Your impression of Harborside

ccy · Sep 1, 2006

I've been reading trip reports from other sites and I have read some pretty negative ones. To those who have stayed or who own at Harborside, what can you say about the condition of the units and facilities in Phase I? And since people are allowed to smoke in their units, did you have any problem with smell?

Thanks.

JeffW · Sep 1, 2006

I stayed at a Phase I 1br Jan 2005, first room we were assigned to had ceiling maintenance being down in the bathroom, so they moved us to another room. Absolutely no problems with it. Other than design issues (absolutely no hooks in the bathroom), I had no problems with it. Seems like a flagship property for them, difficult to think they'd let it get rundown.

Jeff

pcgirl54 · Sep 2, 2006

Visited May 2005 1 bd premium,larger 1 bd. Excellent view and condition,Phase I facing the harbor. Staff was super. No smoke smell. I have asthma so can't endure smoke.

tsl · Sep 2, 2006

ccy said:
I've been reading trip reports from other sites and I have read some pretty negative ones. To those who have stayed or who own at Harborside, what can you say about the condition of the units and facilities in Phase I? And since people are allowed to smoke in their units, did you have any problem with smell?

Thanks.

I worried about the same thing. When we first went down, I couldn't smell anything. Now, I think the whole Harborside is smoke free. I think we were notified of this as owners. You could also call Starwood and check w/ them. If you want to smoke, you are supposed to use the balcony.

We found our Phase I unit to be in excellent condition. Honestly, we didn't stay in it much except to sleep, change and eat. There were so many activites, we were always on the go. I think the difference in Phase I and II is that Phase II units are smaller and the views are not good. However, Phase I does not have the granite countertops, flat screen TVs and perhaps a few other upgrades. To us, those upgrades were not important. The original pricing of Phase I was substantially less than Phase II so I would assume that fact will impact the prices that you find on resale.

Since Harborside is expensive (resale and maintenance fees), you might want to rent (or direct trade) for a unit to see if it is the resort for you. It was for us :banana:

Brergo · Sep 3, 2006

We visited in August 2005 and found it to be beautiful. We had no problems at all with our 1 BR unit or the property itself.

Coocoojay · Sep 4, 2006

Harborside Great

We were there in a two bedroom in the new addition in May 2006 with our daughter, son-in-law, and 2 yr old grandson and it was great! We had been there 2 years before the new addition which was also great. It wasn't too crowded, it wasn't too cold, and the resturants were not too expensive. Our grandson enjoyed all the kiddie pools and of course we enjoyed watching him. Didn't have any booking problems, but did call exactly 8 months in advance. WiFi worked great. We are all non-smokers and couldn't smell a thing. So we plan to go there every couple of years as we live east of the Ohio River and we can almost drive there.

DeniseM · Sep 4, 2006

If you join TUG, you can access extensive member's reviews on the TUG Review Page.

gmarine · Sep 4, 2006

Coocoojay said:
We were there in a two bedroom in the new addition in May 2006 with our daughter, son-in-law, and 2 yr old grandson and it was great! We had been there 2 years before the new addition which was also great. It wasn't too crowded, it wasn't too cold, and the resturants were not too expensive. Our grandson enjoyed all the kiddie pools and of course we enjoyed watching him. Didn't have any booking problems, but did call exactly 8 months in advance. WiFi worked great. We are all non-smokers and couldn't smell a thing. So we plan to go there every couple of years as we live east of the Ohio River and we can almost drive there.

Almost drive to the Bahamas? Are you sure your talking about the same place as the OP ?

reddiablosv · Sep 4, 2006

My wife and I have been to the Harborside twice. Both times we stayed in a one bedroom premium unit. In Jan.2005 in Phase 1 in Jan. 2006 Phase 2. The units were wonderful, the resort was wonderful. My wife says it is the only resort she wants to return to every year!!! Can I say more? Ben

ccy · Sep 5, 2006

"My wife and I have been to the Harborside twice. Both times we stayed in a one bedroom premium unit. In Jan.2005 in Phase 1 in Jan. 2006 Phase 2. The units were wonderful, the resort was wonderful. My wife says it is the only resort she wants to return to every year!!! Can I say more? Ben
September 4, 2006 08:32 PM "

