Best of the Marriott Condos?

[ecl]

Hi-looking at Grande Vista, Cypress Harbour, Harbour Lakes or Imperial Palm Villas. We will have 3 adults and 4 kids from age 4-9. 3BR is a plus. Going to Disney with 1 day at Universal. Any opinions?
Thank you for your input!

 

[littlestar]

I've stayed at all four of those and like them all. For small kids, you can't beat Harbour Lakes if you are going during warm weather and your group of kids like the water - there are two themed pools with slides (one with a pirate ship), a mini water pop jet play area, and a miniature golf course. Very compact resort.

Cypress Harbour is very peaceful and calm (across the street from Harbour Lakes) and actually my favorite resort in Orlando (but I'm an adult and like peacefulness above all else). It's very serene.

Imperial palms has been remodeled and very nice inside. You're on the grounds of the Marriott World Center hotel and can enjoy the amenities of a hotel - indoor pool and very large outdoor pool with slide at the World Center. You also have two quiet pools nearby Imperial Palms. They have a shuttle that takes you up to the World Center hotel.

Grande Vista is quite lovely - nice grounds, ice cream parlor, game room area for kids.

Take a look out on trip advisor and also check Marriott Vacation Club's site:

http://www.marriottvacationclub.com/vacation-resorts/index.html

 

[ecl]

So helpful to hear from someone who has stayed at all four! It sounds like I can't really go wrong. Which one do you think has the nicest rooms? What about the most convenient to Disney?

Thanks!

 

[littlestar]

The nicest interior rooms would probably be a newer building at Marriott Grande Vista. Granite countertops in kitchen and jacuzzi tub in master bath

Imperial Palms had 2 twin beds in the 3rd bedroom. The kitchen with bar/stools was plenty big and the dining table was great for hosting a big group. The building didn't look very fancy on the outside, but the interior was wonderful. Granite kitchen countertops and jacuzzi tub in master bath.

Harbour Lake (old name of Marriott Horizons) didn't have granite countertops or jacuzzi tubs, but it made up for it for the great swimming pools - pirate themed and put me in mind of a Disney resort since they had fun slides and pools.

As far as convenient to Disney, all of them were not very far at all from Disney. Imperial Palms is a tad bit closer, but not enough to make me pick one over the other. Harbour Lake and Cypress Harbour sit on Westwood Boulevard across the street from each other. Grande Vista is on International Drive and very close to Cypress and Harbour Lake (maybe 3 or 4 minute drive from one another). And the Marriott World Center where Imperial Palms is located sits off of 535 and World Center Drive.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

We always used to stay at Grande Vista, now that DD is 4 we stay at Harbour Lake. She loves the pools and every building is in a close walking distance. DD even went in the heated pool when it was 45 degrees out! (note: Mommy didn't!) The rooms are a little smaller and not as posh as Grande Vista, but it is just perfect for her age. When she is older we will switch back to GV but for the next few years it is Harbour Lake! The only problem is Harbour Lake doesn't have 3 bedrooms. For us it is fine, we have 4 adults and 1 child.

On my last trip I drove around Cypress Harbour just to see if that should be on my list for future trips... it is nice but honestly I don't like it for little kids.

No experience with Imperial Palms, I only stayed at Sabal Palms and that was back in '95.

 

[Detailor]

The only problem is Harbour Lake doesn't have 3 bedrooms. For us it is fine, we have 4 adults and 1 child.

To the OP:
Of the four timeshare resorts on your list neither Cypress Harbour nor Harbour Lake have 3-bedroom villas. While you can fit seven people in a Marriott 2-bedroom unit some will be sleeping on the living room sofa bed. You can see the various resorts' villa layouts in the Resort Collection pages at http://www.marriottvacationclub.com/index.html?cid=mvccom.

Of the 3-bedroom choices on your list - Imperial Palms (all three-bedroom units) and Grande Vista - Imperial Palms is the closer resort to Disney property. Grande Vista is about 5 miles further away from Disney than Imperial Palms (though the two resorts are six miles apart you'd take slightly different routes to get to the Disney resorts). From IP it's about 4.5 miles to Hollywood Studios, 5 miles to Epcot, 6.5 miles to the MK parking lot, and 9 miles to Animal Kingdom and about four miles to Downtown Disney.

Grande Vista has a lot more to offer for onsite amenities than Imperial Palms unless you want to use the outstanding facilities at the nearby Marriott hotel. The hotel facilities are really convenient to the Sabal Palms resort, not so much for guests at Royal Palms or Imperial Palms (I think that there are shuttles from all three timeshare resorts there to the hotel, though).

Dick Taylor

 

[jeff968]

We have also stayed at all 4.

Horizons (harbour lake) is nice but is lacking in some of the expected amenities such as a fitness room. They only had two treadmills. And they are still building the resort so many things are not done or missing.

Imperial palms, nice and with the three bedroom unit but we found the shuttle to the Marriott world a big pain.

Grande Vista is nice but too big and golf oriented. I stayed here without the family a few years ago.

Cypress harbor is our favorite. Not too big, not too small, everything within walking distance, something for everyone, the little ones, teens, ect, and the resort is beautiful.