One thing to be aware of is that for timeshare guests, they only do check-ins/check-outs on Friday if you are staying for a week. As a result, Fridays are pretty hectic. Check-in time is 5 pm but our room wasn't ready until about 6:30. They gave us a day-use key so we could use the pool and rec room. We used the time to check out the nice grounds and took advantage of the welcome party with great snacks and free beer, wine, and soft drinks. For check-out, they provide you with a bill on Thursday and as long as you take care of it before 11pm that night, you don't have to contend with the hordes trying to make the 10am Friday checkout deadline the next morning.

The activites were great! There were activities every day that were either free or very reasonably priced. For food activities, we took advantage of the welcome party mentioned in Part 1, a barbeque (hamburgers and hot dogs), pancake breakfast, and ice cream social. Our son had a great time at the ping ping and pool tournaments and bingo. He won the junior ping pong tournament and even got a small trophy -- for him, it was the highlight of the trip! He also won 5 "Lagonita Dollars" playing bingo. There are also canoe, bike, and pontoon boat tours. We did the 90 minute pontoon boat tour for $8 which was cheaper than the other boat tours in town.

The swimming pool is indoors and average sized. They still use the old style chlorine rather than the more modern chemicals so if you're sensitive to chlorine (as our son is), be forewarned. For most folks, it's fine. The pool is open to 11 pm and although kids are supposed to clear out at 9 pm, that rule was largely ignored and nobody seemed to mind. There is a spa next to the pool. There is another "adults-only" spa on the sun-deck if you need to get away from the kids.

There are family and adult rec rooms. The family rec room has 2 pool tables, a foosball table, a ping-pong table, several tables and chairs and a big-screen TV. Our son spent a lot of time here with the other kids he met. There is also a smaller adult rec room with a big screen TV, pool table, and lending library.

Besides the spa, the sun-deck has lounge chairs and picnic tables and is where the pancake breakfast and BBQ were served.

The boat dock has slips for your boat if you bring it. They also have jet-skis, aluminum fishing boats, and pontoon boats to rent. We rented an aluminum boat for 2 hours and $10/hour. We wound up getting stranded in a cove when the motor flooded and wouldn't restart. We tried another boat with similar problems. So instead for our $20, they let us take a pontoon boat out for an hour, which normally costs $38/hour. That was a lot of fun although it was a bit of a challenge docking it - they're not very maneuverable!

The grounds are beautifully maintained and have nice walkways, trees, flowers, and the biggest squirrels I've ever seen! There is also a small playground for the little ones.

See Part 3 for some logistics info.

We were looking for a timeshare week far enough from home to feel like a real vacation, but close enough that we didn't spend all day getting there. For us soggy Seattlites, sunny southern California seemed perfect. We bought a 1 bedroom/2 bath "Lakeview" unit at a timeshare re-sale for a very low price. Maintenance fees are a very reasonable $400.

The lodge is rated as a Gold Crown and while I wouldn't put it on the same level as the Gold Crown resorts in Hawaii, it was quite enjoyable.

Our room was average size with a bedroom, living area, a kitchen area in-between, and two bathrooms. The bathrooms were nice but quite small containing just the toilet and tub/shower. The single sink/vanities were in the bedroom and living area which depending on your attitude can be an advantage or annoyance. And if you're tall, watch your noggin getting in the shower - it was a low bridge for me and I'm only 5'9". The kitchen featured a full size fridge, microwave, and sink with disposal. The stove and dishwasher were mini-sized. There's not much storage and most of the utensils were in a cabinet in the living area - a minor annoyance but not a big deal. The queen size bed was comfortable and there were two nice closets in the bedroom as well as a goodsized dresser and two nightstands. Our 12 year old son said the hide a bed in the living room was OK, but I'd guess it would not be the greatest for adults. A small round table and 4 chairs are in the living area and both the bedroom and lving area also have a comfortable chair.

There's no air conditioning, but the ceiling fan in the living area and a provided floor fan for the bedroom kept things comfortable. There's a gas fireplace in the living area but we didn't use it. The TV in the bedroom was nice but the one in the living room was too small and was mounted over the fireplace. Most units have a larger TV in a cabinet in the living area. Channel selection is excellent with 4(!) HBO channels and Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon network for the kids.

Off the living area is either a patio or deck. It's not huge, but big enough for 4 chairs and a small table. We borrowed a lounge chair from the sun deck and kept that on the patio as well.

The furnishings, decor, and carpet were all in good shape and fairly new. One of the shower doors was off the track and the dishwasher was broken but the maintenance staff fixed both immediately when we contacted them.

