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WorldMark Windsor - Resort Review |
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WorldMark Windsor |
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submit your review of WorldMark Windsor
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| Author: |
maltini |
| Visited on: |
08/10/2004 |
| Average Rating: |
4.75 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
09/07/2004 |
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Pros:
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Location is away from the hustle and bustle of Santa Rosa. Convenient to town, yet in a quiet, country setting. Units are very large. The swimming pool was kept at a very comfortable (warm) setting as was the hot tub. Office staff was very helpful and friendly. |
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Cons:
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Some air traffic noise. Farm animals (although cute) were awake very early in the morning. Access to pools from elevators/stairs awkward for many buildings. |
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Review:
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I have stayed at the WM Windsor twice. I usually stay with friends when I return to the Bay Area, but it is nice to have a place to call home and offer them hospitality once in a while. The units are large, tastefully decorated and very comfortable. I love the fireplace and gas grill on the patio.
The resort is conveniently located off of Hwy 101 north of Santa Rosa. Wine country is within an easy reach, as are the redwood trees, Bodega Bay, the Charles Schulz (Peanuts) museum, and the Russian River. The Luther Burbank Center for the Arts always has quality events and concerts. Lake Sonoma, for boaters, is just north of Healdsburg and offers a very nice boat ramp and a lake surrounded by oak trees.
A little farther afield is Napa County with the mud baths of Calistoga, a winery of two :) or San Francisco. If you are coming from the east (Sacramento) stop by the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory for a tour and a taste or to purchase belly flops (the seconds). There is also a Budweiser plant in the same area. Marin County - between Sonoma County and SF - offers Mt. Tamalpais, Muir Woods, Pt. Reyes Seashore and Tomales. Tomales oysters are the best and are perfect for BBQ'ing.
I have stayed in a one bedroom, a two bedroom and a two bedroom special needs. All were well equipped and ready for me upon my arrival. The resort staff was very friendly, even when I arrived very late. I have not had time to take part in any of the resort activities, but the massage sure sounded great!
Ione Maltin |
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| Author: |
janetez |
| Visited on: |
09/09/2004 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
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| Submitted on: |
09/13/2004 |
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Review:
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We checked into a special needs unit and were impressed with the overall attention to detail. The rooms were not large, but arranged with quality furnishings and art works on the walls. There was a murphy bed, fireplace, washer, dryer, and all those things you have come to expect at a WorldMark Resort.
The weather was in the 90's the first couple of days, but there is air conditioning in the rooms keeping everything nice.
The large pool next to the lobby, has a large hot tub and kiddie pool. There are a couple of smaller hot tubs, farther out from the lobby and close to the other buildings. Having our room in Bld 4, we thought the hot tub (just around the corner) was great! The grounds are pretty and well kept.
The front desk help was awesome! We asked about a wine tour, but decided that because Jim was handicapped and would probably need to come back to rest before a tour was over, we opted to drive to some of the closer wineries. Adrian, at the front desk, was wonderful! He ask what kind of wines we liked, then mapped out a route for us to follow, listing the kind of wines at each place. He gave us coupons for those places that needed them, and told us to let them know that we were from WorldMark and the tastings were free. (Many had a 10% discount, also.)
There are lots of activities in the lobby area every day. (By the way, you can get Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream in the lobby)
For those looking for the closest Casino, there are coupons in the lobby that will cost you $1 that can be changed into $10 cash at the Casino. There is also a shuttle every day.
We would recommend WM Windsor to all. It is less than 1 mile off Hwy 101. A beautiful resort in a great area!
Janet and Jim
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| Author: |
AreWeThereYet |
| Visited on: |
11/20/2004 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
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| Submitted on: |
10/11/2004 |
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Pros:
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Nice location. Near wineries that are less crowded than Napa/Sonoma. Could still drive to Napa/Sonoma if you wish. Just over an hour to S.F. Russian River a good place to canoe in the summer. 45 minutes to the coast- pretty but not really swimming beaches in the ocean here. |
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Cons:
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Walkways are so brightly lit up at night, and window coverings aren't the best, so some bedrooms get to much outside light at nights. |
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Review:
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Very helpful, professional staff. Pancake breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings WAS great for meeting other owners (has been discontinued since I first wrote this). Worldmark staffs are generally very helpful with info about local activities, but this staff really stands out for doing an excellent job with advise, directions to local attractions, even recommending a restaurant and making reservations for us! The resort management has done an excellent job of setting up relationships with local businesses: a winery will come in and do wine tasting from 4-5 on Thursday and Friday, a massage studio will do massages at the resort (by appt), busses run in the evening to and from the nearby casino, a local BBQ company does BBQs on the patio on some evenings. The staff is generally excellent at any of the 10+ WM resorts I've been too, but all could benefit from seeing the job done here.
