The Historic Powhatan Resort

“Basically a Renovated Condo”

Extended our week's stay at Colonial Williamsburg by (2) days by renting this 2nd floor unit (aka no jacuzzi, nor steam shower), and was mildly disappointed by the downgrade from staying at their sister resort at Greensprings. The two resorts have very little in common except for sharing the Diamond International (or Sunterra, whichever is the flavor of the week) ownership name. Thankfully we stayed at Greensprings first for 7-days, so the 2-days here were basically quick and forgetable.

I'm not certain whether this should be call this a "resort", or rather an extended stay suite with cooking facilities (similar to a Marriott's Residence Inn). The attic cutout in the ceiling, the wood-burning fireplace in the living room, the circuit breaker in the master bedroom, and the algae on the deck made it painfully obvious that these units were intended to be condominiums that just didn't sell, or apartments that just didn't rent.

Not really THAT bad, but certainly not comparable with other resorts in the area, or their "sister" resorts in the Diamond network.

Spent the last week of June 2009 here with our two teenage boys. Having read several of the more negative comments here, I was wondering what we had gotten into, but we were very pleased with our stay. The location is great (once we found the place, because Ironbound Road appears to be be 2 separate roads and Mapquest and our GPS steered us wrong), never more than 15 minutes away from everything we wanted to do. Restaurants, fast food (teenagers!) and groceries were close by. Our two room unit was beautifully decorated and spacious. From reading their website, it appears Diamond Resorts are new owners and are doing a complete update on the property. The rec building was closed for the week due to renovations, but that wasn't a great hardship as we were there primarily for Colonial Williamsburg and the amusement parks. (note: we purchased a "Bounce Pass" for a nice discount from the Busch Gardens website ahead of time, with unlimited admission to Busch Gardens, the water park, and Colonial Williamsburg for 7 days, including free parking, so we got to go each place multiple times for no extra charges). I would definitely stay here again next time we visit the area.

My parents and I stayed here the first week of May. I called ahead to make sure there was late check-in since the traffic was rather backed up due to a wreck and the fact that it was Friday evening. The operator was very nice and said it would not be a problem.

The resort is beautiful. We weren't sure what to expect as this was our first time. Wow, what a pleasant surprise! Our 2BR/2BA upstairs unit was so nice. It must have been recently redone...fresh paint and carpet throughout. The kitchen was small but very well-equipped. We ate breakfast in the unit every morning to save time and money and had everything we needed. The bedrooms and bathrooms were very spacious and clean. There is a washer/dryer so we used it to do our towels every other day...just bring your own supplies because they only give you enough for one load.

We ate at the Grille a few times and all the food we had was excellent. The waitresses and hostesses were very friendly and remembered us each time. We did not use the pool but did happen to walk through the area. It was well-maintained and there was an attendant on duty to hand out towels.

We were entertained by the constant parade of geese and goslings all over the property.

The concierge desk was very helpful and gave us several area maps and menus to use during our stay, which came in handy. There is so much to do in the area that you can't possibly be bored. Colonial Williamsburg was close by and very nice.

We also took a bus tour which consisted of a tour of the naval base in Norfolk and the USS Wisconsin, General MacArthur's Memorial, a trip out into Chesapeake Bay on a schooner, and also stopped for lunch. There were other guided tours to be taken but we figured the one we took pretty much covered it all.

I think we would all stay here again, and would probably even bring more people with us the next time.

The only reason I didn't give a 5-star rating is because there is no basic housekeeping unless you pay extra for it. Also, at one point when we went to eat at the Grille, we had to enter through the lower entrance and climb a flight of steps to get to the restaurant. The regular outside entrance was blocked because they had decided to resurface the ramp leading straight into the restaurant. My mother has difficulty with steps due to a knee problem so it was a bit rough for her to walk that flight.

Nice resort 10 minutes from Colonial Williamsburg and 10 minutes from Busch Gardens & Water Country. Fast check in (at 12:30 am the day after week began) and requested room was honored. Everyone was Very nice, always waving as we walked or drove by staff. The unit was comfortable, although the entire resort could use a coat of paint and new asphalt on the roads. We had several maintenance issues that never were fixed (bad tube on one tv and broken hot tub). The hot tub never was usable despite the "spa staff" trying to get it working and the old blurry tv in the master was never changed out. There are two tv's in the unit, one small tube set in the master and one small tube set in the living room (nothing in the guest br). The unit was Very clean and comfy and had the usual pots, pans, blender, etc.

We would go back again,but if I was a couple looking to use the hot tub, I would have been angry.

There was a smallish indoor pool that was well maintained with chlorine and chemicals and a kids playground that had sharp broken plastic from a broken steering wheel and chipped, damaged wood floor that should have been replaced long ago. Also, to charge guests for minigolf in a carpeted plywood course is squeezing guests for extra money in my opinion.

However, if you want a large clean room to go to Williamsburg, this place is great.

Stayed there August of this year.Had a fantastic time in Va.,so much to do.I stayed in a remodeled 2 B.R.unit.Very well done.Tried to sell me 3 thousand Diamond Points(Very pushy)for $10,000.Bought a 4 B.R. wk.52 for $3000 from a resale place(Worth 15,000 pts.anually).Will take my family there yearly.I grew up in Wash.,D.C. area,forgot how beautiful Williamsburg is.I own at 3 other properties(Kings Creek,Poipu Point,and The Resort on Cocoa Beach).This property is just as nice as those.Nothing fancy,very clean,plenty of room for family of 6.After complete re-model ,property should be rated GOLD CROWN.I highly recomend for family vacation.