The best thing about this “resort” is its location. It is close to numerous historical, architectural and cultural attractions. It is also in proximity of a wide range of restaurants, whether you are looking for a quick fix or a superior dining experience. And of course in October, the wonderful rolling hills of the Berkshires with their bright display of fall colours were an attraction in themselves.
However, this “resort” falls far short of providing its guest with the hospitality experience you would expect from its ratings.
If you are nostalgic for the “cabin” experience of wood-stick furniture, rustic cleanliness and your Uncle Bob’s “gone fishing” 1970 basement décor, then this place is for you! We were treated to a basement entrance unit, stuck behind the parking retaining wall. Within an hour of settling down we had to call maintenance to fix two stove elements which were not functional… the unit was equipped with 1980 bulky TV sets and their connection was so bad that most channels were hard to view for the electronic snow across the screen… The units do not have washers and dryers and we had to cart our clothes to the resort Laundromat where half the equipment was out of order and where the working washers and dryers swallowed a few dollars worth of quarter (change can only be made at a machine in the reception area).
Upon our arrival, we soon found out that Wi-Fi was NOT available from any of the units (nor was it available from the Laundromat). In order to plan our day and do some basic research online, we had to take a walk to the Reception building in order to connect to the net. That, too was another “cabin experience”, with 1960 water-stained ceiling tiles and a gaggle of 20 something ill kept resort staff carrying on over the guests’ heads, a blaring TV set over in the corner, a lineup of customer waiting for their fast food fix, a procession of unit sales staff leading googly eyed young prospective buyers…. obviously, if you are an adept of Skype or such system to keep in “voice and picture” contact with your family and friends, forget about conversation privacy.
Altogether, we found the experience somewhat disappointing… but don’t take me wrong we sometimes enjoy the rustic camp/cabin atmosphere, however this time this was not what we had I mind. And we trusted the RCI rating. We were looking for a true resort where guests are treated like guests, where the staff shows some individual care and does not call you “bud” and where management of the place does not show crass “nickel and diming” thoughtless efficiency for the purpose of making a profit… either this resort is trying to keep afloat and is attempting to rearrange the deck-chairs on the Titanic to avoid sinking or it is plainly reducing its sense of hospitality to make a buck! Either way, their unit sales staff needs to learn to talk faster and make some quick sales to keep the company afloat.
Some say that you can judge an airline by the level of cleanliness of the on board food trays, simply because such a detail is a reflects on engine maintenance… you could also say that you can judge the good sense of hospitality of a resort by the quality of its toilet paper or the attention you get from a well trained staff. If that is truly the case, this “resort” is failing on these two accounts… and on many other small details which by themselves do not seem to matter much but which in this instance painted a pretty shabby picture.
- Also Known As:
- Oak n` Spruce Hotel South Lee
- Oak n` Spruce Hotel
- Oak n Spruce Resort
- Oak Spruce Resort
- Oak n Spruce
- Oak Spruce
- Oak And Spruce Resort
Region:
United States >
Massachusetts >
Berkshires >
South Lee
Amenities:
Fitness Center
Free Breakfast
Free Parking
Kitchenette
Pets Allowed
Suites
Swimming Pool
Ranked #1 of 1 Specialty lodging in South Lee
