Hi There!
I"m going to cut and paste a review I did on the BW from a trip report. It's a little long and I haven't the time to edit it. But it should give you an idea. Note that since I've stayed, Toppers has re-opened. What's your travel dates? I'd say at $59 you got a great hotel at a great deal. There's a point where I'd no longer consider the BWDTD a good deal, but you're below that point. I ask about the dates because the pool's a little small. I gave it a thumbs up, but might change my mind if it were Mid-July and there were a hundred people there.
The review is from our stay September 20-26, 2002. Any questions? Fire 'em at me:
We arrived at the Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort at high noon. Agitated by the Americar exchange, I was tempted to just go hang out on the Boardwalk for a while, as I didn't feel like begging for an early check-in. But Amy asked me to try. They immediately put us into our desired room with a DTD view, between floors 8 and 10. Amy hates being up in a high-rise hotel, but we wanted the good view. Room 9008 was a good compromise.
I've stayed in everything from 5* to flea bags. I'm not really sure where I put this hotel. At the price we paid, $30, I give it high ratings. At its rack rate for September, $129, I wouldn't touch it. At it's discount rate of $89.95, I'd note it, but look for better deals. I guess I'd set the bar at $70. This is what I'd pay, value season, to stay here. But at $30, it was delightful. And the fifty bucks a night we saved over the Courtyard was well spent.
The rooms, as reported elsewhere, are kept clean but are worn. The carpets are thin and ragged. There was chipping paint on the balcony. There were little nagging things, like one closet door being difficult to open and a drawer being cracked. However, the room was large and clean, just old. A hint for those trying this hotel in the future: attempt to get a DTD view above at least the 5th floor, and try to get a "corner room." Upon comparing with the guy next door, the rooms are a bit larger on the corners and the balcony is a full 1/3 larger.
The rest of the hotel falls somewhere in the vicinity of "resort," but I don't know if I'd compare it with the real thing. The entire bottom floor has been completely renovated, and it shows. The lobby has two stores: one for convenience, the other for Disney goods. We compared and the prices were the same here as at any
Disney store. The "Parakeet Cafe actually has two Parakeets. They talk, whistle, and meow like a cat. Quite funny most of the time, although a bit startling when youre alone at 2 AM the first time you hear them meow.
In addition to the Parakeet, which serves basic snack-food, there is Traders, the full service restaurant and a bar/lounge. We did NOT try Traders, so the following is second hand information, but the breakfast buffet looked and smelled pretty nice. Those who tried it were saying nice things. Its a basic pastry/bagel, cereal, plus full egg/sausage/bacon/potato, etc. festival. Of course, they have Mickey Mouse waffles. And at $4.99 it was a real good bargain. Warning: the $4.99 includes no drinks. On a down note, Toppers was closed for renovations. We were sorry to miss the chance to see Illuminations from the top floor. But seeing how beautiful the lobby area was reminds one the need and value of occasional shutdowns.
The pool and bar area were a highlight for us. I found the pool to be quite clean and adequate. However, I wonder if it were a busy season if Id say the same. The pool seemed a bit small for a 350+ room hotel. However, when its you, your wife, and two other couples, its a mighty fine pool. The bar, if youre in to such things as we are, had good snacks (we were able to get kitchen food as late as 11 PM), deals on drinks, and several couches inside around a large-screen TV, a nice touch.
(Note added 7-17: The view from these rooms is incredible. We could see Pleasure Island each night, Epcot and Spaceship Earth at all times, and Illuminations was just wild from three miles away and a hundred feet in the sky. Look in the distance with a zoom lense to see Space Mountain the Contemporary (the Contemporary blocks any view of caste).
The Best Western LBV is a competent hotel, maybe even an acceptable resort, when purchased on a budget level. Excellent common areas, acceptable amenities, and amazing location, along with a $30 per night Priceline rate, make up for the old rooms. Id take the hotel again, no questions asked, for up to $70 per night.
