twocat
80 miles door-to-door to Disney.
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- Jun 15, 2004
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This is the Sapphire Falls portion of my Cabana Bay and Sapphire Falls solo trip. My review of Cabana Bay can be found here: http://www.disboards.com/threads/cabana-bay-review-oct-2016.3558753/#post-56715076
I stayed 2 nights at Sapphire Falls in a Standard Room (11/1-11/3). I travelled solo and had my own car.
Sapphire Falls Standard Room
Parking and Lobby Area
There is a self park garage where you'll need to park your cart as there is no other on site parking available. The charge is $22. The parking garage is closest to Tower 3. The lobby is spacious and has a lovely view of the lagoon. In the lobby area, you'll find the Grab and Go quick service market and a Gift Shop.
Room
I was on the 7th floor of Tower 3 and very close to an elevator. This was a great location as I only had to go down to the first floor to get to the boat dock which was near my bank of elevators.
The room is lovely, comparable in decor to a Disney Deluxe, although somewhat smaller. Very comfortable bed. There is a small fridge and a Keurig single cup coffee maker in the room. That was a nice surprise as I find the Cuisinart coffee makers make a lousy cup of coffee unless you use 2 pods.
The bathroom area had a roomy stall shower but no tub. Good water pressure in the shower especially considering I was on the 7th floor. There is a sliding barn door that closes off the shower and toilet area. I didn't find this a problem as far as privacy goes but some people might. There is a single sink in the bath area. There is no door. I found the lighting to be rather poor for putting on makeup. There's a single light in the ceiling and that's it. There is a swinging lighted make-up mirror attached to the wall which is helpful. Toiletries included bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion along with a shower cap, Q-Tips and cotton balls.
Something I found rather odd was that the light switch for the bathroom sink area was located next to the entry door. This light switch turned on the desk lamp, foyer light and bathroom light. Just an odd location.
The TV is enormous for a hotel room. I would guess 50 inches. Definitely not a 40 inch TV.
Pool
Very nice, large pool with plenty of lounge chairs. There is a zero depth area that allows you to cross from one side of the pool to the other. Restrooms and Pool Bar are located at the far end of the pool area; furthest from the entrance from the building. Drinks were expensive at the Pool bar and they add an 18% service charge. My Margarita was $16 until I changed my order to a Margarita in a Souvenir Glass (plastic) for $18 and refills were $10. If you plan on having more than one drink over your stay, the souvenir glass is the way to go.
Food
Okay, this is where Sapphire Falls is an abject failure in my opinion. There is one full service restaurant and one grab and go location and the pool bar. Amatista cookhouse is the full service restaurant with a Caribbean theme to the cooking. Not really my favorite type of cuisine and it was expensive. I didn't eat there but they have a window in the hallway where you can look at the open kitchen. Some pretty tiny portions going out that kitchen for the prices they charge. A half chicken the size of a Cornish game hen for $20. Nothing on the menu really appealed to me no matter the price so I skipped eating here.
The grab and go selections at Dutch Trading Co. were adequate although, again, rather pricey. A cold sub was $11. Breakfast sandwich was $8.
I ended up taking the boat to Citywalk several times and ate at Vivo which was fabulous and very reasonably priced. Just before I left to drive home I had lunch at Cowfish and had a great burger. It was nice being able to take the short boat ride to Citywalk for meals as I didn't find anything at my resort very appealing.
Transportation
Loved taking the boat to Citywalk. You were just a short walk to the 2 parks and all of Citywalk. The boat is a big draw in staying here.
I didn't use the bus service.
Random Thoughts
While Sapphire Falls is billed as a 'Moderate' resort to use Disney speak, I found the level of service, room quality and public areas exceeded anything in the Disney moderate resorts. What was woefully lacking was a decent quick service food option. Granted a full blown food court isn't necessary but there really needs to be a better option for a hot meal. I don't want to eat dinner in the dark at the pool bar, Amatista's cuisine wasn't appealing and pricey and a cold sub or the rice and beans and meat selection at Dutch Trading was inadequate and frankly, looked pretty awful.
I paid $129 for my room (APH) and felt I got my money's worth. I've looked and have seen some of these rooms go for well over $200 at certain times of the year. There is nothing at this resort that puts it in that price point.
I don't think I will be back to Sapphire Falls. I enjoyed my stay at Cabana Bay much more even in spite of the bus transportation. And for $109 (APH) for a Courtyard Poolside Family Suite, I think it's a great value.
