I like the diverse resort activities included with the stay, offered at large resorts, like Marriott Cypress Harbour. It also has beautiful grounds and many rooms with a lake view.
At FF/Wyn Bonnet Creek, the rooms themselves are spacious, beautifully appointed and well-laid-out/highly functional. The large dining area and kitchen are good for gathering, even if we're just having breakfast together and sharing our plans for the day. I like that there are 1BR - 4BR condos (no studios) and all units are deluxe. The pools are really nice and the location is excellent.
Sheraton Vistana Villages has nice walkways and waterfalls, very romantic at night. The rooms are rather new and pretty too.
Everyone's "best" will be affected by whether they prefer a spacious and beautiful room, lake or golf or woods or landscaped view, parking outside your door, convenience (whatever that means to you), homey comforts, access to an indoor pool or your own private villa pool, lots of kids activities, quiet surroundings or active bustle.
On one trip, we brought friends and split the stay between BoardWalk Villas and Old Key West. The following year, we brought them to Vistana Resort (Lakes section). Our order of preference was BWV (strong 1st choice), OKW (2nd), then VR (3rd). Theirs was OKW (1st), then VR (2nd) and they disliked BWV altogether (too "busy", small rooms, noisy boat horns/sleep problems, too long walks to transport or car - had foot problems).
That's why we have the Reviews section here at TUG for members. So everyone can see what others thought and compare with what's important to THEM.
And along those lines, Carl D, I haven't seen the actual model units of AKL's new DVC, only photos online. But we did not find all the "distressed" furnishings and mouldings appealing, nor the very busy patterns on everything from carpets to upholstery. It definitely seems like something you'd either enjoy a lot or not at all. It is definitely themed to the max.
