conceige Collection-individual reviews

[DLVisitor]

How about if all DVC members who have stayed at one of the Concierge Collection locations tells us the time of year they visited, how long they stayed, short 1 paragraph review and if it was worth the points! Wouldn't that be great to read about?

 

[dizneeluvr]

Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale (just outside Branson) Missouri.


This resort is absolutely breathtaking with its view of Tablerock Lake and the Ozark mountains. We've stayed there for three nights in July (made good use of the resort's rentable boats), three nights in October (beautiful fall foliage and took advantage of nearby Dogwood Canyon Nature Preserve). We'll be back again this summer. For a nice sized hotel room with jacuzzi tub, great themeing and awesome view, we spend 31 points a night at that time of the year. Its great for those extra points when you know you can't afford airfare to Disney again...close for us and a wonderful vacation. Our kids love the campfire and wagon ride with the singing cowboy! This is one of those resorts that we wouldn't be staying in if it weren't for DVC (from an affordability standpoint).

2 Thumbs up for Big Cedar Lodge!!

Laura

 

[dizneeluvr]

By the way, DLVISITOR...this is a great post. Can't wait to hear reviews on other locations!

Thanks!

Laura

 

[travelbug]

We stayed at the Mauna Lani Bay resort in Hawaii for 8 nights this spring (March 29-April 6). It was a fabulous experience. The resort is drop-dead gorgeous, and offered excellent service and amenities. The only minor drawback for us was that the on-site restaurants were very pricey. So we only ate there once and otherwise ate off-site. But that was not a problem; it was just our choice. All in all, it was one of the most relaxing vacations I can remember. We would go back in a minute.

We used 301 points for that stay. I do plan to use my points at DVC resorts for the most part, but this was a wonderful splurge for a special family occasion.

 

[TIdoublegaER]

DH and I spent 3 nights at the Boston Harbor Hotel for our 10th anniversary. The hotel was beautiful and we were upgraded to a suite. We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant over looking the harbor and basically had the place to ourselves. It was January, but the weather was actually very mild (40's-50's). It was perfect for sight-seeing since we were basically the only tourists around and had the full attention of the staff at all the stops on the Freedom Trail. The points were high for the 3 nights (150) and we had a city view. I don't think the harbor view would be worth the extra points since we really didn't spend all that much time in the room. Other than the flight home, we had a wonderful and memorable trip and look forward to going back.

 

[Doctor P]

This is a great thread. Keep those reviews coming!

 

[bres@westernMA]

We have stayed at a few of the Northeast Concierge Locations. All of these places are top shelf, Adirondack or New England experiences.
The Sagamore, Bolton Landing, NY is a historical grand old hotel located in the Adirondack Mountains. It is situated on it’s own 72 acre island, has beach facilities, an indoor pool and spa, tennis and a golf course. There are walking and bike paths, a kids program and a number of restaurants. We visited in the fall. We couldn’t use the beach facilities but the scenery was very impressive and since it was “off season” it was very quiet and peaceful. We will go back.
The Equinox, Manchester, VT is another very historical hotel that has it’s roots in a “Washington slept here” type tavern. The property is gorgeous, located in the Green Mountains in Manchester, VT, which has all kinds of historic spots and outlet shopping (also available near the Sagamore). Like the Sagamore, there is a golf course, pool and tennis facilities. In the winter there is cross-country skiing and it is near a couple of down hill areas. There are also annual schools for falconry and Land Rovering. We were there in the early winter and unfortunately there wasn’t enough snow to use or Nordic skis. We had a wonderful meal at both the restaurant and tavern.
We have also tried the Juniper Hill Bed and Breakfast, another historical home, located Windsor, VT. Windsor is located on the Connecticut River in eastern VT. Juniper Hill is a bed and breakfast with beautiful antique laden rooms, most with working fireplaces, no TVs or modern annoyances. The site is high on a hill, with beautiful gardens, a pool and nearby hiking or cross-country skiing. It is also located near lots of Vermont (and New Hampshire) attractions, skiing and historic sites. If you visit Juniper Hill, have dinner in the restaurant and be prepared for some quiet and rest. As with the other two locations, we plan to return.

 

[WDWguru]

Just returned last night from a long weekend at The Jefferson in D.C. and it was wonderful! DH was on a business trip, so we didn't spend points but it certainly would have been worth it to do so. We upgraded to suite that was still somewhat small but quite charming. The building is quite historic and has a ton of character - crown molding in all the rooms, beautiful artwork, marble tile in the bathrooms, etc.

The hotel itself is about four blocks behind the White House and just a few blocks from two different Metro stations. It was very easy to get around. It's in the business district, so you definitely notice a decrease in traffic and activity over the weekend, but we found a FANTASTIC Italian restaurant just a couple blocks away - I Ricchi. Make reservations and be prepared to spend a little cash, but it is WELL worth it.

I can't say enough about the staff at the hotel. They were SO attentive and friendly! The hotel is fairly small and the staff greets you by name as you come and go, but they aren't obtrusive in any way. Overall it was a fabulous stay and I wouldn't hesitate to use points there in the future.

