While hotel points are great, most of the time, they are only a good fit for a family of four, max. And even then, sharing one room isn’t ideal. I can tell you, we are getting to the point where our kids will need their own bedroom.
Sure, some programs allow you to redeem points on suites, but usually it’s not a good deal. The worst offender is Hilton. Have you seen their award prices on one-bedroom suites in most resort properties? Very often they will run at 150K points per night when a room costs 50K points or less. Why would anyone in their right mind go with the suite rather than get two connecting rooms?
Hyatt is much more reasonable in this respect. For example, you can redeem 24K points per night on a suite at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort near Disney, as long as you stay at least three nights. That’s actually a pretty good deal in high season when you look at paid rates.
You can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt program on 1:1 basis as long as you have a card like Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Ink Business Preferred. But it’s still a ton of UR points per night which can instead be used for mileage transfers or for booking paid flights. Plus, a suite is not the same thing as a 2-bedroom/2-bath unit.
Orlando area is overbuilt with resorts and generally speaking, it shouldn’t be too hard to find one that will suit your family’s needs. I actually just went through this process because my parents are coming next year and we plan to spend four nights in Kissimmee. Ironically, hotel points ended up being the deciding factor.
I’ve narrowed my list down to several properties which I want to highlight in this post. I don’t claim that they are the best places near Disney (I’ve only personally stayed in one), but these are the resorts that caught my eye.
I based my search on this criteria:
1) Decent reviews on TripAdvisor. Obviously, you can’t trust those 100%, but they usually give a good indication of what’s in store.
2) Family-friendly features like large pools with slides and preferably, lazy river.
3) Spacious 2-bedroom (or 3-bedroom) suites with a washer and dryer, that will fit six people comfortably.
4) Close proximity to Disney World. I’m not yet sure on whether we’ll end up going to Epcot or not, but I wanted to have a condo that is located within short driving distance, just in case.
5) Reasonable price. I didn’t want to pay much more than $250 per night all-in. That’s why you won’t find any Disney properties on my list.
Without further ado:
1)Lake Buena Vista Resort Village And Spa
Pros: Decent rates, big pool, a fun pirate ship slide.
Cons: Some reviews say that the place is a bit shabby and in need of an overhaul. It appears to be a bit further from Disney than the other properties on my list. Also, there is no lazy river.
Prices: I checked the prices for March, and once you factor in resort fees and taxes, you’ll pay about $250 per night for 2-bedroom/2-bath unit that will fit six. For a little more per night, you can upgrade to a 3-bedroom unit. If you come during off-season, you should be able to get it for much less.
If you don’t have a Booking.com account, you can join via my referral link and get $25 credit after your first stay. Thanks in advance! Not too long ago, I saw a review of this property on TravelingMom website, and it really made me want to take my kids there. If only it was available via points…
2)Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort (not to be confused with Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek hotel)
Pros: Very close to Disney, lots of amenities, no resort or parking fees, bookable with Wyndham points.
Cons: Many reviews say it gets extremely crowded during high season, units vary in quality.
Prices: You will usually get the best deal if you book through AirBnB (when you join via my referral link, we will both get $40 toward a rental) or VRBO. If you are traveling during off-season, you may be able to score a bargain on SkyAuction.
Here is what I found on VRBO for the same dates in March:
As you can see, you can type in the name of the resort and sort the results based on price. By the time you add up taxes and cleaning fees, you’ll pay around $250 per night, which is about $100 less than it costs via Wyndham website.
If you are swimming in Wyndham points, you can consider burning them on this property. However, a 2-bedroom condo will run you 30,000 points per night. If you are a family of four, you can reserve a 1-bedroom condo for 15,000 points per night, which is a much better deal. A minimum stay of 2 nights is required and you should be able to book it on Wyndham.com
3) The Grove Resort and Spa Orlando
Pros: Brand new, upscale, resort-like setting, many water features, close to Disney.
Cons: Very large complex, away from the main drag, some growing pains due to ongoing construction.
Prices: They vary depending on the season, but I found rates to be within $250-ish range. Interestingly, one of the most cost-effective ways to book this resort is to use AAdvantage miles if you happen to have a co-branded AA card. It can be issued either through Citi or Barclays. Of course, it does depend on your speculative valuation of AAdvantage miles (mine is 1 cent). Read my post on using AA miles on hotels.
This rate is for March and includes tax, but you may be charged a resort fee of $20 per day. I called the hotel and they weren’t able to give me a definitive answer on that one. As you can see, you can book a 3-bedroom unit for extra 7,400 miles per night.
4) Holiday Inn Club Vacations Orlando-Orange Lake Resort
Pros: Lots of amenities, huge lazy river, clean and spacious units, close to Disney, ability to use IHG points.
Cons: Many units are located far away from waterpark and pools, requiring you to use a shuttle or a car. They also nickel and dime you, requiring guests to pay fee for use of floats, certain slides etc.
Price: The 2 bedroom/2 bath unit runs at $208 per night (plus tax) or 35K IHG points in March of 2018. Refundable rate is a bit higher.
That’s the resort we ended up booking, and I explained why in this post. I have stayed here before, though never actually used the pool area. I know, crazy. We basically used it to spend the night while enjoying Fort Wilderness campground area during the day.
Other than the fact that the resort is so darn huge, it’s a pretty neat place to stay, and I’m sure my mom will love it. My friend at Savvysunshinewife blog just posted a review of this hotel not too long ago. Keep in mind that they were upgraded to East Village, which normally costs extra.
