Nights 2-5: Saratoga Springs Resort:
Since most of our points are here, we were very interested in the overall quality of the resort, and tried to be objective in our assessment.
We arrived by boat from DTD, and maybe it was because they were painting near the boat launch, that we didn't see any signs, but we wound up walking the long way around, through the parking lot and past the tennis courts, to get to the check-in area. (Found out later we could've turned left and gone up the ramp or stairs and been there in about a minute). We decided the whole boat launch area back there needs to have a more welcoming feel, rather than it seeming like you're sneaking in the back door. That parking lot seems to me like a poor use of some prime real estate there - the location is lovely, and would be GREAT as a park with a bandstand in it, or croquet, lawn bowling, the giant chess set, an ice cream parlor... all those suggestions from that fun improvement thread...
ANYTHING but a parking lot needs to be there! And the tennis courts just look ugly with that tall black fencing around them. I really think the imagineers need to put on their thinking caps and improve the aesthetics of that whole area. It
could be SO GREAT! (You can just see the offending parking lot on the right in my picture of the gazebo farther down. Wouldn't that be a perfect place for something really cool?)
Anywhoo... we checked in early, expecting to wait, but we got a room right away. We had requested a DTD view, and the CM told us she had one in Congress Park that faced DTD, but may or may not have much view of it due to the trees. That was fine with us, so we took it. We had done the tour here, and liked the laid back, spread out feel of the resort, the winding pathways, etc. and were pleasantly surprised at how nicely the foliage is growing in just a few months later; that really enhances things and gives it such a nice "gardeny" feel. We loved seeing the bunnies, ducks, frogs, geckos, turtles, and various birds everywhere. The CP area suited our needs perfectly because we didn't have our kids with us, so didn't need close proximity to the main pool, and we spent lots of time at DTD, and the walk there was pleasant. One thing we really appreciated was the transportation options. It was easy to get anywhere we wanted to go; a little walk to DTD for resort buses, or an even littler walk to the CP bus stop for theme park buses (or the internal shuttle, which we didn't actually use).
Our room was very nice - we both love the furnishings and decor here - it's so restful and elegant without being fussy. We were on the first floor, and our porch was tucked back in, but with a nice wide open view, so we were both happy with it. We spent quite a bit of time sitting there, either drinking wine or starbuck's frappuccinos. (Okay, little side note here...
Why is it so hard to find iced lattes or frappuccinos in Florida - especially in the morning!? I kept seeing coffee stands, like Boardwalk Joe's, and those frozen mocha places around, yet none of them was
ever open in the morning! And when I did manage to find a latte, it was always hot. What is
up with that? At home I have my fresh ground starbucks house blend venti iced vanilla 2% latte every morning. I can understand that a hot coffee in the morning is probably not the thing in Florida, but why don't they drink iced coffee in the morning? If you know the answer, please don't hesitate to post it!) So anyway, we made do with having Gardengrocer deliver us a bunch of those little bottled frappuccino thingies, and had them on our patio every morning - it was really very nice lol.
We walked all around the whole resort, and here are our takes on the "controversial subjects". The pool is great (tried the slide and thought it was really fun!), and it was fairly crowded when we were there, but not unbearably so. We were able to find lounge chairs with no problem. However, when the new construction is finished, we believe it will most surely have the potential to be unbearably crowded. More and bigger quiet pools may or may not have any real effect on that, since everyone likes the slides, jacuzzis, and pool bars, etc. of main pools. We asked several CM's and
DVC guides, and they confirmed that yes, a bigger pool is being built, and yes it will have a bar, but they "don't know" whether it will be themed or not (which hopefully doesn't mean it isn't). We sincerely hope the new pool is 1: Nice enough to draw half the population of the resort once it's finished, and 2: Close enough to the newer areas that they won't have a hike to get to a decent pool.
The new buildings are coming along nicely (see picture). The ones on the golf course are going to be GREAT! Very nice location - good views on all sides, and still pretty close to the main resort areas. The newest buildings out by the entrance of the resort - past the Paddocks (I don't know what that area's going to be called - one of the CM's said "the grandstand?" when I asked. Does anybody know for sure?), are really far away from everything. That's the area that needs a spectacular pool, or something to make it desirable to stay there. Otherwise, in dh's words: "I'd be mad if I had to pay the same points as everyone else and be stuck way out here with no view, no pool, and a long walk to get anywhere". We're thinking that area (and possibly the most remote Paddocks building - the one at the end nearest the resort entrance) should really have a reduced point cost. That alone should make them desirable, if nothing else does.
Okay, now for the really good stuff. We thought the food at Artists Palette was really good - far, far better than your average counter service. The salad I had was fresh and delicious, and dh loved the sandwich he had. It's really refreshing to be able to order something besides burgers and fries for counter service! We were thrilled with the new Turf Club table service restaurant (did a separate review of it already). The spa was just great - we did a swedish massage and a peppermint pedicure, and dh, who was very wary of the whole pedicure thing declared he'd get one of those (or two or three) on every trip lol. Our whole stay here was very pleasant and relaxing, and we decided that no matter where else we may stay, we'll always end our trip with a few days here just to unwind. DH says he wouldn't care if he never stays anywhere else.
Alrighty, that's enough talk, here are some pictures:
Our Room
Our little porch
View from the porch
Around the resort
The fairway villas being built
