Ford's Colony Williamsburg REVIEW

[Cora]

We just returned today 6/29. We stayed from 6/20 to 6/27. We had a wonderful time. We had a one bedroom unit that was great. We loved the screened porch. Everything (quality) was equal to DVC standards.

One difference is cleaning. There is no trash and towel. Only a full cleaning on the 8th day (if you are there longer than a week).

The grounds are immaculate. Nice pools. We really only used the one in phase 2 (there are 2 phases). The pools are well maintained, but no slides or anything.

I actually like the layout of the units here better than DVC. More room is given to the living areas than the master bedroom. The MB was lovely, not as spacious as dvc.

Any questions, ask away!
Cora

 

[Patty3]

Since we live 2 hours from Williamsburg and our daughter graduated from William and Mary College, we are regulars in visiting Williamsburg. We have stayed at Fords Colony and thought is was just lovely. We were in a 2 bedroom unit with friends a few years ago and thought the furnishings were right on in keeping with the traditional colonial theme. When we visit the restored area on Saturdays, having lunch at their club house restaurant is always nice. The service is somewhat slow, but they have great club sandwiches and fries. Did you get a chance to dine there? Were there any places that you eat at that were especially memorable?

 

[chris1gill]

Glad to hear you like it!! I've only seen pictures & thought about going! Did you trade your DVC points in for an exchange? Any details on that would be helpful!

 

[Cora]

Patty3,
We did not dine there. For breakfast I would suggest Mama Steve's on Rte 60 very good breakfast, great service. Lunch we pretty much ate where ever we were. Dinner - Fireside Chophouse on 60 was very good. We also ate at the Crab Shed at the River Inn in Gloucester - very casual, excellent crab, etc.

Chris1gill,
Yes, we did trade. The trade was immediate, no waitlist. We had stayed at Ford's Colony about 4 years ago under a timeshare presentation special so we knew what we were getting for a room.
Cora

 

[Patty3]

Cora,
Thanks for those recommendations. I have not tried any of those restaurants. I will keep them in mind the next time we viist.

 

[canda]

I get mailings and offers for real estate tours from FC. I was under the impression that it was a very upscale country club and private community with $$$$$$$ homes. I did not know that there was a time share there to trade with. That would be a fun trip sometime.

 

[twocjsmom]

I've stayed at Ford's Colony twice in the past two years (both times in the summer) with my parents who bought into the timeshare there for thier retirement. I agree that the units are very nice, by staying there the second time around, I found that unless you golf, or are a history buff, there isnt much to do. We went to Busch Gardens both times, but again, that is no Disney. The grounds are exceptionally well kept, and there are some really nice bike/walking trails to use, which follow the roads/golf courses and you can meander into the side streets with the gorgeous houses. Last time I was there, I splurged for a massage through their spa, which was average. There is one high end restaurant on site, but with small children, that was a no go. The pools are average, and I didnt find them to be very crowded when I was there, even though it was literally 100 out the first time we went. While nice overall, I have found Fords Colony to be a once in a while kind of place to visit, where I cant seem to see myself thinking the same about the Disney DVCs. Just an opinion, especially since my vacation plans include needing to cater to two small children.

Glad you had a nice time!!!

 

[Cora]

twocjsmom,
I agree with you. The grounds, units, etc. were lovely however, it is not Disney or HH or Vero. The kids programs ended at 6p. There are two restaurants - one is casual and one 5 star. My dh ate at the casual one after golf. He said it was nice but awkward...maybe because he wasn't a member...he felt he was being looked at. DH did golf 2 our of the 3 courses and said they were very good. I did have a facial, which was excellent. Busch Gardens and Water Country are 1 day each places. Our son really liked the area (10 1/2) but had it with history by the 3rd day! So much so we changed our plans and did not go to Annapolis or Phili...we went to Hershey Park...again not Disney but it was a nice throwback for dh and I because of the wood roller coasters, tilt a whirl, etc.

We had fun, but I don't see us going back again in the near future.
Cora

 

[Cris]

who manages this resort??

 

[manning]

History ........ The future of our country!!!

 

[manning]

I think it is a Marriott timeshare.

 

[Cora]

Cris,
Marrott manages it.

Manning...my DS did like the history of chocolate at Hershey Park!
Cora

 

[Granny]

Cora...thanks for taking the time to share your impressions of this resort. It's always good to know about the various trade-out options for DVC, and to hear that they are high quality vacation experiences as well.

 

[MikeScott8]

My DW and I used an offer I found on TUG (TimeShare Users group) from an owner there, for a long weekend "honeymoon".

We had to meet with a sales rep, but most of the time we just told her about the flexibility if DVC, and she didn't try to pressure us much as we had just bought DVC less than a year before that trip, so we could not really afford another time share.

So we met with her and got our free tickets to Colonial Williamsburtg and were out in about 90 minutes or so.

At some point we will try trading into there. It was a very nice place, but the few nights we had there we did not get to really explore the resort much.

Mike

 

[chris1gill]

Hi Cora, can you tell me how many points you used for the exchange? I would really like to do Williamsburg one of these summers (and go to Hershey too LOL....)

TIA!
Chris

 

[Cora]

Chris,
I think we used 160 for a one bedroom plus the booking fee of $75. It was considered high season. In my opinion it was well worth it.
Cora

 

[crazyaboutdisney]

We have reservations at fords colony for easter 05. We were going to do an exchange until I called the resort and got a 1 bedroom for $132 per night. We decided to stay for 6 nights for a total of $792 plus tax. We will then rent out our points. I believe that the exchange was 165 points plus the $75 for the week. Going direct means that i only have to rent out 80 points for the 6 nights. We love the area and think the weather will be great (we really don't like hot weather)