My family and I just returned from a weekend trip to the new JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando. We had the special Marriott Rewards price of $159 a night for a lake/pool/golf course view and a breakfast buffet for two. We had a fabulous time and would highly recommend this hotel.
Location: 2 miles past Sea World on Central Florida Parkway. About 3 miles off of 1-4. Hotel is on 500 acres it shares with the new Ritz Carlton. The conference center is gorgeous and it connects the 2 hotels. When staying at the JW you can also use all the Ritz facilities.
Rooms: Our room was spotless with very nice furniture. It was smaller than I expected. However, the bathroom was huge-all marble with a separate tub and shower. We did not have a balcony but most rooms had a small one w/o furniture. I would request a balcony for the next time.
Pool: AWESOME!! The Marriott pool has four swimming areas connected by a lazy river. The wonderful tropical landscaping provides plenty of shade but there are lots of spots to get some sun. There is also an 11-person hot tub with a waterfall, a 17- person hot tub with a fountain and small toddlers splash pool with an artificial alligator. The pool is 24.000 sq ft and has a bathing load of 1,592 people! They have ping-pong, pool table and volleyball nearby. You can also take advantage of the pools located at the adjacent Ritz property. Those pools are quieter and have padded lounge chairs.
View: Our room was located on the 22nd floor facing the pool, lake and golf course. The view was spectacular and you could see Sea World, Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. There are 26 floors and the higher the floor, the better the view. I would recommend requesting a lake/golf view when booking your room.
Food: We ate dinner at the Quench Bar and Grill, located at the pool. The food was average (your typical poolside eatery fare). We had the breakfast buffet at Citron, which was excellent. They had a create-your-own-omelet station, baked goods in a bakery setting, pancakes, eggs, waffles, cereal bar and a WIDE variety of fresh fruits. The cost was $15.95 and $7.50 (a bit of a splurge, but well worth it). The on-site Starbucks has their standard baked goods and drink menu. The lobby lounge has its own sushi-raw bar and features live entertainment.
Misc.: Every Saturday evening (weather permitting) there is a "dive-in" movie at the pool. They showed "Monster's Inc." while we were there. There is a small kids play area near the pool. The fitness room at the Ritz Spa is open 24 hours a day and is available to the JW Marriot guests at no additional fee. (there is a fee to use the steam room and dry sauna). There is a pedestrian track that links both properties together, for those who prefer to walk outdoors. Also, various kids activities are available-some free and some with a charge. We don't golf but thought the on-site golf course was beautiful.
The only negative fellow Dis-Boarders.....NO DISNEY CHANNEL in the room!! Our DD's were shocked (LOL).
Hope this is helpful. If you have any questions, please ask.
Location: 2 miles past Sea World on Central Florida Parkway. About 3 miles off of 1-4. Hotel is on 500 acres it shares with the new Ritz Carlton. The conference center is gorgeous and it connects the 2 hotels. When staying at the JW you can also use all the Ritz facilities.
Rooms: Our room was spotless with very nice furniture. It was smaller than I expected. However, the bathroom was huge-all marble with a separate tub and shower. We did not have a balcony but most rooms had a small one w/o furniture. I would request a balcony for the next time.
Pool: AWESOME!! The Marriott pool has four swimming areas connected by a lazy river. The wonderful tropical landscaping provides plenty of shade but there are lots of spots to get some sun. There is also an 11-person hot tub with a waterfall, a 17- person hot tub with a fountain and small toddlers splash pool with an artificial alligator. The pool is 24.000 sq ft and has a bathing load of 1,592 people! They have ping-pong, pool table and volleyball nearby. You can also take advantage of the pools located at the adjacent Ritz property. Those pools are quieter and have padded lounge chairs.
View: Our room was located on the 22nd floor facing the pool, lake and golf course. The view was spectacular and you could see Sea World, Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. There are 26 floors and the higher the floor, the better the view. I would recommend requesting a lake/golf view when booking your room.
Food: We ate dinner at the Quench Bar and Grill, located at the pool. The food was average (your typical poolside eatery fare). We had the breakfast buffet at Citron, which was excellent. They had a create-your-own-omelet station, baked goods in a bakery setting, pancakes, eggs, waffles, cereal bar and a WIDE variety of fresh fruits. The cost was $15.95 and $7.50 (a bit of a splurge, but well worth it). The on-site Starbucks has their standard baked goods and drink menu. The lobby lounge has its own sushi-raw bar and features live entertainment.
Misc.: Every Saturday evening (weather permitting) there is a "dive-in" movie at the pool. They showed "Monster's Inc." while we were there. There is a small kids play area near the pool. The fitness room at the Ritz Spa is open 24 hours a day and is available to the JW Marriot guests at no additional fee. (there is a fee to use the steam room and dry sauna). There is a pedestrian track that links both properties together, for those who prefer to walk outdoors. Also, various kids activities are available-some free and some with a charge. We don't golf but thought the on-site golf course was beautiful.
The only negative fellow Dis-Boarders.....NO DISNEY CHANNEL in the room!! Our DD's were shocked (LOL).
Hope this is helpful. If you have any questions, please ask.
. Due to the vast space of the pool area, I would plan on being with your DD at all times. They refer to their buddy system, which basically recommends all pool guests to be in groups of two or more. 
