My husband, son and I stayed 11-25 August. We were given a suite in the Alicante building, which housed all the facilities you would require for a home from home vacation.

Only two complaints : the occupants of the suite next door were very noisy and because there was an adjoining door there was no sound proofing and the water stank of chlorine. We did complain about the noisy neighbours, yelling, scream and slamming of doors after midnight is a bit excessive. We were informed by the reception staff that security would have a quiet word, whether they did or not we don't know but after that it wasn't too bad. Regardless it didn't spoil our stay.

Facilities at the resort were very good. Boating and fishing on the lake. Pizza Hut, Copa Loca Bar and Grill, The Lighthouse Bar and the deli were all good. The deli was a little bit pricey but on check-in you are given a guide with directions to the nearest supermarkets and also the resort's activity guide, considering this is not an all-inclusive facility there are loads to keep you occupied, the majority of which are free of charge and only a nominal cost for make and take craft items and some trips.

We thought the drinks at the bars were quite expensive but our son made good use of his souvenir insulated cup which at an initial cost of $12.99 provided him with free refills for the whole of the vacation. Starbucks in the deli operates a similar deal. Whilst the bars operate a buy a smoothy/cocktail in souvenir glass for $8 and then refills at $6 same again for beers. We did not try Nick's Grill so cannot comment.

The suite was tastefully furnished, with a full kitchen, washer/dryer and hot-tub/spa in the master bedroom. Although this was one of the newer rooms there were already some signs of wear and tear. We had to call maintenance once to repair the air conditioning and this was done in a matter of minutes. Don't be surprised - there is no housekeeping on a daily basis. We were lucky to have a screened in balcony with ceiling fan and saw no roaches or nasties the whole stay.

The resort is located some distance from the hustle and bustle of I-drive but only a very short drive to Sea World and Discovery Cove. 15 mins tops to Disney and Universal.

We certainly had a good time and would recommend this hotel to anyone, especially those with small children as the pools were very nice and not that deep. We did not see a playground however there were tennis and basketball courts. When we left it looked like they were preparing to put up some sort of climbing wall. Once a week, in the older of the two larger pool areas, they have a large screen showing fairly recent family movies. If you're lucky you can also see the firework display at Sea World.

Overall its a very good place to stay and I do know that a lot of families were happy just to stay at the resort and felt no need to venture to the parks. I think if we weren't the typical Brits who feel it's not worth visiting Orlando unless you've seen Mickey, we would have done the same!

I stayed at this resort with my four kids they loved it. For the most part it was clean and well kept, but..... they had roaches which prompted me to leave. They must of came through the pipes because we only saw them in the bathroom especially around the shower area. I suggest they invest in a exterminator!

We spent seven days in July at the Grande Vista while attending a conference at the Orlando convention center. This property is a very pleasant alternative to a hotel. The two bedroom unit was in one of the newer buildings. It was very spacious, clean and offered a lovely view of the lake. The kitchen was well equipped; the bathrooms were large, and the two screened porches were great in the evening. Pools were busy, but not overwhelmingly so. We found the staff to be friendly and generally helpful. This location is convenient to theme parks, restaurants and the convention facility, though a car is absolutely necessary. Look for a good rate (try AAA or M11) on the Marriott website.

This is our 2nd stay at the resort, our first time was in 2004, and a review was written then.

We stayed in the "Magellan" building, and the renovated room was beautiful and we had a view of the golf course. When walking out the front of the building, you had the Village Center pool across the street.

Inside the room, though, a light was burnt out, and two rings supporting the shower curtain were broken off, letting the curtain sag at one end. The bed had hair on it, but we swiped it off.

Also, by the elevators, there were wet paint signs. Ironically, they were there there during our entire stay, and the paint wasn't even wet! We also remembered this problem during our stay 2 years ago, but forgot to put it in the review.

The village center pool had tiles missing, broken, and needed to be power-washed. They need to close that pool for about a month to repair and restore it, and add things like a waterslide, since that pool isn't that exciting. The other pool across the lake was still fun, but most of the water cannons weren't working, so that took alot of fun out of that pool.

As far as dining goes, there aren't many choices on-site, or a walk from the resort.

And as I stated in other reviews, this resort is huge, and the last two buildings were under construction, right by those lots I said in the past review. So I was right about that.

Speaking of crowdness, the intersection of I-Drive and Avenida Vista (the entrance) desperately needs a light there. It's literally impossible to make a turn into the resort. Most of the cars, of course, came from the Grande Vista, the Parc Corniche across the street seemed empty.

So, this resort really needs to shape up, since it got worse.