Reunion Resort Orlando: Your Vacation Home Away From Home

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Reunion Resort is located a stones throw from Walt Disney World, and many other famous Florida attractions. I would have never thought of staying in a vacation home before visiting Reunion. I was under the assumption that it was a private “owners-only” community. That is not the case, this resort is open to everyone for rentals. If you want to break away from the hustle and bustle of the Orlando hotel scene this is the place for you.

Five Star Resort–In a Private Home

When I travel I want all the amenities, I am a diva like that. Give me a pool, spa and room service and we are good to go. So why on earth would I rent a vacation home? No room service, no housekeeping, no spa–maybe at “other” places but certainly not at Reunion Resort. Reunion Resort offers all of that, and the privacy of your OWN home.

My family frequents Orlando a lot, at least three times a year and we always stay in hotels. I never really entertained the idea of a resort home because I thought they were too far from the attractions. I was wrong about that. Reunion Resort is only 10 minutes from the gates of Walt Disney World and around 20 minutes from Universal Orlando Resort. Also, it’s not just a vacation home, it’s a full community with resort amenities. I am a big of a high maintenance traveler, in that I like room service and spas.

Reunion Resort

When we arrived at Reunion we checked in with the guard house, they simply verified our reservation and gave us our parking pass for our stay. The check-in is located at The Grande, this is the main hub of the resort if you will. It is also the location of villas and multi-bedroom rentals if you don’t want to rent an entire house. Offering 360 different types of accommodations, you can surely find something to fit your vacation needs.

When you check-in it is much like a hotel where-in you get room keys, add a credit card for charging privileges (cashless resort) and the scoop on all of the amenities and activities. There are plenty of activities to keep your family busy, that is for sure! The check-in process was seamless and there was no wait at all, we had the keys to our home in under 15 minutes. Try doing that at Disney on a Sunday afternoon. You won’t so don’t even try to argue the point.

All The Comforts Of Home

Before we arrived I had seen a few photos of our home, but they did it no justice. We were staying in a five bedroom home only 1 mile from The Grande on the golf course. This vacation home is larger than my actual home. I was traveling with my best friend, her daughter and my two daughters. We each had our own rooms. This made me think that a vacation home is a great option for friends traveling together or a multi-generational trip. Everyone has enough personal space to relax and unwind.

When we walked through the doors we were blown away. This stunning home offers five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a private pool, two living rooms, game room and more. The kids ran through the house looking for which bedroom to claim as their own. My oldest daughter tried to claim the king suite overlooking the pool, sorry kiddo Mom pulls rank here.

Having a full kitchen was a money saver for sure, we picked up a few snacks, drinks and breakfast items for the house. The kitchen is fully stocked, all you need are groceries. There is also a gas grill on the terrace so you can enjoy nightly barbecues poolside.

I loved having a laundry room, no I don’t love laundry but who wants to come home from vacation and do laundry. May as well throw it around while you are relaxing playing air hockey with the kids in the game room. And don’t worry about cleaning, you can pay a small fee and have housekeeping come in as little or often as you wish. You are still on vacation right? Why would you clean the bathroom or make your bed–let the team at Reunion do it for you.

Why Yes, I DO Have my Own Pool

During our stay it was hot in Florida, around 95 degrees daily. When we weren’t in the air-conditioned house we were poolside. Our home had a full-sized infinity pool overlooking the golf course. We had a hot tub as well. Why on earth did I ever fight for space in a crowded hotel pool when I could have had my own all this time? For my husband this would seal the deal, he hates public pools. I am not sure I will ever vacation without my own pool again, it was just that fantastic.

Beyond The Vacation Home

Having your own home is pretty awesome, but you have to leave sometimes right? Remember when I said that you get the amenities of a resort when you stay at Reunion Resort? Whether you need a spa day, or your hubby needs a day on the links there is something for everyone at Reunion. They didn’t forget about the kids either–there is a water park and supervised children’s programs.

FORE!

Reunion Resort is the ONLY, yes only resort in the world to offer three signature golf courses. 54 holes of world-class golf await you on a Reunion vacation, and they are designed by Watson, Nicklaus and Palmer. I will warn you, the Palmer course is the hardest by far with sand traps for days.  So be sure to bring a shovel with you. As a guest you get priority when booking tee times.

Splish Splash All Day  

Home to a private 5 acre water park your kids will want to splish splash the day away. Featuring a 1,000 ft. lazy river with rock structures and multiple waterfalls,winding 150 foot flume slide and a kids interactive water playground with twisting slides, wading pool and a 350 gallon splash bucket. Did I mention this water park is free as a resort guest. No need to visit the other water parks in the area, this one is FREE!

If a water-park isn’t your speed you can visit Seven Eagles and enjoy the large sloped entry pool with two hot tubs as well as outdoor billiards, ping-pong, fitness center, The Cove Bar and a game room. And for the ultimate in relaxation visit the Grande rooftop pool on the 11th floor, if I wasn’t traveling with kids this is where I would be for sure. The rooftop pool was closed when we visited, but I can certainly see myself there–preferably with an umbrella drink.

Kids–Leave Mom and Dad Behind

When the kids tire of playing in the water they still have plenty of great options to enjoy their vacation. Traveling with teens can be hard (I know first hand), because they want to be with other kids their age. The Hideaway located at The Cove is  where they can hang out when they need a break from Mom and Dad, or their little sister.

The Kids Crew is perfect for elementary age kids, and has activities planned daily. Some require a fee and some are free and part of the poolside fun at the water park. The day we visited kids were having a blast making tie-dye tees to take home.

Dining Abounds At Reunion

When you want to take a break from the kitchen there are plenty of options at the resort. When I say everything you need is in one place I really mean it. My oldest daughter loves to order room service and couldn’t believe we could actually order and have it delivered to the house! Just because you are renting a home doesn’t mean you don’t get the same amenities of those in the main building. She gave the thumbs up approval to her chicken wings and cheesecake (she’s 17, what do you expect). Aside from room service there are six other dining venues at Reunion Resort, two are located at the pools and offer casual cuisine.

Fine Dining at Eleven

We dined at Eleven on our first night at the resort.  I dine out all the time in Orlando and have yet to experience such a great meal. From a world-class chef coming to our table to introduce new menu items to an equally amazing wait staff, we will be back. The best part of the dining experience (aside from the food) was that we were able to go out on the roof top terrace and watch the Disney fireworks-all of them! This space also allowed the younger girls in our party to stretch their legs during our five course meal, the most certainly have families in mind.