A few questions about the Grande Vista

[AWD]

We'll be staying at the Marriott Grande Vista next month and I have a few questions:

How late are the pools open?

Where is the nearest grocery store?

Are the balconies screened or open?

THANKS!!!!

 

[AFamilyLikePoohs]

We just came back from MGV. Had a very good time. Would most definitely stay there again and would highly recommend this resort. To answer your questions:

- we had a first floor villa (2-bdrm, 2-bath) with a screened balcony. I am pretty sure that only first floor villas are screened.

- the signs leading to the pools say they are open until 11 pm. Our villa was pretty close to the 'quiet' pool in our section of the complex. I can tell you that people were out there until at least 10 pm.

- the nearest grocery store is a Publix. It was less than 5 minutes away. It's in a shopping center with a Blockbuster video, Eckerd drug, and some other stores. When you check-in to the resort, they provide a map with directions to all the major parks, and areas of interest (eg. grocery stores, Wal-Marts, outlet centers, etc.).

We'll be happy to answer any other questions you may have.

 

[Harryo]

I believe all balconies are screened- in. Have a great time, you'll love this resort.

 

[Zingas68]

AFAMILYLIKEPOOHS,


Can you tell me more about the resort. i.e. Restaurants, pools and the grounds. Is there much for a child that is 3 years old?

Thanks!

 

[AFamilyLikePoohs]

RE: Restaurants. There is a restaurant at the resort, near the golf course. It was small, and had a bar area. High chairs were available. We had breakfast there a few mornings and ate dinner there one night. There is no kids' menu for breakfast, but there is one for dinner. At breakfast, my 7-year old DS just split a plate with one of the adults and my 2-year old just had fruit.

RE: Pools. There is a central pool area. We spent one morning there. It was not crowded, and there were plenty of lounge chairs around. It is behind the main building, where you check-in. There are rest rooms close by and the Marketplace restaurant/store is also nearby. There is a main pool here, as well as a separate fountain/sprinkler area for little ones, and a separate kiddie pool. The kiddie pool was not filled until about noon. It needed to be cleaned - it was not filthy, but there were a few leaves floating around. It was zero-depth entry, with several spouts around the perimeter, shooting water. My two-year old DS loved it. There was also a pool behind our building, with a nearby hot tub. Did not use the hot tub, only heard about it. Plenty of lounge chairs here, too. The pools have steps that lead into them. When we were in the main pool, and in the pool behind our building, my DS just hung around the steps and splashed there. There was still plenty of room for people to use the steps even while he was playing there. Both pool areas had shaded sections, there were plenty of trees around. The temperature of the water was fine, too.

RE: Grounds. The resort was beautiful. Nicely kept up. We rented a boat and took a ride out on the lake - they have life vests available. Every morning, there was a list of kids' activities placed outside our door. To be honest, I didn't pay attention to what was on the list, only that it was delivered. There were surrey bikes available for rent, too. I don't remember if they had regular bikes for rent.

So, other than the pools, I'm not sure what else would be on the grounds for 3-year olds. We spent our time in the WDW parks and the resort pools. There were lots of families at the resort, though.

 

[Lisa P.]

I've read that there is an indoor play area with a ball pit for the little ones at this resort. When we stayed there, we didn't look for it since our children are older and wouldn't be interested. There is also a playground area in the sand along the small lakefront beach (no swimming) behind the main pool. I remember it being to the right, when standing by the main pool and looking out at the lake.

I'm sure there's enough to entertain a toddler or preschooler at Marriott Grande Vista. The kiddie pool was enjoyed by quite a few families when we were there. Have fun!