Orlando Florida - Unbiased Review of Summer Bay Resort Timeshares

The FIVE types of Lodging at Summer Bay (in order of desirability): 

• Luxury Vacation Homes - Sleeps 8, private screened-in pool and  Spa
• Condos - One step up from the villas with larger Jacuzzi tubs, sleeps 8.
• Villas - we stayed in a two bedroom villa, it was immaculate with a jet tub. Sleeps 6. See photos.
• Holiday Inn Express at Summer Bay (your typical HI Express
• The Inn at Summer Bay - across the highway from the actual resort, I did not go in but from the location, it is not desirable compared to the above options.

I was very nervous about staying at the Villas at Summer Bay, mostly because the reviews on Trip Advisor were all over the board.  This is the EXACT reason that I wanted to create this website to dispel myths in the "review" business. 

OVERVIEW:  We stay at a timeshare 1-2 times a year in Orlando, this was one of our favorite resorts because of the ages of our children (7 & under) and the activities.  There was so much to do, for the first time ever we skipped all of the parks and just played in the pools and on the beach.

WHAT WE LIKED BEST ABOUT THE RESORT: Heated pools around every corner with hot tubs (no need to drive to a pool), beach for hours of enjoyment for the kids, optional activities like bike rentals, water trampolines at a reasonable rental price, clean rooms, friendly staff, hot tubs dedicated "Adults Only" and hot tubs that allowed children when accompanied by an adult.  Walk-in "beach style" pools for little ones.  Separated heated toddler pools. Nighttime entertainment.  Free minigolf for kids 5 and under. Game Room.  Craft Activities.  The resort staff goes out of their way to help guests to the point of giving a tired mom a ride to the main pools in their golf cart. Plenty of clean towels at the main pool.

CLEANLINESS:  The rooms at the Villas were impeccably clean, although we did see one cockroach during a 7 day stay in one of our three rooms.  I chalk this up to being being in Florida as it's not a reflection of the resorts cleanliness.  I called the front desk to report the sighting and she offered to send maintenance immediately with a non-toxic organic pesticide.   Every where you turn there is housekeeping and maintenance staff, they are at your beck and call for anything.  When I arrived the jets in my hot tub didn't work, so I called maintenance, within 10 minutes a friendly guy was in the bathroom and explained that their was air in the lines it just needed another minute of running and would come back.  Which it did, he explained that sometimes people hit the jet buttons when the tub isn't full and air gets in the lines.  I was impressed at how quickly he came to our rescue.  While there, I told the worker that I dripped maple syrup on the cooktop and couldn't get it clean as it burned in.  Within 1/2 hour housekeeping arrived and cleaned that (no charge).

Interactive Children's Water Feature:  This was right outside our villas and all day we could hear the faint screams of joy as children braved the cold water.  This seemed to be popular with children 5-10 years of age as they seemed more apt to brave the chilly waters than their younger counterparts.  This is staffed with an activity supervisor who hands out towels for the little ones!

Paddle Boats and Water "Toys":  We paid $5 for six people to paddle around the lake which was worth it for the novelty.  I also paid $5 for myself and my son to enjoy the "water rock climbing" and trampolines, which exhausted us but was a nice change of pace from sand castles.  Jetskis and bikes are also available to rent.

SUMMER BAY AS COMPARED TO PARKVIEW AND ORANGE LAKE:  We liked Parkview as it was small and you could look out your condo window and see the pool and playground below, but Parkview had few other entertainment options making it ideal for families hitting the parks.  Orange Lake has the nicest rooms but is very spread out and if you are in the wrong building (like we were) this meant driving even to go to a pool.  We liked Summer Bay Villas the best as pools were around every corner, the beach was beautiful, the resort is walkable and has many activity options and playgrounds were ideal for our children 7 & under.  We did visit Orange Lake before the new waterpark was built so we might have to go back and see if we change our mind.

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