Kingsmill Resort

Update: The manager of the hotel got in touch with us and thoroughly apologized for what happened and how it was handled. He informed us that they addressed the issue with Sarah, the employee who handled the matter and he also reimbursed us for one of the nights of our stay.
My family and I are nothing short of disappointed with our stay here. When you drive onto the property you are taken aback by the beautiful scenery however, the amazement stops here. We requested far in advance when making our reservation that our two rooms be next to each other at the least, if not connecting. When we arrived we were told that would no longer be possible. This was a major problem for us since we were traveling with my elderly grandparents who were not comfortable staying alone. We were finally given a room upstairs from theirs. Upon returning to our room later in the evening we found a large bug on the pillow of one of the beds. When trying to kill it we noticed a huge spider on the curtains. Not to mention the sheets, which had «supposedly» been changed were filthy! They seemed to have dirt on them.
We called the front desk and spoke to Sarah who seemed to care very little about the situation. I cannot emphasize enough how little help she offered as the night grew progressively worse. Sarah said she would send someone to change the sheets and we told her we were no longer comfortable staying in that room. She then informed us she would change us but it would be to a room much further from my grandparents. We accepted for the change for the night and agreed to work the rest out in the morning. After waiting twenty minutes for the employee Sarah was supposed to send, we went to the front desk ourselves and picked up the new key. When we get to the new room there is only one bed for four people! We go back to the front desk and Sarah could care less. She had an attitude with us the entire time and was not the least apologetic about everything that had happened. She finally gave us a room which just so happens to now be next to grandparents! Where was this room all along?!
I would not recommend staying here at all and I was very disappointed to see the lack of customer service. They need to reconsider people like Sarah being the face of the hotel at the front desk.

I went here for a weekend girls getaway with my life long best friend (It was also for her birthday and I told the staff of this ahead of time) Nov 27– Nov 29 2015.
The place is in a gorgeous setting on the James, the grounds are well kept, the room was clean, the staff was so friendly and accommodating. We made immediate connections with our masseuses for our spa treatments and all of the staff was quick to smile and make us feel welcome.
We got into our one bedroom condo and there was a plate of chocolates there for her birthday which was unexpected and awesome. We enjoyed all of them. They even gave her a birthday card.
Condo was amazing. Bed was comfortable, the bathroom was elegant and spacious enough for us to both do our make up and hair for the weekend. Everything was clean and well organized. I am a stickler about hotel cleanliness and this place was GREAT. We enjoyed the ambiance for our first evening with the fireplace lit and even went to Harris Teeter to get wine crackers and cheese to eat for dinner our first night and stay in — the kitchen was perfect for our needs as well.
AND THE VIEW!!! The view of the James river was top notch. We were on the top floor of building 12 and it was gorgeous. The sunsets were incredible and it was unseasonably warm for November but it made the most amazing view over the James river.
Wifi was fine once my phone was smart enough to get me to the page to sign in as a guest. Didn’t have any cell service though without it.
Had an awesome time. We had more fun with the staff than other guests (I guess we aren’t stuffy enough to fit in some circles) as we got some cold looks from guests when we were laughing and having a good time in open places.
The coffee shop/​café on site by the tennis courts has the BEST FOOD and BEST COFFEE/​ESPRESSO !!! Definitely give it a whirl.

The property is absolutely beautiful. It’s a great getaway from the touristy areas of Williamsburg. The service is top notch from the moment you walk into the main building. Pro tip: don’t bring your luggage into the main building unless you know for sure you are staying there. The food on and around the area is as good as advertised. I frequented the Mill (near the tennis center) and Eagles (in the golf clubhouse) and was satisfied. The River Course is fantastic and I hear the Woods Course is also just as good.
I stayed in Building 2, which is a small building with about 8 units in it. I had a lower level room with a great view of a pond. In it you will have a good amount of space. These buildings, however, do show their age. If you’re on the lower levels you can hear every footstep from the floor above. The paint on the inside and outside are peeling as is the wallpaper in spots. The carpet was stained and worn, but it was a perfect speed for putting. The free wi-​fi was a nice add-​on.
Overall I had a nice time, but the resort isn’t somewhere I would come back for the amount of money I paid. Also check the rates the closer you get to your stay. I first booked this place for over $ 200 a night but found out the rate had dropped $ 50 a night.

