Do you want a place where you can totally kick-back and relax...while the kids have fun? Well, this is definitely your place. There is so much to do at this resort, you almost never have to leave. We are frequent visitors to Orlando, so this time we wanted to spend some time at the resort, and enjoy some of the activities that we always seem to miss. And we are so glad we did! We went to the pool EVERY day...and this is definitely one of the best pools ever! The main pool is huge and there are tons of family-fun activities throughout the day, and night. And because so many people spend their days offsite, it was never crowded! There is also a "quiet" pool next to the main pool where adults (and kids) can relax without all the noise. I highly recommend saving at least one day of your vacation to just relax at the resort. We stayed in the Gardens (I forgot to ask for the Keys), which was very nice. The room was nice and fairly clean. The construction was right across from us, but only in the front, so it didn't bother us at all. Our balcony faced the lake, what a beautiful view - we ate all our meals out there!. Having the convenience store onsite was very helpful, and the prices for most items were not too outrageous. But there is a Publix and Walgreens right down the street. One annoying thing about this resort is that the phone rings every morning around 8:15am - the fun staff calls to remind you of all the activities for the day. They should do this without ringing the phones, but you can always unplug your phone. I did NOT attend the welcome breakfast, but they did call every day, just avoid answering the phone. All-in-all, this is definitely one of the better resorts for fun and convenience.

This hotel has failed in their customer service. Beginning with a washcloth that I found a dead bug in, placed it on the floor & horrified to find the next day hung up so nicely for my use was the same washcloth that contained the dead bug. Our last day in Orlando, we had time to visit one more park & decided to leave our luggage stored at the hotel. It took over 30 minutes to find an employee that could store the luggage. There was apparently only one bellman on the property, however I never saw one. The employees response after multiple attempts to find someone that could assist our requests was "Why do you need a bellman if you are leaving", "I can't help", "We have called the bellman several times & don't know where he is". The biggest part of going on vacation is how you are treated with customer service in every interaction & this hotel FAILED HORRIBLY. Also be careful if you take a cab back to the hotel, because the cab drivers with "accidently" take you to the Vistana Resort & continue to charge you for it.

I booked a two bedroom suite in this hotel for one week of our Florida holiday this year. I consulted fellow travellers in the forum and decided to request a unit in the Key West section. Here it seemed quieter and the room accommodation newer. Our gps led us from the airport to the hotel without difficulty. However, on arrival at the hotel I was allocated a unit not in the Key West section. When I mentioned I had rung and made a request for Key West this was speedily rectified. We were on the first floor of Building 12 overlooking our own gorgeous fountain.
The suite was immediately impressive with its opulent looking furniture and wealth of electrical gadgets. Our two children had a spacious room with queen beds, their own telly, full bathroom and ample closet space. The kitchen was fully equipped with washing machine, drier, dishwasher, toaster, juicer, microwave, full cooker and ample cutlery and cutlery. We had a large diningtable and living area with telly, dvd, video and soundsystem. Our room had a superking bed with television. Off it was a dressing area with jaccuzzi and beyond that a bathroom with walkin shower. At our end of the complex we had a pool, fitness centre, tennis court and we were also close to the small shop.
I had booked this hotel for the room for its location, pool and also because of the size of the accommodation. We were so busy that we used none of the facilities whatsoever in the hotel. We merely peeked at the pool on the way out one morning and it looked fabulous. Nevertheless, we were thrilled by our stay and were very comfortable indeed. The suite was spotless and maintained for us daily.
I had been aware of avoiding the timeshare push. The telephone answer light winked at me for a long time before I listened. Most of the messages were to do with organised activities we could enjoy. However, I succumbed to a short welcome meeting at one of the counters in the lobby. The gentleman I met, whose name escapes me, did not persist in his invitation to a breakfast meeting when he could see I was not interested.
The hotel appears to offer transport to Disney, although we did not use it. You can catch the trolley up or down I Drive from outside the complex. Publix and Orlando Premium Outlets are just down the road. Disney is a 15 minute drive. Discovery Cove and Seaworld are a mere 5 minutes away.
What a fantastic place to stay! We loved it! From there we moved on to Animal Kingdom Lodge. that was great too, but a room is cramped for four after all the room at the Vistana Villages. After that the Tradewinds island Grand at St Pete Beach was really a bit of a letdown. We can't recommend the Villages highly enough and really hope to return.

We are Starwood Owners at Harborside Resort in the Bahamas, and traded our week to go to Orlando. The owner check-in was good, except that the woman who assinged us our unit failed to mention that it was a handicapped accessable unit, which we did not request and don't have a need for. The shower had a curtain (not glass doors) and was cramped because there is a fold-up seat in it; there was, of course, no "curb" to step over, so there was water all over the floor next to the shower after using it. There was no partition door by the toilet area (family members who came with us had the same type of unit, except theirs was NOT a handicapped unit). We asked to be switched to a regular unit, and they DID do that a couple of days later; not until 3:30 in the afternoon. I asked the maid for ashtrays, she didn't have a clue what I was talking about. Don't know what language she spoke. When we moved to the next unit, there were NO WASHCLOTHES in the bathroom. That being said, everything else was okay. Pool quite nice; however, we did not see any life guards. Flagler Station restaurant okay for a burger; would probably stay here again, but would check other places first.