whats at lake buena vista?

[bex7583]

we had originally planned to spend our 2nd week on international drive but now am thinking it will be better to be closer to disney as we were going to be visiting disney parks most days

we want to be able to go out some evenings walking for dinner and so we can both have a cocktail or 2 , thats why we had decided on idrive

so the question is is lake buena vista just hotels or are there places within walking distance that we can go eat at

 

[chmurf]

If you stay in the crossroads area, you'll find plenty of places to go.

There are quite a few hotels including the Fairfield Inn Wayne has told us about recently (and stayed there last november)

in the immediate area you'll find many restaurants, including your regular fast food joints (McD, BK, Taco Bell, Fuddruckers), restaurants like Perkins, Denny's, Ihop. Pizzas (Pizza Hut, Domino's, Cici's, Flipper's, Giordano's) and others like Olive Garden, Habibi, TGI Friday and more.

There is also a Hooters close by.

All within walking distance (careful if you have to cross 535 on foot.

you're also within walking distance (50 minutes) from DTD, and just at the entrance of the Disney property

there is also a store (goodings) but be advised that it's really overpriced (even more expensive than the items sold at Disney Hotels)

here are 2 maps I compiled a while ago for another forum,

 

[Disneymadhouse]

Wow thanks for those maps they are great!

We have booked to stay at clarion inn LBV next year so I've been on street view looking at all the local eateries that we can walk to (we won't have a car).

I'll be book marking this thread!

Claire

 

[chmurf]

we stayed at the Clarion Inn a few times.

You can walk to all of those restaurants, there is a very narrow path along Palm Parkway. The walk from the Clarion to most restaurants can take some time. At least 30 minutes from the hotel to the restaurants on crossroads

Note that Domino's deliver at the lobby.

there is also a Lynx 50 stop just outside of the Clarion's driveway. It will take you to DTD and TTC.
There is no crosswalk to get to the bus stop (wdw bound) so be very careful as Palm Pakway can be a busy road depending on the time of day
The bus stop on the way back from WDW is just a few yards from the hotel's entrance (security shack)
there is a fairly good restaurant onsite

also if you book the Clarion Inn through a TA and get complimentary breakfast, chances are that you only get the continental breakfast (coffee, toast, cereals) and not the full buffet (which is excellent and rather good value at around $8.95, kids eat free)

 

[Disneymadhouse]

Thanks for that info Chmurf

So how long would you estimate it would take to walk to say Sizzler / Dennys and Black angus? Looking on street view it looks like there is a walkway behind Olive garden that could be a cut thru to Dennys?

We have booked thru VH ( yes unbelievably they were cheapest!) so we have 2 buffet breakfasts and a buffet dinner as one of the perks. So we'll see what brekkie we end up with!

One thing I do find annoying is that the restaurant menus I've looked at online don't seem to have prices!
I am going to sign upto the various websites to get the vouchers and it will be my "birthday" while we are there as well

The lynx bus stop was one of the deciding factors for this hotel as the hotel does have a free shuttle, but they may not always be convenient times. Sorry to be a bit dim, but I've never used a lynx bus before - to get to SW would we get on the bus as the same side of the road as the hotel if the one on the opposite side is to get to WDW. I'm sure I read on the Dibb that the no 50 stops at the crossroads?

Thanks again for all your help. Sorry to hijack your thread OP, but I hope some of the questions and answers will help you too

Claire

 

[bex7583]

oh how great thanks for those maps , i didnt think there was so much in the area im really pleased with that

im just looking through a virgin brochure and have seen the clarion and fairfield in them

quoted clarion direct on there website and got quoted 65$ per night plus tax converted to about £340 for the week for 5 of us its alittle bit more than i had planned to spend but supose we will save on petrol not driving back and forth from i drive

 

[WiganTony]

we had originally planned to spend our 2nd week on international drive but now am thinking it will be better to be closer to disney as we were going to be visiting disney parks most days

we want to be able to go out some evenings walking for dinner and so we can both have a cocktail or 2 , thats why we had decided on idrive

so the question is is lake buena vista just hotels or are there places within walking distance that we can go eat at

Another option may be to stay at one of the Downtown Disney hotels which are on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, shown to th emiddle left on the second image. These all offer a frequent shuttle service to the four Disney parks, and are within walking distance of both Crossroads as well as Downtown Disney, plus also on the route of the Lynx Bus no. 50 to get to Seaworld.

 

[Sam1]

I can't help you, but I hope you don't mind me jumping in on your thread for a bit of advice about other hotels at lake buena vista. We're staying at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, and then the Hilton Bonnet Creek.

We're not wanting a car if possible, so we'd assumed we'd have to pay taxi fares. I've looked on google, but it's hard to tell whether things are walkable, even if they do seem close. It'd be nice to be able to walk for food though, so does anybody know whether it's possible with either of those two hotels?

I don't know where they are in relation to clarion inn or Fairfield Inn, but I'm hoping they're in the same area as those maps already posted.

 

[luke]

I can't help you, but I hope you don't mind me jumping in on your thread for a bit of advice about other hotels at lake buena vista. We're staying at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, and then the Hilton Bonnet Creek.

We're not wanting a car if possible, so we'd assumed we'd have to pay taxi fares. I've looked on google, but it's hard to tell whether things are walkable, even if they do seem close. It'd be nice to be able to walk for food though, so does anybody know whether it's possible with either of those two hotels?

I don't know where they are in relation to clarion inn or Fairfield Inn, but I'm hoping they're in the same area as those maps already posted.

We have stayed at the Hyatt Regency, it's a gorgeous hotel!
On the above maps it is just off the top left corner of the second one.

You can walk over to crossroads etc but we always had a car so not sure about timings.

