Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa Reviews & Ratings

I am owner since 2004. I purchased a 3 bedroom unit week 27. I was never satisfied. I expected it to be a 5 star resort with the price that I am paying now plus the yearly maintenance and taxes. First time to use it was in summer of 2006. Our check in was not a delight at all. 1st 5 mins of our stay in the room, we heard people screaming next door. I have my 2 kids with me who were scared to death and my husband had to call the security and front desk to get us another unit which they did. We ended up getting a unit near the pool which was too noisy especially at night. The room was dirty, carpet was wet and smelly, furniture was very old , the bed was too hard. Not comfortable at all. And the beddings felt like paper, they could at least use cotton sheets not hospital sheets and blankets. Seriously, I work in a hospital and the sheets, blankets and towels they provide were just like the ones we use in the hospital. We can hear the upstairs toilet flushing, and can see water backing up from the tub. The a/c was not working, had to call maintenance in the middle of the night but was not able to fix it till the morning. The staff were not friendly. They always look very busy. There was no wireless internet but they could at least have high speed internet in the rooms. I was disappointed. Good thing we didnt have to spend our time in the resort. we were always out to the parks from morning till night. I will not come back to this resort , though Im an owner. I will take advantage of the benefit to exchange my week in other resorts instead. I am also planning to sell my timeshare.

Stayed for a week in July in one of the provately owned villas. Not bad, 2 bedrooms and 2 baths with a nice sitting area overlooking the lake. Complex is nice overall, not on the same caliber as Marriott's GV or CH. Did not have anyone attempt to sell timeshare, though salespeople were out in droves and presentations were escorted by our pool area every 5 minutes.

Again, not bad, but a little too commercial for our taste. Though security was not a concern, it could be more adequate. I joked with my kids that anyone could use the facilities regarding of whether they were staying at Westgate Lakes or not, something that would be a bit harder to pull off in other resorts.

Location was good, pretty close to International, Universal, Sea World. For the money, a good buy. But next time, we'll spring for a bit extra, and stay somewhere nicer.

We usually visit at the beginning of November. I have never seen alligators and am surprised that some reviewers have seen them. Never seen cockroaches either, just lots of little geckos.

The units are spacious and usually very clean. They are not perfect, but to be fair the company works its way round the resort, upgrading furniture as necessary. The huge TV had a much better picture last time we visited so that must have been replaced. After five years' of visits, only one thing went wrong and that was the safe, which was fixed later in the day we reported it. We once complained about noise from building work nearby and were moved straight away.

The view from the balcony was lovely - straight across the lake and you can see the Disney fireworks in the distance.

The pools are quiet in the evening if you like to swim and use the hot tub in peace. Restaurant not too good for vegetarians but ok for everyone else.

Top tip: unless you know you want to buy at this resort, stay away from the reps or an invitation called a 'maintenance report'.

We just returned from another great week at Westgate Lakes. They added minature golf this year that our grandchildren loved. The pool entertainment was lively with games and dancing at some pools and others being quiet and fun. The 3 bedroom unit was clean when we arrived and they had an additional midweek cleaning. No sales people talked to us as we made it clear in the past that we were not interested--you just need to be assertive. Check in was a breeze and our room was ready immediately at 12pm. Cant wait to go again!

We stayed in a studio unit in 2005 during week 23 on a guest exchange. The lobby was busy but the check-in went well and we were driven by golf cart to our unit. The studio unit is part of a larger lock-out unit which looks nice. For our purposes, the studio unit was too small for 2 adults and 2 small children to stay in. It was like staying in a hotel suite.

The unit was clean but we did notice some cockroaches and reported this to the management. They responded promptly to this request and other requests for add'l towels, etc. The Resort has a small General Store and decent pool areas but they were very busy.

Unfortunately, we did get roped into a timeshare presentation. They promise you tickets to a water park or other attraction for attending. It's a high pressure pitch in a large room with hundreds of people. If they ask you, don't do it! You'll regret the 2 hours that you spent and they don't take "no" for an answer.

The Resort is centrally located to Sea World and Universal Studios, which is probably the best part about this place. Disney is further by highway so you can't come back to the unit for lunch without wasting a lot of time.

I have owned my 3 bedroom unit since 1996 and have returned each year since. We have had no problems with the unit itself or with the staff. While check-in may take some time, it does so in all time-share facilities. I can attest to this as I am an owner in several resorts worldwide. Remember that Orlando is a top vacation destination....there will be traffic and lines everywhere. Bugs will always be a part of Florida living. If you are greeted by rudeness with the staff, you need to go to a higher authority (resort manager). Ignore sales calls if you do not want them. Enjoy your vacation!

Not a good stay, dirty, no what I expected. No service, unit very worn, mildew, beds very hard. Gators in the lake, walking on property, children were not allowed outside after our experience. Sales people rude, no help from front desk. service did not exsist. Would never go back. Be careful if booking here, you will be less than happy.

We traded thru II for a 2 bedroom in May. Sales pressure from staff started immediately upon arrival and didn't stop until we were driving out of the parking lot to the airport to come home! They were RELENTLESS!

