Do you use the Concierge Collection

[friends with mickey]

If you use the Concierge Collection, What are your favorites and why and which places that are no longer offered do you miss?

Our favorites are the Fairmont in San Francisco and the Whitehall in Chicago. Both are great cities to visit with lots to enjoy and you do not need to rent a car to get around.
The ones we miss the most are the Fairmont Mission Inn in Sonoma, wine country was always fun and the Windsor Court in New Orleans where we could drive down for a quick get away.
Two that we never got the chance to try, but would have liked to were the Grand Hotel on Mackanic Island and Atlantis in the Bahamas.

How about you?

 

[disneystick]

Love the Fairmont in SF!!! Stayed there over NYE.

Really miss the Monterey Plaza Resort in Monterey, CA. Our room was a ocean view with balcony and the ocean waves was crashing right under our room. Sat out on the balcony and saw sea otters and seals playing in the ocean.
Really upset it is no longer part of the concierge collection.

 

[JWG]

My parents stayed at Makinaw Island at the Grand Hotel - they loved it. Said they should have only done 1 night, but the $75 exchange (at that time) made it seem like you should do 2 nights to take advantage.

We've also stayed at Keystone which was ok. The Keystone resort was a true timeshare, so the rooms are actually owned by someone who must furnish them. The location was great, but the room we had needed some TLC - plus I hate staying somewhere where you know the beds and everything are owned by the member and you're relying on them to take care of the stuff.

At least at a resort I feel like there's a rotational program on things like mattresses.

But, the locations have all been very nice.

 

[com_op_2000]

We stayed there for 3 nights, found it very friendly. The room was small compaired to standard hotel rooms but the resort was very well maintained. Also, played the Blue Monster while I was there. They had a meet and great happy hour during our stay, we won a bottle of wine in the drawing.

 

[rparmfamily]

We stayed at the Grand Wailea on Maui (I think it's part of the Concierge) and it was perfection. Gorgeous location, as perfect as Disney.

 

[TiszBear]

I stayed at the Mandarian Oriental in DC ( i think this is part of the concierge collection). Stayed there a week and loved it!!! They treated us like royalty.

 

[ocmommy]

Hotel Del Coronado is so cool and right on the beach! Beautiful views!

 

[rparmfamily]

Hotel Del Coronado is so cool and right on the beach! Beautiful views!

Gorgeous resort too! When I see it I see the Grand Floridian LOL!

 

[friends with mickey]

Both the Grand Walea in Maui and the Manderin in DC are currently part of the Concierge Collection. We have used CC for both of those locations, however the accomodations used to be Kapalua on Maui and the Thomas Jefferson Hotel in DC. They were tremendous so it is good to hear their replacements are nice as well.

 

[Halle]

We spent 4 nights at the Fairmont Hotel in SF last year and loved it. We also stayed 4 nights at the Charleston Inn, loved it too. I don't know if the Charleston Inn is still part of the concierge collection.

 

[johnsonville5]

Try the Grove Park Inn - we really enjoy it. True old time Hotel/Resort. Others that we really liked but no longer available is the Stein Ericksen Lodge and the Charleston Place Hotel. Really wish Disney had not gutted this program. Must not have working out financially.

 

[DisWitt]

We've stayed (not as CC, but on cash) at the Hotel Del Coronado and it doesn't disappoint. A GREAT place and a true SoCal treasure. My BiL does a week there every summer with his family.

You didn't miss anything with the Atlantis. I was there for a week with work. Terrible, terrible place. Check the TripAdvisor reviews. It's like Las Vegas meets total kitsch and fake (wait, isn't that Las Vegas)? ALL of the waterpark and pools close at 6pm, so if you have kids, good luck with evening activities. Restaurants are so-so and service was painfully slow... even for "the Bahamas, mon!" And that's being nice! I ordered a hamburger twice (room service once and poolside once) and both times they were horrible and cost nearly $20! Literally, a Costco frozen patty on a griddle would've been better. I just wanted to run across the harbor and hop on the DCL Wonder both times she was in port. "Take me away from this God-forsaken place!" Looks cool, but big mistake you didn't make.