You'll love the hotel though, nicest one we've stayed in in Florida

 

[Sam1]

We have stayed at the Hyatt Regency, it's a gorgeous hotel!
On the above maps it is just off the top left corner of the second one.

You can walk over to crossroads etc but we always had a car so not sure about timings.

You'll love the hotel though, nicest one we've stayed in in Florida

Oh that's great! Thanks for that. I wasn't expecting anything to be within walking distance. I don't mind it taking a while, it'd just be nice to have the option if we do decide not to hire a car.

We had difficulty choosing hotels, so I'm glad someone has said it's gorgeous. We weren't sure, that's why we split the two weeks between two hotels.

 

[chmurf]

So how long would you estimate it would take to walk to say Sizzler / Dennys and Black angus? Looking on street view it looks like there is a walkway behind Olive garden that could be a cut thru to Dennys?

depends on how fast you walk
Sizzler is roughly 0.6miles away (starting at Clarion's lobby), Denny's 0.5 miles, and a full mile if you want to go to Perkins, or TGI Friday.

and then the Hilton Bonnet Creek.

Walking out of Bonnet Creek is impossible (if I remember well). There is a very long pathway that gets from bonnet creek to ... well ... 100 yards shy of Buena Vista Drive ... useless... (you'd need to walk for 1 kilometer * 0.7 miles * before reaching that "dead end" only to get out of the resort)
and there is no walkway along that part of buena vista drive, either towards DTD or DHS
from the exit of Bonnet Creek, that's still 1.2 miles to the DTD bus stop, along a major highway with no walkway ... (not only dangerous but also illegal
and in the opposite direction, it's 1.5 miles to the entrance of DHS or EPCOT through the Boardwalk and International Gateway. For this road there is a walkway but it only starts at Reedy Creek emergency center, that's a good 0.6 miles from the exit of BC (which is already at 0.7 miles from the resort itself)

so as you can imagine, no walking from BC

 

[luke]

Oh that's great! Thanks for that. I wasn't expecting anything to be within walking distance. I don't mind it taking a while, it'd just be nice to have the option if we do decide not to hire a car.

We had difficulty choosing hotels, so I'm glad someone has said it's gorgeous. We weren't sure, that's why we split the two weeks between two hotels.

We stayed there when we got married, I think it was the areas first five star hotel (?). From our balcony one night, pool view side, we could see both Wishes and Illuminations fireworks at pretty much the same time, which was amazing!!

 

[Sam1]

Thanks chmurf, I did suspect that was the case with at least the Hilton. I don't fancy getting arrested for walking along the highway, at least not on my first visit, so it'll either be their transport to Disney, or a taxi. We'd already assumed it'd have to be a taxi, so anything more would've been a bonus.

We stayed there when we got married, I think it was the areas first five star hotel (?). From our balcony one night, pool view side, we could see both Wishes and Illuminations fireworks at pretty much the same time, which was amazing!!

Oh that sounds lovely. We've just got a garden view at the moment, but we were considering the extra upgrade with it being our first visit.

 

[Disneymadhouse]

Thanks Chmurf

Claire

 

[ukool]

Great thread. Were stying at Clarions inn LBV in September. Mainly because of the lynx bus route and how cheap it was. Love the look of all the resturants close by.

 

[Elise79]

So how long would you estimate it would take to walk to say Sizzler / Dennys and Black angus? Looking on street view it looks like there is a walkway behind Olive garden that could be a cut thru to Dennys?

Olive Garden shares a parking lot with Black Angus so you could cut through there.

Sizzler is the other way.

 

[Disneymadhouse]

Olive Garden shares a parking lot with Black Angus so you could cut through there.

Sizzler is the other way.

Hi thanks, I thought thats how it looked!

Claire

 

[anniedream]

We stayed at the Clarion Inn last year and couldn't fault it.

So many places to eat, as mentioned before such as, at Crossroads and Hooters & CiCi's Pizza is next door. CiCi's Pizza is brilliant. Don't just go, if you walk around that little are you can pick up a discount booklet that usually has buy 1 buffet, get 1 free. So you get 2 all you can eat Pizza buffets for 5$!!! And refillable drinks for like 2$ each.

They have free transportation system that takes you to all major parks throughout the day and the bus drivers made our stay. If Fredric is still working he is the happiest guy in all of Orlando. They give you so much information about getting back to the hotel and how to not get ripped off by taxis. Get a few copies of the timetable and take them EVERYWHERE with you. That way you can be sure that you never miss a bus.
The Lynx buses are great and stops are right outside the hotel. If you want to go to I.Drive then we got the Lynx 50 to Seaworld & then the I.Hop once outside Seaworld. One evening my partner and I were waiting for a Lynx 50 to DTD and one came past that was Out of Order. I think he realised we were tourists and gave us a personal ride to DTD as he said his shift had finished. We were so grateful.
It sounds crazy but if you want to go to the Premium Outlets (that you can see across the road from The Clarion) it costs 10-12$ in a taxi as they have to go all the way round to get there.

 

[disneyholic family]

it's not on that map, but right behind TGI Fridays is Sweet Tomatoes! yum!!

 

[wayneg]

We stayed at the Clarion Inn last year and couldn't fault it.

We stayed there when it was Comfort Inn, Xmas 2006. One if worst places we have ever stayed, picked up my shoes one morning and a cockroach jumped out, room was filthy.
Now its had a refurb we are considering staying a night next month, Its a freebie so thought I would give it another chance. I can stay there or Orlando Vista free or pay £19 at Courtyard by Marriott. Will decide tonight.

it's not on that map, but right behind TGI Fridays is Sweet Tomatoes! yum!!

Can't wait to eat there again