Accommodations (part 1)
This trip is one of the rare ones where we will be doing a split stay. It’s not our first choice when it comes to our Orlando trips (we’re lazy travellers, and really like to stay in the same place from arrival to departure) but it made much more financial sense to reserve our final two nights at a different property than the Vistana
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Our first seven nights (Sunday, April 24th to Sunday, May 1st) will be in our two bedroom, two bath villa at our beloved Sheraton Vistana Resort.
This stay is one of the two annual float weeks that we own, so we know we will be placed in our favourite section of the resort, the Fountains
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All of the buildings are three-storey in this section, and we will request a top floor for the quietness of having no guests running hither and thither above our heads. Considering that we tend to succumb to dietary indulgence while on holiday, the extra stairs up and down certainly don’t hurt us, either!
One of our favourite highlights of the Fountains section (aside from the fact that is delightfully peaceful, marvellously lush, and soooo pretty) is the pool: we adore the Fountains Pool!!
One of our favourite features of the Fountains recreation section are the two raised hot tubs, nestled up behind the waterfall and away from the pool. They are beautiful, relaxing places to kick back and escape some of the hubbub of the swimmers, and we spend many an evening here visiting with other guests. We adore the fact that they are tucked away and not immediately adjacent to all the action, as the hot tubs are in most other sections.
We also love the Fountains section, because other than the mini golf (which is only on the south side of the resort), we have all the other amenities on the north side but they tend to be less busy (because they are only shared between Fountains I, Fountains II and Lakes versus the south side which is shared by Cascades, Spas, Falls, Palms, Springs, and Courts).
Jake always enjoys leisure time on the basketball court, plus there are playgrounds, shuffleboard, sand volleyball, and of course…..the Tiki Bar!
If we get tired of the Fountains pool, the Lakes Pool is just a short stroll away. This pool has shorter hours of operation, is much smaller in size (though does have a nicely deep section on the far end) and no adjacent hot tub, so it’s generally much less hectic. It is usually a great place to try if you are looking for a nice, quiet swim….especially if there are kids activities happening at the Fountains Pool to draw all the youngest guests over to that area.
Our last two stays have had us arriving on a Saturday, and generally the Saturday check-in buildings are the furthest from the Fountains pool. Our Sunday check-in should mean we are placed much closer on this visit (especially when that special request is submitted in advance of our arrival via Diamond Lane check-in) which will make the kids, in particular, very happy.
This map shows our building options…..those marked as green are set aside for Sunday check-ins:
https://www.starwoodvacationnetwork.com/villa-collection/sheraton-vistana-resort/map
A few years ago, we were in building 23, and it was great. I certainly wouldn’t mind being placed there again.
We really, really would have loved to have just added two additional days at SVR in a two bedroom, two bath unit but the prices through Sheraton were just too high. Our maintenance fees for our week long timeshare stay (which are our only out of pocket costs, as the timeshares themselves were free) total $936 in 2016, or $133 per night. That’s an all-in cost which includes all taxes, fees, etc. Additional nightly rates in the same villa type were going to be $200 USD, or almost $300 per night when converted to Canadian dollars, and it just seemed crazy to be out of pocket an additional $600 for a two night stay. We opted, then, to look for a more affordable (yet vacation-pleasing option) and stumbled upon a very acceptable alternative.
Part 2 of our accommodations summary is next.
. Whew-ee!
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). I will let you know how we like it! There will be photos, of course 
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. Just doin' my part to keep you humble 
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. The rentals through RBC Travel often meet (and regularly even beat) the best prices I can find through the US booking engines and offered the added perk of being billed in Canadian funds (saving us, right now, 40%+ right off the top). We love being able to pre-pay our rental fees before the trip as well (there’s just something comforting about being on a fully paid for vacation!) and if we have accumulated any reward points on our RBC Visa, we’re able to apply those to the cost and reduce the price a little more.
tortilla! Glad to have you joining in! Your trip will be here before you know it 
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. First World Problems, I know.
