Pam Coughlan

Review of Homestead Resort

The hotel is lovely, in an old-fashioned, southern...

The hotel is lovely, in an old-fashioned, southern charm way, as are the rooms. The grounds, setting, and view are beautiful. The pool area is wonderful, with the lazy river and slides incorporated into a luxurious setting for kids and adults. The spa area has a spectacular indoor pool and beautiful spa garden for adults with a warm springs pool. All of the restaurants have great atmosphere - with some variety in style - and good food. Wide variety of activities, and our family really enjoyed the ones that we did - archery, horseback trail ride, gorge hike, and falconry. (Where else would you do falconry!?) I was unsure about the resort wear dress code, but found that it kept folks from wearing sweats and swimsuits all over the hotel, which was kind of nice. Staff were friendly and pleasant throughout the facility.

I had to take off a star rating though because everything was overpriced. If you assume that the room rate is including the beautiful facility and setting, that's acceptable. But the hotel tacks on an additional "resort fee" which includes such standards as wi-fi and in room coffee. They include shuttles to activities in this fee, which should be folded into the activities fees, most of which are overpriced anyway - like double what they should be. The food is good, but not as fantastic as the prices would lead you to believe. Again, about twice as much as they should be for much of the menus. There aren't good options for a quick, cheap lunch - especially needed if you have the big buffet breakfast and want to splurge for dinner. The packages aren't a good deal unless you are committed to getting the most expensive options for every thing for every day. For instance, they price out at $30 a person for activities, when the choice of activities ranges from $12-$50. Same differences with food.

We had a wonderful vacation in a beautiful resort, and I would recommend the Homestead for families. But I'd suggest to understand, accept, and plan for the pricing before you go. (Also make reservations for activities and dinner at least week before your trip.)