See part 2 for activites and amenities.

The activites were great! There was something going on every day that was either free or very reasonably priced. For food activities, we took advantage of the welcome party mentioned in Part 1, a barbeque (hamburgers and hot dogs), pancake breakfast, and ice cream social. Our son had a great time at the ping ping and pool tournaments and bingo. He won the junior ping pong tournament and even got a small trophy -- for him, it was the highlight of the trip! He also won 5 "Lagonita Dollars" playing bingo. There are also canoe, bike, and pontoon boat tours. We did the 90 minute pontoon boat tour for $8 which was cheaper than the other boat tours in town.

The swimming pool is indoors and average sized. They still use the old style chlorine rather than the more modern chemicals so if you're sensitive to chlorine (as our son is), be forewarned. For most folks, it's fine. The pool is open to 11 pm and although kids are supposed to clear out at 9 pm, that rule was largely ignored and nobody seemed to mind. There is a spa next to the pool. There is another "adults-only" spa on the sun-deck if you need to get away from the kids.

There are family and adult rec rooms. The family rec room has 2 pool tables, a foosball table, a ping-pong table, several tables and chairs and a big-screen TV. Our son spent a lot of time here with the other kids he met. There is also a smaller adult rec room with a big screen TV, pool table, and lending library.

Besides the spa, the sun-deck has lounge chairs and picnic tables and is where the pancake breakfast and BBQ were served.

The boat dock has slips for your boat if you bring it. They also have jet-skis, aluminum fishing boats, and pontoon boats to rent. We rented an aluminum boat for 2 hours at $10/hour. We wound up getting stranded in a cove when the motor flooded and wouldn't restart. We tried another boat with similar problems. So instead for our $20, they let us take a pontoon boat out for an hour, which normally costs $38/hour. That was a lot of fun although it was a bit of a challenge docking it - they're not very maneuverable!

The grounds are beautifully maintained and have nice walkways, trees, flowers, and the biggest squirrels I've ever seen! There is also a small playground for the little ones.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

The lodge is rated as a Gold Crown and while I wouldn't put it on the same level as the Gold Crown resorts in Hawaii, it was quite enjoyable.

Our room was average size with a bedroom, living area, a kitchen area in-between, and two bathrooms. The bathrooms were nice but quite small containing just the toilet and tub/shower. The single sink/vanities were in the bedroom and living area which, depending on your attitude, can be an advantage or annoyance. And if you're tall, watch your noggin getting in the shower - it was a low bridge for me and I'm only 5'9". The kitchen featured a full size fridge, microwave, and sink with disposal. The stove and dishwasher were mini-sized. There's not much storage and most of the utensils were in a cabinet in the living area - a minor annoyance but not a big deal. The queen size bed was comfortable and there were two nice closets in the bedroom as well as a goodsized dresser and two nightstands. Our 12 year old son said the hide a bed in the living room was OK, but I'd guess it would not be the greatest for adults. A small round table and 4 chairs are in the living area and both the bedroom and living area also have a comfortable chair.

There's no air conditioning, but the ceiling fan in the living area and a provided floor fan for the bedroom kept things comfortable. There's a gas fireplace in the living area but we didn't use it. The TV in the bedroom was nice but the one in the living room was too small and was mounted over the fireplace. Most units have a larger TV in a cabinet in the living area. Channel selection is excellent with 4(!) HBO channels and Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon network for the kids.

Off the living area is either a patio or deck. It's not huge, but big enough for 4 chairs and a small table. We borrowed a lounge chair from the sun deck and kept that on the patio as well.

The furnishings, decor, and carpet were all in good shape and fairly new. One of the shower doors was off the track and the dishwasher was broken but the maintenance staff fixed both immediately when we contacted them.

See the diagram below for the various types of rooms and locations. You buy a specific type and then get placed in whatever one is available. We were in "Lakeview" 102 which was one of the furthest from the lake and a little bit different layout than some of the other Lakeview units but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

One thing to be aware of is that for timeshare guests, they only do check-ins/check-outs on Friday if you are staying for a week. As a result, Fridays are pretty hectic. Check-in time is 5 pm but our room wasn't ready until about 6:30. They gave us a day-use key so we could use the pool and rec room. We used the time to check out the nice grounds and took advantage of the welcome party with great snacks and free beer, wine, and soft drinks. For check-out, they provide you with a bill on Thursday and as long as you take care of it before 11pm that night, you don't have to contend with the hordes trying to make the 10am Friday checkout deadline the next morning.

See part 2 for activites and amenities.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent