Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa Review

The Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa in Orlando, Florida is a family friendly destination that is perfect for families looking for more hotel space during their theme park vacation. Our review of Lake Buena Vista Resort will help you decide if it is a good choice for your Orlando vacation.

Lake Buena Vista Resort has a close proximity to world class theme parks as well as day trips to the coast. It is a great option for families that do not want to stay on-site.

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.

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.

Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa Review

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.

Cost of Staying at Lake Buena Village Resort

Nightly rates range from $200.00- $420.00 per night depending on the size of the room. Check the latest deals and room rates here.

2 Bedroom Suite

We stayed 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.

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. You can read more about the housekeeping options and what it includes here.

The Pirate Plunge Pool

Lake Buena Vista Village Resort & Spa has two pools. A relaxation pool and a the pirate’s plunge pool. We never had a chance to check out the relaxation pool because my kids spent all of our time at the Pirates Plunge pool.

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.

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.

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 Theme Parks

• 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

The biggest con to staying off-site is that you are away from the theme park “bubble” and you have to drive yourself to the parks.

Consider traffic, renting a car, and parking fees at the parks. I prefer staying on-site but there are perks to staying off-site like larger suites, less expensive, and days away from the theme parks.

Overall we had a good time at the Lake Buena Vista Village Resort and Spa. I would recommend it to families looking for space and an off-site option to the theme parks.

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