I was invited to an art opening at the Oakland Manor House. I don't know if i was dazzled more by…read morethe beautiful art or by the incredibly beautiful restoration of the Oakland Manor house. The Manor house was built in 1921 as a guest house, back when Oakland was the place to be in Orange County. We had the pleasure of meeting one of the men who lovingly restored this house and he fave us a tour and told us the history. I would highly recommend this as a place to stay or a place to have a small event. It is absolutely gorgeous!

A quiet retreat near Lake Apopka in Oakland Fl. A place for tranquility, RN wellness Coaching,…read more consultations, meditation classes, yoga retreats, and more. Classes for The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. Monthly book club meetings and monthly nature walks featuring the Flora and Fauna of Central Florida. See Facebook and www.oaklandmanorhouse.com and livingwellrn.net. Bed and breakfast. 5 rooms available. Near West Orange Trail and Lake Apopka. .

We had a great experience at Banana leaf. I appreciate that this isn't your typical hotel. They…read moreprovided everything we needed without providing and charging us for things we didn't need. The rooms were clean and cozy. We loved the ping pong/pool table and outside chill area. My only complaint is the use of single use plastics and nobody recycles around here.

From the owner: We are a beautiful short to midterm tropical-themed property that sits on 1.5 acre nestled in the…read moreheart of Orlando, Florida and less than 20 minutes from many of Orlando’s favorite and famous attractions. We offer fourteen individually furnished rooms in four contemporary styles. Banana Leaf Villa is a housing destination of choice for guests looking for short to midterm stays in Orlando. At Banana Leaf Villa we combine the comforts of home where our guests can escape the hustle and bustle of the day and indulge in serenity to relax and recharge.

Not sure how I missed submitting this, but this was a terrible experience all around. We are have…read morestayed at other Springhill Suite before and after and they are much nicer. First, the good: proximity to Disney, and wish I his name, but the front checkin guy. This was March 18 in the late evening. He knew something wasn't right and was very nice. That where this ends, as the manager while decent, made excuses the whole time until called on all through proof and screen shots. The bad: 1 - We arrived at the resort after receiving confirmation that we were checked in (as shown in my screenshots), only to be told we didn't have a room. They claimed my card had been declined -- despite the confirmed check-in, which they themselves admitted didn't make sense. I immediately checked with Bank of America, and there was absolutely no record of any attempted charge. They also said they hadn't called us because there was no phone number on file -- which was false, as my confirmed check-in and app both had my contact info. Instead, they sent an email... while I was at Disney, not checking emails, since I had confirmed online check-in and had even called the resort that morning. At that time I was told then that our room wasn't ready yet and to come after the park. When they re-ran the charge, it went through instantly -- which didn't surprise me at all, since I've never had payment issues- and if declined because of concern of fraud, my bank contacts me right away via text. 2- They checked their other hotels, then called some in the area, said there were none available. They messed up and were about to tell us they were out of luck. They somehow found a room and put us in it. After all that happened, this was another hour and it was late. 3- Arrived to room, knew how this somehow became available- it was dirty. I am sure others declined and we were out of luck with no options. We found a bug, we found blood stains on the sheets, and the bathroom was not clean- just overall dirty. We laid towels down over all, then checked out. We didn't take advantage of any amenities, including breakfast, as we just wanted out and to enjoy our remaining time at another resort. 4-When leaving, we had a tag on our call for not paying for parking, which we never were asked about- through the chaos they forgot I guess. We told them this, then I also had a charge for this the next day. Love Marriot, but this is not that quality at all- rooms, service, all.

We are big fans of the Marriott company and stay at Marriott properties whenever we can…read more We chose this hotel because of its location and we had stayed at Springhill Suites before and had a good experience. This hotel is ok, a bit below what we had experienced at other Springhill Suites. First, to be clear, this is a budget-friendly and family-friendly hotel. Probably its best features are its proximity to Disney World and the free shuttle they have to Disney. Thus, it is not a luxury hotel so expectations have to be tamped down a bit. Best features: -staff was very friendly and helpful -free breakfast, which is not gourmet but it is decent -free parking if you have car -free shuttle to Disney -prices that are MUCH cheaper than if you stayed at a Disney hotel or one on the property -nice pool with hot tub -room appeared clean and did not smell Not-so-good features; -our room was tiny for 3 people. The workspace was small. It is much smaller than the room with 2 queen bess that we had in Bellingham WA for example. -the fan does not turn off. It goes 24/7 which actually is good because it drowns out the highway noise. -the thermostat does not respond. You put at 85, you put it at 75, you put it at 65, and you get same cold air that blows constantly and you can't turn off. I got up in the middle of the night to get a blanket. -beds are firm, I like softer -pillows are of the cheap variety -taxi drive from Orlando airport is $100 with tip -my Titanium status got me nothing at this property, no room upgrade or any of the things I am supposed to get except late checkout, and that was a disappointment. Overall, it is probably is worth staying here if you are going to Disney, but otherwise I would choose something a bit nicer.

