(UPDATED JULY 2022) Suppose you plan a vacation to Orlando or want to surprise the family with a memorable experience. In that case, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort is THE place to stay. My wife, Melody, and I recently traveled to Orlando for a weekend, with the opportunity to stay at the Four Seasons, and it was absolutely perfect.
Orlando’s only AAA Five Diamond Resort, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando, is a vacation destination. Add Disney to it, and suddenly you’re living the dream. From the smile on everyone’s faces, it was easy to see that the Four Seasons Orlando is one of the most magical places on Earth, too.
Arriving at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando
Upon arriving at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando, Melody and I knew our awe-inspiring weekend had begun. The valet was quick to get our name for the car, offer luggage assistance, give us cold water, and get us started on our mini-vacation.
After walking through the front doors, there was a display of more than one dozen vases filled with freshly cut Bird-of-Paradise flowers. It manifested the impeccable details of this luxury hotel.
Melody and I were immediately greeted by a staff member, ready to get us registered and off to see our room. With the swipe of a credit card on file and a reminder we had a dinner reservation, she and I were escorted to our 12th-floor Park View room.
Our Hotel Room
The room was exquisite and featured a King bed, modern desk, sofa, coffee table, and plenty of room to move around. We had a nice bar area, a mini-refrigerator, an in-room safe, Bose speakers, and a Plum on-demand wine system, something new to us.
There is a lovely dressing area with drawers, shelves, and plenty of space for hanging clothes, separated by a wall from the central part of the room. Overall, I was impressed with the room layout.
Our marble bathroom was first class. A huge vanity provided two sinks with plenty of space for our toiletries. The mirror above it is a backlit LED with an in-mirror TV. It was Melody’s favorite feature. Equally impressive was the separate glassed-in shower and deep-soaking tub.
When staying at a Four Seasons property, plush towels and luxurious robes are always within reach.
Speaking of plush, the Four Seasons beds are fantastic! Luxury sheets, comfortable pillows, and a fluffy, white, hypoallergenic comforter made for a perfect night’s sleep. Lying in bed and watching the big flat screen was very relaxing.
Hotel WiFi is complimentary, and the twice-daily housekeeping keeps the room looking fresh.
The view from our park view room’s private balcony was amazing! Since Florida’s terrain is flat, we could see for miles and miles. In the distance, it was easy to recognize Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot theme parks.
Note: If you stay in a park view room, you can watch the nightly fireworks at Walt Disney World from the comfort of your own balcony.
The Fantastic Pools
Four Seasons Orlando Resort has a 5-acre water park with pools that will appeal to everyone’s liking. Explorer Island has splash zones, fountains, water slides, and a zero-entry pool for the youngsters.
The whole family can enjoy the lazy river, a welcome treat to beat the heat in Orlando. There are several points of entry for the lazy river, and floats are already in the water for you. I found it most enjoyable after spending the morning in the Florida sunshine at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Oasis is the Four Season’s chic adult-only pool. The pool area is lined with padded lounge chairs, umbrellas, and small tables. The attentive pool waitstaff introduced themselves upon arrival each day. It was readily available to take a lunch order and keep us in beverages.
Oasis also has private Cabanas available.
The attentive pool and waitstaff introduced themselves upon arrival each day. They were readily available to take lunch orders and keep us in beverages. The property’s casual restaurant is between two pools and offers specialty and tropical cocktails.
Our Dining Experience
Capa at the Four Seasons (on the 17th floor) has a rooftop bar and stunning views. Witnessing the restaurant’s efficiencies with our seats near the open kitchen was very interesting.
I ordered a tasty Buena Vista cocktail; Jalapeño infused Patron Reposado Tequila, Citrus, Salt Air, and Espelette. We ordered Datiles, a delicious combination of Medjool dates, Almond, Bacon, Maple, and Tamarind for appetizers.
They were so good that we seriously considered ordering a second round of them.
Another unique menu item was the Iberico Ham, freshly sliced from the leg upon ordering. We were lucky to score a taste of this fabulous, expensive meat.
I chose the Iberico Pork Chop for dinner, while Melody had Miyazaki Beef, one of her favorites. We shared the garlic-pureed potato dish recommended by our waiter, which was spectacular. Our waiter went out of his way to ensure we had a memorable evening.
Character Dining
While staying at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando, we opted to partake in the Saturday morning character breakfast in the Ravello dining room with Goofy & His Pals.
Goofy welcomed us with open arms as soon as we arrived. While eating breakfast, Mickey and Minnie Mouse showed up, too. A photographer takes your picture with the characters and gives you a card to download your photos on the Disney website.
The professional photos are included with the price of your breakfast. What a pleasant surprise! The characters were patient with those wanting selfies, also.
Ravello’s buffet was quite the spread with waffles, yogurts, fresh orange juice, oatmeal, and all the fixings, fresh fruit, bread and pastry selections, potatoes, breakfast meats, and an omelet station, where they were perfectly cooked to order.
Out and About at the Hotel
The Four Seasons Resort Orlando also caters to business travelers for group meetings and conferences. There are meeting rooms, a Grand Ballroom, and outdoor terraces for entertaining. The day we arrived, a business group departed, with some attendees staying additional days.
The comments and compliments the people were giving the Four Seasons were sterling.
The Lobby Bar is a great meeting place for an afternoon beer, glass of wine, and evening cocktail. Steps away is an ice cream bar serving lighter fare, takeaway food, and drinks.
Also, two retail stores, Sable and Wardrobe, are just off the lobby. Sable is the store for staples, necessities, souvenirs, and kids’ clothing. An exclusive item at Four Seasons Orlando is hand-stitched Princess dresses.
Across the hall is Wardrobe, offering high-end men’s and women’s resort wear and accessories.
Four Seasons Benefits and Other Services
As I stated earlier, The Four Seasons Orlando Resort is Orlando’s only AAA 5-star resort. Four Seasons Orlando has a Disney Planning Center in the lobby. It is a great place to work on your Disney World vacation details if you still need to arrange them ahead of time.
Are you celebrating a special occasion during your trip? The hotel offers unique welcome gifts that can be waiting for your family upon your arrival.
Going to Walt Disney World while you’re in Orlando? The Four Seasons is a Walt Disney World hotel, giving guests the option to schedule FastPasses 60 days, access to Extra Magic Hours, and complimentary transportation in luxury motor coaches to the Disney parks.
The staff enjoys doing what they are doing, and it shines through their guest interaction. Everyone we encountered was delightful!
Your stay includes complimentary access to the 24-hour fitness center. Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando has The Tranquilo Golf Course (a Tom Fazio design) and tennis courts. A spa is another perk of the Four Seasons Hotel, providing services for the whole family, including Magical Moments for Kids.
My Overall Impression
My time spent at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando was sensational. It is a destination resort with activities for the whole family. No matter your reason for staying here, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando elevates the family vacation to the highest level of luxury.
It will be a lifetime memory of “remember the year we stayed at the Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World?”.
This article was written by Eddie Pittman.
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