Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa

Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa is located near Universal Studios and is near world-famous theme parks. With a wide range of onsite amenities, including a pirate-themed aquatic adventure Treasure Cove Water Park, seven pools and hot tubs, onsite food and beverage options, its units range from studios to four-bedroom villas.

This timeshare resort can be purchased or can be booked as a guest. The unit, like many timeshares, offer a full living room and kitchen facilities as well as smaller lockout units. Note that some smaller units such as studios/lock off units have small kitchens with small sinks/refrigerators but no direct cooking facilities.

Being an expert in timeshares (many decades using them) I have to state that this resort is very large but also very crowded. If you are looking for more updated facilities this may not suit your needs.

The actual unit we rented was large so it was perfect for our needs but the crowds at the pools, entry and lobby were not what were are generally used to. In addition, we found that repairs seemed to be lacking (e.g. 1 of 2 elevators in our building was out of service the entire week) which is not ideal especially with those with mobility issues on upper floors. Other areas required fixing and painting so the overall look had a dated look that is not what we expected when we booked.

Another real issue for us was the ‘hard sell’ attitude of the company. When you first arrive they provide you with a welcome package which is a lure to get you to book an ‘appointment’ to see the resort and try to sell you on ownership. This is often a theme for timeshares but what they don’t let you know is that unless you own at the resort, you will not be provided access to facilities like the gym unless you pay a $25 daily fee. I have not experienced an extra gym charge not being an owner before so this came as quite a surprise. In today’s competitive travel environment, extra charges is not acceptable.

Another annoying extra charge was that wifi is no longer available to non-owners unless you buy one of their daily/3-day or 7-day packages. In today’s world, not providing wifi for any guest is not acceptable. For this reason alone, having other timeshare options when we booked, we would not recommend this company.

Westgate has a lot of resorts especially in Orlando and other locations. Keeping in mind what we have noted above, please book knowing extra charges will occur.