Overview
Located across the street from Downtown Disney and about a 5-minute drive from the nearest Interstate 4 on-ramp, the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista, an official Walt Disney World Hotel, is geared towards vacation travellers who require a hotel with a free Disney Theme Park shuttle, easy highway access and an outdoor pool.
This hotel has 626 air-conditioned guest rooms, each offering one king or two double beds, free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a mini-fridge, a dining area, a desk, a hair dryer and an iron and ironing board. Rooms also feature a safe large enough to accommodate a laptop.
Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request and pets are not permitted. Some rooms offer a view of Disney parks, and a resort fee of $15 (plus tax) is charged per room, per night.
The hotel also offers two heated outdoor pools, a hot tub, fitness facilities, meeting/banquet space, a business centre, a lounge, guest laundry facilities, a basketball court, a volleyball court, tennis courts, a games room, an aquatic playground, a gift shop, vending machines and free parking. A concierge service to help with planning and booking activities is also offered.
A free shuttle to the surrounding Disney Theme Parks is offered several times daily. Please contact the hotel for scheduling details.
On-site dining is available at the Lakeview Restaurant, which serves breakfast daily and features a Disney Character Breakfast on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Oasis Bar and Grill offers lunch and dinner daily, and Sundial 24/7 is open 24-hours for self-serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Epcot Center is a 12-minute drive west of the hotel, while Florida Mall can be found about a 17-minute drive away. Magic Kingdom is roughly a 14-minute drive northwestward, and Walt Disney World Airport (DWS) is about an 11-minute drive northwest. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets not permitted, wheelchair accessible, resort fee $15/night. (Call Date: June 10, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's staff, location and room rates
Many guests were pleased with the level of customer service they received, and found the staff to be cheerful, accommodating, knowledgeable and helpful with suggestions and directions.
The hotel's location was praised by numerous reviewers, who found it close to highway access as well as within walking distance or a short drive of many Disney attractions, including Magic Kingdom (a 14-minute drive) and Downtown Disney (less than a 10-minute walk).
Several lodgers were satisfied with the hotel's room rates, describing them as excellent, reasonable, great and outstanding, especially considering its location. It should be noted, however, that some guests found the additional costs associated with staying at the hotel to be expensive (see below for more details).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about the rooms and the cost.
While many guests were pleased with their clean and comfortable beds, some reviewers had complaints about their accommodations. They reported some plumbing issues, dated decor, worn fixtures, small rooms and some cleaning issues.
Although many lodgers were pleased with the hotel's reasonable rates, some guests were disappointed with the extra costs they incurred while at the hotel. They reported high food and beverage prices (especially the breakfast buffet), and also mentioned the mandatory $15 nightly resort fee per room.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #113 out of 329 Orlando hotels with an average rating of 4 out of 5 from 2,914 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 3.6 out of 5 with a 76% recommendation rate from 1,006 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8 out of 10 from 344 reviews.
The author called the hotel on June 10, 2013 to verify some information.