Plenty to do in the area. I live close enough to Napa and San Francisco that I wouldn't use this resort as a 'base' for visiting either, but it would work well for someone visiting from out of the area. Santa Rosa (large town of 150,000 plus) 10 minutes south. Healdsburg (former dump, recently yuppified town with cute shops) 10 minutes north (I sat in a nice park reading the paper while my wife shopped). Downtown Windsor also appeared from no where in the last 10 years (more shops for my wife to visit, ugh). Guernville and many other little river towns to the west have a cute 'artsy' feel to them. Staff is very up to date opn local goings on.
Area gets more rain than most Bay Area locals, and gets hotter in the summer, but overall the weather is good here.
Nice units, new, nice grounds, great staff. |
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| Author: |
catattack77 |
| Visited on: |
04/02/2005 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
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| Submitted on: |
04/06/2005 |
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Pros:
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Built in a gorgeous valley right off the freeway (101), so very easy to find. Golf course with terrific restaurant right behind the resort. Large rooms, spacious, lots of storage space. Pros too numerous! |
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Review:
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Perhaps the Depoe Bay resort is a little nicer, it's living room a little bigger, and the view nicer, but that's nitpicking. This is a beautiful resort.
Very easy to find, right off the freeway, less than a mile down Shiloh Road. Easy check-in, although the Front Desk was kept busy with requests for dinner recommendations, directions to wineries and casinos, and accepting money for things bought in the gift shop. (We bought several items, including two mugs, a wine corkscrew, lots of little things.) The staff was very accommodating, very pleasant and patient. My only complaint -- which isn't really a complaint -- is that they should have a sheet explaining everything they have to offer. It would be much easier on us, knowing what we could ask for!
There are at least 100 wineries within 20 minutes of the resort. Lots of shopping, too, at the wineries themselves. And such beautiful countryside as you hunt for each one! There's a casino 20 minutes away, and they will even pick you up at the resort.
It rained the entire time we were there (early April 2005), but that didn't slow us down. If anything, it meant there were fewer crowds at the wineries. Although we couldn't have our lunch on the grounds, we ate very comfortably at Korbel in their deli.
There were a lot of older kids there the weekend we stayed. I wouldn't think this area would offer much for teenagers, let alone younger kids. But the resort had basketball courts, which were used often. And right off the lobby was a pool table/ping pong ball area with a jukebox and video arcade, and that's where all the kids were. It was noisy, but it was all theirs...an ideal set-up for them and for those of us who don't have kids!
The living room in the unit is quite spacious. I used the Murphy bed in the living room, which was easy to operate and roomy, very comfortable. My friend used the bedroom, and loved it. The bathroom is very spacious, which is surprising.
The kitchen was wonderfully put together (love those islands!). We had to set all the clocks ahead one hour Saturday night, and laughingly went around re-setting all the clocks in the place - at least 5.
This is a five-star resort, and after you stay here, you can't imagine staying in any kind of motel or even a hotel. |
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| Author: |
ladycody |
| Visited on: |
03/26/2006 |
| Average Rating: |
4.75 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
04/01/2006 |
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Pros:
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Gorgeous Rooms, Centrally located, Heated pool |
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Cons:
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spice "packets", no enforcement of adult swim hours |
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Review:
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We just returned from 5 days at Windsor and I was duly impressed. The rooms are beautifully appointed with rich wood tones, muted burgandy, golds, sage greens, and rich creams.
The units are fairly spacious and contain: stocked kitchen, washer/dryer, dishwasher, iron&board, vacuum, hairdryer, tv/dvd/stereo in living room, tv/dvd in master bedroom, murphy bed, balcony with gas grill. The kitchen had the spices in a little rack and they were small packets...which is one of the only things I didnt care for...shakers are much more user friendly and I would think would allow for less waste as well...but who knows).
The resort offers a game room/lounge area that includes a big screen tv, video games, airhockey, pool table, ping pong and a jukebox. The lounge section has comfortable seating and a large fireplace. Inside the same building is a workout room (well utilized by owners) with a universal machine of some sort, treadmills bikes etc...it was smallish but there were plenty of people who used it. Also in the same building was the business office with 2 computers and free internet access and a small shop (not much in the shop...some of the other resorts have much bigger selections.)
Right outside this building was a large BBQ area with a big grill and some large tables that would be wonderful for having a good sized get-together. There is one pool and spa here as well, along with at least one other pool and spa (which was near our unit). The pools are heated to a beautiful 85 degrees so that even with our rather inclement weather, the kids could spend hours there without ever getting cold. They also had a sport court and a childrens play area.
Windsor is centrally located to so many areas. There are wineries everywhere (ask at the front desk for some complimentary tasting cards...we got them for Simi and Kendal Jackson and were able to try reserves as well...$40 value for the 2 vinyards for 2 people). Healdsburg...a very cute town with multiple tasting rooms, is 5-10 minutes away (try the brew pub there...air is steamy and full of the scent of hops brewing and the food was very good). Calistoga was 20-25 minutes away and very cute. Santa Rosa was 5-10 minutes away as well. There are wineries and tasting rooms literally everywhere...go a block...you'll find another. Check out the following link for more info on wineries and events in the area: http://www.winecountrythisweek.com/site/regions/2.html
We didnt get to the coast but were told Bodega Bay is a little under an hour and San Franciso was just over an hour away.