Which Phase did you like more .... I know Phase I has great views but how the units, how do they compare? Thanks.

gcole · Sep 5, 2006

I think the reviews you are reading on other sites are for the hotel. I have heard alot of grumbling over those units. Harborside is completly seperate. It is the nicest place we have stayed. The only down side is the price of food and lack of ocean view. Although, the view is awesome in it's own way. The pool is uncrowded and open late also.

reddiablosv · Sep 5, 2006

ccy, the phase 2 interiors are an upgrade on the basic phase 1 layout. The main difference that I recall being granite counter tops, nicer fabrics, etc. However, the phase 1 units are not bad by any standard and I prefer the the older units because of the view. My phase 1 unit overlooked the marina and the the entrance to the Royal Tower. My phase 2 unit overlooked a tiny courtyard. Ben

ccy · Sep 5, 2006

reddiablosv, do you have a fixed week and unit in phase I? I spoke with a Starwood rep and she told me that there is no such thing as a fixed unit. They only put a unit no. for deed purposes, but when you call to reserve your week, they will give you what's available and not necessarily your deeded unit. Is that true?

mariawolf · Sep 5, 2006

I don't know about other resorts but we own at Harborsid and I have a top floor marina view unit and if I use my deeded week I always get that unit--even when I have gone other weeks I request my unit and have gotten it.

As to the original question I thought I would never buy a timeshare but after visiting I knew I would be happy to go back year after year. Units are well kept and clean and the help is very friendly. Phase 1 has better views and the units themselves are larger in general--more tropical decor rather than contemporary--also only vhs players in phase one versus dvd players in the phase 2

ccy · Sep 6, 2006

"I don't know about other resorts but we own at Harborsid and I have a top floor marina view unit and if I use my deeded week I always get that unit--even when I have gone other weeks I request my unit and have gotten it."

We're in the process of purchasing and that's good to know.

iluvwdw · Sep 7, 2006

I have stayed at Harborside 4 times and LOVED it each and every time! It is my favorite resort. I'd go here EVERY year if I could! We have always stayed in Phase I...by choice. I prefer the awesome MARINA VIEWS, over the new additions in Phase II. Nothing beats sitting on your balcony and having the marina and Royal Towers as your backdrop.

LAX Mom · Sep 8, 2006

I've stayed at Harborside twice. I had a 2 bedroom unit in Phase 2 last November. No maintance issues but the weather wasn't great that week. We had a lot of wind and rain!
I rented a unit from a TUGger several years ago (Phase 1). It was a corner unit overlooking the Atlantis resort. We did have a problem with the air conditioner. They couldn't fix it until the next day. I didn't want to move because I loved the view from that unit. So we suffered (it was HOT) that first night!

influential · Oct 19, 2006

Seems as though reviews are positive. I concur. Sat there right now in a 1 bed with water-view. It's my third trip to the resort and each has been fine. No problems with smells etc. Now, if just I could win some $$$ on the Craps table, it would pay for my MFs!

influential · Oct 21, 2006

Thought I'd provide an update on current pricing at Harborside 2 bed lockoff:

Plat $52,500
Gold $45,300
Silv $30,300

100,000 SPG points incentive.

djp · Nov 16, 2006

can you buy a 1br at harborside, anyone know how much???

dlpearson · Nov 16, 2006

We were in a two bedroom Phase I overlooking the marina the first week of October. No smell, but the unit was definitely tired. Carpet, chairs and couches were visibly worn and needing a replacement soon.....

David

Bulldog91 · Nov 16, 2006

To djp

You can buy 1 BR units at Harborside. 1 BR Premium units are going for $19,000 in the Silver season, so 1 BR Deluxe units are probably less. The SPG incentive points for the Premium were 50,000. This information is current as of October 2006.

Your impression of Harborside

ccy

JeffW

pcgirl54

Tug Review Crew: Rookie

tsl

Brergo

Coocoojay

DeniseM

gmarine

Tug Review Crew: Rookie

reddiablosv

ccy

gcole

reddiablosv

ccy

mariawolf

ccy

iluvwdw

LAX Mom

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

influential

influential

djp

dlpearson

Bulldog91