it still is not listed (see screenshot). She claimed I was already upgraded into a “upgraded” 1 bedroom. I know that the Wyndham app only allowed one other type of room to be booked-a 2 bedroom which would be the only upgrade according to the Wyndham app. The unit was moderately clean with many broken items including, but not limited to the deck screen door being completely unusable, each window screen being torn letting in several wasps, and the alarm clock being dead. One has to take their own trash to the dumpster and text the office for supplies during housekeeping hours (undisclosed, but sometime prior to 5PM as they complained if you contacted after that). If you extend you have to make a new reservation online only. The office will not extend or make ANY reservations. One also has to drive 15 minutes to/from said office to check out/in even for one night. Our second weeks reservation was booked on Extra Holidays (cheaper than Wyndham app the second time) and I was still supposed to receive my points. Also, FYI, I still do not have my points a month later as Wyndham Vacation rentals take 4-6 weeks per the Diamond rewards 800 number. I was charged an additional $12.37 in taxes over and above our reservation total which I had to fight tooth and nail with the Rooms Manager with screenshots from multiple calls to Extra Holidays and Wyndham as well as reservation confirmations. She again claimed it was an IT issue, when it still is unresolved just like the hotel policies section of the Wyndham app not showing a required deposit. I had to fight hard to get my $12.37 back which after trying to claim she refunded it when she did not, I finally received a $12.35 refund. We asked for a late check out after being told we would have to move units if we extended a third week. The Rooms Manager told us 11AM instead of 10AM the day prior to check out and “not a minute later”. I asked for the General Manager and finally two hours before checkout was told noon due to a time share owner coming in under contract. They turned the surrounding units over in an hour all during our stay with check in at 4PM. We moved our vehicle, and parked down the way after checking out to do some work. The cleaners didn’t arrive until 2:45PM, so the whole check out time thing was an immature power play. We had a $300 authorization pop up after checkout. I had videoed the unit upon my departure to show contents and condition. They couldn’t give a reason for this charge-I supplied the video just to be certain. The Rooms Manager then refunded it and stated she “didn’t know what it was for”. I feel had I not provided my video evidence, they were going to charge me that $300 arbitratiily. Why else would it have appeared after check out? Beware as that is likely something they do routinely as everything seemed dishonest and stingy down to being given one toilet paper instead of two on the final day when I asked for two. This stay was a tarnish to the Wyndham brand we have loved and been Diamond members with for...

Very good - but you need to be aware that this isn't a typical "hotel with pool" environment. You're staying in 1 or 2 bedroom condos.

Wyndham here owns condo buildings which are spread out around town. And, when I say "town," be aware that the entire town of Fairfield Bay is, essentially, a resort community; it's very wooded and quaint (our condo was right up against woods). 95% of the people in town are either tourists or retired people that moved there to golf and/or relax, it seems. This is a good thing if you're looking for a laid-back, quiet vacation. You check in at a central building and then drive to your unit 4-5 minutes away.

There are (at the time of our visit in July 2020) 3 pools that Wyndham guests have access to. Only 1 is owned by Wyndham. 1 is a city pool, and 1 is a country club pool, but they have agreements with them that we can use them for free. (There was a 4th pool in town closed for some reason - maybe Covid). Check out all 3 to see which you like best! We got lucky and our condo was right next to the Wyndham "Mountain Ridge" pool, but had to drive to the other 2 (Cool Pool & Mountain Ranch Pool). You will need to have a car with you to make this stay enjoyable, as things like mini golf, disc golf, bowling, fishing, restaurants, and 2 of the pools aren't within walking distance. You're driving 5-10 minutes to get to these activities.

This was the perfect "socially distanced" vacation in the current Covid environment. It was only maybe 50-60% capacity and lots of activities that are outdoors and inherently distanced.

Local restaurants often have discounts for Wyndham guests, so be sure to mention you're staying there! Little Red House was the best in our opinion. Note that a lot of eating places in town are closed for supper, or close early. We had a very hard time finding a place that was open after 7 PM for food! (For example, "The Dock," the pizza place in town, closed at 7 PM on Saturday!!! Unsure if this was due to Covid or not.) If you dig the party scene and nightlife, this isn't the vacation for you. This is more for families or retired people who want peace and quiet (and golf).

PROS: Very clean; mostly quiet; good air conditioning. Pool @ Mountain Ridge was clean and nice. Enough towels and pool towels is a great thing. CONS: The whole unit looks a bit dated and could use a complete renovation. The floor was not level, in laundry room and bathroom; 2 light bulbs were burnt out upon arrival; ceiling had spots where texture was falling off. (These things are far from deal-breakers, but to me are the little things that make it 4 star instead of 5 star). We would like the Mountain Ridge (Wyndham) pool open later. It was a bummer that it closed at 6 PM each night. Families love evening swimming, especially considering most activities close early in town. Still, a very good deal for an average of $130 per night. Can book on Hotels.com and work towards free nights.

Look for a YouTube video I'm making about our stay: search "Dugroz Reports Fairfield Bay" (Yes, the 2 bedroom condo has two actual separate bedrooms with...

I just want to thank the lovely, friendly people of Arkansas that we experienced in our week-long trip to see the eclipse. From the airport in Little Rock to the rental car (Enterprise), to every little local business we made a point to visit while in Fairfield Bay, we never once had an issue and everyone was beyond friendly.

We weren't expecting most of the state to be dry counties, but were pleasantly surprised to see that Van Buren county is wet, so we slammed on the brakes as we passed the county line and saw the Resort's huge convenience store.

We stayed at a Club Wyndham condo, did a 4-hour total ATV experience up to a lookout to watch the eclipse, riding crazy trails all the way there and back. There are about 90 miles of ATV-specific trails in Fairfield Bay and they are of different difficulties, but we are experienced and told the guide to go hard, and boy did he ever!

We played golf at Mountain Ranch, and afterward had lunch at Mulligan's Lounge, went to an Eclipse Blackout party at The Dock, bowled at the local alley the day it rained, did a full trip all the way around Greers Ferry Lake and saw the dam, went out on some cliffs and hung out in the sun, and another time we had found a beautiful little grotto on a hiking trail and we went back a different day and bathed in the pool there, then sunned on the flat rocks nearby to dry off.

We ate at an amazing restaurant named Janssen's that had great lakefront views and delicious food. The local grocery store Craven's was more than adequate.

The day we returned to Little Rock, we left early and checked out some spots there. We walked the Big Dam Bridge, went to the Old Mill, which at this time of year was absolutely breathtaking with all the azaleas blooming and many other flowering plants. For lunch we ate at Mexico Chiquito which is supposed to be the originator of Queso Dip.

Returning the rental was hassle-free, then we hung out at a bar near our gate since we'd gotten there so early. Had a little excitement when a drunk woman and her friend missed their flights twice, so they kept coming back. Then they saw they were about to miss their third flight so they ran off with their glasses of beer. The bartender asked us if they had taken them, and we said yes. He asked us which way they went, and he ran from the bar yelling he would get fired. So myself and the man sitting next to me looked at each other and we both got up and went looking for them. I hit the women's bathroom and he did the same in the men's. I found an empty stein on top of a garbage can, and the other man found a full stein on the crew's desk of their carrier, and we returned them both to the relieved bartender.

All in all, a great trip and if Fairfield Bay wasn't so far from our grandkids, we might like to make it our...