Grand Beach

My husband & I took our daughter & her family & my 18 yr old cousin to Grand Beach during the week of Memorial Day this year. We had an absolutely marvelous time! The boys (ages 9 & 4) would have spent the entire week in the pool, I think. The fishing was fun, too, although we didn't catch very many fish. The 4yo had as much fun playing with the "bait" & looking for that "really awesome big bass" that he kept seeing in the water, but his Nana never did.

The suite was very accommodating for the 7 of us. The beds were very comfortable, the floorplan excellent for cooking, watching TV, etc. If we had a problem of ANY kind, all we had to do was call the front desk & it was taken care of promptly. Check-in was simple & being there a little early, they told us to enjoy the pool while we waited. The staff went above & beyond to ensure that our stay was one of the best we had ever had..... IT WAS! They helped us plan our visits to Disney World, Busch Gardens & Sea World. They made arrangements for me to have an electric wheelchair for the entire week for less than it would cost inside the parks. Believe me, it was worth it!

I would return to this resort in a heartbeat!!!!

We (a family of four with kids ages 8 and 10) stayed here in May 2007 on an RCI guest certificate (trading with a relative's timeshare week). We stayed in a three bedroom - three bath in a building located mid-way between the two pool areas.

Our three bedroom condo was very spacious, with two kings and two twin beds. It could have comfortably accommodated six to eight people. The screened porch, which overlooked a pond with interesting bird life (including diving, fish-eating, Ahinga birds), was also very spacious. Overall, the layout of the condo was excellent, but the furnishings and appliances were beginning to show some wear. There was a lose board on one of the king headboards, one of the stove burners would not lay flat, and the couch looked worn out (we did not request service for these issues). The day we arrived, we requested maintenance to fix a broken ice maker in the refrigerator, which they did very quickly, but they were back a few hours later to replace the entire refrigerator as the refrigerator section would not get cold. Service was top notch. This was the only time we needed it.

The room was pretty clean, but not outstanding. Similarly, the beds were comfortable, but not remarkably so.

The location of the resort is excellent as a base for visiting the theme parks. It is very close to Disney and also provided quick access to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, Wet 'n Wild, and Sea World. The location on peaceful Lake Bryan was a calm and welcome refuge from the hustle and bustle of the parks when we returned each night. The grounds were well maintained, but were not great by Orlando landscaping standards. The Magnolia trees were in bloom during our visit. A drought made the ponds a little unsightly as the water level had dropped quite a bit, exposing dry pond bottom.

The kids loved the pools and wanted to go for a swim each day no matter how busy the day had been. They also loved the wildlife. Little 4 to 6 inch lizards abound, which my son found endlessly fascinating. We also spotted a 4 foot snake on the dock leading out into the lake one night, which turned out to be non-poisonous (a Steve Irwin wannabe grabbed the thing to determine this). I'm sure it was attracted by the numerous and very tame squirrels. We got a bag of peanuts to feed the squirrels and they came up to within a few inches of us to be fed. The kids attended an organized duck feeding one day and enjoyed their time with the event staff.

The picnic areas are nice, with picnic tables and BBQ grills, but we had to plan to eat a bit early to make sure we got one. They could use a few more.

Check in and check out were quick and efficient, and we found the staff to be pleasant and helpful. A pay by the minute internet terminal was available in the lobby, which I used a couple of times. It was very slow (frustrating when paying by the minute) and I sometimes had to wait for the terminal as they only had one (they could quickly alleviate that by adding a couple more cheap $300 desktops and a router).

Overall my impressions of this resort were very positive and I would gladly return. In my opinion, it deserves its RCI Silver Crown rating. I liked it well enough that this year, while looking to purchase two timeshare weeks, I kept an eye out for suitable resales at this resort. I can see myself trading into this resort again in the future.

Have been staying here for years. The place is showing some wear, but the managment is striving to correct any problems. Area is beautiful, rooms are large and this is a great kid-spot for daytime poolside activities. Very easy to find your young children at the pools. Very close to Disney. The lakeside views are beautiful. Best thing about the resort are the new beds! They are heavenly.

