Vacation Village at Williamsburg — Hotel in Williamsburg

NOT WHAT YOU MIGHT ASSUME!: So, like many other folks, I won a free trip to this resort in exchange for an hour and a half of my time listening to a presentation. Naturally, I went to read reviews after I left the presentation (and I normally never review anything unless it’s super amazing, super horrible, or I feel that I have info to share that others might find helpful). Firstly, I want to say that my tour guide Ulysses was absolutely wonderful! He made the presentation fun & enjoyable and had a wonderful attitude- not overly pushing to make a sale to the point where I felt uncomfortable, like experiences that other people seem to have had. There was a Second Lady who came out to convince me to buy who was a little more aggressive about closing the deal, but she was still very friendly for the most part (although seemed to be a bit agitated when I said no for the 15th time before she walked to another table). Then the third guy, I think his name was Brad, he came out to offer me the ‘deal of a lifetime’-which, for me, having been in sales previously, made me feel like this lower price was do-able all along and that they just wanted to try their hardest to get the most $ out of you. But Brad was also a very kind gentleman and didn’t express any verbal frustration towards me. I read a couple reviews that this Brad guy was not very nice to people, and I just wanted to say that I had a good experience with him. His part of the whole thing was actually the shortest! Considering the entire thing took about 3-4 hours… which is one of my only few complaints because I was told several times that the presentation would only last 90 minutes. I needed to get home to pick my toddler up from the babysitters and was extremely late, causing me to have to pay the babysitter an extra $60 bucks for taking up her time since she had to be at another job an hour before I got home. I haven’t stayed at the resort yet, but I do plan to go on this free trip. I’m not very picky, and my “standards” are set fairly low due to unrelated life experiences, so I expect to enjoy the trip very much so. I will however post another review with details about our experience for anyone looking to get a clear idea of how the trip might go. I’ve read some reviews seemingly implying that many of the tour guides and sales reps etc. we’re not the friendliest of people. I’ve been reading how many people decided to not even take their trips due to the way they feel they had been treated during the presentation. But, experience is in the eyes of those going through said experience! These people were just doing their jobs they weren’t rude. They didn’t try guilting me into committing. It’s their job to do whatever it takes to close the deal, and unfortunately that doesn’t exclude rude/ pushy behavior. I’m sorry to those who’ve had bad experiences, but I just cannot say that I am one of those people. Aside from the presentation being far longer than I was told it would be, causing me to have to spend another $60 bucks for babysitting. Good thing I didn’t say yes to the “$100” deal that the last guy offered me! See? I’m not the only one who’d like to be financially prepared for emergencies! :) this is a bit lengthy, so u apologize for that to anyone still reading, but I like to make sure to include all details for anyone considering this and reading reviews before agreeing to the presentation. I got my $99 deposit back at the end of the presentation, plus a $200 gift card and a link to schedule both of the free trips I won very very promptly. I expected to have to hound them to get my stuff, but the front desk ladies were SUPER friendly and sweet and personable with me. I actually ended up needing a jump to get home, and the ladies were so quick to help me and the lady who ended up helping me even offered to give me her extra pair of jumper cables out of the kindness of her heart! Definitely not a horrible experience aside from the loss of $60 bucks I hadn’t...

I don’t even know where to start with this horrendous experience at Vacation Villages at Williamsburg. This "vacation" was a nightmare from start to finish. The issues were endless, and the staff could not have been less helpful. If I could give this place a quarter of a star that would be my rating. Below is a rundown of everything that went wrong during our stay:

Kitchen Sink Not Draining – On day one, we noticed the kitchen sink was completely clogged. Water refused to drain, which made meal prep a nightmare. Despite notifying the front desk, no action was taken to address the issue during our entire stay. Disgusting.

Microwave Dysfunction – The microwave was broken. The start and cook time buttons didn’t work, so the only way we could operate it was by pressing the "30-second" button repeatedly. It was a complete hassle and entirely unacceptable for a resort that claims to offer full amenities.

Spiderwebs Everywhere – Every room had spiderwebs in the corners, and to make matters worse, the chandelier above the dining table was covered in them. We had to clean the webs ourselves daily as they returned almost immediately. I’ve never seen such poor housekeeping.

Disgusting Sticky Substance Behind the Sleeper Sofa – We moved the sleeper sofa to retrieve a card that had fallen behind it, and what we discovered was beyond disgusting. There was a thick, sticky, brown substance caked onto the floor behind the chair. How does something like that go unnoticed by housekeeping?

Lack of Basic Cleaning Tools – Apparently, Vacation Villages believes that guests should bring their own cleaning supplies. There was no broom, dustpan, or mop in either unit. How is that even acceptable in a vacation property?

