The
DVC resort is absolutely beautiful. It is on a tiny island in the middle of the marsh that borders on the water -- the coastal waterway? It's really wonderful because you are in the middle of busy HH Island with condos and restaurants and cement, and when you go over that bridge onto the resort it's like you are suddenly in the middle of nowhere. It is green and fragrant with giant old trees and Spanish moss everywhere. We loved it!
The main building is like a big lodge and has some rooms in it. I believe this is where the handicapped rooms are since there is an elevator. The rest of the rooms are spread out in a series of buildings and all are "up" a bit in case of a big storm. Our room was "ground floor" so it was a half story up. The pool is in the middle of the resort and is like your average Disney "deluxe" pool, with a cool slide and lots of tables. There is a snack bar, gift shop and rental area. You an rent bikes or sign up for crafts (some were free) and there are also some excursions you can pay for. My husband took the kids on a dolphin watch tour and they loved it. The cast members were mainly college program kids and were very nice.
A mile from the resort property is a beautiful beach house with a pool, another snack bar, a lounge and beach access. We enjoyed this pool a lot since the kids lasted in the salty ocean all of two minutes. There is a shuttle bus back and forth to this area all day, or you can drive or bike to it. All around the resort are restaurants, grocery shops and shopping of all kinds -- very tourist-y. We only stayed three nights so we didn't really explore outside the Disney stuff.
The place is very peaceful and laid-back. Not a whole lot shaking compared to Orlando... My children loved the pool and they really had a blast trying to catch crabs off the little dock that faces the marsh. We would have done the crafts if we stayed longer. The rooms reminded me of those at the Wilderness Lodge, done in deep greens and maroon. Very nice! The room had a great porch out back with two big rocking chairs.
Hope this gets you started. We loved HH and look forward to returning someday.