We had a fabulous time! We stayed in late July for a week. Everything was awesome! Kingsmill is located in a gated community and is so scenic, relaxing and safe! We purchased the Stay and Play package. It included breakfast every morning, use of all amenities and non mechanical water sports (paddles boards, paddle boats, fishing gear, sea bikes etc.) in room wifi and shuttle service to Busch Gardens and Williamsburg. We stayed in a condo on the James River. The views were wonderful, with beautiful natural wildlife wondering through our yard (various birds, deer, groundhogs, fox etc.) and fragrant breezes blowing in from the water and through the flowers planted all over the resort. It’s impossible not to relax here!
For our stay, we visited the historic triangle each day (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown) and then relaxed at the resort in the evening. We also did a few resort only days, which were so much fun! The crew at the water sports rental office taught us how to fish, we got to meet other folks out on the docks fishing, we took out the jet ski’s, rented a boat to sail around the river, closed out each night with a swim, enjoyed dining in the restaurants, played tennis, took the historical walking tour, played in the game room, took the night time Ghost Tour and relaxed at the spa! It was great! Our room was well appointed and in great condition. Anything we needed was always taken care of immediately. Shuttle service seemed to arrive a moment after I would hang up and call for it and room service always arrived within 15 minutes of my ordering it.
I honestly can’t say anything negative about Kingsmill! I do suggest however that if you visit the pools, and don’t want to be around loads of kids, to visit the pool up the hill by the gym. It’s bigger, and barely any families use it with little kids since it doesn’t have a lazy river. Also, if you get the breakfast package, it’s easier to navigate if you get there around 9:30am. Any earlier, and it’s pretty crowded. They stop seating at 10am, so we always had plenty of time. Usually service wrapped up around 10:30am. Also, Busch Gardens weekend fireworks are visible from Kingsmill, which is a nice way to round out a long day!
My favorite part of staying here is just how incredible the customer service is! Everyone was so kind to us, accommodating and eager to make our stay memorable… and it was :) The price tag can be heavy depending on the time of year. Our rate fluctuated by day between $ 450-​$ 525 per night. (Including stay and play package for 2) but again, this was during a peak time. I understand they run various deals and special offers off season. I highly recommend giving this place a visit!!! :)

Yucky gives me gross feeling. Place is just gross feeling. Uch could not wait to leave.

Really disappointing place. Looked promising online but fell way short. First the restaurant served arguably the worst tuna (I think that’s what they billed it as) dish I’ve ever had, complemented by some horrible sauce and rice with withered peas! The service was slow and clueless but earnest enough. Dinner for two was $ 75 and not worth a fraction of that! Then our room was in a whole complex of buildings that looked like a shabby housing development from the 70’s. Our room had walls so thin that – literally – we could hear every word spoken by the people next door. A call to management earned me an offer of a free breakfast! Thanks, but I’d prefer something edible. Definitely not worth the money. Won’t be back.

