My Fiance and I booked this hotel through Virgin Holidays as we wanted to be close to, but outside of the main Disney / I-Drive area to escape the theme parks a little. Firstly, this hotel suited our needs perfectly. Set in a quiet area, it's set in beautiful grounds and is pretty much spotless throughout. Approximately a 10 minute drive to Disney and ideally located just off I-4, it was a perfect base for us for the holiday.
The pool areas were fantastic and both pools were spotless. Other travellers have commented on how busy these areas get, but we had no problems finding a sunbed to base ourselves by the pool whenever we tried. However, we found the weekend to be exceptionally busy at the hotel, including the pool area.
Whilst we didn't eat any main meals at the hotel, the breakfast buffet was fantastic. I would like to particularly note our server Blanca, who was wonderfully polite and incredibly helpful - she is a credit to the staff team - however most encounters with staff were pleasant.
It is worth noting that the corridors can be noisy and these noises can be heard very clearly in the bedrooms. The doors to the bedrooms seem very thin, so don't be suprised to be disturbed by corridor noise - even casual conversations can be heard if people are walking by your door.
It is worth noting that we had two slight problems at the hotel. Firstly, we arrived back to our room at 6.30pm to find the room had not been cleaned. However, one call to reception resolved this and after a quick swim, the room was re-set upon our arrival back to the room. The most suprising problem was being locked out of our room half way through the week. After arriving back to the hotel at 11.30pm, we found our room keys would not work. Not wanting to trapse back down the corridor to the lifts and down to reception, I called from the corridor phone - security duly arrived and opened our door WITHOUT ID or proof of residency. When mentioning this to reception the following morning, we received no apology, rather a slightly disgruntled receptionist demanding ID and telling me that it was impossible that it could have happened. I know these things happen in hotels, but when you're paying a premium for a nice location, I kind of expected an apology for the inconvenience.
My two final points... Watch out for resort tax. Advertised at $12.50, being British, it wasn't stated that this didn't include local taxes - causing a further query on the bill. In addition to this, watch the charges on the mini-bar as the small print is difficult to find on the price list - which details a hefty service charge and details on local taxes.
Overall, it's a nice hotel in a nice location. However, considering what we paid for it, it was ok. It's not exceptional, but ok. By addressing the smaller details that make good hotels fantastic, they could really excel - location and decor just isn't enough when you have the sheer choice available to you as you do in Orlando.
