I am a fulltime working mom, with three kids. When I travel, I want it to be convenient, relaxing, and worth my investment. My family and I went on vacation in October 2022, and stayed at Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa. The biggest issue that I have had with hotels in the past is finding a hotel that can accommodate 5 people comfortably without A) Separating us, or B) Costing a fortune. This place is the only place I stay at in Orlando, once I discovered it. It is both spacious and affordable.
First Impression
Upon entering the Lobby and checking in, everyone was very kind, and informative. I held my room for $150, and paid at check in. I was provided with the wifi password, a map to the grounds, and information on where to access the bar, the restaurant, and the pools. I was provided with as many room keys as I requested (which was 4).
Upon entering the room we walked into the dining room, which lay across from the living room (which contained a large TV and a pullout couch) and the balcony.
To the left was the kitchen which was fully stocked with flatware, crockery, serving dishes, pots and pans.
On the left side of the suite were 1 full bathroom, a washer and dryer, and 2 bedrooms (1 with 2 queen beds, and the other with 1). Each room contained a closet, a dresser, and a TV.
On the right side of the suite, was the master bedroom containing a king size bed, dresser, walk in closet, TV, shower, hot tub. double sink vanity, and a toilet.
The color scheme is very tropical. Lots of greens, mango, & pinks.
They provided laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, trash bags, paper towels and bath towels for about 1-2 days. You can easily obtain more by asking at the front desk, or talking to housekeeping, but we ended up purchasing a 2 weeks' worth of supplies at the convenience store in our building.
You can request one of two views, the pool view, or the fireworks view. I requested the pool view.
This is a family friendly resort, allowing the whole family, no matter how big to all stay together at a reasonable price. There was a Pizza Hut, an Irish Pub, a Convenience store, 3 hot tubs, a bar, and 2 pools (1 with a giant pirate ship) on the premises.
The Experience
While nothing is ever quite like your own bed, having a massive king size bed was amazing. The pillows were all really comfortable, and we were provided with an extra set of sheets and a blanket in the closet. The linen quality was average, and the sleep quality was great.
The kitchen had everything that we needed, and we ordered grocery delivery from Instacart, so we had a nice well stocked little home-like kitchen. We had breakfast and coffee in the room every day before going out on our Orlando adventures, and threw the dishes in the dish washer, as we left. Came home at night, threw the clothes directly in the wash before bed, so we had no overwhelming laundry to come home to post vacation.
The convenience store, pizza hut, a bar, and an Irish pub were all on site. There is a CVS about 1 mile away, and outlet stores directly off premises of the hotel.
The Disney, Seaworld, and Universal Parks were all about 15 minutes away (about $20 cab ride).
Pros and Cons
Pros - Large Rooms, Washer and Drier, Ordering groceries saves money on eating out, Pirate ship Pool, Cost under $150/night, Location
Cons - Self Service Hotel (No Daily room cleanings unless you pay extra), While most of the staff is bi-lingual, there is some staff that do not speak English.
Overall Rating
Let me be clear on my rating scale here, because I don’t want it to seem harsh. I rate 1-5 stars. If you ever have reviews at your job on their 1-5 scale, its kind of like that.
1 star = falls below standards
2 stars= needs improvement, falls short of expectations
3 stars = meets expectations
4 stars = exceeds expectations
5 stars = entirely another category of awesome – way above target.
So essentially 3 stars is good, rather than mediocre.
Category | Score |
Staff, environment & Welcome | 4 |
Check in/out process | 4 |
Room set up, style & Cleanliness | 5 |
Bathroom | 4 |
Bedrooms | 5 |
Kitchen | 5 |
Distance from necessities | 4 |
Ease of transportation | 4 |
view | 3 |
Kid friendly Status | 4 |
Neighborhood | 4 |
Total Score | 4.2 |
Overall 4.2 stars. This resort definitely exceeds expectations, and is my "go-to" place when visiting the area.
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