Villas of Grand Cypress

Description:

• This is an exceptional place to retreat to at the end of the day, though it's definitely a splurge in the budget department. At its "modest" end, this Mediterranean-inspired resort starts with standard-size rooms with Roman tubs and patios, many of them backing up to ponds whose inhabitants include mallards, soft-shelled turtles, and largemouth bass eager for bread crusts or whatever else you can spare. Floor plans progress to elegant one- to four-bedroom villas that reach about 2,800 square feet on the top end. Some include kitchens, dining rooms, and patios. The resort shares a golf club and academy, racquet club, and equestrian center with the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort . Inside the resort, you're almost completely sheltered from Disney, which is situated only a few hundred yards away. Take some time to wander the lush grounds, which are dotted with lakes, bougainvillea, and hibiscus. There are also walking and jogging trails, biking trails, and a 24-foot rock-climbing wall. Shuttle buses allow you to park your car and get around the resort and to the nearby theme parks without driving. Unlike its sister Hyatt property, this resort caters primarily to adults, though Villa guests with kids can use the Hyatt's child-care and other facilities -- even the pool.

  Facilities: 2 restaurants; 2 lounges; outdoor heated pool; 45 holes of golf; 12 tennis courts (5 lighted); 2 racquetball courts; health club; spa; watersports equipment; children's center (at the Hyatt); car-rental desk (Hyatt); arcade; concierge; free Disney shuttle; transportation to non-Disney parks for a fee; salon (Hyatt); 24-hr. room service; massage (in-room); babysitting; laundry service; valet; concierge-level rooms

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Travel + Leisure Family

•  World's Best Golf Resort 2008

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010

Other features:

Concierge, data ports, dry cleaning service, full kitchens, lake views, golf, tennis, hair salon, pro shop, hiking trails.