Anyone stayed at Marriots Grande Vista

[Eleda]

Hi we are going to stay a week in Marriots Grande Vista ( Orlando ) and would like to hear from others who have stayed there.
Trip report, resort report, is it far from sea world / international drive?
Does they have any transportations to the disney parks? Do they have any taxi`s etc

Thank`s in advanced

Adele ( in Norway )

 

[lecach]

When are you staying there? We'll be there May 11-17 and can report after that.

 

[Detailor]

We're there now - for our third stay since the summer of '05.

Grande Vista is a very nice resort that has recently been refurbished with updated interiors. The resort is off I-Drive just south of SR 528 and Central Florida Parkway. It's about a mile from the resort to SeaWorld. I don't believe that the resort provides transportation to the theme parks and there are no taxis lined up like you might see at a hotel, but the concierge service will arrange for transportation if you call down and make the request.

Grande Vista is a moderately large resort (though IMO quite walkable from point to point) and has a lot to offer. There is a golf course on site, a full-service restaurant, a resort store (convenience store food and beverages, souvenirs, apparel, a cafe featuring Starbucks and Krispy Kreme, etc.), a Pizza Hut Express, an alfresco bar and grill, two very large pool areas with hot tubs, two smaller area pools also with hot tubs, washers/dryers in the villas (1 bedroom size and up), free wireless internet access from the rooms, a couple of desktop computers hooked up to a printer in the clubhouse for paid use, lots of activities, fitness center, massages on site, peddle boats for rent, surrey bikes for rent, a climbing wall on the beach, volleyball, a small arcade, probably more that I'm not thinking of. This would be a fairly easy resort to stay at without going to the theme parks with enough to provide relaxation and plenty of things to do.
The resort is about 15 miles from the airport, a 15-20 minute drive from Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, 20-30 minutes from the various Disney Parks and about 15 minutes from Downtown Disney. There are two Publix grocery stores that are convenient to the resort - one about a mile away, the other about a mile and a half. There are many, many restaurants within five miles of the resort.
A very good resort that is one of our Orlando area favorites. You should enjoy it.

Dick Taylor

 

[Eleda]

When are you staying there? We'll be there May 11-17 and can report after that.

Hi We will be staying there from Okt 4`th - Okt 11`th. I am looking forward to hear what you think after your trip in May

Thank you !
Adèle

 

[momof2cutegirls]

You all will love staying at the Grand Vista! My in-laws have a time share there and we've been going there for the past five years. The first few years we went in December, and it was chilly and were unable to use the pool too much. Last year, we went the last week in October. It was warm enough to swim, but rained a lot. We'll be there again this year 11/1 - 11/8.

If you can, request a room that overlooks one of the pools. The best area of the resort in my opinion, is the pool that also has a bar area called Copa Loca. It is the newer section of the resort as well.

If you have children with you, they will love the children's play center that is near the front lobby. Not only do they have structured activities, but they have a great 'indoor' playground. My girls love it!

WDW is probably 15 minutes or so from the resort, but as was mentioned above, there is no transportation provided.

Have a great time!