Sheraton Vistana Review....2/08

[alliesmommy]

We've been back about 3 weeks now and I'm just getting around to posting my review of SVR.

I was a little hesitant to stay here after reading so many negative reviews on Trip Advisor and the like, but I have to say, we LOVED this resort!

I signed up to do Diamond Lane express check in on Sunday, 2/10, but we arrived about 10 minutes too late to use it. No need, really. We only had to wait for about 5 minutes before getting the nicest clerk to check us in. She was very friendly and chatted with us during the entire process. I had requested a room in the Cascades section on the first floor on our Diamond Lane paperwork and I was happy to see that our request was granted....for the most part. We had a 2 BR Villa on the 3rd floor, but it was just off the elevator. We literally just had to step off the elevator and we were at our front door.

I really don't have anything negative to say about our stay. The villa was well stocked and very clean. I loved having the extra room for our 12 month old DD to roam. She loved being able to walk out on the balcony and watch the ducks. The villa was very large, with a jacuzzi tub in the master with a king bed, and two double beds in the 2nd bedroom. There was a queen sized sleeper sofa in the living room.

My in-laws own a timeshare through Interval and traded for this resort. We were never hassled about attending a timeshare presentation. We had to listen to a very short spiel upon check in (less than a 5 min presentation) but we told them we weren't interested and never heard anything from them again.

We were aware that housekeeping was at a minimum because of the time share, so we just picked up after ourselves during the week. Housekeeping did come by once during our stay and made the beds and traded towels, etc. The rooms they stored linens in was just outside our door and was left open several times during our stay. If we needed towels, we would just go grab a few from there. Anytime we needed anything else from housekeeping, we just called and it was waiting for us when we returned at night.

It was extremely nice to have a full kitchen and washer and dryer, especially with a baby. We were able to cook breakfast every morning and store our leftovers from dinners and what not.

We didn't use much of the recreation here because we spent the majority of our time in the parks. There seemed to be an abundance of things to do here. My MIL commented that if you wanted, you'd never have to leave the resort. There always seemed to be something going on.

High speed WIFI access was free. It was slow at times, but worked out great for what we needed.

All and all, this is a wonderful place for families. It is a huge resort. It was nice and quiet when we were there. We never heard a peep from others staying here, even being just outside the elevator. We wouldn't hesitate to stay here again.

 

[skiyalater]

It does look really nice. How are the pools; tennis; running trails?

 

[eventamy]

I had the same experience in February. We did not have an elevator though on a third floor and that was tough walking up with a 4 year old and a then 9 month old.
Loved the proximity to the parks, LOVED having a washer/dryer and a kitchen. Great experience for us too.
We used the Fountains pool once and it was fun. Never checked out the tennis or trails, too busy off site!

 

[VickiVM]

What is the proximity to parks? Did anyone use the shuttles? There is a special on Deb Wills site - $129/nt for 2 bedroom in mid July through Sept. Sounds like an unbelievable bargain!

 

[Eveningsong]

If you have Starwood points you can stay at both the Vistana Villages, or the Vistana Resort for 11,500 points per night.

Normally you cannot use your Starwood points for these locations. But for a limited time you can take advantage of this offer.

I believe also if you book 4 nights with points you get the 5 night free.

 

[aamob]

are the washer and dryer coin operated? Just wondering if I need to pack quarters. How busy are the pools? Any of them quieter than others?

 

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks for the review Alliesmommy ! Glad u had a nice time and were lucky enough to get the Cascades !!!

To address some of the questions........
washer/dryer is free in each villa.
There are 7 pools scattered throughout the resort. All are heated, though I noticed over the years they are getting a little less heated. Still not bad. Most pools also have hot tubs nearby. Two pools are zero depth entry (Cascades and Lakes pools), one pool has a slide (Falls section), one has a rock formation with small waterfall (Fountains), and the Super pool over in the older section is open until 1 am.

Proximity to the parks is anywhere from 7-15 min with light to average traffic. During holiday times it can take longer just because traffic can be heavy in general.

I've never done the entire running trail. I'm more of a walker vs a runner and I'm always stopping to feed the ducks or keeping my eye out for a stray otter or two. There's a good amount of tennis courts---they have both clay and hard surface. Only a very few times did we have a wait for a court. Usually we can get right in.

I've never used the shuttles because I find the schedules inconvient to our touring plans. We much prefer the freedom of a rental car. Also, there is only one shuttle stop and depending on where you are in this resort, you could have quite a hike to the shuttle stop. I highly recommend using a rental car. No other way to go at this resort imho.

The only trouble right now with Vistana is that the $129 rate could get you a new section of the resort, or one of the oldest. There is a big difference between the 9 different sections. Currently, the Lakes just completed a MAJOR rehab. The Fountains I & II should be done late summer. I believe the Springs and Fall will follow but won't be done until late 2008 or early 2009.

Hope this helped to answer some of your questions (btw, I am an owner at Vistana since '94).

 

[MiaSRN62]

We did not have an elevator though on a third floor and that was tough walking up with a 4 year old and a then 9 month old.

eventamy or anyone........
to avoid this in the future, request either an elevator building (only Cascades or Lakes) or a ground floor. We've owned at Vistana since '94 when my kids were 18 months, 3 and 6 years old. We're weird I guess....because we used to always request 3rd floor because we loved having the vaulted ceiling and skylight in the living room (we own in the Fountains section). But there were years when we traveled with my mil who could not tolerate the stairs and Vistana always gave us a ground floor.

Use the Diamond Lane for requests :
https://www.mystarcentral.com/services/diamond.jsp?propertyId=01&IM=SVO_RC_DIA_SVR