We have stayed in several of the Colonial Williamsburg properties, including the historic houses, during many trips to Wiliamsburg. I had already booked our stay at the Lodge, then read the reviews here at Trip Advisor. I was dubious, to say the least, but the accomodations were top notch. Since it was over the Fourth of July weekend, we were given a handicapped room, which was gorgeous. It was a ground floor room , with a door out to a beautifully landscaped courtyard, and a brand new bathroom; in short, it was a spacious room with many deluxe extras. The in-room coffee was actually tasty, and the delicious continental breakfast provided was only a few floors away. Yes, there is construction going on, but the staff, who were very welcoming, do everything they can to accomodate your wishes. I'm sure that when the construction is complete the facilities and rooms will be in keeping with what I have come to expect of the Foundation's properties- gracious, comfortable, and worth every penny.

We stayed at the Williamsburg Lodge for 3 nights at the beginning of May and were seriously disappointed.

We booked through Travelocity whose description (presumably provided by the hotel because it's the same on several different travel websites) states, "Relax at the Williamsburg Lodge where the surrounds are casual, warm and very comfortable with a distinctive southern tradition ...... Amenities include on-site dining, shopping and golf at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club as well as shuttle service, fitness and spa services, recreational activities and more." There's also a photo of a very pleasant looking garden.

The reality was somewhat different. The Lodge itself was a construction site and not accessible at all, and Reception was in another building across the road, adjacent to the Williamsburg Inn. Effectively, all we had was a motel room in a square block which was next to the road on 2 sides and the construction site on the other 2 sides. There was no guest directory in the room to give information on hotel facilities - when I phoned Reception to ask about this they said the new version hadn't yet been produced but I could phone them with any questions. How can you ask about facilities you don't know exist? I like to be able to browse through the directory and see what's available. It would not be difficult for them to produce a couple of typed sheets as a temporary directory, but I suspect they haven't done this because it would simply highlight the lack of facilities.

Security was non-existent, anyone could walk in from the street and there's not even the usual reception area you would have in other motels so there are no staff around. There were supposed to be Bell Services staff in the underground car park but in 3 days we didn't see them. The Reception area across the road is not within sight of the building and was not manned 24 hours a day. Williamsburg is not an inner city and perhaps they don't feel security is an issue - but it doesn't take much to put key-card locks on the outer doors to limit access.

As a motel room, it was pleasant enough and handy for walking into Williamsburg. But it does not deserve the AAA 3 Diamond rating listed by any stretch of the imagination, it is more the 1 Diamond, ie "essential, no-frills accommodation". The room could meet the 2 Diamond standard except for the "typically at moderate prices" criteria, because I do not consider $149.00 a night a moderate price for such a motel. (Our 3 previous nights were spent in a 3 Diamond property in Arlington where not only did the room have superior facilities - better air/heat system, refrigerator and microwave, comfortable easy chair - but the hotel had 24 hour front desk, dining room and lounge bar, fitness facilities, secure access to the car park and to the elevators from the car park, and all for $89.00 per night.)

Personally I believe the Williamsburg Lodge should not be operating while this major construction project is ongoing, but if nothing else they should be warning potential guests of the disruption and lack of facilities so you can make an informed decision.

We would happily visit Williamsburg again but would not recommend any of the 'official' Foundation hotels as the company appears to have little consideration for their customers, only for their accountant.

What a terrible place! My husband & I went to Williamsburg over the July 16 - 18 weekend and always thought it would be fun to stay in the Colonial area. Because we didn't want to pay $415 per night at the newly refurbished Williamsburg Inn (yes, $415 per night!!), we thought we'd try the Lodge and assumed it would be very nice since it was $195 per night. WRONG!! The paint was peeling, the floors creaked, there was an empty old light socket in the middle of the ceiling, the bathroom was smelly, old, stained, peeling, rotting, just plain yucky. While in the very comfortable lounge (obviously already re-done) one afternoon we heard the waitress ask someone how their room was, evidently it's a 'known' that it's not the best. Colonial Williamsburg's got nerve charging that much for such a crummy place - we'll never stay there again, which is a shame because it probably will be nice once the renovations are completed. I guess the final straw was when we checked out and no one asked "How was your stay?"........Guess they knew what our answer would be. Stay at the Hilton Garden Inn - it's a great place and costs less!

Our family recently returned from spending the July 4th weekend in the Williamsburg area. Our room was in the Taziwell wing of the Lodge - nicely appointed rooms, large comfortable beds, very clean. We were given an interior room, so we had a balcony with two rocking chairs overlooking the large, nicely landscaped interior courtyard. Every morning we awoke to a chorus of birds singing - quite nice. The free parking in the garage underneath was very convenient. Our plan included bounce passes to Historic Williamsburg, Water Country and Busch Gardens. We also had use of the pool at the Horseshoe Golf Club across the street. Our plan did not include meals. The price, for what we got, was very fair. Obviously you can stay at less expensive places, but for the ambiance and proximity to the historic area (within a half block walking distance), we were very happy with our choice. The only downside is, that at the current time, the Taziwell is not connected to the main part of the lodge, due to construction. This did not present a problem, except for the downpour of rain one of the afternoons. But the nicest part of the stay was the friendly staff. The concierge was superb - she had great ideas for eating. During the afternoon downpour mentioned earlier, I happenend to be in the main lobby. The bell hop actually drove me to our room - dropping me off in the basement garage where I easily hopped an elevator to our room. We would definitely stay there again.