Which option is best?
I honestly don’t know because like I said, I’ve only stayed in IHG property. However, if I wasn’t saving my AA miles for our trip next year, I would be seriously tempted to burn them on The Grove Resort and Spa Orlando. The biggest reason? Their Surfari waterpark that is set to open in 2018. When I called, they wouldn’t give me a specific date, but said it should be ready before spring. Of course, no guarantees. See photos here
Few details on the waterpark:
- Two Wave Simulators for Surfing
- Dual Water Slides
- Kid’s Splash Pad & Water Play Area
- 700 foot winding lazy river featuring cascading waterfalls, water cannons, and overhead bridges
- Zero-Entry Pool with Reclining Lounge Chairs
It’s very likely that the rates will increase after the completion, so if I have any leftover AA miles, I might burn them for 2 nights at this resort just to try it out.
My reader Cheapblackdad stayed at several resorts near Disney, and here is what he had to say:
Bottom line
Orlando has so many family-friendly resorts, it can be totally overwhelming trying to pick one. If you are cheap like me, it can be an agonizing process. So, if you are swimming in IHG points, consider burning them and calling it a day. Ditto for AA miles and Grove Resort and Spa, though you may want to hang on to your stash in anticipation of an upcoming flight redemption.
All in all, as long as my kids have access to a pool and a slide, they are going to be happy no matter where we stay. Check Nancy’s post Seven Best Credit Cards for “Off the Charts” Hotel Redemptions for ways to reduce your out-of-pocket cost if you choose to pay cash for any of these resorts.
Readers, please list some of your favorite reasonably-priced resorts near Disney!
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Orlando is known as the theme park capital of the world, and Westgate Resorts offers some of the best accommodations in the area. With several resorts to choose from, including Westgate Lakes, Vacation Villas, and Palace, guests can find the perfect home away from home during their Orlando vacation.
Nice write up. Thanks for all the tips about Orlando resorts, but we may settle on on the Hyatt Place Lake Buena Vista at 12,000 pts/night with free breakfast, parking and shuttle service to Disney Parks. I’m not sure we would even have time to enjoy a pool knowing my crazy family and Disney. Plus I need to save all the cash I can since hubby is insisting on me adding a Disney Cruise.
@Stephanie Thanks! I can certainly understand why you want to contain the costs, especially if you plan to be in the parks all day. Why spend all that $ on the resort if you won’t be using the facilities? I’ve heard good things about the place you’ve mentioned and I think Nancy stayed there as well. Breakfast at Hyatt Place is outstanding.
Yeah, the resorts I’ve mentioned are definitely not cheap. We plan to only do maybe one Disney park during our four day stay, so we will be taking advantage of facilities a good portion of the time. My mom loves to chill out by the pool, so it was important to me to find a nice place where she can relax and enjoy herself. So in my case it made sense to go this route.
We’ve stayed at the Liki Tiki resort twice now. I booked them through the UR portal for less than $100/night for a 2 bed / 2 bath condo. It is a little further out than most people probably want, but it is still only about a 20 minute drive to the Magic Kingdom. It has mini golf, a water park, and mini golf. Our kids love it there.
@Jeremy Thanks for chiming in! I’ve actually thought about booking Liki Tiki resort because it looks amazing. And cheap, which is important to me. I know for a fact that my kids would love it. I was a bit scared by some bad reviews, but I know some people probably expect too much for $100 per night. I may check it out at some point. Thanks!
We’re getting queen beds, not double beds.. the official name of the resort is Hampton inn Orlando/ lake buena vista.
@Natasha That sounds fun! It’s been a long time since I’ve stayed in a Hampton Inn, but I wouldn’t hesitate to vacation in one for the right price. Sounds like you got a good deal. Oh, and Grand Floridian is a steal for that price!
Hilton is usually pretty consistent when it comes to quality. For me, having 2 queen beds is a must when vacationing with kids. There is no way my husband and I could share a full bed comfortably. I don’t know why hotels go cheap in that respect. I’m sure it’s a turn-off for most families and causes them to lose business. Why not just get queen beds to begin with?
We are headed to Disney in one month! We are staying onsite for 6 nights due to a TA magical deal which allowed us to book the Grand Floridian for $283 a night.
Instead of taking Amtrak back to Philly I found SW flights for $90 each one way which was covered by a voucher. Anyway, since it’s taking us 2 and a half hours to get home instead of 19, I was able to extend our stay by 2 nights.
I needed a decent hotel that I could book with points. I ended up booking 2 nights at the Hampton inn lake buena vista and burned 12,000 UR points on the 2 night stay. We’re getting double beds, free breakfast and free parking so I thought it was a great choice. I love Hampton inn brands. They are a great choice for families. This one is really close to Disney too.
I almost booked the Best Western Premiere as well as the hotel located at Florida Mall, but chose the Hampton Inn instead.
Emily, thanks for the post! It was helpful to me, for sure. I really hope to try out Bonnet Creek one of these days. I’m probably going to burn Wyndham points on a 1-bedroom condo. That seems like the best deal, as those units go for $150-$175 per night on VRBO. Seems like a decent deal for 15k Wyndham points.
Thanks for the plug!
Bonnet Creek is a great resort too. We’ve stayed at a unit directly over looking the lazy river. Kind of hard to beat that convenience!! It felt super quiet too and we were there in the middle of summer even.