Kingsmill resort where should I begin.
The river pool is were I am gonna begin, the lazy river was nice but there were tons of little kids swimming and playing in the lazy river it was unbelievable you could not catch a break and there were little kids doing swim lessons! After the fact of the little kids it was very dirty. And now onto the pool, it was also very dirty but not a lot of people in it other then the last day. Also the pool was very low it was half three feet and half four feet and it was more for smaller people. Another thing was the water slide it was cool to have it but it was smaller and applied to a younger audience.
Now onto the food service at the pool they had about four people for delivering the food to seats. (which you could call over by raising a flag on your seat but some seats were missing flags) The service was good and so was the food (I recommend the turkey flat bread sandwich) But there were so many flys and bugs you couldn’t enjoy it. Other then that there is not much else for the service.
I had a breakfast and dinner plan at the elements 1010 which is in the main building. It was a buffet for breakfast and normal dinner. The breakfast buffet was good they had stuff like cereal, eggs, bacon, bagels, potatoes, pastries, French toast and waffles alternate every day, oatmeal and grits alternative, yogurt and cottage cheese. I had no problems until the last day were I found a hair in the yogurt and it sat there the whole time no one seemed to care. And for dinner it was good both the food and the service.
Another thing I did was their activities. I tried to do a water cycle with the rest of my family but we called and all of them were broken other then one and it was only two peddle. Another thing I did was biking they had about 15 bikes of different sizes they were pedal backwards to break and different handle bars. The bike path is all paved it is on the side of a road but it is hard navigating because there are no street signs and the map is not the best. After the bike ride is done (it is 4 miles and takes like 40 minutes) you are allowed to go into the mill and get free ice water. So I would recommend the biking and if you are looking forward to doing this once or multiple times I recommend you bring your own helmet if you have just to save time and so you know it is the right size.
Finally the room I got a one bedroom condo which fit four people due to a bedroom and a pullout couch. The room had a refrigerator and full kitchen. Also they have a washing machine and dryer. There is one bathroom 2 closets a balcony safe and family room. The family room had a tv, pullout couch, two chairs, balcony entrance, and you could walk into the kitchen and hallway. The bedroom had 3 chairs, a TV, bed, closet, mirror, and desk, then the bath room was normal.
Thank you for reading my review hopefully it helped I really like this place and hope you go I really recommend it.
–Eric

It shows that it had its glory days a while ago. Staff is very friendly and their attentiveness confirms glory days. The main issue is that things seem old. We got some of the condos with 4 apartments in one house. As read warnings through Unilocal reviews, the toilet broke immediately after we got in. We called for service and staff showed up and fixed the problem. Later in the stay toilet problem occurred again. At this point we gave up since we were leaving in few hours and we had an adjacent room that could go if we needed to.
Then it occurred to me that there are structural issues with the facilities that would need major improvements which cost a lot and management would do a cost benefit analysis and see if pays off. Maybe at this point it doesn’t pay off yet.
Regardless, setting of the place was beautiful, tranquil and for people who want to balance the craziness of Busch garden, it is a needed escape

Ok. This resort has nice amenities — great pool with lazy river, really nice marina with fun staff and lots of rentals… Great views of the James river. Great, quick bus ride to busch gardens.
On the negative, this is our 3^rd visit and our ‘deluxe’ suite had a kitchen full of ants, a spotted carpet and the dishwasher was broke. So, to pay extra for an ant filled kitchen that I could not cook in sucked. I called it in and was told they cleaned them up but without an exterminator coming, this was the best they could do… At 500 plus a night, that’s not ok. The shower needed updating.
The staff is all nice and friendly. Beds were super clean and comfy.

I’m being generous with 3 stars as the room was small, dusty and old.
The resort itself is gorgeous but I was very disappointed in the facilities.

Beautiful resort. Pool areas clean and just as online pics show. Little ones loved the lazy river, indoor and outdoor pools, cool non-​scary and fun slide, and sand area. Pool towels provided and poolside food/​drink service available. Busy times may prove difficult to find an umbrella.
View of James River at breakfast was lovely. Breakfast buffet was included in our package and was one of the best breakfast buffets we’ve ever had in terms of freshness, quality, and selection. Waitstaff was wonderful during breakfast. Just not sure I’d want to pay $ 20 for it if it had not been included. $ 80 plus tip for a family of 4 could be better spent on other vacation fun.
Room was clean and linens/​bedding comfy and good quality. Stayed in a 2 bedroom condo with kitchen. Minor small things like wetness under kitchen sink, wonky shower door and bathroom sink that didn’t fully turn off. Also, the onsite seafood restaurant likely provided food poisoning to one person in our party. Check Unilocal for other options and similar experiences at James Landing Grill.
Close to Busch gardens with shuttle service provided. Got a massage at the spa — it was a nice experience with a nice lounge and locker room.

Felt it was expensive…2 nights cost just over $ 1,000. Split with sister who stayed in second bedroom, but was still $ 250 per night. If you can afford it, its a nice place.

The grounds and the service was great but our room left a lot to be desired. We had a 1 bedroom king and it was so small you had to leave the bathroom door open to use it. The room was also in disrepair with holes in drywall and grout cracking. We would go back but the value for your dollar isn’t here.

