The Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa in Orlando, Florida is a family friendly destination that has something for everyone. With its close proximity to world class theme parks and day trips to the coast there is so much to do. It is so important to have a place where the entire family can recharge and relax. My family was so happy to find this at the Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa.
Welcome to Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa
The Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa is located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida close to all the major theme parks. Being the huge theme park fan that I am it was really important to me that our time driving to the parks would be short and easy. (We had planned on visiting Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando during this visit but made a few changes and ended up only visiting the Universal parks.)
When we drove up to Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa I was surprised by its size. I assumed it was a one building resort with a pool…I was wrong! This resort has 5 buildings that include 1,2,3, and 4 bedroom suites as well as a restaurant, spa, convenience store, and a Pizza Hut express. It also has an amazing pool with a waterslide through a pirate ship. Of course, my kids were most excited to experience this and couldn’t wait to arrive.
Check-In
Check-in was at building 4 in the main lobby. It is the building facing the driveway when you drive into the resort. We pulled right up and check-in was easy. We were given our Wi-Fi password and I picked up a few brochures for local places to visit. You can also purchase tickets for Walt Disney World because Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa is a good neighbor hotel. (A good neighbor hotel means they are Disney approved!)
After check-in we drove to building 5 and easily found a parking spot. Remember to put your parking pass on your dashboard. The resort has parking in front of each building as well as a parking garage. We never had a problem finding a place to park. Parking is included in the daily resort fee.
Our 2 Bedroom Spacious Suite
We were staying in a 2 Bedroom 1,080 sq ft suite. It had 1 King bed in the master and 2 full size beds in another bedroom. Is it just my family or do your kids end up sleeping with you? We ended up rotating rooms the 2 nights of our stay. The suite has 2 bathrooms, a Jacuzzi tub, a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, and a private balcony.
The suite was very spacious and all the kids loved being able to explore when we arrived. It was nice to spread out a little after a day at the park or an evening at the pool. The décor was a little dated but the rooms were very clean. There is also a full washer & dryer in the room. (I brought a laundry detergent packet but you could also purchase them at the convenient store.) We were there during the middle of our week-long vacation and it was really convenient to do a load of laundry.
A quick note about housekeeping. Housekeeping is not included in your stay because the resort is a self-catering resort. You can choose to purchase housekeeping at check-in. We decided to opt-out because we were staying 2 nights but if you were staying a week you may choose to purchase it. Upon arrival and after check-out your suite is cleaned and this is included with your stay. They offer 3 housekeeping options:
- Full Cleaning $30-$60
- Light Touch $20-$35
- Fresh Touch: $5
You can read more about the housekeeping options and what it includes here.
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The Pirate Plunge Pool
Lake Buena Vista Village Resort & Spa has two pools. A relaxation pool and a the pirate’s plunge pool. Ah..doesn’t a relaxation pool sound amazing. We never had a chance to check it out because the kids spent all the time at the Pirate’s Plunge Pool. That was okay with me because the kids were entertained and my husband and I got to sit and relax a little anyways.
The Pirate’s Plunge pool is a zero-entry pool that has water umbrellas to play under and a water slide that goes through the pirate ship. The slide can be a bit scary because it is enclosed and you also need to be 48’ to ride it. My oldest was the only one tall enough and she decided against it. My husband did try it and said it was really fun and unexpected. It spirals inside the ship. Even though the kids didn’t ride the water slide they loved playing in the pool and under the water umbrellas.
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Amenities
I love that this resort had an all inclusive feel to it. You could spend a few days without leaving the resort because of all the amenities. They are all within walking distance. Lake Buena Vista Village Resort & Spa is a large resort but I really liked how all the great features of the resort were within walking distance. It took us about 5 minutes to walk to the convenience store, restaurant, and arcade…even with the kids!
- Frankie Farrell’s Irish Pub & Grille-Food was great!
- Convenience Store & Gift Shop-Snacks and gifts. A little pricey but it was to be expected for an on-site gift shop.
- Lani’s Luau Poolside Bar & Grille
- Reflections Full Service Salon & Spa
- Pizza Hut Café Express
- Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores
- Wireless & Wired Internet Access (included with resort fee)
- 24 hour Fitness Center
- Personalized Housekeeping Services (Not included with stay, extra fee)
- staySky Kids Club- This was not available the evenings we were at the pool. Inquire upon check-in about schedule.
- Scheduled Shuttle to Major Theme Parks (included with resort fee)
Distance to the Park
- Magic Kingdom: 7.5 miles
- Epcot: 5.2 miles
- Disney Hollywood Studios: 5.7 miles
- Animal Kingdom: 6.9 miles
- Disney Springs: 1 mile
- Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure: 9.4 miles
What you Need to Know
- Plan time at the pool to recharge and relax.
- Resort fees for the shuttle and parking are included in your room reservation daily resort fee. The fees are included when you make your reservations.
- Shuttle available to and from the park. You must make reservations for this at the front desk.
- Close to all major theme parks. Leave early to allow time for unexpected traffic and parking.
- Spacious suites available with 1, 2, or 3 bedrooms. Great for travel with large/extended families.
- In room laundry is convenient and helpful for a week-long family vacation.
- Full kitchen to make meals and keep waters & snacks.
Our family recharge at Lake Buena Vista Village Resort & Spa was fantastic. Having a clean and family friendly place to stay and a pool to enjoy some family time was incredible. To check out rates and availability click here. Have questions? Leave them in the comments and I’d be happy to answer them.
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Thank you to all the staff at Lake Buena Vista Village Resort & Spa for hosting us.
Is the kids club a drop off babysitting service or does it just offer activities the kids can do? Do you know the ages allowed? Do you pay a fee to use it? Thanks!
Hi-The staySkyKids Club is not a drop off service. It is pool side daily activities. I think it is all ages because the parents stay and help. Depending on the activity there is sometimes a fee of $5-$10. The fee is for art & crafts supplies if you decided to participate. Upon check-in you will receive a weekly schedule.
I stayed here back in october for 2 weeks, me and my family love it here, we wouldn’t stay any where else.
That is great! Wow! Two weeks sounds like a nice vacation!
OMG how much fun would that pirate ship be?!?! Very cute resort 🙂
What a fun stay!
Ahhh this looks like so much fun!
This looks like the perfect place to stay with family!!
This looks like a fun stay. Yay for family vacays!!!
Angela
We’ve stayed there a bunch of times – we love Frankie Farrell’s too 🙂
We have seen this place so many times while traveling in the Orlando area, but never stayed. It looks really great! Glad that you had a nice visit, and thanks for sharing your tips! 🙂
It is nice to stretch out and enjoy some relaxing moments by the pool.