Deluxe options for a family holiday to Orlando
OFFSITE There are loads of offsite options to choose from, but here is my selection:
1. The Grove Resort Orlando – situated closer to Disney World than Universal, it has great pools and water slides, restaurants and bars, and has 2- and 3-bedroom suites so is perfect for larger families. 2. Four Seasons Orlando – this is extremely close to Walt Disney World, in fact is on WDW property, so an excellent location if you are all about the Disney parks! This is a holiday destination in itself, with multiple pools, bars, restaurants, a spa and a luxury golf course. The best bit – the 5-acre water park! 3. Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek – This is on the cheaper end of the deluxe offsite resorts, with great pools, a restaurant and a bar, jacuzzi, hairdresser, waterslide, standard rooms, and the biggest benefit of all is that it is a Disney partner hotel, so you receive all of the same benefits as if you were staying onsite at Disney, such as extra magic hours, access to fast pass at 60 days instead of 30, and regular transport to the parks. If you don’t think you’ll be spending all of your time in the parks, there are shops and restaurants nearby to try out.
ONSITE – UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT There are 3 options for staying in a deluxe resort at Universal. All of them have the same perks – early access to the parks, in-resort room charging, complimentary water-taxi transport and buses to the parks, and the best perk – the skip-the-line express pass is included with your stay (normal park tickets to be purchased). This perk alone is worth approx. $125 per person per night, so for a family of 4, this more than pays for itself! Here are the 3 deluxe Universal resorts:
1. Loews Royal pacific Resort – themed to the pacific obviously, this resort is stunning. We stayed here in 2017 and wish we had spent more time here. Several restaurant choices, pool bar, pool, jacuzzi, gift shops and within 10 minutes’ walk to CityWalk, this is a great option for your deluxe stay at Universal. 2. Portofino Bay Resort – with an Italian theme, you have some fantastic restaurants to choose from, and with several different room types from standard rooms to kids suites decked out in a Minions theme, you will not be disappointed. There are 3 pools to choose from and a water slide, games room, and an ice cream shop, you won’t want to leave. 3. Hard Rock Hotel – you get to live that Rockstar life when you stay here! With underwater music in the pool, to special kids suites, plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from, and a wonderful pool. You can even order a Fender guitar to practice on in your room (from a menu of 12 guitars!). There is a gym, games room, and every month they put on a rock concert, just for you. You can even get married here!
ONSITE – DISNEY There are so many deluxe Disney resorts now, that it would be difficult to choose which one to stay at! All of them have complimentary access to all of the Disney transportation, whether that is the Skyliner, the Monorail, the buses, or the friendship boats. You also get access to the Fastpasses at 60 days (as opposed to 30 for non-Disney resort guests). Plus there is Extra Magic Hours too for access to the parks when they are a bit quieter. These resorts often have signature restaurants, amazing pools, you can have all of your in-park purchases delivered back to your resort, and you can use your magic bands to pay for anything you buy in and around Walt Disney World including Disney Springs. There are too many to put all the details, so here is a list, and if you want to know more about any of these resorts, just let me know:
1. Animal Kingdom Lodge – closest to Animal Kingdom park, you could wake up to a view of giraffes out on the savannah. 2. Polynesian Village Resort – themed as you would expect, this resort is close to the Magic Kingdom with access via boat, monorail, or bus, it is very convenient. It also has the famous restaurant ‘Ohana’. 3. Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – close to the Magic Kingdom, again it is on the monorail loop, and you can get there via monorail and bus. 4. Wilderness Lodge – a stunning resort in the Magic Kingdom area again with boat and bus access to the park. 5. Beach Club Resort – in between Epcot and Hollywood Studios, a fantastic location with an amazing waterpark that it shares with Yacht Club. 6. Contemporary Resort – famous for having the Monorail station inside the hotel you can see it entering and exiting the hotel at each end! You have the California Grill (a signature restaurant) on the top floor where you can see the spectacular firework and projection show ‘Happily Ever After’ on the Magic Kingdom Cinderella Castle at night. They pipe in the music so you can hear it as you watch the fireworks. 7. Yacht Club Resort – next to Beach Club, in between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. You must try the Yachtsman Steakhouse… yum! 8. Boardwalk Inn – on the Boardwalk, with shops, restaurants, and bars close by, just the other side of the lake to Beach Club and Yacht Club. With possibly the scariest pool slide ever… 9. Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa – with treehouse villas, and 1- and 2-bedroom apartments, this option is great for large families. It is also closest to Disney Springs. 10. Old Key West Resort – also close to Disney Springs, with signature golf courses nearby, and with large 1- and 2-bedroom apartments. 11. Riviera Resort – Disney’s newest resort, close to Epcot. You can see both the Epcot fireworks and the Hollywood Studios fireworks from this resort! Also, one of the best character dining experiences here at Topolino’s Terrace.
So there you have it, my final blog giving you inspiration for booking that once in a lifetime trip to Orlando! If you have any questions, please do get in touch.