Top Five Reasons to Choose Marriott Grande Vista for Your Memorial Day Weekend Visit to Orlando
Are you looking for somewhere to stay in Orlando for Memorial Day weekend? Try the Marriott Grande Vista. This is a time-share property owned by Marriott, but there are also accommodations available to regular travelers who don’t own a time share. The Marriott Grande Vista has alot to offer. From a gift shop to pizza place to man-made lake to lots of swimming pools, it is my choice of accommodations for a vacation in Orlando over Memorial Day weekend. What are the reasons to stay at Marriott Grande Vista this Memorial Day?
1. The wonderful staff. Everyone at this hotel is very friendly. From the moment we walked through the doors to the main lobby, we felt welcome. The front desk staff is very willing to help you with your requests. I was trying to get a room in a particular location, and the staff did everything they could to honor my request. If you then visit the concierge, directly across from the front desk check-in area, you can get information about just about anything. They will tell you what the good restaurants are in the area, give you a coupon if they have one, and make you a reservation. You can find out about tickets to the theme parks such as Disney and Sea World, and purchase your tickets through them. One nice thing about this is they have the Magic Your Way tickets to the Disney parks, which are discount tickets with a bigger discount the more days you purchase. For instance, if you purchase a 10-day pass to the Disney parks, you will save more than if you purchase a 7-day pass.
If you find yourself with a problem, you will find help. We were missing some things from our room, and upon calling the front desk, two different people arrived with the items we were missing. It did take a little while, as they were busy, but someone had to walk across the resort just to reach us (our room was far from the front desk area on the other side of the resort.) I will say that I was friendly to everyone myself, and I think this helped for everyone to respond to my requests in a positive manner.
2. Location, location, location. The Marriott Grande Vista is located right off of International Drive South, and is minutes away from the Disney theme parks and Sea World in Orlando. The specific address is 5925 Avenida Vista, Orlando, Florida. A map can be found at this link: marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/mcogv-marriotts-grande-vista/. Some distances to attractions from the hotel include: Orlando Airport, 15 miles SE, SeaWorld, .5 miles, Walt Disney World Resort, 8 miles, Universal Studios, 7 miles, Wet ‘n Wild water park, 8 miles. When you stay at the Marriott Grande Vista, you aren’t far from anything! You are near a busy road, but not directly on it, as the resort is back the road of Avenida Vista. The coolest thing we found was that we could drive a couple of blocks and reach Sea World! Transportation is available from the resort, with the I-Ride Trolley, which operates from early morning to midnight and goes along a six-mile stretch of the international drive corridor of shopping and restaurants.
3. Loaded with Amenities. You can come here to stay and never have to leave, with all that Marriott Grande Vista has to offer! The resort has a gift shop, which also has snacks and beverages. You can even order sandwiches and things as there is a deli section. Right across from the gift shop is a pizza place. It is basically a counter area where you order the pizza, and then you can eat in the courtyard. The gift shop and pizza counter, which also sells icecream, are located right outside from the main lobby area. Off from the main lobby area is the fitness center, which has aerobic and yoga classes, and a game room for the young at heart. This side of the resort is the original part, the “old section.” Out from the courtyard area are the older pools. By the older pools there is a lady with a stand selling pina coladas in real coconuts with faces carved on them, which make cute souvenirs. This section also hosts the Lighthouse Bar, an actual bar inside a lighthouse. Near the lighthouse is the spot where you can rent paddle boats, shaped like swans or ducks, or even fishing poles to fish in the lake. A small beach is located out from the pools, with a volleyball net for some summer sporting fun. The lake divides the old and new parts of the resort. You can drive around the lake to reach the newer section, or you can walk across a white wooden bridge.
The newer section is much the same as the older section. There are pools surrounded by different newer buildings. Some of the buildings in this section are primarily reserved for time-share owners, but if you make a request, you can stay in a room on this side. The pools are next to Nick’s Bar and Grill, which has sandwiches and small menu items such as chicken fingers and salads, and also serves cocktails such as daiquiris in souvenir glasses. Some evenings a band will play in by Nick’s and/or karaoke will is hosted. There are two main pols and a hot tub. One of the pools is more for kids, and has spray water guns inside fort-looking structures you can go inside.
The Marriott Grande Vista’s main draw for many tourists and time-share owners is the golf course. There is also a Main Clubhouse which features sandwiches and drinks. For a virtual tour of the resort, follow this link: http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=dspv&itty;=new&from;=m&shtl;=1&htid;=853519&crti;=4&mdpcid;=21187-1.ExpediaHotelVirtualToursUS|%20Hotel_Review|%20freesearch|%20US&eapid;=21187-1 .
4. Rooms. You can choose whether to stay in a one-room efficiency, one bedroom apartment, two or three bedroom apartment. We had a one-room efficiency. This was plenty for two people. The deluxe guestroom, as it is called, has a king size bed, television, small table in the room, sofa, and closet. There is a balcony with sliding doors that has a table and two chiars. There is also a microwave and refrigerator, so some limited cooking, such as warming up leftovers, is possible. Wireless internet access is available in all rooms. If you choose a one, two or three bedroom villa, you would have separate bedrooms and a full kitchen. A free newspaper is delivered daily, and you are supplied with a coffee maker and a starter coffee kit.
5. Scenery. One of my favorite things about the Marriott Grande Vista is the scenery. The place is beautiful! All of the buildings are white with red tile roofs, giving a Spanish look. The lake that divides the resort is large, with a man-made beach and picturesque white-painted wooden bridge that goes from one side to the other. The outskirts are all grassy areas, so you feel like you are really in nature here. Much attention was paid to detail in terms of the pool design and landscaping. I just wanted to take picture after picture of the Grande Vista. When I visited in 2005, there was some construction of new buildings taking place, but this was off to one side in the newer section, and didn’t disturb the mood. I also couldn’t hear any noise from our room.
We were lucky enough to have a room overlooking Nick’s bar and grill. We could see right down to the band that played one night and listen from our balcony without ever leaving the room. (These rooms are mainly reserved for time-share guests, but it could be that one would be available for other guests!) We also could see down to the pool area beside Nick’s, and out to the lake. All rooms, whether by the pool or the lake, provide an exquisite view. The hotel was designed so that all rooms face some type of nice scenery, and not just give a view of a parking lot.