I’m a little overwhelmed with the level of detail of some of these reviews. I’m keeping it short and sweet.
The resort is beautiful. Grounds are immaculate. The view of the James is lovely, and you in a gated community. It felt very safe and secluded.
It is quite spread out, but they will ferry you around in a golf cart or a big bus if you aren’t up for hoofing it to the restaurants, pools, etc. We only took advantage of this once, but they were there in minutes.
The food was very good. With the exception of the breakfast buffet, which is about 20 bucks, everything was quite fairly priced. Even room service is very reasonable. We paid for a bottle of wine about what you’d pay at a restaurant. As there was no kitchen or even a fridge in our room we were forced to either eat out or eat at the resort but we never really felt like we were paying a penalty for it. The breakfast buffet was delicious, with lots of really, really good pastries, bacon and eggs, etc, but if you are a bit of a health nut you won’t get your money’s worth and are better off grabbing something at the Mill.
The management has clearly established a culture of friendliness to the guests. Literally every single person I came in contact with made polite small talk, asked me about my stay, asked if they could get anything for me, etc. It didn’t feel forced… it genuinely felt like they cared. Maybe they are paid really really well, or maybe it is really great place to work, I don’t know. But everyone I met, down to the maids, had a genuine smile and was very eager to please.
I saved the best for last. Go to the Marina!!! You can rent a kayak, a paddle boat, fishing gear, a jet ski, etc. All that is great, but the real story is the staff. The guys are at the marina were VERY cool and friendly. They know a lot about the wildlife and the river, gave me some good restaurant recommendations, and in general just made me feel welcome. I caught a half dozen little catfish off the pier in about an hour one day and enjoyed a kayak another day… both are recommended. Or just go down there and shoot the bull with them.
Sure, the resort isn’t perfect. No resort is perfect. You can read other reviews and decide for yourself I suppose. Not every person will agree on what makes a good golf course, or tennis court, or how to properly prepare mussels. But I challenge anyone to find a place with nicer staff.

My husband and I enjoyed a weekend stay at Kingsmill in November 2014 and again in February 2015. We stayed in a Deluxe 1 Bedroom Condo and was very pleased each time we visited.
**Check in**
Check in was very easy. We spent the morning at the outlets and were able to call to see if our room was ready early (and they were!) so we could drop our stuff off before heading to the spa. The front desk is always very friendly.
**The Room**
The condo was absolutely HUGE and well equipped. We chose the 1BR Deluxe because it comes with a fireplace and is perfect for a cool winter evening. While our condo location wasn’t facing the river, we were facing a very beautiful and private little lake. It was too chilly to go out but the condo had a spacious back porch.
The condo also included a huge kitchen, huge living space, a huge bedroom and a very nice sized bathroom. Everything was very clean (maybe with the exception of the comforter that had several visible stains) and the bathroom came with complimentary body wash, shampoo, and conditioner (and not just the typical tiny samplers but full bottles) to name a few. The kitchen was filled with dishes, glasses, a Keurig (with KCups) and just about everything else you could need.
The real wood fireplace was wonderful! All we had to do is call up to the front desk and within 10 minutes there was someone knocking at our door with a load of firewood ready to make a fire for us.
**Spa**
Our first time at Kingsmill in November 2014 (prior to the new spa opening) we had scheduled a couples massage and were very pleased. We left our massages feeling like jello ;)
Our second spa visit in February of 2015 was at the new spa location. The new spa was absolutely beautiful. The locker room was a little bit cramped (like a lot) and the layout (going from locker room to waiting room) was a little confusing. The waiting room was very relaxing and offered a beautiful view of the water. I was disappointed in this visit (not because of the WONDERFUL massage) but because we had scheduled for a couples massage and ended up getting separate massages. I was called back to my room by my massage therapist and expected to see my husband there but he never arrived… because he was in another room. I’m not sure why this happened since the room I was in had two massage tables in it. It was a little bit confusing finding each other (and then finding our massage therapists after to tip) after we had gotten dressed.
**Food & Drink**
There certainly is plenty of places to eat at on the resort and they all looked very nice. We decided to go to a local Italian restaurant Maurizio’s (awesome place) instead of eating on the resort both times we visited. We did stop after dinner at Elements 1010 (November visit) for a drink. The drinks were average to higher priced but were very good. I had a «Purple Rain» which was tasty and my husband had some sort of exotic sounding pink martini that was also on the drink menu and it was also very tasty. Service at the bar was a little lackluster but it was a quiet rainy November night. When we visited again in February we tried to stop there again but it was entirely too busy and there was not a single seat at the bar.
**Overall**
We loved our stay here and would stay again. Its not cheap but worth it for a quiet getaway during the off season.

