We've stayed at other Westgate properties; usually they are spacious, well decorated, are fully furnished including the kitchen items and all amenities are above average. This property wasn't quite what I expected.
Because this property is not entirely a Westgate property, upon arrival you have to find the manager in a small room off to the side (because most units are condo units owned independently, there is no front desk or receptionist to help you). Frequently, there is simply a sign on this door "Out to Lunch---back at 1PM" or "Back in 10 minutes". One guest standing at the door had been waiting for over half an hour for the 10 minute sign. There is just one person on duty at a time. The manager, the person who cleaned our room and maintenance man were all very nice. I must add, however, the TV did not work properly (sometimes not at all) and I called or stopped down to the office every day, but in the almost two weeks we were there, we never got the new TV they promised.
There is no maid service, no fresh towels/sheets everyday and no washer/dryer in the room. We had to go down a floor to access the one washer/two dryers available and they are not free. There is a towel/sheet exchange on Wed morning so we shlepped everything down to the 1st floor to get some fresh ones. On Saturday, our room was cleaned and we got fresh towels.
We had planned on having 2 relatives stop over for dinner one night, but after we arrived to find the size of the room, we decided to go out to dinner. Tiny, tiny, tiny kitchen: there was not enough seating for 4 people (only a small table for 2 attached to the wall). There was a stove/oven, fridge, microwave and dish washer. We guessed in a former life these units were small hotel rooms. The bathroom was nice--looked like relatively new tile work; however, the shower leaked and dripped all night long. Really nice water pressure in the shower. But no place to hang up your towels---no towel rack at all. There was a tiny hook on the back of the bathroom door, but so small everything fell off it. They REALLY need to do something about that. (And with no washer/dryer in the unit, there was absolutely no place to dry your beach towels either--that was quite a nuisance)
The pool was nice and big. The temperature is kept very cool (we wished it was a lot warmer) and there is a nice jacuzzi. Both are kept in tip-top shape. It is unfortunate that this 8 story building casts it's shadow over the pool; all the guests by the afternoon are crowded into one small area that still has sun.
The front sliding glass doors at the entrance lock from 6PM to 7AM with good reason. Twice when unlocking these doors, someone appeared from parking lot and snuck in behind me as I opened the doors. There were unsavory characters in the area and many police cars were noted. I enjoy walking the beach in early morning/after dinner and was very uncomfortable walking alone here. I only walked down the street once (as opposed to taking the beach) down to the Pier; I didn't want to walk that alone even with my pepper spray (thankfully I inadvertently left it in my purse when packing).
Daytona has one of the nicest beaches in Florida I have ever been to and I've been all over, but as much as I like Westgate properties and the beach here, I won't revisit this one.
