Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa – A Downtown Disney Hotel
We love hotels! When you think about it, your hotel becomes your home away from home while traveling, so it can be one of the most important choices to make when booking a vacation. During our long vacation to Orlando one of the hotels we stayed at was the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa, a resort directly across the street from Downtown Disney.
The size and grounds of the Buena Vista Palace Hotel are very impressive. Upon arriving, you’re greeted with a true resort feel. The lobby is spacious and wraps around a multi-story atrium. The resort has two buildings, the tower and the island. Some rooms in the tower offer views of Downtown Disney and some offer views of the Epcot fireworks show.
Our room was in the Island building which is separated from the main tower by a covered walkway, and just steps from the beautiful resort pool.
While at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel, we stayed in a Family Suite. This is an excellent room for larger families, or families who like to stretch out. The family suite has a sitting room which includes a small dining table, a bedroom with separating doors, a bathroom with two showers, and a smaller bath just off the entry. A microwave and mini fridge are also included in a small minibar off the entry. I really enjoyed the “Miami” beach themed decor, and the bedding was very clean and appealing. The rooms did show some minor wear on the walls and doors, but the furniture and decor all felt updated and fresh. We felt our room was very comfortable and clean, and our girls loved all the extra space.
Once you leave your room, there’s plenty to do. The pool is one of our favorite parts of a hotel and we loved the pool at the Buena Vista Palace (I think they have two actually – one is a quiet pool). There were plenty of lounge chairs which I enjoyed relaxing in while watching my hubby and girls play in the crystal clean blue water. The waterfall is a great feature, and the atmosphere has a great resort feel. We even rented an inflatable pool toy for an hour while there. While relaxing you can order anything you’d like from the roaming server who was very friendly and attentive. It was the perfect place to relax after busy theme park days.
For kids, the scoutabout program is a fun way to spend extra time. At the lobby your kids can pick up a resort map that leads them to special spots around the Buena Vista Palace grounds. At each spot they can earn a rubberband bracelet, and once they’ve earned them all they get recognized on a wall of fame. Such a fun scavenger hunt for kids!
Traveling to the Disney parks is easy with the Disney shuttle service through Mears, which is included in the daily resort fee (about $20) (also covers wi-fi internet and parking). We rented a car, so we didn’t use the Disney shuttle, but it’s great perk to staying at the Buena Vista Palace. The location is also very close to a local shopping center area and the freeway to the Universal Orlando Resort. And, the hotel is directly across from Downtown Disney, so tons of restaurants and shopping are just a short walk away.
We loved the quick grab and go store for getting started with breakfast in the mornings. They also have a cafe which has a morning breakfast buffet.
Our stay at the Buena Vista Palace was relaxing and very nice. They offer some great specials and the rooms are priced very reasonably for the location and amenities, a great option for families traveling to Orlando.
Thank you to the Buena Vista Palace for hosting our family on our recent trip. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
