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.

Easy Breezy Cape Cod

This past weekend one of my BFFs, Heather, and I took our kids the Cape.  We didn't have a real plan.  We knew we were staying two nights at the Ocean Park Inn in Eastham and at some point on Saturday we were going to Heather's family reunion in Harwichport.  Other than that we decided to fly by the seat of our pants.  This is what I love about Heather, she is so easy to be with and we always have fun.

The kids swam in the outdoor and indoor pools morning, noon and night.  We did bumper boats, beaches, trampolines, go-carts, more beaches, more bumper boats and arcades. 

We also ate out.  In this case not planning ahead for a child with food allergies makes me nervous. This is something you really can't be easy breezy about.  I did have back up food in the cooler if there wasn't something that I thought was safe for Sean.  I think because Cape Cod is such a summer tourist attraction almost everywhere we went had a sign posted that said "please inform your server if there is a food allergy in your party".  Sometimes I feel like they put this sign up as if to say "if you have an allergy there is really nothing you can eat here ".  This was not the case at the Fairway in North Eastham.  The manager came out and asked me thoughtful questions.  She told us how they would safely cook Sean's food.  They were so welcoming and understanding.

Although after a few root beers it got a little rowdy!

More pictures from our mini vacation:

Plenty of movies for the ride down.

Sean at the outdoor pool.

The indoor pool...

The beautiful beach in Harwichport.

The go-carts in Harwich.

The bumper boats in Harwichport.

The trampolines in Harwichport.

We took a tram-like shuttle to Coast Guard Beach, located in the Cape Cod National Seashore.

This beach was beautiful and the waves were awesome.

The Red Barn - a great place for lunch, arcades and a beer (located within walking distance from our hotel).  Sean was able to eat here too!

and more bumper boats...

Great fun, great weather, great friends...all around greatness.

Contact info for all the places we went:
http://www.capecodopi.com/
http://www.fairwaycapecod.com/
http://www.theredbarnpizza.com/
Buds Go Karts - 9 Sisson Road, Harwich, MA
Grand Slam Entertainment - 322 Main Street, Harwichport, MA
Trampoline Center, 296 Main Street, Rt. 28, Harwichport, MA