We've stayed at the HRP twice now and had two great stays. The hotel is very Floridian in its theme and very spacious. The hotel has alot of convention space and on both occasions we have visited there have been conventions on, the hotel does manage the delegates well and the hotel has never appeared overcrowded on our visits in December and July. I think though that this convention business does mean that some of the tourist feel is lost at the hotel, which can be both good and bad.
Our first stay there was in a tower room, which was fantastic, very big room with an exceptional bathroom, large bath and giant shower. Our second stay was in a lanai room near reception. The room was still nice, but nowhere near as big as the tower room. The bathroom was minute in comparison too.
The hotel seemed to have dropped a little in terms of standards second time round. The WH Smiths newsagents had gone and was replaced by a lesser stocked, more expensive alternative. Plus the staff seemed a little more frosty too - both my girlfriend and I were a little intimated by the check-in desk manageress!!
That aside the hotel was good, with its Giraffe Grille diner and Giraffe Tavern providing meals and night time refreshments. The hotel like all the hotels on Plaza Boulevard has a
Disney Store too, and the HRP one is one of the better ones too.
HRP has an uninspiring yet acceptable pool area with Sips pool bar and a small shop selling pool inflatables and the like. There are plenty of sun loungers too. The hotel has its own library, if you fancy a read while sun bathing. I can't comment on the quality of the books though! There is also a gym near the pool too.
We've stayed at the HRP twice now and can't really be over critical of it. Would we stay there again? Yes.
The Best Western. Our original choice in the Downtown Disney area, was undergoing major rebuilding in 2001 and the untouched bits looked dated to say the least. On our following trip we popped in to see the completed work, and the hotel interior looked unrecognisable. The building work had made a fantastic difference, making better use of the hotels lower two levels, the hotel had also improved its eating and drinking options too with an addition of a Pizza Hut Express and a further bar. The only downside was the pool area still looked pretty poor, although this may have been worked on now too?
Would we have stayed at the BW LBV in 2001? Not on your nelly! Would we consider it now? Yes. Also by staying at the BW LBV you can get a sneeky distant view of some of the fireworks at Disney World, if your room is facing the right way, although if it isn't you can always visit the roof top bar!
Anyway I've rambled on for ages, hope this is of some help!
