Marriot Manor Club at Ford's Colony in Willamsburg, VA

[RHarnish]

I have used DVC points & II to reserve space at the above resort. It has received some bad reviews lately at another trip board, and I have some questions that maybe someone out there in the DVC family can answer!

If anyone has stayed here recently (last 18 months or so), I would really appreciate it if you could tell me the area/building you were in and how it compared to a DVC resort. (I'm thinking about switching resorts, if its not up to standards, as my mother will be traveling with us, and I really need this exchange to be up to Disney's high standards...) If there are areas in the resort that are in more desirable locations (near the check in/common areas) please include that info as well. Does anyone know where I could get a copy of a map of this property? If I need to change the ressie, how does this work, if it does??? I'm getting nervous!

TIA for your help!
Berta

 

[ExRIGuy]

Stayed at the Kingsmill recently and it is very nice. I am from VA and have heard mixed reviews on Manor Club.

 

[Connears]

We stayed there 2 summers ago and it was wonderful! It was our first venture out of dvc since joining in 1994. We were in Manor club II, which is the 2nd phase and it is within walking distance from the check-in and main area. We had a one bedroom and it was beautiful. full kitchen, dining room table(huge), fireplace in living room, screned in porch outside master, master bedroom has jacuzzi. there are alot of activities (like HHI and OKW) for adults and kids throughout the week, pool by check-in is small, but the one by our unit was bigger. There is a store and pizza hut at the main pool area. tThe concierge staff are very helpful for dining suggestions and tee times, etc.here are grills and picnic table all around. It is on the road from the golf course so if you golf it is great(we didn't). convenient to colonial williamsburg, busch gardens and jamestown by car. We got a great combo multi-pass for all three of these online. It was 2 adults and 2 teens when we were there in June..it is very hot and humid! We would definitely stay there again.

Connears

 

[Dean]

It's been more than 2 years but the only knock I could have on the resort is it's distance out of town. If you can find someone who owns there or have an aquaintance that owns Marriott, you could also get free golf with a stay. I think it's 3 days at 2 rounds per if I recall correctly. Unlike Marriott's Heritage in HH where every exchanger gets the free golf for 7 days, you must be staying as a Marriott owner or guest to get the free golf.

 

[BroganMc]

We own Manor Club and have gone there every summer for the last 4 years (this year will make the 5th). My mom fell in love with the place in '03 and insisted my dad buy there. Since then we've had family reunions there 2 years in a row. Usually we get rooms for my brothers and share one with my sister.

I don't know the content of those bad reviews, but I'd call them into question. It truly is a beautiful resort. It's small and in a gated golfing community. We own Phase I, which means we stay on the side closest to the check-in. But my brother has stayed in Phase II in a studio. Phase I only has 2bedroom dedicated units. Phase II has the lockoffs. Both phases have nearby pools. Phase II is closer to the Community Center.

They have a lot of activities scheduled throughout the week. Long walks in the community (has paved bike paths away from the road), bike trails, scavenger hunts, wine tastings, movie nights, group parties, ice cream socials, and day trips to DC.

We usually go in August because that's when my nieces and nephews are off from school. (I'd prefer a cooler time. It can easily reach high 90's/low 100's that time of the year in the MidAtlantic.)

We go to Historic Williamsburg for a day or two. Then we'll alternate Yorktown and Jamestown. My siblings usually take the kids to Water Country USA a day, and we've all gone to Busch Gardens (one of the prettiest theme parks around). Other side trips include the Williamsburg Pottery Factory, Outlet Mall, nearby wineries, and a ton of restaurants. Also they just built a new movie complex/shopping center off the bypass. We took everyone last year to see Harry Potter open and then to Barnes & Noble for the 7th book launch party at midnight.

Oh and don't forget to eat dinner at one of the taverns in Historic Williamsburg. My mom loved Christianna Campbell's best.

One other thing, because of the location of the resort (south of US 60) it can get hard to find after dark. I usually keep my eye out for the Williamsburg Montessori School on the right. The entrance to Ford's Colony is just ahead on the left.

 

[Starr W.]

My sister and I stayed at the Manor Club in September in a 2br in the Berkley building(phase I). I love the style and the quiet location.

The units are HUGE compared to a DVC 2br. I loved the fact they have a proper dining table. It's a nice resort, looks like they could do some work on the landscaping(the trees really need to thinned on top to let the sun in on the schrubs, which look like they need to be replaced).

The unit was spotless, but I'm not the type to crawl on the floor looking for stains and loose baseboards in the kitchen.

I didn't find the unit as quiet as the DVC units. I could have sworn we had a family of elephants above us. Geez those people thumped around enough.

I like the location, yes you do have to drive, but we didn't have a problem. I have stayed also at Kingsmill, which is way out of town also and I've stayed at one of the Colonial Williamsburg hotels, right in the middle of the action.

We enjoyed ourselves, spent a day at the outlet mall(had to use the local shipping place to send all our stuff home, coach purses, LL Bean hiking boots and a bunch of stuff from Eddie Bauer). Spent a day at Colonial Williamsburg, heard Patrick Henry and another day at Yorktown and Jamestown.

Staff was very nice, talked to the Marriott salesperson(didn't try to push any sales). Quite a few coupons for discounts at the local restaurants.

I would go back again to Williamsburg, but I think if I took the kids, I would lean a bit towards King's Creek, but I wouldn't turn down Manor Club.