A bunch of hair in the soap dish on checkin was disturbing but I let it go. Then noticed neither of the two TVs worked well. Let that go too. The HVAC wasn’t heating the place well in the cold of December. Sink leaks and had to put a towel under it. called room service and waited an hour for room service just to get absolutely disgusting stale «food!» That was when I finally called the hotel manager who was not available! They took away the food and reversed the charge but that left us in a cold room hungry on our first night.
The buffalo wings looked like food that had been sitting for days in a glass display as a sample at a diner. The medium-​well ordered burger showed up rare with stale fries and the $ 26 salmon had white albumin seeping from it with cold beans and rubbery stale matter spinach. Just disgusting for even Denny’s but even worse for a fancy resort charging high prices. Didn’t expect gourmet but didn’t expect stale 3 day old looking food either.
Was supposed to stay for two nights but checked out and went back home after one disappointing night. Tried to find a manager the next morning to let them know the list of issues in case they care for feedback to improve. Instead I stood there and overheard another very disappointed guest check out and give them a piece of his mind. Waited for a manager for a long time and no one showed up so I just left even more disgusted.
Not going back. Place has potential. I blame poor management and it showed.

Love this place but needs some improvements — first let me say I love this place as I have been coming here for about 12 years or more as my kids have grown up. It holds sentimental value to me so when things aren’t up to par it’s like a disappointment by a beloved family member.
The good — grounds are beautiful, service is excellent, shuttle is super accommodating, and river view rooms are so relaxing. Buildings 11, 12, 13.
The bad —
1) the food quality has gone down hill. Breakfast is okay. Lunch was horrible. Poor quality food (had stale croissant on a turkey club where turkey was dry and sour). Dinner at Elements was okay but the baked chicken was way over cooked and so dry. Steak was also over cooked and dry. I recommend either the chef evaluate the food and provide higher quality food and cooked properly. It was like bad diner food. Or find a new chef.
2) rooms are starting to look old and run down. Our suite needed new carpet as there were many stains. Shower had mold stains and poorly done grouting. Very sloppy. Starting to look very 80s. Rooms need updating and freshening.
3) beams in the pool area were dirty, rusty, and just look run down. Should be shined and cleaned up.
This place has a upscale look and feel but the food and rooms are falling behind. They should be changed to maintain the quality and be consistent with the type of resort you once were.
Tip: go to HowloScream at Busch Gardens on a Friday night, there were NO lines and minimum crowd. Walked onto every ride and haunted house with no wait. OCT 3^rd weekend.
Please improve this place as its my favorite local getaway!

Super beautiful resort with so much to offer and just a few areas for improvement …
We spent a week in a River View Suite with my inlaws and our 8 month old. IMO the ultimate family fun package was worth it — not having to debate each day whether certain activities were worth it, we were able to just dig in and enjoy SO MUCH of what Williamsburg had to offer — Busch Gardens, Water Country USA, and Colonial Williamsburg. Here are my notes:​
​Most employees were very friendly.​Try to enjoy all they have to offer, we HIGHLY recommend the river pool/​lazy river and Marina. The guys working there were young but really friendly and laid back. Paddle boarding was so relaxing and fun and we had a blast on the jetskis (which we rented for half an hour).
DELICIOUS breakfast with loads of fresh fruit. Kindly give you a to go cup of coffee​if you ask.​Lots of options for us as vegetarians, and my husband who also has Celiacs. Food was always delicious, only thoughts were they could HUGELY improve promptness with more than one omelette chef and more than one toaster. Hostesses also need some major work:
Came at 930 for breakfast — told it was a 50 min wait, yet the whole time we waited there were countless empty tables — volunteered to sit in the deck Bc there we’re 2 empty tables and told they were seating it. Remained empty while we continued to wait.
Similar experience the following days. They need to refine the hostessing process so this doesn’t happen constantly.
Balconies in building 12 had KILLER views of the river but sitting out wasn’t​as​enjoyable because of smoke from smokers below constantly blowing up. Felt like 2^nd hand so I didn’t even like having our daughter out with us. That could easily be solved by having smoking and non smoking buildings where you can/​can’t in balconies.
Flawless housekeeping. shuttle drivers were great and understanding (we missed one by one minute and the front desk immediately sent someone).
Rotten experience at the James Landing Grill, skip it!
​Most of the servers at breakfast were pretty good.​We also had a good experience at The Mill — def. check out their frozen treats and gift shop — TONS of cute things!

