Willow Valley, Lancaster

We have stayed here at least 6 times since 1985 and always liked it. It was actually nice to be away from the toursit areas and enjoy the quiet of the country. Don't know if ownership has changed but quality sure has. Got back to our room on a Saturday afternoon about 4 and the room was not made up. Called the front desk to let them know and went to the pool to get out of the way. Came back at 5 , still no maid service. Called again and got little help from the desk. By 5:30 we made up the bed ourselves and picked up the bathroom. Never an explanation or apology. Wrote the resort a letter complaining after the visit and amazing, but never heard from them. No apology, no explanation, nothing. Just not the same resort I used to know. Food used to be a treat and now average, as was service. Sad to see as we had great memories here but will not go back. Way too expensive for what you now get.

I have never been to a better place. Very clean, People are very nice to you. Have been there many times will go back.

FOR THOSE WHO BOOK ONLINE BEWARE!!! FAR FROM ATTRACTIONS and UNATTENTIVE STAFF. Upon arrival, The Bible was opened to a passage, which should give anyone visiting Lancaster county the tip off that they are vacationing in a staunchly religious area. The rooms are nicely furnished and I would assume for the most part quiet with a picturesque view, unless you get a room like ours,overlooking the indoor courtyard. We were staying their with our 2 1/2 year old who goes to bed early (8ish). The resort doubles as a catering hall for big parties and weddings and the music played until late that Sat. night. The music and DJ WERE SO LOUD WE COULD HARDLY HEAR OUR TV. After complaining about the noise at the front desk, the night manager assured us we could move our rooms (@10:00 at night, or he could give us a 25% discount and assured us the music would stop shortly. We opted for the discount as moving with a toddler at the time was out of the question. Two days later when we went to check out, we reminded them of the 25% discount and they said they could not help us. The Day manager came out, a sour faced, heavy set woman who told us we had to take it up with EXPEDIA if we were to ever receive a discount. We NEVER did. I told I would write a review like this, she said, GO AHEAD! The hotel is far away from the main drag - Dutch Wonderland ,Texas BBQ and shopping etc. It is a good 30 minute drive to attractions. While the resort does have a small sweet shop and luncheonette, it takes 15 minutes to walk through the complex. Food is expensive and tasteless. Stick to Good and Plenty and reliable chain restaurants if you want better quality food. The buffets the area is praised for are mediocre at best. While the resort does boast clean rooms and a good, yet pricey, Sunday brunch $21, the staff was obnoxious, uncaring and thoroughly uninterested in helping guests. Overall, I would NEVER stay there again even if the kiddie pool was charming. It wasn't worth the hassle or the cold shoulder.

Our family has gone to this resort every October since 1976. In recent years, we had seen a decline in quality, but this year was by far the worst, and a deal breaker for future visits. We stayed in the South building. We shared our room with an assortment of bugs and had spider webs hanging from the ceiling. The food at both breakfast and dinner was horrible. We used to look forward to the PA Dutch homemade cooking but it has been reduced to an assortment of flavorless dishes. Too much freezer burned fried food and local dishes were non existent. The staff was rude and didn't care when we complained. It seemed like they were doing us a huge favor, just waiting on us. The pool was cold, the rooms were dated and worn, and we are looking into another resort for next year.

Our room was in serious need of updating. Ceiling was falling down in entrance way, the room was filled with bugs and the smell of raw sewage from the sink made brushing your teeth in the morning a near nauseating experience. The buffet was great if you love starch, powdered potatoes, powdered eggs, poorly seasoned pasta and recycled assorted meats. Not exactly the ‘Country Dining” experience we had become accustomed to over our many previous visits. It’s a shame that as this business has been passed down through the Thomas family; the resort in general has also gone down.