The Sonoma Traintown was nearby as well: http://www.traintown.com/
(go to the tour for an idea of what they offer)
and a water park too: http://www.windsorwaterslides.com/
...but they hadnt opened for the season yet
Even without the kids attractions...ours (4&7) had fun. We did take them to the Funky Monkey on one rainy day after lunch (picture a chucky-cheese type place with lousy food but the kids loved it....just eat before you go.) |
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| Author: |
miss_inscan |
| Visited on: |
04/10/2005 |
| Average Rating: |
5.00 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
07/16/2006 |
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Pros:
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The staff has wonderful suggestions. You just tell them what you're thinking about doing and they'll pull out a map and send you on your way. |
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Cons:
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You have to drive to see things in the area. Its not like Seaside where you can park your car for a few days and visit everything on foot. |
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Review:
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This was our first resort that we stayed at after buying in April 2005. I (Barb) stayed again in August 2005.
We love a long drive and this location is 11 hours from our home. It's so nice to get there and feel at home and instantly be relaxed. The units are clean and look new.
From this resort we've spent a day doing the following:
Going to SF to see Alcatraz and China town.
Driving along the coast line.
Touring wineries.
Shopping in Windsor (Powell's candy is a must!) and in Healdsburg.
The best part of the day is coming back and grilling dinner and then soaking in the hot tub. We love the bbqs!
The staff is the best! One thing we've learned is that we can go to a resort with no plans of what to do in the area, but after checking in and talking to the staff we have loads of options. |
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| Author: |
lconnors |
| Visited on: |
09/03/2005 |
| Average Rating: |
3.75 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
07/16/2006 |
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Pros:
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Lovely resort, nice location. Good layout |
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Cons:
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Lack of parking new the units. |
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Review:
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We got to the resort after dark. It's easy to find and it's very pretty. I was temporarily handicapped and there was NO parking anywhere near our unit, handicapped or not. There we also a few dead flies in the 2nd bedroom. Otherwise, the unit was very clean. It was a pretty nice layout with nice ammenities, those that we've come to expect from WM. We'll go back when the opportunity presents itself. |
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| Author: |
Zac495 |
| Visited on: |
07/19/2005 |
| Average Rating: |
4.75 |
| Staff professionalism: |
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| Submitted on: |
07/19/2006 |
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Pros:
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each unit has its own barbeque on the deck! |
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Review:
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http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=7935457&uid=500274&members=1
Go there for the pictures!
We had a 3 bedroom unit and it was beautiful. One room had 2 twins, one with a queen, and the master bedroom had a king bed. The living room had a Murphy bed! You could fit a town in that unit.
We loved sitting on our deck and grilling. LOVELY. The area is beautiful and you can read about our wine tasting adventures at the link above.
The pool area is fine - nothing impressive like Marriott - but there is so much to do in the area, so who cares? There was a really nice kids' area with a pool table and games.
I felt perfectly comfortable letting the kids roam from the room to the clubhouse alone (not to the pool obviously).
Have fun!
Cheers,
Ellen |
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| Author: |
Swarthog |
| Visited on: |
07/23/2006 |
| Average Rating: |
3.50 |
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| Submitted on: |
07/28/2006 |
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Pros:
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Close to Freeway, Great Pools, Spas, public rooms. Easy Check in/out. Nice old Oak trees adorn the property. |
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Cons:
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Tub dirty and didn't drain. Poor sound insulation. TV's, as usual are too small. Carpet so stained for such a new resort. |
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Review:
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We checked into our unit using Bonus time (great find) on Sunday 7/23. We had left the East Bay earlier to go on a hike up at Montgomery Woods State reserve, home to the former Tallest tree in the world. We arrived at 3:20PM and our room was ready, and as usual the front desk staff was right on top of everything. We were in unit 8101, a special needs 2BR. Not that we need it, but it is nice to get due to the restroom. You dont feel packed in like a sardine on the toilet and the shower has that wonderful hand held head, too bad the tub took 4 hours to drain. The common areas are very nice and the 2nd pool right near our unit was just great for a cool dip in the 110 degree heat. We headed out to Armstrong Woods the next morning and hiked. Caution, bring DEET or the skeeters will eat you alive. On the way back I noticed a thicket of wild Blackberries along Whorley Rd. and we stopped and picked, and picked, mmmm good. I then made some quick jam back at our condo. I did receive a call about picking up a welcome package, but we never got the chance. We tend to be out of the room most of the day and use our condo to cook and eat, watch TV before bed , and sleep. The kitchen is just fine, but I guess I don't understand the use of crappy formica counters and then installing Asko Dishwashers. It also appears that the construction (overall) is just Okay and that upkeep might get costly in the near future. I still have my TV gripe, the one in the BR is useless, and a 19" in the LR is a joke. TV's do not cost that much especially when buying 1000's a year. This leaves sleep, Beds were fine, a bit hard but I really can't complain. Overall the Windsor WM makes a fine base for this area and I would be happy to return here again. |
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1 June 2005:
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