The Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa is an amazing choice when considering accommodations while in Orlando, Florida. Personally, I feel like a vacation is so much more enjoyable when my family has enough room to spread out. This resort offers spacious accommodations, great restaurants, and a pool that your kids will flip over. I don’t know why people would cram into a small hotel room when they have options such as this.
CHECK-IN
Even though we arrived before check-in, Leo was very kind and helpful with the whole process and got us right into a room. (I also have to give a shout out to Rafael, who was a very funny guy!) After we checked in, we went right across the lobby and purchased tickets for Universal Studios. It was nice to not have to wait in line once we got to the park. We were also given a welcome packet filled with coupons to use at the outlets located right next door.
OUR SUITE
We stayed in a lovely two bedroom, two bath suite that was 1,080 square feet. The suite felt like a condo and had all the conveniences of home.
The living room/dining room contained a flat screen TV, as well as a sofa that could be converted into a queen size bed. It was very clean and spacious.
The kitchen had everything you needed to cook a meal in the comfort of your room. The dishes, pots, pans, cups, utensils, and dish towels made you feel like you were cooking in your own kitchen at home. The appliances are all full size and the refrigerator even has an ice maker. I heard many people at the pool saying they were cooking dinner in their rooms. There is also a coffee maker as well as a toaster, which we used every morning to make our breakfast.
The best part was the private balcony that overlooked the amazing pirate ship pool. The balcony had a table and chairs and was a nice place to have coffee in the morning.
The master bedroom contained a comfortable king size bed and open area to the bathroom. There is a large bathtub in that area which, at first, I thought was a little odd. However, one night my back was hurting and it was so comfortable to be in the tub and watching TV at the same time.
The second bedroom had two full size beds as well as its own bathroom.
My girls shared this room and they loved their view of the pool. It was comfortable and had plenty of space for storage.
POOLS
Our favorite place to hang out was the Pirate Shipwreck Pool. It is a kid’s dream, complete with a water slide and cannons that shoot water! There were lots of places to sit by the pool or even relax in a hammock. One afternoon my daughter fell asleep in the hammock because she was so comfortable. It was adorable. There is a poolside bar that serves beer, wine, cocktails and fruit smoothies. There were even 2 for 1 margaritas. Hello vacation!
A quieter pool is available if you need relaxation in an area with less children. It has a tranquil vibe with palm trees and manicured gardens, and makes you feel like you are on a tropical island.
KID’S CLUB
If your kids like to meet people their own age, then the Kid’s Club may be a fun spot for them. Make sure you pick up the weekly program schedule when you check in. The Kid’s Club offered crafts such as sand art, friendship bracelets, and feather parrots. It included activities such as a pirate scavenger hunt, hula hoop contest, and poolside games. They even had a gator meet and greet as well as a critter show that involved live snakes and turtles.
RESTAURANTS
With a resort as pretty as this, who would want to leave to get something to eat? Luckily, there are three dining options at the resort:
LANI’S LUAU
When we are on vacation you can usually find us by the pool. If you don’t want to leave the pirate pool area, then this is the place to eat. It offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options with meals such as burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers. And what luau would be complete without some tasty cocktails?
FRANKIE FARRELL’S IRISH PUB AND GRILL
This fun pub is located right on property. It features traditional Irish pub food such as fish and chips (my youngest daughter’s favorite) as well as bangers and mash. We had the best burgers here. The staff was sweet, funny, and made the girls feel so welcomed. There is a small arcade where the kids can play as you wait for your food. Feel like a beer? There are 32 taps… something for any craving.
PIZZA HUT EXPRESS
Sometimes my girls don’t want to take the time to stop playing to get ready to go out to dinner. A wonderful option was we could order our food and sit by the pool or take it up to our room. It’s great for a meal you just want to grab and go. We did this one night after going to Universal Studios followed by some time at the pool. It was nice to be able to eat pizza in our PJ’s on our couch instead of being at a restaurant.
FEEL LIKE COOKING IN YOUR ROOM?
The Convenient Store at the resort has many food options you could bring back to your room. We took advantage of this by buying bagels, cream cheese, and orange juice and we ate breakfast each day in our PJ’s on the balcony in our room.
Location, Location, Location
The resort is just miles away from…
Magic Kingdom: 6 miles
Animal Kingdom: 8 miles
Epcot: 9.5 miles
Sea World: 5 miles
Universal Studios: 10 miles
TIPS
ADDRESS: 8113 Resort Village Drive, Orlando, Florida 32821
PHONE NUMBER: 407-597-0214
A warm thank you to the Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa for having our family as guests of your hotel. As always, my experiences and opinions are 100% my own.
