Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate
The resort is located about 7 miles south of WDW on I-4 at exit 58 and opened in October. We had watched it being built and wondered what it was going to be. After hurricane Charley all of the large palm trees (later read there was 180 palms) lining the entrance road were on the ground. I got a room for $115 from Priceline under "resort". I located their website and joined their "Select Guest Club" which turned out to be smart since it gave us a 5 o'clock check out which is great. Entering this resort is really impressive with the building housing 730 rooms and it had to be 15 stories since our room was on the ninth floor. The lobby and check in has a wall of windows overlooking the two Greg Norman designed golf courses. A family of 4 can golf for under $50.
The girl at check in was a new hire and very nice. I should have made some room requests since occupancy was very low. We just took the room we were given which was on the east side of the south wing on the ninth floor and quite a hike from the elevator. The room had a king bed and no sleeper couch. I told my son that we should call down and ask for two queens but he said it would be alright because the bed was so big. He ended up sleeping on the floor though. The room also had an oversized modern easy chair and ottoman, a large executive work desk with computer and electrical outlets along the front edge. You could get free high-speed wireless internet access and the in-room safe was large enough to hold a laptop. There was two phones (one cordless) with dual lines (pain to remember to push line 1or 2) and voicemail. The night stands on both sides of the bed had fake drawers which I didn't like. The TV had Lodgenet with movies (about $12 each) and Nintendo 64 video games. If you didn't bring your own computer you could access the internet with the TV as a computer monitor for $12 per day or a reduced length of stay charge. The cabinet that held the TV/CD player was large and had ample clothes storage space with a minibar and coffee maker.
We had a magnificent view of the front parking lot (blah) but also tennis courts, basketball court, golf course, acres of undeveloped land with cows grazing and I-4. The pool view would have been better.
The bathroom was crisp and new with no signs of any water or other damage. The single sink had a large dark marble counter top and lighted hinged make up mirror. The floors and tub surround was a light beige marble and the walls a neutral wallpaper. I like bubble baths so I tried the tub. The tub had ample shoulder room but was short and shallow. The water didn't get hot either. I don't know if it was a scalding safeguard or what, but it sucked when drawing a bath to soak for any length of time. The tub did have a little ring scum and a hair. I tried the shower and the water pressure and volume were perfect and the water was hot enough for a shower. The shower only had one marble corner shelf for shampoo, soap, etc. and there was no retractable clothesline. The bathroom goodies were high end and included a sewing kit in a hard plastic container, mouthwash, Q-tips, cotton balls, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, face and body soap in bamboo trays and boxes. The closet had 2 plush robes, an extra pillow and blanket. There was some hallway noise and I could hear the alarm go off in the adjacent room. Our nightly turndown included the customary chocolate but also had a card telling us the weather forecast for the next day.
The grounds were well manicured with palm trees, flowering plants, a formal herb garden, and serpentine pathways leading from the formal heated swimming pool, private cabanas and fountained whirlpool to the heated family pool, 850' lazy river with water cannons, falls, inner tubes, water tower, zero depth play fountain, secluded whirlpool with water spill, pool restaurant/bar, outdoor pool table, foosball table, game room, water slide, sand volleyball court, lighted tennis courts and basketball court. They had all kinds of scheduled activities like a basketball shootout, soccer game, scavenger hut, water balloon toss, sand castle building, pool tournament, lizard hunt, hula hoop contest, water relays, kickball challenge and bubble bash. Other than that and the 2 golf courses there was nothing to do! We spent most of the time chilling at the pool or shooting hoops.
Guests and staff were very friendly and the place was luxurious without being stuffy. I would return if the price was right. The biggest down side is location. We went to Friday's Front Row Bar and Grille at the corner of Sandlake and I-Drive for dinner and the Capital One Bowl Preview and the trip took 25 minutes one way. I-4 is under construction in front of the resort and at times traffic is at a crawl in this area. The best thing was the 5 o'clock check out!