I took some photos but don't have them up yet online. The Jefferson is a Leow's Hotel, and they do have a Web site with information and photos if you're interested.

 

[Tink Fans]

Spend a weekend (May 2001, Lodge) at the Sagamore in Lake George, NY. It was a girl's weekend in honor of one of my friends. No kids or husbands. It rained the whole weekend but there was still plenty of activities. We used the spa facilities and indoor pool, and I felt like a million bucks when we returned. Early Sunday morning in the pouring rain I took one of those giant umbrellas and walked all along the lake. Very peaceful and beautiful. Definitely worth the points. Trying to plan another trip to The Sagamore with my family in October.

 

[MikeChan408]

bump, i found this looking for info on concierge collection, anyone have one to add?

 

[tvwalsh]

Imagine a weekend where the weather is very cold and wet. The wind is so strong that it is hard to stand up. Now imagine that that weather continues day and night for the entire three day stay. Believe it or not our anniversary visit to the Grand Hotel on DVC points was wonderful! We never left the Hotel during the time we were on the Island. If you have to stay in one place on the Island, this is the place. The view from our room and from almost anywhere in the Resort, was breathtaking. The French antique furniture in our room made us feel like royalty. There are beautiful sitting rooms and classy shops to explore. There was ballroom dancing and the music was by well known artists. The meals were exquisite and the breakfast and evening meals (and even all gratuities and taxes were included in the point cost, which I think was about 160 points for the three nights.)

Imagine what it would be like in nice weather!

 

[alldiz]

Great thread...
Subscribing...Anyone else?
Kerri

 

[MikeChan408]

anyone ever stay at the Grand Weilea in Maui? I hear that is the best (and most expensive) hotel on the island....

 

[Anita13]

This is the most amazing hotel I've ever seen. Worth the points. I stayed there last January for a week. The absolute best of the collection, although the Sagamore is quite nice tool. If you get a chance, try it. You'll love it. I plan on going back soon.

 

[PooooohBear]

Imagine a weekend where the weather is very cold and wet. The wind is so strong that it is hard to stand up. Now imagine that that weather continues day and night for the entire three day stay. Believe it or not our anniversary visit to the Grand Hotel on DVC points was wonderful! We never left the Hotel during the time we were on the Island. If you have to stay in one place on the Island, this is the place. The view from our room and from almost anywhere in the Resort, was breathtaking. The French antique furniture in our room made us feel like royalty. There are beautiful sitting rooms and classy shops to explore. There was ballroom dancing and the music was by well known artists. The meals were exquisite and the breakfast and evening meals (and even all gratuities and taxes were included in the point cost, which I think was about 160 points for the three nights.)

Imagine what it would be like in nice weather!

Just to add...
Hubby & I stayed at The Grand Hotel about 10 years ago when we still lived in Michigan and of course long before we were DVC Members. You reach the Island via a Ferry. There are no cars on the Island (except, if I remember correctly, an emergency vehicle), however there are many bikes and some horse drawn carriages. We loved it!!

They also have some of the best fudge I've ever had.

If you are a fan of the Christopher Reeve / Jane Seymore Movie, Somewhere In Time, it was filmed here.

I'll 2nd the exceptional food and add that the service was impeccable.

 

[mouseclick1]

Grand Wailea
Easter week, 2007


We spent six nights at the Grand Wailea last spring. The points were expensive, but well worth it. The resort is beautiful, as is the entire Wailea area.

The pool area is the nicest I have ever seen, but go figure, my boys spent an entire 15-20 minutes in the pool total! When given a choice, they head for the beach instead of the pool every time. This was actually fine for us, since you had to be at the pool area pretty much by 7:00 in order to get a nice spot. They do have pool attendants that keep a close eye on you to make sure you are not setting your stuff down coming back 3 hours later. If you want a pool seat, you need to be there around 7 a.m.and stay put! Maybe it is not always like this since we were traveling during Easter, but that is how it was during our week. The beach, however, was much more relaxed. You could show up pretty much at any time, grab a beach chair, and find a good spot.

We had originally booked 2 garden view rooms. When we arrived, they had our two rooms so far from one another that we asked if we could get rooms closer together. The girl behind the desk ended up upgrading our room to ocean view and kept my in-laws in the garden view, so we could be on the same floor/same wing. Ironically, while we were closer to the ocean than they were, they had a better view of the ocean and a nicer room overall. While we had a standard balcony, they actually had a balcony wit a little lawn/garden attached to it. And this was on the 4th (maybe 5th?) floor, not the ground floor. So my point is, if you do stay here on points, I'm not so sure I would splurge on an ocean view room when the garden view rooms can be just as nice.

The only restaurant we ate at in the resort was Kincha. We stopped in for sushi one evening and it was great. Otherwise, we traveled to other restaurants in the area instead.

The place was not perfect, but the good definitely outweighed the bad. We loved it!