Unit was very worn and needed refurbishing. Mold in the bathrooms, cigarette burns in the carpeting and on the countertops (NO smoling unit!), ROACHES and ants EVERYWHERE. The dryer in the units made so much racket, we only turned it on as we were leaving.

By the way, staff could have cared less about any of the problems, including the roaches and ants! They refused to move us into a different unit, saying they were full.

VERY SCARY: We were told by several other guests at the property to stay away from the water's edge as they had seen numerous gators in the lake and close to the shoreline. We were NEVER warned by the staff and there were no warning signs.... after just a few hours post check-in, saw 3 gators lurking right in front of our unit and continued to see them the entire week. We usually stay at Marriott's Cypress Harbor but thought we'd try something different.

DO NOT STAY HERE! It's not worth it, on any level. We'll be back at MCH next year!

We took some friends with us over Spring Break in March. They haven't stopped talking about the beautiful rooms and how close we were to so many different attractions. The housekeeping staff was great; they provided more towels for our multiple-family group. Definitely a vacation to remember!

WE REVEIWED THIS RESORT LAST MONTH WHILE ON VACATION...NOT IMPRESSED. THE RESORT ITSELF IS OKAY BUT THE WORKERS ARE VERY RUDE. THE TIMESHARE PRESENTATION WAS SUPPOSE TO BE 90 MINUTES TURNED OUT TO BE 3 HOURS. THEY PUT MANY PEOPLE IN ONE ROOM LIKE A HEARD OF CATTLE (FIRE HAZZARD) AND MAKE YOU WAIT FOREVER. THE SALES PEOPLE ARE OKAY UNTIL YOU SAY YOUR NOT INTERESTED, THEN THEY BECOME VERY RUDE. WE FINALLY SPOKE TO A "MANAGER" AFTER BEING THERE FOR THREE HOURS AND TOLD HIM WE FULFILLED OUR PART OF THE CONTRACT BUT THEY HADN'T FULFILLED THERES. THEY HAD KEPT US THERE WAY OVER THE TIME IN THE CONTRACT AND I WANTED COMPENSATION FOR MY TIME...HE SHRUGGED ME OFF AND BY THEN I JUST WANTED TO GET OUT OF THERE. I TOLD THEM I WOULD NEVER STAY OR OWN THERE EVEN IF THEY GAVE IT TO ME FOR FREE. I WOULD NEVER STAY AT A WESTGATE RESORT. I 'VE HAD ONE OTHER EXPERIENCE WITH ONE OF THEIR PROPERTIES AND IT WAS NOT A GOOD ONE...THIS COMPANY IS HORRIBLE!

In response to renondad : high speed internet is not offered nor advertised at Westgate Lakes. We really enjoyed our stay at Westgate lakes and purchased a unit that we have either used or traded for other locations without a problem.

We stayed at Westgate June 15 2005-June 20, 2005 and we did not have a good experience. We rented the one bedroom studio and the carpet was worn, the shower ceramic tile did not look clean and the bed felt as if we were sleeping on a board. They did not have high speed internet. If you wanted to get on to the internet they charge you by the hour at their welcome center. Also, I did not have a chance to speak with any of the employees. No one called and welcomed us. We did not even know how to find the fitness center. Because we were not members we had to pay $5 to workout at the fitnesss center.

We love Westgate Lakes also!!! Beautiful grounds and very friendly staff! Not a better resort out there!! We've owned there since 1997.

We stayed there February 19-26. Building 1300 is great because we faced the lake. A pool was nearby which we used daily. Another amenity we heavily used was the whirlpool. We also availed ourselves of the tennis courts and marina, which were a short walk away. We enjoyed playing shuffleboard. Finally, I recommend a paddleboat ride on the lake. We also got to see the Disney fireworks at night.

If you want to avail yourself of the spa services, reserve ahead as they book up very fast. My husband had brought his laptop and found a local number to hook-up to the internet. He incurred no additional phone charges.

We stocked up on food at the Publix supermarket which is less than 2 miles away. The children enjoyed visiting Wet and Wild and Ripley's Believe it or not.

Housekeeping brought us more than enough clean towels, fresh soap, and linens.

Stayed there during the Thanksgiving holiday and stayed in a studio unit. Could not control the tempurature it was freezing. Not enough utensils and could not clean the dishes easily. IT TOOK FOREVER FOR THE HOT WATER TO COME OUT! The staff did not enform us of anything that the facility had to offer so we had to fend for ourselves. Housekeeping was great! And the grounds are kept up very well.

I am writing this at the airport after leaving Westgate Lakes Resort. I am rating this one right in the middle, a solid "3".

We had a 1 bedroom unit on the first floor backing to a pool. Overall the unit was in average condition but the bed was horrible. Also, as has been indicated before, there were enough noises from the walls to disturb us. Every time a door closed we heard it and there was a lot of noise from the pool at all hours. Maid service tended to check in on us between 7:30 and 8:00, which I consider too early.

