Orlando for Big Spenders

Hotel Deluxe

Like most things in Orlando, it is best to start with Disney and, in this case, with their unarguable five-star hotel experience of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Not only does this Edwardian-style edifice occupy a wonderful position on Seven Seas Lagoon in front of the Magic Kingdom, it is the epitome of Disney’s gracious service and meticulous attention to detail.

PRO SPOT: A wonderful little ‘extra’ with Disney’s Grand Floridian hotel is the daily service of proper afternoon tea. If you fancy a break from the Magic Kingdom with a real touch of elegance, hop on the monorail all the way round to this hotel (the resorts-only monorail line runs counter-clockwise to the park line) and head to the Garden View Lounge, where a whole variety of tea menus are served from 2-4:30pm, from the basic to the ultimate in tea-time fancies, plus a heartier Tea designed especially for men.

With a wonderful sense of the timeless grand hotel appeal, as well as an array of fine restaurants, this is where Disney typically accommodates its VIPs, but, with 867 rooms and suites, there is plenty of room for Joe Public, and you will feel just as special as any celebrity. If you need some proper pampering, this is the place to come, too, as the Spa here features a huge range of relaxing treatments and soothing massages.

PRO SPOT: The Grand Floridian features a mouth-watering line-up of six restaurants, with the seafood specialities of Narcoossee’s being one of the highlights with its lakeside location. However, to really push the gastronomic boat out in style, visit the top-of-the-range Victoria and Albert’s. Not only is this a rarity in requiring the formality of a jacket and tie dress code, its set multi-course menu is a gourmet’s delight. It is also one of the most expensive in Orlando, with a $125 per person price fixed menu, wine parings and speciality items extra.

Not surprisingly given their penchant for high style, Disney’s designers do hotels extremely well, and, if the period atmosphere of the Grand Floridian is not quite your cup of holiday tea, then try the other hotel we rate extremely highly, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. With the look and feel of an African game lodge (admittedly on a much bigger scale, with some 1,293 rooms), this is the place to come if you enjoy a sense of the wild. It boasts a superb array of facilities (including a magnificent pool area, complete with elaborate water-slide) and, if it doesn’t quite come up to the Grand Floridian’s sense of five-star style and service, it certainly delivers a bucket-load of adventure and memorable design. If the idea of drawing the curtains in the morning to reveal an African savannah full of zebras, giraffes and other wildlife appeals to you, make this your Orlando base.

PRO SPOT: If you demand that extra little bit of service and exclusivity with your hotel, seek out the Concierge level of accommodation at any of Disney’s seven official ‘deluxe’ hotels. This extra level of resort amenity provides a private lounge offering breakfast and evening hors d’oevres, plus a full-time concierge service to help with all your theme park requirements, from meal bookings to transportation. Animal Kingdom Lodge also offers speciality tours for Concierge guests (for an additional cost).

The Ritz-Carlton hotel group are renowned worldwide for their signature luxury hotel style and, when they announced the opening of their Grande Lakes Resort in 2002, which included Central Florida’s first hotel of this distinguished brand, Orlando knew it had finally arrived on the international grand hotel map. With a 584-room Ritz-Carlton hotel, plus an upscale property of the JW Marriott chain, a manicured golf course (where every foursome is assigned a fee caddie) and a cutting-edge Spa, Grande Lakes offers a true taste of luxury in every sense. The JW Marriott includes one of the most extensive pool amenities in Orlando, complete with a ‘lazy river’ feature and mini water-park. The whole resort boasts no less than eleven dining choices, plus an enticing array of shops.

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PRO SPOT: A wonderfully inventive dining touch is provided each Saturday night at the Hyatt Grand Cypress with their La Coquina Chef’s Table gourmet experience. This unusual offering takes diners inside one of Grand Cypress’ exclusive kitchens, where the head chef and his team prepare a set seven-course meal (which varies each week) á la minute with a great sense of culinary flamboyance. Truly a unique experience. Reservations are required (call 407 239 3853)

A similar sense of high-class sporting style can be found at the Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate, just 15 minutes south of Disney and well-positioned to be out of the main tourist hubbub but easy to find. Here, the breathtaking vista that greets guests at the main entrance is their marbled lobby with extensive views out on to one of their two championship-quality golf courses designed by Australian star Greg Norman. And that is only the beginning of an adventure into true quality in this landscaped 1,200-acre resort that includes a health club and spa, five dining venues (including a wonderful upscale sports bar and grill, David’s Club, specialising in high-quality steaks for the heartier appetite) a huge swimming pool complex complete with lazy river feature, the exquisite Zen pan-Asian restaurant and the only David Leadbetter Golf Academy in central Florida.

Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, which opened in 2006, raised the bar on luxury, ranking firmly among the grandest of Orlando resorts. Built in a 1900s Spanish Revival style, the 230 acre resort boasts 5 restaurants, 3 bars, a lounge, 3 casual dining options, 4 heated pools, tennis courts, peaceful hiking trails, plus a host of recreational opportunities and the relaxing Spa at Shingle Creek, all set amid the award-winning Shingle Creek Golf Club, with its acclaimed Brad Brewster Golf Academy. The spectacular Cala Bella fine-dining Italian restaurant is one of the most romantic dinner settings in Orlando.

PRO SPOT: If you are in Orlando during November or December, head for the Gaylord Palms and their spectacular ICE exhibition, which features around 2½ million pounds of ice sculpted into a stunning array of set-piece wizardry by Chinese artisans who come over especially for the job. It is hard to do it justice in words but, if you can imagine a walk-through gingerbread house carved purely out of ice, you are half way there. Use of cozy-warm parkas included in admission.

There are also a number of hotels which, if not fully in the five-star bracket, still represent a cut above the general standard for various reasons, and these include the chic little boutique offering of the Celebration Hotel (in the quaint Disney-inspired town of Celebration, just to the south of Walt Disney World), the grand style of the Renaissance Orlando Resort (even more stunning after a 2007 lobby refurbishment which added the sophisticated Mist Sushi & Wine bar), the unique offerings of The Peabody on International Drive (which includes the twice-daily Duck March – see our Best Things For Free list in the Orlando On A Budget fact sheet – and the wonderful 24-hour B-Line Diner) and the immense choice of the Orlando World Center Marriott on the doorstep of Disney.

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