Questions and answers contributed by guests and members and consolidated from our discussion area | ||||
Question | My
husband Bill and I have traded into Westwind for the week of February
6-13. We will be staying in unit 1, along with another couple. We have
never even seen the resort, except for all the pictures on this site. It
seems like most people at this resort are owners who do not trade but
who return each year. That sounds like a good sign that the resort will
be a good place to stay. Any comments or advice for a group of
newcomers?
My sibs in Napa, and I, are planning to purchase a timeshare at the Westwind Club. I've not been to the facility. Would you recommend it? Any downside? |
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Answer | Because
of the way the complex is layed out, and it's location between 2 private
estates, It's a quiet peaceful place to relax unless you manage to round
up a party at the club house. Westwind is located within a 10 minute
walk of a large casino complex in one direction and a grocery store in
the other. There is a liquor store directly across the street, as well
as an excellent restaurant and several pastry shops. The restaurant is
only open for evening dining. You can have pizza delivered. It's usually
best, if you arrive early enough, to stock up on breakfast, snack items
and liquid refreshments right away since shopping hours are limited on
Sundays. You can get hamburgers, hot dogs , & chicken
at the pool bar after 12 noon. The clubhouse bar is open till 6:00 pm.
We usually use Eddie and his cab to get groceries so we can hurry to the
clubhouse. I would recommend you have your cabby stop at the grocery
store on the way in from the airport; that way you can start enjoying
yourself right away.
Chris, you are going to love your week at Westwind. You can be as busy or as lazy as you wish. Before I purchased a week I traded to go there and I would recommend you make a point of going to the happy hours, you will meet everyone else who is there at the same time you are, which will greatly enhance your trip. Also, read Pete's message about the store hours on Sunday if you arrive late on Saturday. Have a great time!! Myself, my wife Lisa and another couple traded for Jan 23 to the 30th and it was great. The weather and hospitality from the staff were unsurpassed. The unit was well maintained and roomy. THANKS AGAIN FOR A GREAT WEEK. HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON! THANKS, MARK We went to Westwind Club in February and had a
delightful vacation. The units were clean and well supplied. The beach
was small, as we had heard, but when you are the only ones there, it's
plenty big enough compared to the massive crowds at the larger resorts.
Be sure to have one of Donny's burger lunches at the clubhouse, and of
course try to be around for the happy hour... beer or drinks for $2.
Take a few dry goods and condiments with you, as the grocery prices are
pretty steep. Above all, in the Bahamas, try to get to know the locals.
They are so friendly and helpful, and they have a totally different life
from us northerners. You will also meet most of the people staying at
the resort. It's so small that we pretty well got to talk to everyone.
You will meet Lauren at the office on your first day. She's a gem. On Tuesday,
a couple comes over and shows their fashion collection for men, women
and kids. They were terrific. The prices were better than any we saw
downtown. And they even made me a special skirt to order.. in one day!!
You have a great vacation coming up. Enjoy! Will look forward to meeting you the week of the 17th as I will be there as well. Make sure to go to daily happy hour as it is where you will meet everyone else. The only other thing I would make sure to bring (in addition to other responses) is a beverage container that is not glass for poolside. See you soon! A lot depends on what you are looking for in a
vacation. There are some very busy, fast paced resorts in the Bahamas,
but Westwind Club is not that way. It is the comfy, quiet place to come
home to each evening. The staff are very helpful and friendly. The units
are clean and well stocked (everything but a dishwasher). We were there
in February with another couple. The units are supposed to sleep 6
people, but with only one bathroom, I would not have more than 4 people.
The property is long and narrow, with 22 units on either side of a
driveway leading to the clubhouse at the oceanfront. We spent many hours
at the clubhouse, especially for the Sunday welcome barbecue and the
nightly happy hour. The beach is small, but when you are the only people
on the beach, it doesn't seem so small. The view of the ocean, the
cruise ships headed into Nassau kept us fascinated each morning and
evening. The pool is heated, and again it is small, but not crowded. The
bus to Nassau stops at the top of the driveway every few minutes or if
you want to get to the Cable Beach hotels and casino, it is a pleasant
10-15 minute walk. Westwind Club is the best resort for proximity to
stores. There is a liquor store and two bakeries across the street, a
pizzeria just a bit farther, and several good restaurants within walking
distance. I don't know how Westwind Club is for trading, but from the
number of owners we met the week we were there, I don't think many
people want to go elsewhere. We own at Orange Lake and Vistana in
Orlando, and I still think of Westwind Club as a terrific resort. I
certainly would go back as often as possible. Good luck. Chris Kathy and I have been going there for three years.
