Traveling to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida with your family, how about staying at the Sheraton Vistana Resort? It’s your home away from home.
 |
| Credit: Starwood Hotels |
We recently spent 2 amazing weeks in the summer in Orlando, Florida. Usually, when we go to Florida, it’s for one reason: to enjoy ourselves at Disney World. This year, though, we decided that we wanted to do both Disney World and Universal Studios. Normally, we would spend our time at a Disney Resort with a meal plan and do a 5-day visit so we could take in all 4 Disney parks. With Universal included, I knew that a Disney Resort wouldn’t have worked and neither would 5 days.
Luckily for me I have a big brother who not only owns a condo in Florida but also a timeshare at the Sheraton Vistana Resort so we had options. He owns 2 weeks of the year and they are one of the best 2 weeks since they always coincide with the 4th of July. If you’ve never been to Disney World during the 4th of July I truly recommend it. They have the most amazing fireworks display.
This is in no way a sponsored post but we fell in love with Sheraton’s Vistana Resort and decided that we wanted to share it with you. It’s not often that we find a place that we love so much that we want to go back to. This is one of them. I contacted Starwoods Hotel, the owner of the resort to include a few of their photos since we were so busy having fun I didn’t get to take as much as I would like, and they were kind enough to send me more than I requested. These will of course be credited.
Now one of the things that I absolutely LOVED about the Sheraton Vistana Resort is that we’re right smack in the middle of both Universal and Disney, and Sea World isn’t too far away either. Checking in was easy and stress free. We were already expected and our room was ready and waiting for us. We were given key cards so that we could get in and out of the property, pool cards, which gave us access to the pool and also the gym. When we got there, it was very late at night, and so we were extremely tired, which is another reason for my lack of photos. However, our two-bedroom villa (condo) was amazing! We had an amazing view of the water, and the balcony gave us a great view of our surroundings.
 |
| Credit: Starwood Hotels |
When I say that our condo was amazing, I truly mean it. And also when I captioned this “a home away from home”, I meant it as well. Normally, when I go into a hotel, our rooms are generally small and compact. When you visit the Sheraton Vistana Resort, it’s like being at home. The rooms are just like you would expect when you’re in a condo or an apartment. They were actually bigger than a few NY apartments that I’ve been into as well.
 |
| Credit: Starwood Hotels |
Above is the view of our kitchen and dining area. Now we had a full kitchen which included a range oven, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, blender, and refrigerator. This saved us quite a lot of money in terms of eating out. There is a marketplace where you can pick up essentials. We, however, needed a bit more than the essentials, so we headed to the supermarket and bought what we needed for the two weeks we were there. Another advantage is that everything is close by. There was a Walgreens right outside the gate, so we picked up a few things there, then drove to Walmart and got some more. We were able to have breakfast in the morning, go out and eat at the parks, and have dinner at home. Our dining table seated six, and after dinner we had a dishwasher to make cleaning up so much easier.
 |
| Credit: Starwood Hotels |
The living room area shown above was equally impressive. It led to the balcony and included a sleeper sofa, a 42-inch LCD TV, and a Bose home theater system with CD/DVD player. And of course, with your stay comes complimentary high-speed Internet access.
 |
| Credit: Starwood Hotels |
The bedrooms were luxurious as well. There was the master bedroom, which had its own separate bathroom that included an amazing spa tub. The king-sized bed was just what I needed since Madison was sleeping with me, and it also led out to the balcony where we would sit before heading out for the day. The other bedroom included two queen-sized beds, making the two-bedroom villa perfect for big families. Remember, the living room also included that pull-out bed.
 |
| Credit: Starwood Hotels |
If you don’t want to go out to eat, you can always eat at their famous Zimmies Bar and Grill. They have an amazing menu with family-friendly meals. The kids enjoyed eating there. The service was quick and the servers were amazing.
If you would prefer to just spend an entire day just relaxing at the condo, there is quite a lot to do. There is a monthly calendar showing what can be done daily. While some are free, some do require a minimal fee. Nothing too expensive. You can also take a walk around the grounds, rent one of the colorful bicycles built for 2 or 4, or you can even feed the ducks, like my own kids enjoyed doing. There is also a playground, and of course, you can just chill out poolside at one of the many pools, or at the one near Zimmies like we did, so you can get your grub on. There is lots to do, and it’s all very family-oriented.
So if you’re heading to Orland Florida and you want somewhere that reminds you of home, not like those stuffy hotels, I most highly recommend Sheraton Vistana Resort, Orlando.