We stayed at the Willow Valley in August, 2008. Many areas of the hotel have been rennovated, but unfortunately our room wasn't in one of these areas. The first thing we noticed was that our room smelled a little like a locker room, so one of our first purchases was an air freshener. There's a slider door at the back of the hotel room. The door was retro-fitted with a bar that you swing up to keep the sliding door closed. The actual lock for our slider door was broken. Since we were on the ground floor and we had small kids this was a big concern. I spoke to the front desk about this, but we never saw a maintenance person. There was a keyboard in the room that's supposed to work with the TV for internet access. Our keyboard didn't work. Our TV had an on-screen TV guide menu which you used to switch channels. No matter what channel you picked, the TV would switch to one channel higher. For instance, picking channel 27 took you to 28. This drove us nuts until we figured out what it was doing. You might wonder why I'm even giving the hotel 3 stars. When not in our room, the rest of the resort is actually great for kids. Our kids loved the indoor water park, play ground, and buffet meals. I would probably come back, but I would only do so if we stayed in one of the rennovated areas.

I just recently returned from a two night stay at Willow Valley. We booked the Family suite in center Building. The room was more than we expected after looking at the online pictures and reviews. We were pleasently suprised. Everything was new and the room was large. Plenty of room for everyone to be comfortable. I also loved the three sinks! Everyone could get ready without having to wait. The location of the room was great. We were right near the cross over to the water park and down the hall from the indoor/outdoor pool. We opted for the all inclusive plan (breakfast/dinner). The food was good and plenty of it. The selection was enough for everyone to find something they liked and could eat. The grounds were very nice. That was the plus side. As far as the negatives. When I checked in, the lady at the front desk had no idea what she was doing and it took forever for someone to come out and help her. After the long wait, I was told my room wasn't ready and they would put a rush on it. Long story short, the rush took over two hours to get done. The kids were out of their minds. For the most part the staff were nice. There were a few that need an attitude adjustment or need to fins a new job. We had the worst waitress out first night for dinner. Luckily we didn't see her again. The pool was nice the first night. The second night i think that the heater broke because it was freezing. Overall, a nice place but I don't think that I would come back. There are much nicer places to stay in nicer parts of Lancaster for less money.

Where to start. Ceiling tiles in bathrooms were stained and molding. Thread count on sheets way too low. I've had better food at a prison buffet. Staff needs to be trained in food safety. I was concerned to feed my kids under temp'd food. Overheard staff members debating taking waters already poured on tables and put them on new tables. I'd love to see the kitchen, or maybe not! Front Desk staff needs to find the hospitality gene. Offered WII video game in main building at 6 dollars an hour, but not after 6pm. Newsflash! Kids might want to play it. I even wanted to give you the 6 dollars! Your pool does not make up for the lack of service and food quality. Your awarding winning cakes does not cut it! Won't not recommend this place to anyone!

This was the worst stay we have ever had in a hotel. The renovation that was going on was terrible. The banging that was going on was very annoying and disturbing when you are on vacation. We called the desk and they would not move us; but were pretty rude. For the money we were spending we could have aleast had a room that was quite, not much to ask for from a hotel. Anyway we will not be staying at this place again. We will be telling all of our friends about the terrible staff that this place has working at its front desk.

We actually got married in their chapel a few weeks ago. A number of our guests stayed there and loved every bit of it. The grounds are incredible. Most of the staff is extrememly helpful. The only downside of the experience was the renovations. They were renovating the Centre building and tried to put my guests there! Thankfully we learned about it early and the girl at the desk was incredibly and extrememly helpful in making sure we were happy and made sure our guests were put in the Atrium. Honestly, the updates are needed and I am glad they are happening, it was just bad timing for me. Other than that, it was an amazing experience. We received so many compliments about Willow Valley fromour wedding guests. The pools are amazing and the jacuzzi was great. The food was delicious and although the Palm Court Sunday Buffet is expensive....it is worth every penny because there are so many choices. There is a lot to do there....and you won't regret staying there for your family vacation...I had been there every summer since I was 5. My favorite memories of my childhood happened there...and now my wedding. Amazing.