We just returned from a week stay at the hotel. Last year we stayed at Marriott Horizons which we all agreed we preferred - nicer facilities, themed pirate pools with a big slide for the kids and you don't have to hike a long way to get to everything.

the Grande was nice but has sooo many people you have to wait forever to get a ping pong table etc. They advertise bike rentals but beware they only have quad bikes and they are only allowed on the road, therefore you are at the mercy of speeding cars and most of the riding you do is in parking lots! The lake is tiny so the boat rentals are nice but you can canoe around it in about 15 minutes at a leisurely pace (why do they say it's large with boats of all sizes?). The setting is lovely though.

Rooms were nice and fairly well equipped in the kitchen. Just bring your own coffee filters as they don't have any available. We had multiple problems with the toilets, microwave and fridge. The washer/dryer were ready to pack it in too. They did arrive to fix things quickly although they ended up getting us a different (also old) fridge after three tries. It left us feeling they wait for guests to tell them what's wrong and then they fix it rather than scheduling any maintenance work.

The setting is lovely though and we enjoyed being away from the highways. The staff who are supposed to be knowledgable about tickets and places to visit are really only interested in selling you a timeshare - all of their conversations edge towards this topic no matter where you start (e.g. gatorland) so be prepared. There are computers you can use though which take dollars.

You won't be making a mistake staying here, especially if you want to go to the parks. Sea world is very close. There is a grocery store nearby too. Security is quite laid back - nobody stopped us or visiting friends anytime we came or went so I would make sure your doors and windows are locked - as they should be anyway.