Eagle Trace at Massanutten

[cds62]

We have a week on hold at Eagle Trace for July, 2 bedroom unit. There are no recent reviews for this resort and was wondering how good the resort is and are the units in good shape? We would be exchanging our HGVC and want to make sure we get a comparable accomadation if possible. Any comments from those that have stayed at and are familiar with this resort would be helpful.

[nra4usa]

Hello cds,

I generaly would not exchange anything for Mass-of-nothin'. The reason I say this is because you don't have to. You see, there is typically Mass-of-nothin' availability on RCI "Extra Vacations" where you simply pay a flat fee and no exchange is required. However this theory probably does not hold water for July since it is the #1 vacation month of the year. Of course the week of July 4th is even in greater demand! So there probably will not be any Eagle Trace availability for the month of July in "Extra Vacations" Anyway, it still may be worth a look to see. This assumes that you have an RCI membership.

The Eagle Trace units are dated and not as nice as The Summit, Woodstone or maybe even the Mountainside Villas. Now there is nothing wrong with Eagle Trace but just be aware that they are not Gold Crown/5 star. If I remember correctly there are 3 large groupings of Eagle Trace units ithe differ in elevation and hence VIEW QUALITY: the valley, the mountain side (next to the golf coarse) and the ones closer to the peak. The ones closest to the peak are best, followed by the one next to the golf course with the ones in the valley the least desireable. I don't think that they differ much internally but the one's in the valley back up against a wooded hill and have no view.

The new Waterpark should be great fun if you have children - especially the outdoor wave pool. Mass is also very good if you like to golf. Lots of deer there that will practically eat out of your hand. You definitely need a car to get around.

[ctreelmom]

CDs,

We just got back from the Summit two weeks ago. I was confused about this, but all those Massanutten resorts are on the same property, so the resort amenities are the same for all. The best way I can describe it is that the various "resorts" are like condo "neighborhoods" in the "town" of Massanutten.

I can't comment on the Condos at Eagle Trace, but I did write a pretty lengthy review of Massanutten here on TUG. Maybe my review of the Summit units can help you decide if Eagle Trace is worth your trade, if they are considered lower in quality? But that of course is subjective.

Expect to drive to everything, and not just a quick two minutes; it is mind-boggling how much acreage this place covers! It's the kind of place where I think it could be really easy to slip into complacency and NOT do a whole lot, since there's no pool right outside your door or anything. IOW, it takes some planning and effort to figure out where you want to go and coordinate where all your family members need to be and how to get them there and back. Also, activities do fill quickly, even in April when it wasn't so busy, so plan your week early.

[realitycheck]

This place is terrible. At first sight everything looks nice. We are now owners who bought before ever staying at the resort. The 90-minute presentation took about five hours with many many NO's given before high pressure tactics finally broke us down. Two years later we were finally able to enjoy our vacation. We brought $1,000 for our family of six to last for the week. Much to our surprise it was gone in three activities. We went canoeing which was $200.00. We bought three-day passes at the water park because we were unable to obtain reservations for anything else. The spa, horseback riding etc were all booked. The beds in the room were so incredibly hard and squeaked with each toss. We were each allowed one flat pillow. There was other people’s hair throughout the shower and bathroom area as well as molded faucets. The A/C went out during the evening and in July we were told that they do not have 24-hour maintenance and we would have to wait until the next morning. When morning finally came it took another six hours to repair the A/C. Meanwhile, roaches began to run around the kitchen area, which was gross and caused us to check out two days early. This place is disgusting. IF you were going to buy a time-share...believe me there are so many other better places to buy.