Each year we rented and loved it so much we just purchased a week. We've
been to many resorts and have to tell you that this is the best. Both
the staff and people who go there are terrific. We strongly recommend
Westwind and as such there is absolutely no downside. What you should consider is that Westwind is owner operated. This means there is no 5 year subsidy on maintenance fees from the developer. In other words if your maintenance is $300 per year the developer will pick up 50% bringing the fee to $150.00 per year . This is done to attract people to buy time share at the rates of $8000.00-12000.00 per week. When you factor the difference between Westwind and other resorts it would take you approximately 20 years at Westwind's rate to make up the difference and given Westwind's management the costs are always a priority. In addition the staff is unique as they are very personable and know every owner and their family and then some. You will not find the Westwind staff atmosphere at any other resort. As far as unit 1 is concerned ,we spent a week with the couple in 1 and heard no complaints about the noise, nor the walk to the beach and pool. Again I believe there is no downside to this club. My husband & I enjoyed our stay at the club. We had purchased week 30 and it was everything we wanted in a vacation. Friendly people, willing to help with any information and the units were well kept. We met a lot of nice people and will return next year. Great week ! Although we own week 29 both Kathy and I stay an extra week . The people and staff are the best you'll meet. We will see you there!!!! hello mr robinson, Have been owners for 10 years now and can't wait to get back to Westwind in November for two weeks. In case Steve, Lauren or Donny see this.....take care and we'll see you for weeks 46 and 47 with Bob and Carole and the kids! For those that don't know, Westwind is the best! Having been owners at Westwind for twenty years, with each visit we try to discover something new and exciting to do during our week. This year we found the new Fast Ferry Service to Harbor Island and Eluethra to be a real delightful day trip. It is a large air-conditioned boat...seats up to 177 people. It travels to Harbor Island and beautiful pink sand beaches is about two hours. It's comfortable, scenic, relaxing and great fun...not to mention on time. So..if you're visiting Westwind and want something unique, be sure to give this a try. It leaves early in the morning from Potters Cay and returns at 6:30 in the evening. By the way, Westwind looked fantastic! We can't wait for our next visit. |
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Question | Will be staying at Westwind for Christmas and New Years. How is the weather at that time? I have heard that there are several island celebrations and we are really interested in attending these. Any information regarding this would really be appreciated | |||
Answer | My family and I have gone to Westwind over Christmas and New Year's for the past 10 years. It is a great time to go. The weather is great and there is so much to do. There's a parade called Junkanoo on Boxing Day and on New Years Day. It's a parade in the middle of the night downtown. It is an amazing sight! There also a lot to do on New Years eve. Hope this helps, Anne | |||
Question | Hi again, all. We're really getting excited...only a week until we come (we're from Sacramento). I bet you're excited too, Peg! Question: can someone tell us if there is a laundry mat on-site, or close? We'll be coming for 2 weeks, and it would sure help our packing if we knew about laundry facilities! Thanks!! | |||
Answer | The
laundry area is attached to the main clubhouse. It is also used by the
housekeeping staff. If you need to use it, you probably will have no
problem during the week.
Tokens for the laundry machines are available at the office. |
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Question |
Do any of the units have 2 bathrooms. Where is it located if there is only one? |
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Answer | Sorry-all
units only have 1 bathroom
The bathroom is located 1/2 way up the stairs-right in the middle between the 2 levels. |
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Question | At high tide do you lose the beach area completely. From what I can see from the pictures, it looks small, but beautiful | |||
Answer | At high tide and a very stiff wind, the water rolls all the way up the sand between waves. Normally there is always some dry beach! | |||
Question | I am coming in September and I was just wondering if there will be a lot of construction going on. I wasn't sure if there are a lot of changes being planned-it seemed that way from this web site. If someone can answer, thanks... | |||
Answer | There
is no MAJOR construction that occurs when you are there as well as any
other week. What the club does is renovate or make minor changes in
units that are unoccupied. There are no construction crews on site and
everything is done by the staff. i.e. couches are changed, fans are hung
etc. You never realize this is being done. Great people and staff are
there, so enjoy yourself as you picked the best resort to be at.
