Hello everyone! We have stayed several times at Sheraton Vistana Resort (and will be there again next month) but since we have a long stay this year, we will also be spending a few days at Sheraton Villages for the first time. Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations as far as which section to reserve. We will be in a 2 BR and have two little ones. I'd like to be close to a pool, but don't want a view of it. Also don't want to be by the highway. Do they have an advance check in form? Also, Can you see fireworks from any of the buildings? Any other suggestions or recommendations would be great! Thanks so much for your time in advance!
We've stayed there twice and both times in the Key West section at the back of the resort. Key West has an area pool and a small playground area (I think that there's a hot tub back there, too. There's also a fitness center and a game room near the pool. This section has moderately large villas (I believe that the two-bedrooms that are part of the three-bedroom lock-offs are larger than the dedicated two-bedroom units). It's nice back in that section of the resort, less crowded than the other sections and pool areas. The primary view from this section is of a little pond at the back of the resort for three or four of the buildings in the area (we like Building 13) and of the pool area for the other two buildings. The resort store is roughly in front of Key West.
The main (original) pool area is surrounded by the Bella section buildings and a pond. Buildings 3 through 10 or 11 view onto the pond and Buildings 1 and 2 face the large pool area. There's a restaurant and a few little open air boutiques that operate in that area as well.
The Amelia section is comprised of four buildings at the front on the resort and the view is of another pond. There's no dedicated pool for this area. Amelia is fronted by it's parking area and then a wall that separates the resort from International Drive. In my opinion, the least attractive part of the resort, by far.
The newest section is called St. Augustine - I think that there are five buildings over there and they all surround yet another pond (seems to me that they extended the Amelia pond down and over to St. Augustine) and the St. Augustine pool area/small playground and water feature. There's a bar/grille over there, too. Having been built at a later date than the rest of the resort, these buildings have a slightly different look and have the popular (at least with the younger children) Galleon water feature at their center. When we were last at the resort this section had just fully opened except for what looked to be spaces for a fitness center and maybe some other indoor amenities. Looked nice but I haven't seen the villas there.
So, if no view of a pool area is a 'must,' then you're choices are a bit limited but there are some buildings without a direct view. There are resort maps available out there on the internet so you may want to do a browser search on Sheraton Villages Resort Map and check out the orientation of the buildings on one.
I'm not sure if Starwood accepts requests from anyone other than an owner, though they used to have an online form to make such requests (same request program name as used at Sheraton's Vistana Resort, but I can't remember what that name is/was). Because of its location on International Drive, I don't think that there are any buildings with fireworks views (closest theme park would be SeaWorld, but that's fairly far away).
This is a nice resort. We enjoyed that it is smaller, less hectic feeling than the older Vistana Resort. The resort itself is fairly compact and that makes it easily walkable from any point within the resort to any other.
Enjoy!
Dick Taylor
