The Historic Powhatan Resort Reviews & Ratings

Very nice 4 bedroom lakefront townhouse. Close to shopping, waterpark and Busch Gardens.

I've been an Owner for a number of years. The Resort location is close to a number of attractions, eateries, historical locations... BUT away from the traffic noise!

Love this resort! Beautiful pond with white swans swimming in front of Historic Plantation home that is open to walk through. Grounds include pools, period gardens, Plantation kitchen and the cappuccino's in the morning sitting in the Gazebo by the lake is stunning. Historic Williamsburg is minutes away and so much more to see! This lockout unit is spacious and the upper unit, 81B is a loft.

Great vacation spot for the family to stay anytime throughout the year. It has been one of our favorite 'go to' vacation destinations for many years! One year, we had the opportunity to stay in December when the Grand Illumination took place. That week was one of our best stays to be able to experience a very impressive historical celebration!

A great place very close to Colonial Williamsburg and other activities. A beautifully kept time share on the Powhatan campus. Lots of things to do on the resort campus without even leaving!

The resort is in a great location to visit many local sites. The units are clean, spacious and comfortable. There are lots of activities including beautiful pools,tennis courts, walking trails,an outdoor pavilion, and a playground.

Great location with many activities at the resort to do. 4 different outside swimming pools along with the in-door pool. All can be walked to from rental unit.

Daily activities for children on site

Williamsburg, Jamestown, Busch Gardens, Wet n Wild, Yorktown are some of the local activities

Great Family Get Away

This is a great family resort with tons of amenities on the resort including multiple pools, mini-golf, tennis courts and more. Close to all Williamsburg attractions including Busch Gardens, Water Country USA and the Historic Williamsburg areas.

Excellent location. Close to all the attractions. Our unit was clean, newly painted with new rugs and a Williamsburg theme. Bed was very comfortable. Grounds very well kept and welcoming . We did not have much interaction with the staff except with check in , which was fairly easy and fast.

We're noticing that timeshares are beginning to show problems with increased costs. Our unit had no little decorations--fake flowers, sofa pillows, extra bed pillows, other things we've come to expect. The presentation was standard, and their best offer came downstairs as we went to get our gift. It was 15,000 points to be used in 18 months, plus their specially priced deals for life. For about $3000. MUCH better than the big bucks upstairs. Tip: if you live near Williamsburg, take the 3-day colonial village gift option, then at the colonial village ticket sales exchange your tickets for annual ones--$13 per adult. You get to go on the special tours, get a reduction in prices, etc. and you can come back as much as you like. Another tip: try the Nawab restaurant. Their weekday lunch buffet is inexpensive and delicious. You'll be saying, "This is how Indian food SHOULD taste!" Of 16 dishes, only one or two (well labeled) are "spicy." Add a mango lassi and you have a gourmet lunch!

Staff tried to force me to attend a presentation. Refused check in. I am a senior and felt abused . Asked to check in without a presentation over 10 times befor receiving my unit and key.Never treated like this.

I enjoyed my stay here during the Fall months (October 2010). Duayne was great with coordinating our vacation. I have to rate Staff/Service a 3 because I did not have to call upon them. I highly recommend this location to families. Conveniently located near shops and sites.

My wife and I really liked this place, our married daughter liked it a lot, our son-in-law hasn't spent a lot of time in condos and wasn't as impressed, especially his bathroom, which really wasn't bad. (We have been in many time share resorts.) This unit has not been updated yet, and it was still very nice. A 2-bdrm, very roomy. Most furniture was comfortable, beds were comfy, unless you don't like firm beds, and the kitchen was large enough to do cooking. Could use a few bigger glasses and more plates. My BIG complaint was there was no salt and pepper provided. Basics should always be in the kitchen. The screen door immediately fell off its track. The kitchen sink faucet assembly moved. Picky, picky, picky. These are minor problems. Diamond is refurbishing the resort, and the updated unit we visited was gorgeous. We sat through a too long presentation to get a very good deal on Colonial Williamsburg tickets, but it was low pressure. We would stay here again if we did another east coast trip. It is close to everything you would want to see.

Had a wonderful stay here. I could find no evidence of all the negative comments I've sometimes seen written about Powhatan. I believe Diamond Resorts and their management team appear to have "turned-a-corner" on whatever problems they may have had. Our unit had new furniture and carpets, the kitchen had granite counter tops and every thing was immaculate. The beds had new mattresses that were super comfy with upgraded linens. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained, as were the indoor and outdoor pools. Only complaint was the low-light of the units. I suppose it has something to do with energy efficiency, but the only place in the unit that had adequate light for reading was the dining room table. I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone visiting Williamsburg and the surrounding areas.

“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.