I hope this is helpful. I will try to answer any questions.
I stayed 2 nights at Sapphire Falls in a Standard Room (11/1-11/3). I travelled solo and had my own car.
Sapphire Falls Standard Room
Parking and Lobby Area
There is a self park garage where you'll need to park your cart as there is no other on site parking available. The charge is $22. The parking garage is closest to Tower 3. The lobby is spacious and has a lovely view of the lagoon. In the lobby area, you'll find the Grab and Go quick service market and a Gift Shop.
Room
I was on the 7th floor of Tower 3 and very close to an elevator. This was a great location as I only had to go down to the first floor to get to the boat dock which was near my bank of elevators.
The room is lovely, comparable in decor to a Disney Deluxe, although somewhat smaller. Very comfortable bed. There is a small fridge and a Keurig single cup coffee maker in the room. That was a nice surprise as I find the Cuisinart coffee makers make a lousy cup of coffee unless you use 2 pods.
The bathroom area had a roomy stall shower but no tub. Good water pressure in the shower especially considering I was on the 7th floor. There is a sliding barn door that closes off the shower and toilet area. I didn't find this a problem as far as privacy goes but some people might. There is a single sink in the bath area. There is no door. I found the lighting to be rather poor for putting on makeup. There's a single light in the ceiling and that's it. There is a swinging lighted make-up mirror attached to the wall which is helpful. Toiletries included bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion along with a shower cap, Q-Tips and cotton balls.
Something I found rather odd was that the light switch for the bathroom sink area was located next to the entry door. This light switch turned on the desk lamp, foyer light and bathroom light. Just an odd location.
The TV is enormous for a hotel room. I would guess 50 inches. Definitely not a 40 inch TV.
Pool
Very nice, large pool with plenty of lounge chairs. There is a zero depth area that allows you to cross from one side of the pool to the other. Restrooms and Pool Bar are located at the far end of the pool area; furthest from the entrance from the building. Drinks were expensive at the Pool bar and they add an 18% service charge. My Margarita was $16 until I changed my order to a Margarita in a Souvenir Glass (plastic) for $18 and refills were $10. If you plan on having more than one drink over your stay, the souvenir glass is the way to go.
Food
Okay, this is where Sapphire Falls is an abject failure in my opinion. There is one full service restaurant and one grab and go location and the pool bar. Amatista cookhouse is the full service restaurant with a Caribbean theme to the cooking. Not really my favorite type of cuisine and it was expensive. I didn't eat there but they have a window in the hallway where you can look at the open kitchen. Some pretty tiny portions going out that kitchen for the prices they charge. A half chicken the size of a Cornish game hen for $20. Nothing on the menu really appealed to me no matter the price so I skipped eating here.
The grab and go selections at Dutch Trading Co. were adequate although, again, rather pricey. A cold sub was $11. Breakfast sandwich was $8.
I ended up taking the boat to Citywalk several times and ate at Vivo which was fabulous and very reasonably priced. Just before I left to drive home I had lunch at Cowfish and had a great burger. It was nice being able to take the short boat ride to Citywalk for meals as I didn't find anything at my resort very appealing.
Transportation
Loved taking the boat to Citywalk. You were just a short walk to the 2 parks and all of Citywalk. The boat is a big draw in staying here.
I didn't use the bus service.
Random Thoughts
While Sapphire Falls is billed as a 'Moderate' resort to use Disney speak, I found the level of service, room quality and public areas exceeded anything in the Disney moderate resorts. What was woefully lacking was a decent quick service food option. Granted a full blown food court isn't necessary but there really needs to be a better option for a hot meal. I don't want to eat dinner in the dark at the pool bar, Amatista's cuisine wasn't appealing and pricey and a cold sub or the rice and beans and meat selection at Dutch Trading was inadequate and frankly, looked pretty awful.
I paid $129 for my room (APH) and felt I got my money's worth. I've looked and have seen some of these rooms go for well over $200 at certain times of the year. There is nothing at this resort that puts it in that price point.
I don't think I will be back to Sapphire Falls. I enjoyed my stay at Cabana Bay much more even in spite of the bus transportation. And for $109 (APH) for a Courtyard Poolside Family Suite, I think it's a great value.
I hope this is helpful. I will try to answer any questions.
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