On our most recent trip to Williamsburg, we stayed at the Historic Powhatan Resort. The resort, which is a Hilton Vacation Club property, features spacious suites, countless amenities, and a reasonable rate!
The Historic Powhatan Resort
This year, we planned a surprise getaway for our kids at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. While Williamsburg is technically close enough to home for us to take a day trip (albeit a long one), we wanted a more relaxing experience so we could spend a couple days reacquainting ourselves with the park.
Williamsburg is home to many hotels and resorts, but we chose the Historic Powhatan Resort for the spacious rooms. We booked our accommodations at off-season prices using Hotels.com. We made the majority of the payment through the site when we booked, but we were informed we would need to pay a separate resort fee upon arrival.
Check-In
We arrived at the resort around 6:30PM and were directed to the check-in building by the attendant at the front gate. Because it was a Thursday night, we didn’t expect to wait, but we did spend about 25 minutes in line for check-in.
The Suite
The suites at Powhatan Historic Resort are housed in buildings designed as rowhomes, which makes the resort feel like a neighborhood. There are even different style of homes to accommodate the differences in suite sizes. Suites are offered in 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom configurations, the largest of which can accommodate 12 people!
We were comfortable in our top-floor 1-bedroom configuration that included a kitchenette, dining room, loft living room with sleeper sofa, primary bedroom, and two full bathrooms.
Upon entering the rowhome, we arrived at a landing with two separate doors: one to the unit on the bottom floor and one to our unit upstairs. We entered our suite and found there was a small landing at the bottom of the steps that was perfect for shoes and other “landing pad” items.
We climbed the steps to the first floor of our suite, which included the kitchenette, dining area, main bathroom, and primary bedroom.
The dining area included a table for four and a wall-mounted TV.
The kitchenette had a stove and oven, microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher. It was also stocked with small appliances (like a toaster and coffee maker) and commonly-used kitchen utensils. The cabinets were full of dishes and flatware for four. It didn’t have frills, but it was exactly what we needed! We used the kitchen to make dinner on arrival night and breakfast daily.
The primary bedroom was also on the first floor and included its own full bathroom… with very aggressive water pressure!
Continuing to the top floor, we found the loft living room. The sofa expands into a queen-sized bed, the ottomans are hollow for storage, and the nook by the window made a great reading spot, too. The dresser, TV, and chair rounded out the room. It was just enough space for our little ones.
There was a window nook behind the kitchen that we enjoyed using during our downtime. The kids curled up in it to have a snack, read a book, or chat on their phones.
I felt like the entire condo made great use of limited space. The creative division of the floors and rooms made the 800 square feet feel much more spacious than it was.
The Amenities
The manor house of the Historic Powhatan Resort is the icon of the resort.
The grounds of the Historic Powhatan Resort are beautiful! I spent a few hours walking them, particularly the manicured areas around the manor house. There are traditional manor and herb gardens near the house, plus small ponds and gazebos throughout the property.
My husband and kids loved the mini golf course so much, they actually played twice in two days! We were lucky to be blessed with beautiful spring weather the days we stayed, so it was the perfect afternoon activity.
We also spent some time on the playground, which was a real draw for our youngest due to its sand base.
The on-site coffee shop, Historic Grounds, was packed the one morning I went in. I wasn’t willing to wait or return, so I didn’t get a chance to try the coffee. Our in-room coffee was good enough for me!
We also didn’t get a chance to try the Powhatan Grille, the on-site restaurant.
There’s also an indoor pool we didn’t have a chance to enjoy!
Frankly, because of the time spent at the park, we didn’t have time to do everything we wanted to do at the Historic Powhatan Resort. I really felt like we could have used a few more days there to really enjoy it all!
Overall Impression
I would unreservedly recommend this resort! It seems to be a good fit for families/anyone who needs additional space to spread out. It is also an excellent fit for longer stays, considering it has a kitchen and countless on-site activities.
However, if a member of your traveling party has mobility concerns, this might not be the best fit. I am sure that ADA accommodations exist, but all of the suites we saw had at least one stair required for entry. I would recommend contacting the resort ahead of time to ensure you have adequate access.
Plan Your Visit
The Historic Powhatan Resort
Hilton Vacation Club
3601 Ironbound Road
Williamsburg, Virginia 23188
website
