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The selection of hotels in Orlando can be overwhelming, but one place to start is figuring out what’s close to where you want to be. You can see Epcot from most of the rooms at Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort and it’s a short jaunt to the others. This is a full-fledged resort though that gives you plenty to do when you take a day off to relax and recharge, thanks to an array of facilities around a lake.
The first thing you’ll notice when approaching this Wyndham Grand is that you’ve got a lot of company nearby. On the right side of the road are a few competing hotels, on the left side there are rows of high-rises around a big lake. That lake has a walkway around it that’s more than half a mile and every building around that walkway is a Wyndham one.
The Wyndham brand is known not just for its 9,300 hotels with that name and many others, but also for its massive timeshare operation under the “Wyndham Destinations” umbrella. Normally if you’re a hotel guest you don’t pay much attention if there’s a wing devoted to those customers, but at this Bonnet Creek complex, it means that the hotel guests have access to far more facilities than they would at a standalone hotel. For one thing, you’ve got five pools to choose from if you want to visit a new one each day.
This Wyndham Grand stands well on its own, however, with its own gorgeous pool complex, several dining and drinking options, a spa, gym, and meeting facilities.
The first impression is a great one, with a contemporary lobby that looks out across the pool to the lake. With artistic light fixtures, designer furniture, and a spacious layout, the lobby is inviting for a chat and a gorgeous backdrop to you’re “We’ve arrived in Orlando” photos to post on social media.
Drinking and Dining at Wyndham Grand Orlando
At one end of the lobby is a coffee shop that serves breakfast and lunch items, a good place to get take-out if you want to eat in your room or elsewhere. There’s a wide array of drinks and baked goods in addition to the food menu.
At the far end is an expansive lobby bar, Bar 1521, and the resort’s fine dining restaurant, Deep Blu. The bar is an attractive space with an array of seating options, including this whimsical spot with four high-back chairs in its own room, pictured to the right. There’s also some outdoor seating on a balcony overlooking the pool and lake. There’s a daily happy hour with discounts from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
The Deep Blu Seafood Grill offers an elevated experience after a day of casual dining with its focus on what comes out of two nearby sources surrounding Florida: the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. We ordered some drinks while we perused the menu: a craft mezcal cocktail for my companion and an excellent pale ale from local Crooked Can Brewing for me.
We shared a delicious dinner salad and an artisan cheese plate that were both excellent, the waiter explaining everything that was included in both. After a break to digest a bit, we moved on to the main course. I was seriously tempted by the Blu Crab Mac & Cheese, but after the starter that seemed like a heart attack waiting to happen, so I made the adult choice and got the grilled catch of the day with vegetables and saffron rice. My companion’s mouth was watering looking at the sushi menu, so she ordered an array of rolls. Everything was well-prepared and bursting with flavor.
The two other dining outlets are a ground-floor breakfast buffet restaurant (in normal times) and an indoor-outdoor poolside option: Back Bay Pool Bar & Grille. That one specializes in burgers and has plenty of kid-friendly items, with a happy hour for the adults from 3:00 to 5:00. You can access the menus for all of them online.
Don’t worry that you’ll get bored with your restaurant options if you stay here for more than a couple of nights. You’re welcome to take a stroll down the lake path and eat at any of the other towers’ restaurants without needing to get in a vehicle–a rarity in car-centric Orlando. The shuttle service also stops at Disney Springs if you want to dine there, which is just three miles away.
Rooms at Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek Resort
The 400 rooms at this Wyndham Grand in Orlando are spacious and well-equipped, plus the king rooms have a pull-out sofa bed for traveling families. There are also bunk bed rooms where the kids have beds in their own small room with a separate TV. Deluxe rooms face 500 acres of greenery, while Lake View ones look the other direction. All have very comfortable Simmons mattresses, included WiFi, 55-inch TVs with premium cable, Bluetooth alarm clocks, Keurig coffee makers, safes, lots of charging ports, and phones with unlimited local calls.
All rooms have a balcony or terrace and from the upper floors on the lake side you can see parts of Epcot in the distance (as well as the triangular center of the Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort). When things return to normal at Disney, you can also see the nightly fireworks show from the Lake View rooms.
Your balcony is a nice place to sit and have a drink and if you’ve participated in one of their special deal packages, you might even have a bottle of wine in your room’s fridge to pop open. One deal going on when we were there also included two welcome drinks, an array of snacks, four sodas, and a late check-out. Check the promotions page here.
If you want to upgrade, there’s a Junior Presidential Suite and a larger regular one. These have a living room, full kitchen, whirlpool tub, and much larger balcony.
Fitness, Activities, and Fun Times in Orlando
Most people come to Orlando to play, so this Wyndham complex offers plenty of options to keep you occupied. In the resort itself there’s a great pool complex, a spa, and a fitness center. But the real advantage of staying here is what else is at your fingertips nearby. The sprawling complex gives you access to a jogging trail, five swimming pools, eight hot tubs, and two lazy rivers.
One of the other pools has a series of slides around a pirate-themed pool and it’s right next door, a few steps from the resort’s pool. There’s also an 18-hole putt-putt course in the other direction.
Of course there are Orlando’s famous theme parks in the area, plus four golf courses just on Disney property alone, more further out.
I don’t want to make this review too dated by going into all the Covid-19 precautions in place at this Wyndham Grand, but they were more extensive than any place I’ve been to since the virus first started spreading. This resort was part of the “NBA Bubble,” for pro basketball players and coaches, so they had plenty of practice in keeping people safe and healthy–very expensive people in that case. From air filters in the elevators to contactless food delivery to capacity controls at the pool, it was clear that this resort was taking the threat seriously and going above and beyond to ensure guest safety.
If you’re heading to Universal Studios instead and want to use or get some Wyndham Rewards points, check out our review of the Wyndham Orlando resort that’s near the ICON Eye giant Ferris wheel.
The AAA 4-diamond Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek is a big step up from that one though and it’s better for Disney visitors since there are complimentary shuttles running to the nearby parks. Rates generally start at around $180 for low-peak periods before taxes, but I’m including the additional $28 per night they tack on as a resort fee, so you have to click through to the last booking screen to see the real rate. Keep in mind that you have to pay this even if you cash in loyalty points to stay here. Parking is $27 per night. Book direct with the resort here or see rates at Hotels.com.
Want to see more? Take a quick video tour here:
Review and photos by editor and hotel reviewer Tim Leffel, who was hosted one night at the resort for purposes of review.
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