Oh so grand, Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort!

We just came back from a great trip to Disney!  Before we left my 6 year old (going on 16) said "when we get back from Florida our house is going to seem so lame"  What??  After staying at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort, I have to say I think he had a point.  This hotel is amazing!

Located inside the Walt Disney World gates, The Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort is just a short shuttle ride to all the excitement.  We did two days at Disney parks and two days at the resort, it was the perfect balance.

Even if you are not planning to go to any of the parks, Wyndham Grand has so much to offer you don't even have to leave the resort.  Fabulous restaurants, pools, spa, gym, arcade, bar, lounge, business center and luxuriously comfortable beds!  Here are the details that make this resort such a great escape.

Our room - two deluxe queen beds and an alcove with bunk beds and a TV for the kids.

our room

A view of the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club.  This tortured my golf-loving husband.  Maybe next time he will get out there.

view from our room

I love lovely details and special touches.  This hotel was full of them...

 "Bath & Body Works" toiletries 

Wolfgang Puck in-room coffee

Starbuck's Coffee at The Barista in the main lobby

And the decor, the beautiful, unique decor...I loved it!

Sean a little tired here?  

funky blue chandelier

different sitting areas at every turn...

The Blue Harmony on-site spa...my husband had the best massage here.

The gym...never made it...LOL...but it's looked great!

Our room was on the concierge level (floors 12-14) which allowed us access to the concierge lounge-- another beautifully decorated area that included two large flat screens, a computer, fresh fruit and ice cold water...a great place to hide, I mean, relax!

And the pool, the fabulous pool...

a hot tub at every corner of the pool area

Nana escaped to the hot tub

We rented a cabana that was equipped with lounge chairs, fruit, water, a fridge, fan and TV.

My mum peeking out

Mike and the boys taking a break in the cabana

So many activities to entertain the kids!

games at the pool everyday

an arcade!

Kids club

Kids club has babysitting (ages 5-12) with loads of activities, in the evening if you would like a quiet kid-free dinner.  We didn't do this because Sean is only 4.  Next year!

Speaking of dinners...the restaurants were top notch.  We had dinner one night at Tesoro Cove and had breakfast there each morning, which fueled us up for Disney!  The food was delicious and service was great!!

There is also a 5-star restaurant, Deep Blue, that we unfortunately never made it to, but we heard from other guests that it was phenomenal.

Thanks to my Mom, my husband and I did enjoy some kid-free time.  One night after spending the day in Disney, we went to Bar 1521 for a much needed drink and enjoyed a calamari appetizer.

Then the next night after a 12 hour day at Disney's Hollywood Studios (yes, that's right 12 hours...yes we are insane), my mom and kids went to bed and we hit the outdoor Back Bay Pool Bar & Grill.  We had drinks, nachos and chicken quesadillas that really hit the spot!

Poolside bar during the day

Everyone we came in contact with was extremely courteous, friendly and helpful.  From Lisa at the front desk who checked us in, to the girl at concierge desk who was so nice and helpful in trying to track down our lost luggage at the airport (thankfully it arrived very early the next morning).  Sweet Foresia, who cleaned our room everyday and gave us extra towels and a great smile...Ron Presman, the manager who checked in with us to make sure we enjoyed our stay...the very nice Omar who took our picture and packed our luggage in our rental car.

On our last day we checked out and had a few hours before heading to the airport.  We were able to store our luggage and hang out at the pool one last time.  I can't say enough good things about this hotel, I absolutely loved it!!

Bye bye Wyndham Grand, we had a grand time!

www.wyndham.com

Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort - Bonnet Creek

14651 Chelonia Parkway

Orlando, Florida 32830

I received a complimentary stay at Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort to facilitate this review.

Shopping and Bar Hopping in NYC

My favorite hotel, The New Yorker, is having special 35% off sale.  This is a great deal for a great hotel with a perfect location.  Book now for a stay from now until September!  Sale ends today 3/9, so don't miss out!  Check out their shiny new website www.newyorkerhotel.com

I've mentioned my love for this hotel in a past post, but I also went back to stay there again the week before Christmas with three of my very best friends.  NYC is exciting anytime of year, but Christmas time is magical!

Our Trip:
Words cannot describe how excited we mamas were to go on this little trip!
We took an (extremely) early Amtrak train from 128 Westwood Station.  I did this last time and it worked out great.  Not much traffic and really easy to park--$12 a day.

We were able to check-in early!  The New Yorker Hotel lobby was decorated for the holidays.  Once again this hotel was perfect.

We scored a "Cyber Monday" deal that was a steal for Christmas time in NYC.

Our room was very nice and quite spacious...and as I have mentioned before the beds are so so comfortable.

The view from our room

We freshened up and then walked to Times Square.

We had a few celebrity sightings...one was real...Nick Lachey

and one was made out of wax...lol

Heather and faux Tony Bennett

We decided to see the sights by way of a Grey Line double decker bus!  You could get on and off all over Manhattan all day.  We were bundled up so we sat in the open air up top, it was awesome.  Kerri was our photographer...

Me and Heather on the double decker bus

Here are some things Kerri captured along the way...

cool black and whites suitable for framing

Empire State Building

Washington Square Park

We got off the bus for a late lunch in Soho/Little Italy.  We happened upon this lovely place, The Grey Dog.  So cozy inside.  The wine was 1/2 off after 4...of course we stayed until after 4!  It goes down in history as one of the best lunches ever...so relaxing, lots of laughs, good food and of course wine.  

It was dark when we left, Little Italy was all lit up...

We bought dozens scarves and pashminas on Canal Street and in Little Italy.  We hopped back on the bus...very cool riding on the top or the double decker at night...a little chilly but worth it.

Housewives of NY fans?  This is Jill Zarin and her
 husband's fabric business

Rockefeller Plaza

Home of the Rockettes!

We got back to the hotel and got ready for a night on the town!

View from our hotel room at night.

We started with a fancy smancy dinner at Ruth's Chris.  Excellent!

From there we went to a few bars/pubs and ended up at The Mean Fiddler--dancing and foolishness ensued until the wee hours.  Our last stop of the night (morning) was the Tick Tock 24 hour diner...this city really doesn't sleep!  I shall not reveal what time we finally put our heads on the pillows.

The next day (later that morning) we got huge coffees, thankfully Dunkin Donuts was right on the corner.  We checked out of the hotel but were able to leave our luggage locked up until we were ready to take the train home later.

Our plan was to walk to Rockefeller Plaza.  We saw some landmarks and shopped/haggled with  various street vendors along the way.

In the Fashion District they were selling some dresses on the street.

I got this one for 20 bucks.

Rockefeller Plaza was bustling with holiday excitement.

Woody was a little creepy and smelled like pee--sorry, just a warning

After one last stop at the Tick Toc Diner we headed home on the train back to Boston.  We had an absolute blast, but we were ready to get back to our kids and get some sleep.

Maureen said it best on her facebook status that evening "heading home from the city that never sleeps, to get some sleep"

Some of my loot

scarves and pashminas