Orlando Hyatts?

[latexscooter]

I'm a Hyatt Gold Club member and just saw on my recent statement that I have a few nights that I could use. I was wondering if anyone was familiar with the Hyatts located in Orlando - there are two of them. One is at the airport (which is not very appealing). The other is the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress on Grand Cypress Blvd.

Is anyone familiar with these?

 

[utahkennedys]

We have stayed twice at the Hyatt Regency GC, the most recent trip 4/05. It is a beautiful property with beautiful grounds, and very convenient to the Lake Buena Vista entrance to Disney, near Downtown Disney. I have to say though, the rooms are tired. They hadn't changed a bit in the 6 years from our last stay, and they need to. The baths are tiny. But, the pools are gorgeous, and we love Cascades Restaurant for b'fast. We wouldn't pay ourselves to stay there with so many other choices, but with free rewards nights it really is beautiful.

 

[agnes!]

We love the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.

My DH sometimes has free Hyatt nights to redeem & this beautiful resort is always our first choice. And since all the road construction(paving, intersection work, etc, etc.) is finally finished on the road that you access the Hyatt from...the place is a lot less hassle to get in & out of by car.

A couple of things we like...
*We really like the convenience of the Regency Club floor - the breakfast is nice and the staff could probably give lessons to some Disney CMs .
*the gorgeous grounds & artwork
*the lobby - macaws, sculptures, waterfalls
*The pools
*the activities included in the resort fee - daily newspaper, sailboating, paddleboats, bicycling, kids' activities, hiking trails, executive par 3 golf course plus I'm sure some others I've forgotten.
*close to restaurants - Downtown Disney, Crossroads, etc. etc.
*close to shopping - Downtown Disney, Crossroads, etc., etc.
*easily accessible to I-4, easy to get around Orlando & to other area attractions

agnes!

 

[Praise2Him]

DH has a conference at the Hyatt Regency in June and he wants to know, are there hot tubs at the pools? I feel sure there must be, but he couldn't find them on the website. Thanks!

After the conference we're going to the AKL for 1 night!

 

[utahkennedys]

Yes there were quite a few hot tubs and some are inside the rock pool caverns and some outside. When we were there, no one was ever in them! It was a nice & quiet place to relax.

 

[latexscooter]

Thanks, I think you've helped me make my decision which is I will use my free nights there.

One last question though...will I need a car? I thought they said on their Web site there is free transportation to Disney parks which I'm interpreting as busses. But if I took a town car/cab to and from the airport would I need a car to visit the parks?

 

[Praise2Him]

Yes there were quite a few hot tubs and some are inside the rock pool caverns and some outside. When we were there, no one was ever in them! It was a nice & quiet place to relax.

Thank you - that's awesome! I can't wait!

 

[agnes!]

Thanks, I think you've helped me make my decision which is I will use my free nights there.

One last question though...will I need a car? I thought they said on their Web site there is free transportation to Disney parks which I'm interpreting as busses. But if I took a town car/cab to and from the airport would I need a car to visit the parks?

You might be able to look up the bus schedule on their website. I do know that they seem to have a nice bus(maybe even more than one?) that is dedicated to the Hyatt (meaning it isn't shared with any other resorts).

I would personally always have a car when I am staying there. It is nice to have the option of going elsewhere for dinner, rather than being locked in to the Hyatt's restaurants. They're nice & the food is usually good, but...well...a tad pricey. By the way, there is a lot of (no charge! yay!) self-parking available.

agnes!

 

[netdisalvo]

We stayed at the Grand Cypress last April and absolutely loved this hotel! Everything about was beautiful! We used the bus transportation to the parks and they run very smoothly. I'm pretty sure that the buses only run to this hotel. Most times we rode them there were only a few familys riding with us. We did have a rental car, but found it much easier to take the buses! I would stay there again and highly recommend it! Loved the birds in the lobby! My kids still talk about them!

 

[Praise2Him]

Do you remember how often the buses run - every hour, every 30 minutes?

Is it one bus that goes to all parks, or is there a bus for each park? Do they stop at DD?

 

[agnes!]

The Hyatt folks always answer any questions I have. If you get the direct number to the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress(they have a nice website with all sorts of resort info), call them up & ask to speak to concierge/guest services. I'm sure they can help you with the specifics. I vaguely remember that the buses ran numerous times a day to area attractions (not like some I-Drive places that have *very* skimpy bus schedules!)

agnes!
PS - In addition to the resort/no extra fee activities(boating, biking, executive par three course, etc), they also have some "fee" activities, like playing championship golf(one of their courses was designed by Jack Nicklaus) and horseback riding. They have a very well-regarded equestrian school there (plus if you want to board your horse, that can be arranged as well!)

 

[spiceycat]

here is the website and it is nice

http://grandcypress.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?icamp=hyattregencygrandcypressredirect

so you would think shortly that the hyatt will start a rehab for this hotel?

 

[netdisalvo]

I don't remember how often the buses ran, but they have a schedule that you get at check in. I believe it was one bus that went to all the parks or if there were only a few families on the bus, it would go to what ever park we were going to. It was very convenient and cheaper than parking at the parks. I don't think it went to DD. But DD is right down the street, like 2 minutes away, so you may want to get a rental car anyway, for the flexibility. If you can, book a room on the conceriage floor. You can eat breakfast there and they even have light dinner food and drinks, it was very nice and saved us a ton! Since you are a Hyatt member you should be able too. You'll love it there, have fun!!!

 

[agnes!]

According to the resort's website...

*****

To/From Local Theme Parks:

Transportation to/from Magic Kingdom/MGM Studios/Epcot Center/Animal Kingdom/Sea World/Discovery Cove/Universal Studios/Islands Of Adventure is included in your hotel Resort Fee.

Transportation to the above parks is provided by Mears Transportation. Hours will vary according to the park hours. Transportation to the parks usually begins one hour prior to opening time and will return to the hotel as late as one hour after closing of the parks.

Stop by the Concierge or Mears Transportation Desk, located in the main lobby for exact times. The shuttle runs at different times of the day for each park.

*****

There is also a complimentary inter-resort shuttle that takes guests around the resort's 1000+acres.
agnes!

 

[Aidensmom]

My son and I stayed at Hyatt Grand Cypress 2 weeks ago. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat. It is beautiful, lots of activities included in the $13 resort fee, and one of the best pools we have seen.

After a long day at the parks, we sat in the pool that night and watched a viewing of Chicken Little. There are NUMEROUS restaurants to eat at. The rooms are beautiful. The staff is friendly and helpful. And you get a glass of champagne when you check in.