This is an overall great resort. About 12 family members and myself came here for a birthday weekend. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and very well maintained. The grounds are so large that they offer complimentary shuttle service from your hotel room to your destination.
I was kind of surprised about the hotel rooms as they are set up all over the grounds in several buildings, which isn’t a bad thing. The buildings look kind of rustic on the outside, but don’t be fooled because the hotel rooms are really nice. They have hotel buildings that overlook the river, are close to either of their pools or fitness center, or overlook one of the lakes. The rooms are pretty big and have sliding doors that open to the back. They bathrooms also have an option of a very dim light setting which is nice for the kids or older folks that want to keep a night light on. The towels are really big and fluffy, which I loved.
There are a few different food options on property. There is a seafood restaurant that overlooks the James River, there is a pool bar that also serves food, and there is the restaurant in the main building that has breakfast and dinner. It’s nice because there are enough options and you don’t have to deal with the hassle of finding something off property.
One of my favorite things about Kingsmill is the lazy river. It’s so relaxing! There is also a pool with a wade in type entrance. They have several different sized fountains for the kids at the entrance of the pool that the smaller kids liked. All around the pool are lounge chairs and there are a number of large umbrellas that you can move around, which is great for people who don’t necessarily want to sit out in the sun.
The resort has a variety of water sports that you can do on the James River, such as kayaks, water cycling, and jet skis. They do have 2 paddleboards, which clearly wasn’t enough as they were reserved for most of the day. However they did say that there were another 6 on order, which they definitely needed. They have a great setup at the gym with lots of machine and free weights. Additionally, they offer a variety of classes each day, which I really liked.
I really had a lot of fun at this resort. It is a perfect place to relax for the weekend and is great to go with a group of people or just yourself. The only issue I had was at check-​out, we were locked out of our room because the keys cut off right at 11am unless you extend. After 30 minutes and 3 or 4 phone calls, we were finally able to get into our room to get our things out.

We had a short weekend here to watch the Kingsmill LPGA Championship, and I thought it was just ok. I feel like the Kingsmill was probably pretty luxurious back in the day, but is in desperate need of some fixing/​renovation!
The property itself is lovely, as is the golf course. The clubhouse is quite nice, and has spectacular views of the course and river.
Our room, however, was kind of a mess.
We had a one bedroom suite, with a full kitchen and washer/​dryer (great for long term visits!). The room was spacious and pretty comfortable. However, our kitchen sink wouldn’t turn off unless you manipulated the lever and forced it down (the lever probably needs to be replaced), the bathroom sink drain was broken (had to manually pull the stopper out — so gross), and then the toilet broke. Since we were only in for a night, we managed.
On a positive note, the staff is lovely — very friendly. If we had a longer weekend, we would have definitely hit the gym, spa and river pool. Lots of families here, so I’m sure a great place for kids to make new friends.

We came here for an early Christmas dinner around 2pm. It was located in the resort ballroom, which was very spacious and had a great view. The waiting staff was very friendly. Everything I had on my plate was delicious. The herb crusted salmon was cooked perfectly and the sauce that accompanied it was delish!
They had lots to choose from. Cheese and fruit to chicken, pork, roast beef, turkey, you name it. The sage stuffing was also a hit. Some folks really don’t know how to make a good stuffing but they nailed it.
The resort itself was very beautiful; right near the James River.