Nice but needs improvement

Guest: Karen T.
Date of Stay: 11/17/11 Review Submitted: 11/29/11

We picked this home among the vast number available at Regal Palms based on the exc.reviews, pictures, rates, description, etc. I will start with the good: Clean, nicely appointed, great location to the pool. Negatives: Biggest Negative#1: The King bed/mattress in Master Bedroom is HORRIBLE! The 1st nite, I slept with coils poking into my back. Inexplicably, no mention of this in prior reviews. This mattress, as well as the queen one in 1st floor bedroom, is builder's special, cheap as they come. We had no choice but to go to Target the 2nd day, and buy a $75 mattress "topper" in order to get any sleep at all during our week. While this was only a moderate improvement, after contacting the owners, we were not offered a new mattress as an option (which I might add should have been done: a terrible bed/mattress= terrible night's sleep = less than happy guests; how hard would it have been for them to have their property mgmt procure a new, decent mattress?!) To us, this is unacceptable. Negative #2: Their listing states:"...the resort has outdoor Tiki Bar...unlike most other communities, Regal Palms is complete with a restaurant & bar which offers indoor and outdoor dining..." This stmt is deceiving, as we relied on it only to find out they do not open that outdoor tiki bar...it's just a pretty "prop". We asked several workers who said they've Never seen it open. There is a window up by the indoor restaurant that you can go to & order food/drinks on your own. BUT...be prepared to wait & wait: they're very understaffed, they have no one running orders out to you by the pool, or even a speaker system to say when you're order is ready. You have to wait around or keep going up there to check on your order...very annoying as you'd rather be by the pool with your drink or meal already. We've stayed down the road at the Liki Tiki Village, & they have a real Tiki Bar by the pool: lots of help and a speaker calling your name for food orders; no wait on drinks. Otherwise,it just takes away from your valuable & enjoyable vacation time. If we had known this, we would've went back to the Liki Tiki. Plus, Liki Tiki has all sorts of activities for the kids, for ex, pool-side Bingo, water balloon toss, hula hoop contests, etc..Nothing for kids was offered here except overpriced hair wraps & some airbrush tattoos. MISC: Put Alarm clocks in twin bedrooms, black-out curtains so you can sleep in; pant/skirt hangers in closets; dish-drying rack for hand washing.

Owner response:Being a responsible owner at Regal Palms for 8 years, we take pride in our property and the comfort of our guests. Regarding Negative #1 -Unfortunately this guest did not give us the opportunity to address her concern with the mattress (an issue we have never had any complaints about before) before going out and buying a bed topper. She only presented us with the price of the topper asking if we wanted to reimburse her before she wrote an online review. Had she informed property manager, we could have done something about it before she bought the topper.Unfortunately my daughter and I were staying at the hospital with my husband as he had just had spinal surgery, so it was impossible for me to buy a new mattress. Since her departure we have replaced the mattress. Beside the mattress issue some things that were omitted from this guest's review were that our property manager was contacted and had to visit the house on numerous ocassions with grievences about: 1. Extra keys requested - There is a lock box at the front door, so keys can be left at the house for others to use. 2. Wi-Fi not working - Despite installing a new wireless router during this guests stay, this turned out to be the guest's work laptop that was blocked in that region. 3. No extra garbage bags - This is a self catering unit, we supply the first bags on arrival and then our guests self cater. 4. Lamp bulbs not working - Bedroom lamp was not turned on at the wall. Regarding negative #2 The Tiki bar at the resort does open frequently. Obviously this facility is governed by the resort and not the owners who have no control over opening times. However we greatly resent being accused of misleading guests when we say there is a Tiki Bar at the resort. We were at the house in August this year and used the bar on numerous ocassions. Friends of ours who own houses at the resort were there recently and again the bar was open. I would imagine that off season, resorts restrict some of their facilities, but I have never heard anyone saying the bar had never been open. Personally if we were going on vacation we would check out the resort facilities at the time of year we were visiting as well as the accommodation. Our online advertisement for our house is purely regarding the property and what we offer within. We list what the resort has to offer our other guests can confirm there is indoor/outdoor dining. I guess you can't please all of the people all of the time.......'

Recommended for:

Unforgettable memories

Guest: Socorro (Palm Bay,FL, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/27/11 Review Submitted: 08/06/11

The house was clean, neat and comfortable. I liked that there was a shopping plaza right next to the Resort. (Publix, CVS, restaurants, etc..) My kids loved to spend time at the clubhouse facilities ( felt like we were at a water park). Theme parks within decent driving distance. Thank you for a great summer vacation.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Keith & Paula

Guest: Brad W.
Date of Stay: 06/19/11 Review Submitted: 06/30/11

Thank you Keith & Paula for a great stay at your condo! It was perfect for our family and had every accomodation that we needed. The pics were exactly as it is and it is well maintained. Our kids had a blast at the pool and we would definitely recommend your place to families who want a spacious, clean and family friendly place to stay. Again, thank you for helping to make our vacation to Orlando affordable.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Wendy and Family

Guest: Wendy (Sault Ste. Marie, On)
Date of Stay: 04/01/11 Review Submitted: 04/15/11

Thank you Keith and Paula for another wonderful vacation. The upgrades in the house were great and the house was clean and well maintained. This was our third year staying at Keith and Paula's house. It is well located to the pool area, just about a three minute walk. Everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed the pool area and beautiful weather. There were lots of Geocaching spots in the area and everyone enjoyed the experience. Thanks again and I hope we will be able to stay again!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great stay. Keith and Paula, your place is perfect

Guest: Questor (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)
Date of Stay: 10/14/10 Review Submitted: 10/21/10

I loved my stay. The place was clean and well appointed and very well located. A quick stroll to the pool or for dinner and everything else a short drive. I can't imagine why anyone would ever stay at a hotel when they could live in luxury in your town house. It certainly didn't hurt having the golf course across the street. I got three rounds in.

Recommended for:People with disabilities, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Wendy - April 2 - 10, 2010

Guest: Wendy (Sault Ste. Marie, On)
Date of Stay: 04/02/10 Review Submitted: 04/15/10

Keith and Paula--Thank you again for providing a great place for our family vacation. Your home is spacious and well suited to a large gathering. The short walk to the pool makes it ideal for the children and convenient to return to the house for lunch, etc. Everything was well maintained and clean and we found the staff at the resort very friendly and accommodating. This was our second year and we hope to visit again in the future. This year the staff provided lots of activities and contests with prizes for the children which they enjoyed very much. Again, thank you.

Recommended for:Families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: donna and bill walker (oxford, mi)
Date of Stay: 07/01/09 Review Submitted: 07/01/09

Our family spent a week at this condo early 2009, and what a great time we had. The home is clean and spacious, our family had plenty of room to relax after the exciting days at the parks. The resort itself is first class, and I would recommend to anyone wishing to stay in the Orlando area.

Recommended for:

Guest: Brenda (-)
Date of Stay: 06/28/09 Review Submitted: 06/28/09

Keith & Paula, We just wanted you to know that our family had a wonderful time in Florida. The resort was very nice and the condo was great! There was plenty of room for all of us and everything was excellent. The whole family was very impressed with the accommodations and we all had a great time. Thanks, Brenda

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