Internet Issues – The internet was down for 4 of the 7 nights we were there. This is not a minor inconvenience, this is a major issue for a modern hotel. We had to rely on our phones for basic communication and work. It was incredibly frustrating, and when we tried to reach out for assistance, no one cared to fix it.

Buzzing from Locked Closet – There was an incessant, loud buzzing coming from a locked "authorized personnel only" closet. It kept us awake for hours. We called the front desk at 2 in the morning after it had been going on for an hour, and they informed us that no maintenance staff was available. They basically told us that it was our problem. Ridiculous.

The mattress itself is an absolute nightmare—uneven, lumpy, and feels like you’re lying on a patchwork of rocks. Instead of providing the support you need, it creates pressure points everywhere, making it nearly impossible to find a comfortable sleeping position. It’s as if the mattress has been in the unit since the property opened, and it definitely shows. Each morning my husband and I had to take NSAIDs for the resulting back and shoulder pain.

The sheets? Even worse. They don’t fit. No matter how many times you try to adjust them, they constantly slip off the edges, bunching up and leaving you feeling like you’re constantly battling to keep your bed in some semblance of order. The ill-fitting sheets are a particular frustration when you're trying to relax and simply can't get settled. Instead of a snug, cozy cocoon, you’re left with a sheet that feels like it’s going to pop off the corners at any moment.

Non-Responsive Front Desk – The front desk staff was unhelpful and uninterested in resolving any of our complaints. We specifically asked for a technician to deal with the constant buzzing and the internet outage, and were told it was the holidays and that nothing could be done. The sheer lack of customer service was appalling.

This is by far one of the worst vacation experiences I have ever had. Between the unsanitary conditions, broken appliances, constant disturbances, and total lack of basic amenities, I would never recommend Vacation Villages at Williamsburg to anyone. Save your money and go somewhere that actually cares...

Hi! My husband and I just stayed the weekend here from Jan 20 to Jan 22 because I had won a 3 day and 2 night stay. At first I was worried about this being a potential scam because they asked for $99 over the phone (which we got back later in the form of a gift card plus an additional $50), however my husband and I decided to go along with it anyway despite learning we would have to go to a timeshare presentation.

Upon arrival, we were greated very friendly by all of the staff. Check-in was quick, easy, and helpful. The staff provided us with any information we needed about the presentation and the area. They also recommended restaurants and places to visit in the area. I'm from Virginia Beach (now located in Elizabeth City), so I frequent Williamsburg often.

Below I will break the review into two pieces...the presentation and the room.

THE TIMESHARE PRESENTATION EXPERIENCE:

Our timeshare presentation appointment was scheduled at 8:15AM. We were fine with this because we figured we'd do the "quick" hour and a half/two hour presentation then get along with our day. Much like many other reviews, ours ended up being around 3 hours long. For myself, this wasn't really an issue besides getting a bit hungry. Our presenter, Mr. Weaver, was a kind man who offered us snacks and coffee throughout the presentation. He was very personable and the type where you can tell that this is what he loves to do. He explained a bit about himself like how he grew up in Hawaii and lived in Japan and is scheduled to get married in New Zealand. Traveling is clearly his passion and it shows. He made sure to emphasize that there was no pressure to buy and overall he did a good job at that. He also did an excellent job with the presentation.

The information was clear and very appealing. The only issues were of ourselves and that we are a fairly new married couple who paid for their own wedding, had all cars break down at the same time, and have a mortgage already. We are young and just not in a solid place for a vacation property opportunity like this quite yet.

When it came to making us an offer, a second man was brought in and I think this made my husband panick. (This is our first time going to something like this and we really only did because of the trip we won) my husband immediately got up and said we weren't interested....which I admit was a bit aggressive. I made sure he knew that and made him apologize to Mr. Weaver. We do understand these men were just foing their jobs and taking "no" as an answer isn't really accepted. Both men gave us great offers, but again....now just really isn't the time for us.

We met Mr. Weaver back at the office and received our free prizes like promised. Despite Mr. Weaver telling us there was no pressure multiple times, we felt bad for declining to buy. We really liked him and everything presented & ultimately it just really sucked disappointing everyone.

THE ROOM:

We headed back to our room afterwards. It was very spacious. 2 bedrooms, a large barhroom with a huge jetted tub, a kitchen, a living room w/ a fireplace, and a balcony. It did smell newly painted so it was a bit harsh on the nose, but we got used to it. Our room had older appliances -- which doesn't really matter to us. We hardly us the kitchen when on vacation/away. If it was more of an extended stay....I could see it potentially being an issue, however everything worked so we were indifferent about it. We won the trip so we figured we wouldn't be in the newest model anyways.

The beds, like a few others have noted, are a bit hard but I personally slept pretty well in them. I think it's because the pillows...