We just returned last night from a week at Bonnet Creek.
My family (5 of us) rented a 2 bedroom presidential from Vacation Strategies.
The room was beautiful and very clean. The resort was gorgeous. Here are my pros and cons for those use to Disney resorts-
Pros- Space, space, space. My 3 kids (15,14,7) were very surprised by the room and kept telling me how well I did!
It was nice to be able to "separate" for a couple of hours of down time each day. (3 TV's and a balcony helped us not invade each others space the entire 24 hours a day!)
Lots of choices for pools. If one was crowded, we just moved on to the next. DD7 liked the lazy river best.
I loved being able to do a load of laundry each day. For those concerned about washing your own towels- there were plenty of towels! We also had housekeeping service one day- that was a pleasant surprise.
The full kitchen was very nice to have. I have a teeny, tiny kitchen at home- so the size was perfect for us.
We never got the parking pass. We checked in very late and were busy the rest of the time.
Only one night did my DH have to park in the garage.
Cons- I hate to say any cons, because what I might see as a con- others will see as a positive. So, this is just my opinion.
I missed the dining plan. I felt like we needed to leave the parks when we wanted a sit down meal. I know, I could have paid $150-200 for my family to eat, but my budget mind said to spend $60.00 outside of the park- so we did.
Disney bus flexibility. We always took our rental car, never the Bonnet Creek bus. My teenagers missed being able to take the bus back when they wanted to or go to another park without us.
Driving. My husband and I both hate driving on vacation. I would not stay at BC without a rental car, though. It was nice to be able to go out to eat, grocery store, pedi/mani, outlet mall, etc.
I was surprised that the resort did not have a large store for shopping like most hotels have. The small store was blah. I also though they would have more of a food area- not just bar like outdoor food. When we arrived a 11pm for check-in, we were starved. (9pm our time and we had not had dinner.) We were told all food was closed. We ordered Dominos. (45min.)
Bottom line- This trip was about looking at a school for DS, not exclusively Disney. If it were just a Disney trip- we would stay on property with the dining plan. That is just what my family likes.
If we ever do a mixed trip again- I would stay here in a heartbeat. The price is right for how much you get and the location.
If we ever want to stay together with a large group- yes to Bonnet Creek.
The staff was not rude, just not outgoing friendly like Disney.
We never ate at any of the pool bar areas- so I can not speak to their food.
The weather was great while we were there. We had a great trip. Bonnet Creek surpassed my expectations with the room, landscaping and pools.