 

[friends with mickey]

We've stayed (not as CC, but on cash) at the Hotel Del Coronado and it doesn't disappoint. A GREAT place and a true SoCal treasure. My BiL does a week there every summer with his family.

You didn't miss anything with the Atlantis. I was there for a week with work. Terrible, terrible place. Check the TripAdvisor reviews. It's like Las Vegas meets total kitsch and fake (wait, isn't that Las Vegas)? ALL of the waterpark and pools close at 6pm, so if you have kids, good luck with evening activities. Restaurants are so-so and service was painfully slow... even for "the Bahamas, mon!" And that's being nice! I ordered a hamburger twice (room service once and poolside once) and both times they were horrible and cost nearly $20! Literally, a Costco frozen patty on a griddle would've been better. I just wanted to run across the harbor and hop on the DCL Wonder both times she was in port. "Take me away from this God-forsaken place!" Looks cool, but big mistake you didn't make.

Thanks for the info on Atlantis. We will be on the Wonder the end of October so will see Atlantis from across the harbor.

 

[genmasjoy]

We love the Grove Park Inn in Asheville. Hope to go there again. Also, have stayed at the Royal Garden Hotel in London. It is in Kensington, right next to the Palace (former home of Princess Di and other royals). The CC isn't listed yet for 2011, I am checking constantly, as we hope to have a return trip to London.

 

[robert@dvcstore]

I have used the Conciegre Collection twice, once at the Red Wolf Inn at Squaw Valley California and the White Swan Inn in San Francisco. I am sorry that they are no longer offered. The White Swan Inn was an old, quaint bed and breakfast right in the middle of town near Union Square. Great service and wonderful breakfast.

Robert

 

[lilpooh108]

You didn't miss anything with the Atlantis. I was there for a week with work. Terrible, terrible place. Check the TripAdvisor reviews. It's like Las Vegas meets total kitsch and fake (wait, isn't that Las Vegas)? ALL of the waterpark and pools close at 6pm, so if you have kids, good luck with evening activities. Restaurants are so-so and service was painfully slow... even for "the Bahamas, mon!" And that's being nice! I ordered a hamburger twice (room service once and poolside once) and both times they were horrible and cost nearly $20! Literally, a Costco frozen patty on a griddle would've been better. I just wanted to run across the harbor and hop on the DCL Wonder both times she was in port. "Take me away from this God-forsaken place!" Looks cool, but big mistake you didn't make.

Yeah, ditto. I completely agree. We stayed there a week on cash and after day 2, was bored to death and really just didn't enjoy it. While the facilities are nice, it's crowded, expensive and you feel really stuck at the resort. Haagen Daas was like $7 for an ice cream bar. I spent $8 on a bowl of soup and this was in 2005. The beach itself is really beautiful, but they charge for umbrellas and you are harassed constantly by the vendors who are really aggressive. We paid $50-60 for 8 people to hop in a van to go across the island for dinner one day, and dinner was a tourist trap.

The casino is ok but the entertainment at night is limited to the casino and a "teen" club they have in the middle of the lounge area.

I think everyone should see it once and the aquariums are really cool, but I don't miss staying there.

 

[Bellecruiser]

We spent July 3rd and 4th at the Mandarin in DC on points. It was fantastic.

 

[friends with mickey]

We spent July 3rd and 4th at the Mandarin in DC on points. It was fantastic.

We used points to visit DC in 2001 for July 4th. The hotel then was the Thomas Jefferson and it was fantastic. We had requested two adjoining and connected rooms since our kids were teens. None were available upon check in and we were upgraded to a two bedroom suite no charge. When we were checking out after our 4 day stay we noticed our kids visiting with a couple of kids in the lobby. It turns out they and their parents, their dad was the President/Prime Minister of Etheopia, were going to be staying in the suite we were vacating. Another Disney Vacation Club memory was made that trip for sure. Glad there is still a DC hotel in the current Concierge Club choices.