Pocono Mountains – Shawnee Timeshare Review

Shawnee is located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania along the Delaware River, 90 minutes from New York City, and 2 hours from Philadelphia. The closest airport is located 40 miles away in Allentown, PA, making a car an absolute must. Shawnee timeshare has been around for almost 30 years, and it is one of the largest deeded timeshare resorts in one location in the country. The layout of Shawnee is interesting, there are numerous timeshare clusters such as River Village I, River Village II, and Shawnee Depuy, scattered around the area around the river, ski resort, and golf course. Most of the Shawnee timeshare properties are small 2 bedroom villas, but there are also some single “salt box” style units with spacious layouts.

I stayed in Shawnee’s River Village I during week #29, which is the latter part of July, and was a bit concerned that during this time of year there would not be much to do – I had always considered the Pocono Mountains to be a winter destination for skiing. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the villa as it had obviously been well taken care of, meticulously cleaned, and the resort management company had even left literature on the table regarding resort-sponsored events and local eateries and activities.

The villa we stayed in was a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom model that slept 6 people, but you could have accommodated many more with a couple of air mattresses. The lower level had a nicely remodeled full kitchen with pots, pans, plates, and a dishwasher, and there is a porch off of the kitchen that overlooks the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort. The living area is slightly raised from the kitchen/dining space and has a TV surrounded by a seating area that consists of a couch-like configuration with numerous couch cushions placed in an L-formation around 3 sides of the living room. This seating arrangement was a little dated and strange, especially because under the cushions there were sheets of plywood laid out to provide something for the cushions to rest on; not the most comfortable couch, but it did provide seating for a large number of people.

Upstairs there were 2 bedrooms – one with two full sized beds and a master with one queen sized bed. The master bedroom had its own bathroom with shower, and the other bathroom was located at the top of the steps with a standalone shower and deep jacuzzi tub. The beds were fine, but I would suggest bringing along your own sheets if you have sensitive skin. The noise from the villa above also tended to be an issue because you can hear the neighbors moving their kitchen chairs and talking; if you can get a villa on the second level I would strongly suggest doing so, especially if you are a light sleeper.

The villas provide parking for two cars and washer/dryers that are shared among a few units. We never had a problem with being able to use the washer/dryers or parking, but our car was hit by a golf ball, so be careful! Within walking distance of our villa was Sam Snead’s tavern (great food, a bit pricey), the Shawnee Inn – you have to check out their indoor pool, Shawnee gold course, a hiking trail through River Village II, access to the Delaware River for tubing or swimming, tennis courts, and the Shawnee General Store – yummy breakfast sandwiches.

The Shawnee Recreation Center is the main spot for all of the resort-sponsored activities. They usually have about 5-10 activities per day ranging from a miniature golf tournament to karaoke night with free beer and wine for Shawnee timeshare owners. The rec center also has an outdoor pool, an indoor pool, tennis courts, pool, arcade, volleyball, and many other family friendly activities. There is also a lounge at the rec center with movies to watch and books to relax and read; you can still have a good time even if the weather is not perfect.

We had a really great time in Shawnee at our villa in River Village I, and are strongly considering going back and renting a week during the winter at a location a bit closer to Shawnee Mountain Ski Resort. It also appeared that a lot of renovations were going on in and around the community, which is great because some of the places are becoming a bit dated and could use sprucing up. Check my next posts for restaurants, entertainment, and activities in Shawnee Mountain and the Pocono Mountains.

UPDATE 7/2009 – A relative of mine just finalized a timeshare purchase at Depuy through Wyndham Resorts.  The process was an auction-style bidding, in which he won a right-to-use, annual, deeded timeshare week in April for the cost of $300 plus annual maintenance fees (estimated at $25-75 per year).  The unit is a 1 bedroom, 1 bath with sleeper sofa, full kitchen, washer/dryer, and living areas which sleeps 4-6 people.  Just thought I would pass this deal along to anyone else who may be interested in purchasing Shawnee Pocono Mountain time share.

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