Marriott Grande Vista vs. Marriott Sabal Palms?

[mckennarose]

I'm asking for a friend.

She's going to Universal the first week of May 2016 and originally wanted to stay at Sabal Palms, but is looking at Grande Vista because of proximity to Universal. I've only stayed at Sabal Palms, so I can't compare pros and cons. Can anyone give some info on Grande Vista, amenities, restaurants, driving distance to Uni, how the rooms are (cleanliness, size, etc.)? If you've stayed at both, which one did you prefer and why?

Thanks in advance!

 

[TeamSy]

Grand Vista is beautiful for sure, however, I much prefer the proximity of Sabal to the World Center because of the restaurants, the pools, etc. Grand Vista definitely has some nice pools, but there's something about being closer to the World Center that I can't be without. Plus, you're down the street from Disney. From Universal you're looking at about 20 or so minutes depending on traffic, really from both places... Sabal is around 10 miles vs 7 miles or so from Grand Vista. However, Sabal does not have 3 bedrooms while Grand Vista does, so if she's looking for bedrooms there will be no choice. Unless then you take into account Imperial, which also has 3 bedrooms. I haven't tried the newest Marriott villa property, but out of all the others that aren't on the World Center property, Grand Vista is my favorite! The rooms at both places are clean and well appointed. You can't go wrong with either one!

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm asking for a friend.

She's going to Universal the first week of May 2016 and originally wanted to stay at Sabal Palms, but is looking at Grande Vista because of proximity to Universal. I've only stayed at Sabal Palms, so I can't compare pros and cons. Can anyone give some info on Grande Vista, amenities, restaurants, driving distance to Uni, how the rooms are (cleanliness, size, etc.)? If you've stayed at both, which one did you prefer and why?

Thanks in advance!

For Universal I would go with Grande Vista. The units are very nice, we had great housekeeping, overall a very nice stay. All of the Marriott timeshare properties in Orlando are a good, reliable choice IMO.

 

[Detailor]

The villas at Sabal Palms are somewhat larger than the 2 BR villas at Grande Vista - 1360 sq ft vs 1296 sq ft with larger, dedicated living room area and all are either at ground level or one short flight of stairs up (no elevators). GV has elevators and higher buildings.

Though SP is about three miles further away fro Universal than GV, it takes about the same 15 to 20 minutes to get to the Universal parking garages (Sabal Palms is located right next to an entrance to I-4). The three Palms Marriott timeshare resorts are the oldest Marriotts in Orlando but have been kept up well so not a big deal of difference in upkeep between the two. GV has better placement of amenities while SP shares amenities with the other two Palms resorts so they're spread amongst them. But the hotel amenities are impressive and add a lot to a SP stay. With Sabal being so close to the hotel it can be a far closer walk to more features than from many of the outlying buildings at GV to the center of action.
Much more laid back atmosphere at Sabal and, if they're exchanging in to one of the Marriotts, you're much more likely to get a location there that you request. Courteous staff at GV, outstanding and pleasant staff at SP - best I've found at any Marriott timeshare so far.

With all that said, both are nice resorts. Our next stay, in December, will be at Grande Vista because we wanted a three bedroom villa.

Dick Taylor

 

[melbrujack]

Just looked at both of these properties, they look great. Looking for a three bedroom. Can you book these if u are not a a marriott vacation club member? Do members rent them out?

 

[TeamSy]

Just looked at both of these properties, they look great. Looking for a three bedroom. Can you book these if u are not a a marriott vacation club member? Do members rent them out?

For a three bedroom I would look into Grand Vista or Imperial (it's also a three bedroom but on the Marriott World Center property). You can book directly through marriott.com. They sometimes offer great deals. You can also use timeshare websites and such to rent directly from a member for even better rates!

 

[mckennarose]

You can also get prices on booking.com, tripadvisor, etc. for the Marriotts. I saw on the Disney resorts forum that orbitz was having a 48 hr deal on some Orlando resorts. It wouldn't hurt to look there too, for prices.

Thank you to everyone who responded with info on Sabal Palms and Grande Vista!