|
Paul & Jill’s July 2010 Review
I have got to say the overall standard at Reunion is second to none, as soon as you drive onto the Resort you can tell you are staying somewhere special, the rolling hills of the 3 golf courses and the water features seem to appear at every turn and the standard of some of the villas is still jaw dropping no matter how many times you have visited before - I suppose they should be when the average price used be in excess of $1,000,000. We entered the development from the entrance on Old Lake Wilson Road (highway 545) and as soon as we drove in we were stopped at the gate and asked where we were going – obviously a good sign. We then drove around the development just to see how things had changed from last time we were there. There were a lot more villas built on the lots than the last time we were there and although there are still some empty lots in between the built homes it doesn’t affect the look of the resort in any way as the lots tend to be grassed over. The other developments within the resort such as “The Villas at Whisper Way” & The Villas at Cabana Court” (these are actually condo developments) all appear to be completed now so everything is actually finished which is obviously nicer aesthetically.
The Golf clubhouse, the Conference centre and Seven Eagles area are all located around Reunion Grande Tower and this is very much the heart of the resort where everything is happening. The entrance and Lobby at Reunion Tower is again stunning and as grand as anywhere I have ever stayed myself. The rooftop pool and “Eleven” restaurant has fantastic panoramic views of the whole resort and is a great place to enjoy a cocktail and watch the firework displays from the theme parks in the distance. There is also an Italian restaurant located within the towers which I didn’t get to eat in but which had been recommended – unfortunately we ran out of time but I look forward to eating there next time we visit. You can also eat formally or informally in the clubhouse which I did do on a previous visit.
The area in which we spent most of our time at Reunion was the pool at Seven Eagles. Whilst Reunion has many different pools this has a pool bar, restaurant, arcade area, pool table, table tennis and a gym so there tends to be a lot of activity around here with a real holiday feel – it was a nice change from our own home as our little girl enjoyed meeting other kids around the pool area and we certainly enjoyed the social side of the bar area where we watched a couple of games from the World Cup.
Moving onto the properties – “The Terraces” interiors are finished to the standard of a suite at a top hotel anywhere in the world (I also include Dubai in that assessment which probably has the highest standard of hotel rooms I have been lucky enough to spend time in) and the overall feel of the place is really high end. Because there is still 90 empty apartments at the Terraces (which we are now selling) there is not a lot of activity at its own pool area although even when everything is sold I am not sure how much that will change as most renters will either use the rooftop pool at the top of Reunion Grande Towers (this is a Wyndham hotel now and you have full use of all of the facilities), the pool at Seven Eagles which is opposite the towers which I mentioned above or at the resorts own waterpark.
Now that the preferred partner management situation has been resolved and the tour operators have been to view the properties, a price of $200 per night has been agreed in principle which is a good price for owners considering what they have paid for these properties and also an attractive price for renters when you compare the price should they book direct with Reunion. I did a comparison last week at www.reunionresort.com and a 3 bed condo was coming out between $337 and $387 per night for 7 days from July 1st – July 8th. This makes the tour operators booking price very competitive which should mean more bookings and more income for owners and is also great for any private rentals owners may wish to do as they can compare their own rates with those of Reunions direct.
The new developer has included Golf / Resort membership for the first 2 years which is actually worth $35,000 when you include the joining fee. Whilst this is great for anybody who buys I am not sure I would continue this membership once the 2 years are up unless I was a golfer who was either living at Reunion or spending long periods there. The resort membership costs $600 per month which includes unlimited golf and use of the waterpark which is a private members area. When you consider that golf is anything from $150 - $175 per round you would have to be spending long periods there (or playing 48 rounds per year) to get your money’s worth and apart from use of the waterpark you can use everything else at Reunion Resort without being a member – there are lots of owners who have not opted to be resort members. As I mentioned above I would use the 2 free years and assess the situation at the end of this.
All in all we really enjoyed our stay here and whilst I felt it was expensive at $500k it is certainly a great buy for $199k as the rental numbers also add up now.
|
