Returned from 1 week at Poly Concierge

[tobrown]

Returned from one week (2/13 - 2/20) at Poly Concierge.

Had a great time, the concierge service was great. The view
from the lounge is awesome, the food offerings were good,
and the chefs etc. in the lounge were always friendly and
pleasant. Chef Dick was always showing the kids how he
does the animal carvings.

The staff in the 1st floor area were also pleasant and helpful.

Pool area and beach are great as is of course the monorail access.

Ate Dinner and Character Breakfast at Ohanas - Very Good.

Loved the tropical feel of the property, the grounds are very
well maintained.

Room was more than sufficient for our family (4), kids got their
own beds (with the daybed).

If I had to have one complaint (and it would never deter me
from staying here again) it is that the lobby area does show
its age. Also the shops in the hotel are not great. I probably
only can say this because we visited AKL and WL which of
course are newer resorts.

If I can answer any other specific questions, feel free to email
me at tobrown@gis.net

Alison

 

[Tikiman]

Welcome back Alison. Thanks for the report. I actually thought for the age of the Polynesian the lobby looks great. Were they still working on the main atrium fountain while you were there? I really like the shope that are there. I am glad they are not to big like a small departmant store. Just what we need is a place to spend more money

Anyway, glad you enjoyed your trip.

Steve

 

[ktleyed]

I thought the lobby looked OK while we were there 2/9-12, although there was a tarp over the waterfall, and the fountain was being worked on, but I really hardly noticed it, unless I was looking down from the 2nd floor railing.

I barely looked at the shops, although there were alot of cute resort outfits with a "Fresh Produce" label.

One area that really looked bad was the elevator in the Hawaii building, couldn't they do something about that? It had all these holes in the walls and really looked shabby. The rest of the property was lush and pretty, though.

 

[tobrown]

As I said, the condition IMOP of the lobby would not deter me
from staying there again. Yes, the waterfall was still being
worked on. Everyone has their own little picadillos.

I know a read a TON of threads on the smell issue before I left,
people were bitterly complaining about it. Yes, there is a smell
when you enter the lobby, I found it to be from all the tropical
plants, humidity, etc. It did not bother us one bit, so you see
different strokes for different folks.

Alison

 

[cottontail]

Hi Alison:

I agree with you about the smell it is a tropical smell, the property is so beautiful.

Did you get bit in the evenings by alot of bugs or not, just wondering? I have read about bugs at akl just in the evening, I guess cause of the wildlife they cannot spray.

Can you tell me how much the washers and dryers were?

Thanks,

Deb.

 

[tobrown]

Hi Cottontail:

We did not have a problem with bugs. We sat out on the
beach a few nights to watch the fireworks and electric boat
parade. It was a bit cool in the evening so that might have
deterred the bugs alittle. Don't know what its like in the
summer.

The washers and dryers were both $2.00 (quarters) each. There
is a change machine in the laundry room. I thought there were
also a good amount of washers and dryers in there as well.

Alison

 

[travlnman1]

We are leaving in 4 days for the Poly concierge. I'm so torn between requesting a ground floor room and 3rd floor balcony.
I know that 3rd floor is smoking optional. I have requested it anyway. Am I making a mistake? Is it better to be able to walk out on to the beach? Can you do that? Stayed at BC last year, ground floor. The plantings were so thick you could not go off your patio. Is the Poly that way too??

 

[Tikiman]

The Polynesian ground level is open to the beach. All that is in front of you is grass and beach. The 3rd floor is nice too and I would not worry too much about it being smoking optional. I have been inside a 3rd floor room and I smelled no smoke. I myself love the ground level. I would show you pictures but my web page is down till March 4th.

Steve

 

[sixcats]

I used to always request the 3rd floor and loved it. Last year we requested 1st floor. It was great with kids. While DH was getting ready they could play on the grass or beach. It was nice to just slip out of the sliding glass door to watch the fireworks and water pageant from a hammock too!

 

[cottontail]

Hi sixcats can you lock those sliding doors when you leave from them? Thanks,

Deb.

 

[LAWalz23]

Welcome back, glad you enjoyed your trip. We are going back to Poly concierge in late April after enjoying it very much last year.

 

[suevee]

How was the weather and the crowds while you were there. I am doing research for next Feb. Really I am using that as an excuse as I am hooked on these boards.

 

[DIXIEDAYS]

Welcome back....Can you tell me if the 1st floor that walks out to the beach is the main beach or a semi-private?

Also...no-one seems to be requesting the 2nd floor....why?

Thanks for your help...

Jim and Donna

 

[sixcats]

Cottontail- You can't use them to completely leave your room for the day. We were able to relax in a hammock and see the door for parade and firework viewing. If we were all leaving the room and not relaxing right outside, someone would have to use the interior door after locking the patio.
The reason so few choose second floor is the lack of balcony or patio. The older longhouses were built without outside access on the second floors.

 

[Tess]

Most people do not request 2nd floor because there are no balconies.

As to the 3rd vs 1st floor debate, it's a matter of preference. We've stayed on both floors GV and LV. We now prefer the 3rd floor to the 1st. We didn't enjoy the wildlife on the 1st floors making a mess all over the patios. I also have this queer feeling that creepy crawlies are around in the evening at the 1st floor level--I realize being on the 3rd balcony doesn't assure something won't drop from the trees, but it seems less likely than something crawling/slithering through the vegetation that passes for grass in Florida.

Further, since it is Florida, the groundscrew is always treating the "grass" and vegetation with chemical sprays or at least some type of spray. That's fine, I support keeping the bug population to a minimum. Last year, however, 3 of the 4 of us trod across the "grass" and ended up with rashes around our lower legs, ankles, and feet. It was easily treated with Benadryl, but he only thing we all had in common was walking across the yard.

We, too, have spent time watching the water pageant and fireworks on the beach and not suffered from bug bites later. I have far more mosquito, fly, no see-um bites in the summer here in MI than I've ever had being out at night in WDW! At least that's been our experience in the months we've been there--June, August, and October.

I'm glad to see some agreement as to the lovely fragrance of Polynesian--I've always felt it was a moist earth smell--one that does appeal to me anyway--I also agree with a previous poster that noted it was peet moss--that's the smell!

Polynesian, as the oldest resort, certainly could use a bit of refurbishing. I agree, the elevator in Hawaii could be a bit more cheery and the rugs tend to wear quickly with all the traffic. The concierge desk area is dated, but it feels like home and I'm not sure how it could be changed to suit the motif.

Looking forward to our return in 106 days!