I just returned from one week staying in Boulder Ridge and wanted to address the questions about how "run down" it is or is not.
Our 1-br room was fine but reallly not in the greatest shape and definitely in need of updating. Upon arrival on day 1, there was a bug in the tub, the bottom shelf of the fridge was broken and fell out whenever we opened the door, the furniture was very worn out and in need of replacement or refilling stuffing, one of the lightbulbs in the bathroom flickered on and off like a horror film, and the main bedroom bed mattress needed replacing because it had that canyon in the middle where you sort of roll toward it in the center all night long (which was not great on our backs - this was probably the biggest problem of them all). We ended up unscrewing the lightbulb and taking the shelf out of the fridge because we had just deep cleaned for the week (clorox wiped everything immediately upon arrival) and didn't want engineering coming in the room to fix these problems after cleaning. Our daughter slept on the pull out couch bed and had no complaints. I laid on it once when waking her up and, wow, the bars underneath were quite prominent. If you were a light child, it probably is fine but for an adult it would have been very comfortable to sleep on.
All that being said, and I know this probably sounds like silly rationalizing, but I feel like these problems were sort of in theme. That is, it felt like we were going to our imaginary family cabin in the woods, where things are sort of wonky and old but charming. So overall, it was nice and did the job and felt like we were in a rustic cabin retreat - but emphasis on RUSTIC. Really, not worth the price we paid (non-DVC, paid out of pocket, no discounts) and so next time we wil pass on BRV despite loving the theme. I know BRV will get updated because it's clearly very needed but I hope they avoid the more modern asthetic many upgrades are drifting toward. Something can feel both rustic/old school but also be upgraded at the same time.
The public spaces, however, were all very nice. We enjoyed both pools and the splash pad. I didn't care for the loud pop music at the main pool because I feel it breaks theme, but I suspect I'm in the minority on that one. Main lobby furniture and rugs all looked very clean and refreshed. Crowds were absent all week, staff was friendly and accommodating, we had a fine breakfast at whispering canyon and we had a great dinner at geyser point.
Our 1-br room was fine but reallly not in the greatest shape and definitely in need of updating. Upon arrival on day 1, there was a bug in the tub, the bottom shelf of the fridge was broken and fell out whenever we opened the door, the furniture was very worn out and in need of replacement or refilling stuffing, one of the lightbulbs in the bathroom flickered on and off like a horror film, and the main bedroom bed mattress needed replacing because it had that canyon in the middle where you sort of roll toward it in the center all night long (which was not great on our backs - this was probably the biggest problem of them all). We ended up unscrewing the lightbulb and taking the shelf out of the fridge because we had just deep cleaned for the week (clorox wiped everything immediately upon arrival) and didn't want engineering coming in the room to fix these problems after cleaning. Our daughter slept on the pull out couch bed and had no complaints. I laid on it once when waking her up and, wow, the bars underneath were quite prominent. If you were a light child, it probably is fine but for an adult it would have been very comfortable to sleep on.
All that being said, and I know this probably sounds like silly rationalizing, but I feel like these problems were sort of in theme. That is, it felt like we were going to our imaginary family cabin in the woods, where things are sort of wonky and old but charming. So overall, it was nice and did the job and felt like we were in a rustic cabin retreat - but emphasis on RUSTIC. Really, not worth the price we paid (non-DVC, paid out of pocket, no discounts) and so next time we wil pass on BRV despite loving the theme. I know BRV will get updated because it's clearly very needed but I hope they avoid the more modern asthetic many upgrades are drifting toward. Something can feel both rustic/old school but also be upgraded at the same time.
The public spaces, however, were all very nice. We enjoyed both pools and the splash pad. I didn't care for the loud pop music at the main pool because I feel it breaks theme, but I suspect I'm in the minority on that one. Main lobby furniture and rugs all looked very clean and refreshed. Crowds were absent all week, staff was friendly and accommodating, we had a fine breakfast at whispering canyon and we had a great dinner at geyser point.
