1BR offsite near Disney Springs - full kitchen

[Lisa P]

My DD & DSIL may be booking an RCI exchange into a 1BR near Disney Springs (Downtown Disney) for just the 2 of them, for a relaxing, non-theme park vacation week. They like:

• a 1BR (to save points) with a full kitchen since they enjoy cooking
• easy proximity to visit Disney Springs several times during the week
• festive resort atmosphere with nicely landscaped grounds for walking
• attractive resort pool(s) and amenities

Resorts with availability include Vistana Resort (#0450). But how are the kitchens in the 1BRs? Do any sections of the resort have 1BRs with a full kitchen? Any with Sunday check-in? Which sections have been recently refurbished and/or are in great shape?

Other options for their check-in date include Vacation Village at Parkway, HGVC-Sea World, Holiday Inn Orange Lake (East & West Villages), Silver Lake, Summer Bay Resort, and Wyndham Cypress Palms. These are not as close to Disney Springs as they would like, but they may be options if the Vistana Resort 1BRs only offer kitchenettes.

Based on their primary interests, what would you recommend? Thanks for your input.

 

[elaine]

HGVC-SW has a good backroad right to Disney Springs (Palm Parkway). Units, grounds, pools are very nice. OLCC is much larger, great for walking around, good pools, decent back road to Disney, but much farther away from DS than HGVC. OLCC is fairly close to Animal Kingdom via back road. SB is even farther than OLCC. I do not like the surrounding area of Silver Lake, IMHO, even though it is very close to AK. IF DS is primary place to visit, I would pick HGVC-SW, based on location and quality of resort. I like HGVC-Sw better than Vistana. About the same drive to DS via Palm Pkwy, IMHO.

 

[lily28]

Vistana resort has a small 1 bedroom with kitchenette and a large 1 bedroom with a fulll kitchen. I would choose HIlton seaworld or a large 1 bedroom Sheraton vistana resort. Vacation village at parkway has more a condo feeling than resort and also has a large 1 bedroom and a small 1 bedroom with kitchenette. It also has a $25 weekly resort fee. My friends stayed at Summerbay 2 bedroom last August and was not impressed.

 

[Lisa P]

Thank you both. I'll pass these along to them. Much appreciated!!!

 

[Nancy]

Vacation Village

Not too bad to Disney Springs. Has larger and smaller 1 bedroom. Have stayed in both. Just try to get newer building or one that has been refurbed.

Nancy

 

[littlestar]

Vistana has been totally renovated but some of the one bedrooms are small. Saying that, the small one we had was very nice with full kitchen facilities. I would probably opt for the Hilton Grande Vacation Club one bedroom as the top choice. Vacation Villages buildings are tall and tend to have lots of shade over their pools and they have some small one bedrooms also. Too bad they cannot snag Disney's Saratoga resort.