We just returned from a week at the Grand Beach and had a wonderful time. We stayed in a 3 bedroom, 3 bath which was very large, very clean, and had a wonderfully large screened in balcony. There were basically two master bedrooms and then a smaller room with two single beds. We did not do much cooking in the unit - just breakfasts and lunches - and so it was adequately equipped for us.

We had no problems checking in or out and the staff was very friendly and helpful. There were many activities each day and my 5 year old daughter loved the arts and crafts and face painting and the activities staff was very nice. The pool was clean and well heated and the playground for the children was nice as well. We were close to everything you could want - Disney, SeaWorld, groceries, dining, mini golf, etc.

A few of the negatives were that the couch and chairs, as mentioned by other reviewers, were not comfortable, and our bed was a little lumpy. The internet connection in the lobby was very slow.

Overall, however, I would highly recommend this resort and would look to stay here again on a return trip to Orlando.

Our family stayed in a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom suite in building 4 at Grand Beach from Aug. 3- 10, 2007. We stayed there by an exchange through RCI.

The resort looked beautiful, just like the photos I had seen. I was disappointed that we could not get a lake front view but maybe that was because we arrived on a Friday.

I had read in reviews that the sofa & chairs were not comfortable and that is accurate. The beds were very comfortable and seemed new. The nice screened-in porch compensated for the uncomfortable sofa & 2 chairs and added an extra room if some people wanted to read instead of watch TV. The dining room chairs were comfortable.

I was glad there was a DVD player in the living room (as well as TV's in all 3 bedrooms). They have a machine to rent DVD's from in the lobby. Another convenience is the little market in the lobby where you can buy milk, eggs, bread, candy, newspaper, sunscreen, etc.

The front desk wasn't always helpful. We were there when the Space Shuttle launched and I called to ask if the Lobby TV was tuned in to the Countdown. They gave me the 3rd degree on why did I want to know. Then they told me that someone was watching another channel. I didn't believe them so I walked over to the building and there was one person using the internet, not watching the TV. I was trying to find a place to watch the countdown and then go outside to see the shuttle in the air. We ended up being able to see the shuttle in the air from our porch!

They charge you $40. for the week to use the internet in your room. They aren't the only ones that do that, but since we couldn't stay connected most of the time it was not a good deal. Even though there was a wireless router in our bedroom, the computer could only detect a signal in another suite down the hall. We only got one bar and the signal was dropped a lot. Going online with the wireless in the lobby is free. I asked a man connected there if it was because he had problems connecting in his room and he said yes.

If you are staying for 7 days they give you light maid service midweek. They had some exclusions but I don't remember them. We had a washer/dryer so we washed towels if needed. They gave us enough detergent for the week as well as dishwasher detergent.

There are two pools. Our building was near the pool by the Lobby. It wasn't large but was large enough and never crowded. There is a jacuzzi there too and the pool is right off the lake.

It was so hot that we didn't rent the canoes or paddleboats or the fishing rods and bait but they are available. There is a place down the street that rents Jet skis for Lake Bryan. We also didn't participate in any of the resort activities but there are some.

We couldn't believe how close we were to Epcot. We were off Rt 535 which is a major highway and very close to I-4 which is another major highway. It was very close and easy to get to the airport also.

We didn't do a lot of outside activities as our elderly parents were with us and it was 94 - 98 degrees outside the whole week. We were very happy that the air conditioning worked great.

One of the best things, especially because it was so hot, was that Grand Beach has elevators and indoor parking. The car didn't get as hot as it would have being parked outside. Even though our elevator wasn't air conditioned, I was glad not to have to walk up 4 flights of stairs (or even 1!)

In the Welcome packet we received there was a paper warning that portable gps units were a popular item to be stolen and don't leave anything in your car. Well sure enough, one day my husband after he put the gps under the seat (it was still plugged into the cigarette lighter) got distracted and didn't lock the door. That turned out for the best as another guest was giving a report to the police the same day as us and not only did their gps get stolen but their car window was broken. There is security from 4 pm to 7 am but they didn't catch the thief.

We all enjoyed our stay at Grand Beach.