The main restraunt was just passable but the deli was very good and the spa was certainly worth visiting. However, we were sitting in the seating area outside the deli and there was a LOT of sales traffic.

To cap things off, our final night we returned to the room to find a $5.00 charge for the Westgate Foundation. When I called to find out about this charge, I was informed that it is a charitable fund and that I could have the charge removed at the front desk on checkout. This prohibited us from using their "quick checkout" option and so we had to stand in line again to checkout. Completely unacceptable!!!

Not the place for peace and quiet but not a bad family vacation site...hence my "3 star" rating.

I own week 11 which is from March 14th through the 21st which is spring break week. But can be used other weeks except summer months and holidays. Everyone looks for those weeks to rent. My problem is, if everyone states this resort is so great, then how come I have posted a listing for only $450 for the studio for the week, with no one interest in renting? The only reason I come up with is that others are staying as guests and not paying for their stay there, or they have come on a "free presentation visit"which gives them 4 days 3 nights for less than $200 plus your own airfare. So many all these "positive ratings" may be because they only paid $129 to stay for 4 days, but at the same time went through a grueling sales presentation. Look at my listing R5398 and see for yourself that it is the cheapest. The entire 3 bdr 3 bath unit is available for sale also, for only $12,000 plus maintenance and taxes for 2005 which have been paid already. Westgate charges about $5000 or more for same unit, and I have not even gotten one interested party. I am not very happy about the fact that renting, and not even the thought of selling, cannot even be achieved. Something in wrong with this picture. My deal on both rental and sale are fair and below market listings, and no bites!

Arrived and searched for a parking place outside the club house where you register. Almost all parking places were taken. Once I walked inside I waited in line over 1 hour before I finally got to the reservation desk. This place was packed. I am not sure if they had some promotion going on to try to sell timeshares with nights free or a discount, or if this is usual, taking into consideration the large amount of units this resorts has. Once I received my room a member of the staff was called and he introduced himself and told me that he would be taking us over to our unit and to follow him and he would show us our room. This was a first for me, at other resorts they verbally give me directions or a map. We were escorted to our unit, and he opened it up and began to tell us about the room and the many amenities available. He gave us his card and told us that they would be having a free breakfast for their guest and if we would like to attend. We gave him a date and time we could go. He then gave us his card and told us if there was anything we needed to please give him a call anytime. He said even call him at home. With this much personalized service I wouldn't of minded waiting 2 hours. I was actually beginning to think they had me mixed up with some VIP or something. He then left and I started to look around.

We had a 2 bedroom unit on the ground floor. It did not have a lake view but the balcony did have a swimming pool view. The rooms were big and very clean. A large leather couch where you can relax and watch a movie on the large screen TV. The master bedroom had a king bed, and to the left was a large whirlpool tub. The unit was very clean.

After a trip to Disney we returned and there was a block party across the street from our unit, in a parking lot. Trying to find a parking place around our unit was hard. We had to park down the street. Groups of people were everywhere, walking in the streets, in the block party's parking lot, and around the units. Looked like fun so we went in our unit and freshened up a spell and joined in, but then the expected happened, it rained. They have many activities for the family (all ages) layed out each day that you can participate in.

The stay there was excellent and I wouldn't mind going back when I go to Orlando, but I would pass on the breakfast since this was really a timeshare presentation and the salesman didn't like the word "No" and didn't really want to hear about being able to buy a unit on some websites for a fraction of what they charge. The staff themselves were professional and friendly through my stay.

This resort is extremely beautiful and centrally located among the major amusement parks. I would recommend it to anyone that is tired of typical hotel units with little or no amenities.

We are British owners at the resort and purchased in 2000. We have now spent a fortnight there every year. We looked at many other timeshare resorts in Orlando and choose Westgate Lakes because of four reasons, the location which is ideal - the excellent facilities, the wonderful views of the lake and and most importantly for us the fact that we could buy one week and actually get two weeks holiday from it. (this meant buying a 3 bedroomed and exchanging each year for a 1 bed for the first week and a 2 bed for the second week) Coming from the UK it would be a long way to travel for just one week's holiday.

We have never regretted our decision to buy at Westgate but did have a problem at our most recent visit.

We originally purchased a 3 bed, alternative year apartment overlooking the lake. When we paid our first visit in 2001 we decided to buy the "inbetween" year as well so that we could visit every year. We were sold an apartment which did not overlook the lake but were assured by the sales guy that this was no problem as all we needed to do was to request a lake view when we contacted Westgate to reserve our 2 weeks. This worked fine in 2002. However when we visited in December 2003 we did not get a lake view, and when we questioned this at reception the reception staff were extremely rude to us- something we had never come across at the Lakes before. We were later told that "the rules had been changed and if the apartment you had bought did not have a lake view then you didn't get a lake view when you exchanged" . No one had told us about this new rule.

We had been planning to upgrade to a 4 bedroomed and because of the rudeness of the reception staff nearly changed our minds. However because we love the resort we did upgrade, made sure we got an apartment with a lake view and hopefully will have no more problems. Incidentally we got a lake view for our second week- after we had purchased the 4 bedroomed!