During a recent Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, we needed a hotel for two nights. We were returning from a Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise and were planning to visit the parks for three additional days . One of the nights (New Year’s Eve) would be spent at the Walt Disney World Dolphin so we wouldn’t have to drive after the fireworks at midnight.
We would have considered staying on property for all three nights, but the costs were very high at about $400 a night or so. We decided to use our free nights from our Chase Hyatt Credit Card and book two separate reservations at the Hyatt Place Orlando/Lake Buena Vista, which is right near Disney Springs.
The hotel is fairly close to all the Disney properties and Disney Springs. Traveling near the hotel was a bit of a problem each morning and evening as that area tends to be a bit congested. It wasn’t a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind should you choose to stay here. The hotel itself was really nice, especially since our room was free. The hotel had plenty of parking and a pool, although we never took advantage of it considering the outside temperature. There is a concierge desk in the lobby that can help you with purchasing Disney Tickets if you haven’t already.
The check in desk is off to the right of the lobby. I explained to the check in person that we had two separate reservations and asked that we be kept in the same room so we wouldn’t have to move our belongings. The person was more than helpful and just explained we would have to come to the desk in the morning and let them know. The staff was super friendly and attentive.
There is a small sitting area to the left (that contained an ATM as well).
The back half of the lobby (first floor) was taken by the breakfast area and associated seating. It was really large with tons of chairs. We discovered the next morning why there were so many chairs: there were lots of people at this hotel. The crowding didn’t cause as a problem as we were able to find a table after a brief wait.
There are two separate bar areas in the lobby. One (shown below) is for coffee (with Starbucks brand drinks) and the other one is for alcohol.
The breakfast in the morning was the standard breakfast buffet and included a few hot items, like eggs and a meat item (sausage, bacon). There are bread items (bagels, toast, English muffins), fruit, and cereal. Lots of beverage items were available, including orange juice and milk.
Our room was a standard room with two queen beds and a sofa bed. This configuration gives us lots of room to spread out.
The bed portion of the sofa comes out from the portion nearest the beds (and the screening partition).
The desk/dresser area consists of a television, coffee maker, and desk. There are mugs and glasses below the coffee maker.
The restroom has a single sink, but it has a pretty large counter and it’s a decent size if you have more than one person getting ready at the same time.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the Hyatt Place Orlando/Lake Buena Vista. It was clean, the staff was friendly, and there were lots of options with the included breakfast. We would definitely stay here again.
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