{"id":353066,"date":"2026-07-26T17:58:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T17:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/353066\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T17:58:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T17:58:28","slug":"ive-been-to-walt-disney-world-orlando-multiple-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/353066\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I’ve been to Walt Disney World Orlando multiple times"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve just finished a 14-hour stint at Disney\u2019s Epcot \u2013 my hair’s a bird’s nest after riding Guardians of The Galaxy back-to-back, I\u2019ve walked 25,000 steps, and my ankles are swollen. <\/p>\n

To say I’m in need of somewhere to relax is an understatement, which is why I thank the hotel gods (ok booking.com<\/a>) for steering me in the direction of Grande Lakes, a super peaceful and luxurious resort just outside the parks. <\/p>\n

The set up\"rizt<\/p>\n

Mollie Davies<\/p>\n

Just 15 minutes from Walt Disney World and 10 minutes from Universal, Grande Lakes Orlando is a luxury resort complex that\u2019s home to both the Ritz-Carlton<\/a> and JW Marriott<\/a>. While JW Marriott is more family-friendly, my partner and I opted for the Ritz-Carlton to break with our tradition of staying at Disney\u2019s on-site hotels in favour of coming home each night to a quiet haven. The hotels share amenities, so guests are able to flit between them for pool dips and delicious dinners.<\/p>\n

The accommodation<\/p>\n

We stayed in a lakefront guest room with a king-sized bed and pool view, complete with huge wardrobe, stunning marble bathroom, plenty of space for suitcases, a big desk and generous balcony. <\/p>\n

\"ritz<\/p>\n

Ritz-Carlton Orlando<\/p>\n

In-room, we found goodies including a Ritz-Carlton baseball cap and drinking bottle each, as well as a fully stocked mini bar of treats and drinks. The bed, which boasted a Stearns & Foster mattress, truly felt like sleeping on a marshmallow, and that\u2019s coming from someone with the sleep health of The Princess and The Pea. On our first night, my partner popped out to pick up a late night snack – by the time he returned I was snoring away. <\/p>\n

The spa<\/p>\n

This was the part of the trip I was most excited about, and it exceeded all expectations. The huge, nature-inspired spa has 40 treatment rooms, full salon, and signature treatments infused with CBD, herbs, local citrus, and honey from resident bees. <\/p>\n

We booked an early morning couple\u2019s massage, which was tailored to each of our needs. My therapist was some kind of magical mind reader, picking up on my tension from endometriosis, and aside from delivering the best massage I\u2019ve ever had in my life, armed me with several tips on relieving that stress.<\/p>\n

\"rizt<\/p>\n

Mollie Davies<\/p>\n

Post-massage we enjoyed fresh juices and chocolate covered strawberries and tested the rest of the facilities, including a pool, Jacuzzi and cabanas. Recent rain, high humidity and broken hair tools meant I was in major need of a blowdry, however the salon team weren’t able to fit me in at such short notice (understandable) so instead sent me away with a goody bag of Oribe minis \u2013 the kind of thoughtful touch that ensures the hotel gets plenty of repeat guests. <\/p>\n

The spa has also recently introduced Aescape \u2013 the first fully automated, AI massage for personal wellness and recovery that scans your body to generate 1.2 million 3D points of data and create your perfect massage. Mind blown. Red-light therapy, cryotherapy, facials and nails are also on offer.<\/p>\n

The food<\/p>\n

Every time I return from Florida, I feel like I need a detox from all the indulgent and fried (albeit delicious) food that I\u2019ve eaten. So, eating across Grande Lakes was a very welcome change up. On-site, there are a dozen celebrated dining venues, from casual burgers, steak and seafood, Mediterranean and Italian fare, and plenty of farm-to-fork dishes. <\/p>\n

The resort\u2019s restaurants source fresh ingredients from Whisper Creek Farm, an on-property 18,000 sq. ft working farm, as well as on-site apiaries. If you can bag a table at Primo inside JW Marriott, snap it up. The menu, and flavours, are as close you could get to authentic Puglian dining. Be sure to order the bolognese, but be prepared that it will throw plans for any home-cooked midweek spag bol straight out the window. <\/p>\n

\"breakfast<\/p>\n

Mollie Davies<\/p>\n

Our favourite breakfast was at Highball & Harvest, where we enjoyed chocolate chip pancakes worthy of Willy Wonka himself. What was carried through every restaurant we visited was the resort\u2019s commitment to fresh and locally sourced produce \u2013 top tier.<\/p>\n

The activities<\/p>\n

The dual resort is home to enough activities to keep you busy without stepping foot in a nearby theme park, from kayaking and falconry to mountain biking and fishing school. We took a sunrise safari with an in-house, certified Florida Master Naturalist on a guided golf buggy tour of the wild side, spotting North American river otters, foxes, raccoons, countless birds and alligators. Although we weren\u2019t lucky enough to spot deer and bobcats, apparently they frequently make an appearance. The tour was a highlight of the trip, and really made us feel connected to the more natural side of Florida (something you don\u2019t always get to appreciate in the thick of a multi billion dollar theme park).<\/p>\n

\"aerial<\/p>\n

Ritz-Carlton Orlando<\/p>\n

Sports lovers (like my partner) will want to spend time at the resort’s Golf & Tennis Club \u2013 which hosts the PNC Championship and includes an 18-hole Greg Norman-designed championship golf course. While he was teeing off at 7am, I was busy dousing myself in the bathroom\u2019s Diptyque products and enjoying a very leisurely start to the day.<\/p>\n

While we experienced a lot of rain during our stay (typical), we made sure to check out the on-site waterpark and cabanas. It\u2019s impossible to resist the indulgence of private, custom-made poolside cabanas and daybeds, complete with dedicated concierge service, a new poolside fireplace, and plenty of comfortable seating designed for pure relaxation. The spa pool is perfect for couples and solo travellers, but we were quite fond of the Grande Lakes Waterpark, complete with a relaxing lazy river, three waterslides and a wet agility course.<\/p>\n

The verdict<\/p>\n

I\u2019m usually a die-hard theme park fan who swears by staying on-site, so I didn\u2019t expect to love this option as much as I did. But coming back each day to a calm, luxurious Orlando resort that felt worlds away from the chaos was a real highlight. It offered the best of both worlds \u2013 close to everything we wanted to explore, yet with plenty of space to unwind, reconnect, and enjoy nature before heading home. Honestly, it would be hard to return to Orlando without this little slice of paradise. If you\u2019re after a stay that blends relaxation, wellness, great food, fun, and total comfort, this is it.<\/p>\n

Go there!<\/p>\n

Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton<\/a> start from around \u00a3225pn BOOK NOW<\/a>, and JW Marriott<\/a> from around \u00a3187 BOOK NOW.<\/a> . <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve just finished a 14-hour stint at Disney\u2019s Epcot \u2013 my hair’s a bird’s nest after riding Guardians…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[144331,144333,26306,91581,109645,73214,139,141,140,144332,135594],"class_list":["post-353066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-content-type-reviews","tag-contentid-11030b1f-eb2f-4d08-8634-916f8a6cff29","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-hasproduct-true","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-shorttitle-ditch-disney-for-grande-lakes-in-orlando","tag-sponsored-false"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}