Major work is performed during two maintenance weeks which are not assigned to anyone. |
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Question | The other drawback would be if you were far away from the pool/beach, like Unit #1, which is directly next to the street...noisy. | |||
Answer | We've owned a week in Unit 1 for 19 years, and have never noticed any noise! Also it only takes about 2 minutes to waddle to the beach. The advantage is that it's not far to carry the beer from the liquor store across the street. (grin) | |||
Question | My week is coming up in April and it looks like I will not be able to use it. I am not sure I want to bank it with RCI, so I may rent it out. Does anyone know how I do this? Any info is appreciated. | |||
Answer | Either rent it out yourself, or e-mail the club and let them try to rent it out (for a commission of course) Use the E-mail address on the reservations page under availability. | |||
Question | Hello everyone. We will be utilizing unit 26 April 17 to May 1. We're really looking forward to SCUBA and relaxing. Have never been to the Bahamas. Sounds like your club is really 'together'! What can we expect? Are the kitchens fully equipped? Are there two bathrooms in the units? Thanks for any info you can give...Nurk | |||
Answer | The kitchens have everything except dishwashers. There is one bathroom between the master and loft bedroom. Pictures, layouts and site plan are in the Resort and Villa area of this website. Be sure to visit the related links for scuba information | |||
Question | How do we go about selling our week? | |||
Answer | Contact Ray Weigel-see availability / sales area or contact page of this web site | |||
Question | Any
news regarding conditions after/during Floyd's visit? I am slated to
stay there on my honeymoon from Sept. 19th through the 25th. I need to
find out if I should cancel my plans. Please let me know what the
conditions are like even if the resort is still in operation.
What was the damage from hurricane Floyd? How is the staff doing. Can we help in any way? We were there the week before and the water was the best 100Ft. visibility and 89 degrees. Hope the reefs will recover soon.
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Answer | We'll
always try to keep you posted on this website as we get information.
With power and phone outages during storms, communications are often cut
off. If a Hurricane appears to be nearing Nassau, we will have a related
link on our Home page as we did during hurricane Floyd during which we
had periodic cell phone contact.
We did sustain some damage but not to the units. They were inundated with mess and debris and worked very hard to get the resort back to normal. It took a couple of weeks but no one needed to cancel their vacations. They were minor inconveniences during the 2 weeks after the hurricane. There was no fresh water available on the island to fill the pool for two weeks. Steve and his staff went through a very difficult time trying to recover from this storm. I want all our owners to be aware of the tremendous effort and skill that they put forth. We are very fortunate!!! All the guests at the club did stay and weathered the storm. Steve had a free happy hour on Thursday to try to cheer everyone.
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Question | Is Westwind Club affiliated with Westwind II? | |||
Answer | Although we were built and developed by the same people, we are totally separate from Westwind II. Each resort is run by their own owner Board of Directors. We have very friendly relations with them and you will find the staff at both resorts very accommodating. Each resort is quite different in layout, theirs is larger and closer to the action while ours is more intimate and relaxing. | |||
Question | We
saw in the documentation that Casinos have a "coat and tie"
dress code. Is there Casinos near by that accept more casual wear
like golf bermudas and shirts? |
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Answer | There are two casinos in Nassau and both allow acceptable casual wear including shorts and golf shirts. The closest casino is within walking distance. | |||
Question | We
know the condo comes with all the amenities of home, but we
were unclear as to things like a toaster, shampoo, soap, or
towels (and if towels are supplied are they strictly bath towels or are
beach towels also available?)
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Answer | All
the units are fully furnished and equipped for six people; they are
stocked with bath towels and bed linens - beach towels can be rented for
$4/week per towel - and you are supplied with paper towels, toilet
paper, bath soap, garbage bags, etc.; however, personal items like
toothpaste, shampoos, hair dryers are not included. There is also a Mr.
Coffee maker, toaster, blender and microwave in the kitchen.
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