Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort

Kimberly Jiang

We recently returned from staying in a 1-BR Villa in River Island for 6 nights. There is much I could say.  I'll start with the positives, then negatives.  Read to the end for my thoughts and tips on the timeshare pitch, and why we ultimately decided to end our ownership (at a loss). POSITIVES -Newly renovated room -The lazy river and zero-entry pools around it were wonderful. We spent quite a bit of time in them -Outdoor pools, even the huge lazy river, are heated.  This made swimming in the cooler November bearable -Our 4 year-old LOVED the putt putt courses. They have 3 to choose from -We bought 3-day play passes for $25 each ($50 for non-owners). They enabled us to play unlimited putt-putt and included inner tubes on the lazy river.  It also would have included "Fun Zone" activities but we didn't have time for them -We probably interacted with dozens of staff. All were courteous and respectful -Publix and Target are just outside of the resort -The resort is HUGE. So large it's almost mind-boggling.  We wanted to avoid the other tourist traps in Orlando and this was actually enough for us, a family of 4 with a 4-year-old and 8-month-old. -Beautiful landscaping -Quiet spots if you wanted to get away from people -We were able to reserve a crib AND high chair for the baby. NEGATIVES -During our stay there were renovations in floors 1-4 of our building.  Our window faced the parking lot and from 8am-9pm there was noise from the construction crew. Some moments were noisier than others. -We could see into the construction dumpsters from our window and I wondered why some of the items they were throwing away couldn't be donated to Habitat for Humanity or a similar charity (like bathroom mirrors, doors, sinks).  It just seemed like a lot of waste.  Maybe it isn't the industry standard to donate used materials but it would be nice if HICV could try this in the future. -At times, only 1 elevator was working in our 8-story building. THE TIMESHARE PITCH -Our rep was courteous and knowledgeable.  We are new owners, this was our first trip since signing up the previous year, and he helped better explain the package.  We didn't feel like it was an entire waste of time and he did his best to understand and answer our questions -it took longer than we expected -If you are not yet an owner, I recommend doing your homework before listening to the presentation.  I don't think timeshares are a complete scam, but they can seem like it for people who live paycheck to paycheck. Tugbbs.com forums is a very good resource. -If you need to take out a massive debt to purchase points, I would recommend to JUST SAY NO.  You don't know what tomorrow will bring, and a vacation package like this is a want, not a need. -Know that once you sign, you only have 7 days to change your mind before losing money.  A lot of money.  To get out of it, the resale value is VERY low, OR you can pay HICV an additional $1,200 to cancel it for you AFTER your mortgage is paid off in full. -Know that if you sign you will have annual maintenance fees that may not make the program worth it for you. -For people with discretionary savings who intentionally travel on HICV-type vacations on a yearly basis, HICV can make sense for you and possibly even help you save money.  But again, do your homework. Consider whether resale points would be bette.  Also, check ahead of time if the HICV and RCI locations are in places you actually want to go. -Don't purchase planning to use the points for airfare or car rentals.  It's much cheaper just to buy these with regular money like you normally do than points. We learned this the hard way. -For us, we've decided to cancel our ownership, even though we had a very nice time at Orange Lake Resort and we will cancel at a loss. Our main reasons for canceling are 1) we can't use it to visit relatives because there are no resorts near relatives' homes and 2) We have limited vacation time and prefer to stay at simple AirBnB's instead where we can have more rustic and nature-focused vacation experiences

Katy Jones

Great place to stay, our apartment was two bedroom and was big. It had its own patio area and we had a bonus washer and dryer. The room has dated decor but was perfectly clean and well supplies with everything you need, incliding plenty of towels and a hair dryer. Plenty of car parking for your vehicle or hire car.The complex has plenty of onsite facilities, pools, activities, food and more. The hotel is approx 25 mins from Orlando International and 15 mins from Disney. Lots of shops and restaurants accessible just on the US 192 outside the complex. We had a wonderful stay 😊

Arianna Mangual

I booked a 3 bedroom villa for a week during the summer. Booking was a breeze through the IHG app, wonderfully priced. Checking in was a nightmare. It literally took about an hour to check in. The line was long and moved very slowly, but the reception area was very nice. Once I finally made it to a representative, the process was fast and smooth. It's important to note that this vacation property is a timeshare. You will be invited to sit in or participate in timeshare presentation and will be offered free services that aren't "free" at the end of the day. Do your research before visiting. The property is massive. There is so much to see and experience, so be ready! Our villa was amazing!! Extremely spacious, 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, full kitchen stocked with everything you need (plates, bowls, utensils, pots, pans, coffee maker, tea pot, blender, baking dishes, full refrigerator with ice maker). Our villa also had a large living room with a sofa bed, large dinning area, laundry room with washer and dryer, covered patio with small table and chairs. Rooms were very spacious, beds were comfortable and pillows were decent. There is so much to do in this resort... There are about 7 pools, we personally used 3 or 4 of the 7. The lazy river is nice. You have to rent their tubes in order to use one, but it is not needed in order to enjoy the river. The tubes can only be used in the lazy river. You can pretty much launch anywhere and have a great time, but the hammocks are great! We purchased the 3 day package that includes tubes for the lazy river, mini golfing and the fun zone. Those must be activated each day and I wish I knew what they were about before purchasing, it really isn't worth the money. All in all, we had a great time and would definitely stay here again.

Jesse Gadarowski

We recently stayed there for our second time, and the staff are always very welcoming. The main point of this review however is that on this last trip, upon returning to our home in Massachusetts, I realized that I had left $1,000 in the safe in the room. I immediately called security and spoke with a gentlemen Robin, who I explained the situation to. He was friendly, professional, and immediately took action, dispatching two security officers to the room to check. The level of professionalism and integrity by the officers, Robin, and all involved was absolutely amazing. He called me back and told me that they did find the money and initiated the steps to return it. This kind of honesty and professionalism is so great to see and I cannot express how thankful I am that these fine people do their job at such a high level. All guests at this resort can sleep and relax knowing that they are vacationing in a place with such consummate professionals responsible for their safety. Thank you to Robin and all officers and staff involved!

Eddie Rey

As a "member" we should have been placed in a better-quality room. The door didn't close properly, and the shower didn't work. The window didn't look outside but into the atrium, so we couldn't tell what the weather was like, if if was day or night. While the door and shower were fixed, as "members" we shouldn't have had to experience it to begin with. Then on our second night we went to the Breeze restaurant, waited 20 minutes for the hostess to be told the restaurant was out of food. What? It wasn't all bad. The grounds are well kept and very beautiful. The golf courses are spectacular and reasonably priced. Their version of TopGolf was lots of fun. Pasian's Pizza is BOMB and special shout out to Scott working the bar there. He was amazing, personable, and friendly. Also, he was the only server in the entire resort to point out the mandatory 18% gratuity added to the check. None of the other restaurants we visited made any mention of it, luckily, we noticed it right away but I'm sure there were plenty of other guest over tipping. Overall, we were not impressed by this "flagship" resort.