My partner and I just got back from a staycation at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, and once again it…read morereminded me why this is one of my favorite hotels in Orlando. I've stayed here several times over the last 15 years, and it never disappoints. As one of Universal Orlando's original three Premier Resorts, it has everything you could want. The rooms are huge, the beds are hands down the most comfortable in all of the Universal hotels, the sheets are unbelievably soft, and there are plenty of great restaurants on property. The value is incredible too. Your room key doubles as an Express Pass at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, and if you've ever priced those passes, you know they can easily cost over $200 per person, per day. That alone makes staying here worth considering. We kicked off our trip with drinks at the Thirsty Fish. Check out my separate review because it was fantastic. We also had dinner at Mama Della's, which deserves its own review as well. This trip was all about the resort. We talked about going to CityWalk and maybe even hitting the parks, but we were having such a great time that we never left the hotel. Since it was just the two of us, it turned into the perfect relaxing getaway. Most people head to the Beach Pool with the slide, but we spent our time at the Villa Pool, and it was exactly what we were looking for. It reminded me of the pool at the Ritz-Carlton. Palm trees everywhere, a huge pool, tons of lounge chairs, and a much quieter atmosphere. It's only a short walk from the Beach Pool, and I was happy to find out it has the same full food and drink service. I ordered a tequila berry spritzer...or at least I think that's what it was called. I'll post a picture because I can't remember the exact name, but it was so good that by our second day it seemed like everyone around the pool was ordering one. Our second night, a big thunderstorm rolled in. We had reservations at CityWalk but canceled them, grabbed pizza and a Caesar salad from Sal's Market (see that review too), and had dinner in our room. Honestly, it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip. Good food, a little TV, some quality time together, and no reason to be anywhere else. We were only there for three days, but it felt like a true vacation. Whether you're coming to Orlando for the parks or just looking for an amazing staycation, Loews Portofino Bay is hard to beat. Was this review a little long? Probably. Do I care? Not even a little. We had an amazing time, and I think you will too.

Lovely and peaceful resort setting with beautiful grounds within walking distance to Universal…read moreStudios, City Walk, and Islands ...bonus inclusion of express passes for the parks. We enjoyed the resort, yet I felt that the standards should've been a bit higher for cleanliness for the price of rooms. The room was fairly average and a decent size, but it seemed to be cleaned in what I call a "surface clean" instead of a deeper clean. At a glance everything was tidy and accounted for, but I noticed a handful of things that needed to be addressed: one bedskirt had many large white stains easily visible, the bathroom doors had quite a few dirty hand/fingers prints, the shower floor felt somewhat slimy under my feet with some clear mildew, and while the bathroom floor was mopped/vacuumed, the edges of the bathroom weren't tended to so some buildup was visible. And while I'm sure it's a hard thing to address, we did see a few large cockroaches around and while getting into an elevator at ground level. These sorts of things that fall outside of a basic room cleaning should at a minimum be addressed regularly if not at each room processing. For me, they definitely take away from my impression of a hotel/resort, especially one marketed as deluxe or luxury. As for the beds, I'd actually chosen this hotel for reviews that stated the mattresses were plush, however while I'll admit they weren't extremely firm, they definitely didn't feel plush. The food at the restaurants was consistently good...we enjoyed a few meals at Trattoria and a takeaway pizza at the Deli...appreciated they had gluten free crust as well as snacks available. Again, beautiful resort, pools, grounds, and great access to entertainment...they just need to up their game in housekeeping.

I recently spent a weekend at the Mission Resort and Club. The property is gorgeous, the staff is…read morehelpful and knowledgeable, and the food is fabulous!! I highly recommend this property if you want a true "old Florida@ experience.

Service!!!!!!!! All areas of service contact are unwelcoming and unfriendly. With the exception of…read moreAndy, (shuttle drier) who was friendly and I believe the only person we encountered who smiled. Lobby staff seemed unorganized. Restaurant staff unfamiliar with what was offered, wasn't sure what a sparkling water was? Steak ordered med rare and presented well done. Breakfast buffet staff argued over who was going to serve our table. Staff behavior demonstrates low wages, poor management or both. Oh and the bed was terrible, very sunk in the middle. Pro shop staff did not know how to give cash change back so I had to use a CC. Requested high floor got a ground room facing a yard with a broken kids play tower. So disappointed in this establishment! The grounds are beautiful but a drive thru is enough.

From the seamless check-in process to obtaining a high floor room with an amazing view, this…read morestaycation was definitely worth it. From the amazing staff in the roaring Fork quick service.; her name is Carolina, she displayed exceptional guest service to the highest level. She assisted my mom and I make coffee choices as well as she told me I had a cute hat. I mentioned she could find the hat in animal kingdom. We also dined at Roaring Fork last night and I had a great Mediterranean salad with chicken. After eating at roaring Fork, we went out to gyser point for some late refreshments and snacks, which I will be doing a separate review for those. The cast members to mention are Josh the chef, Anna the server from geyser point, and Josh the bartender from Geyser Point. The hotel grounds around the property are serene and have a calming quality. 10/10 Definitely recommend this stay cation

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground is one of the best places to stay at Walt Disney World…read moreif you enjoy the outdoors. The campground is beautifully maintained, peaceful, and surrounded by nature, yet still offers all the Disney magic.

What a romantic stay at one of my favorite local hotels in Orlando. After a night out , we booked a…read moreroom to have a relaxing weekend of just us and it was a really nice way to wind down. We had a beautiful king bedroom with beautiful view of downtown. We ordered room service and also enjoyed a night cap in the hot tub. The Sunday brunch was phenomenal and so was the couples massage. We already booked another weekend stay and I'm looking forward to it. Perfect staycation hotel as it's right near lake Eola, church street and the dr Phillips center.

What a lovely hotel! We did enjoy staying here. All the employees were so friendly and welcoming,…read morethe room was clean and nice, good options for breakfast at the lounge and downstairs restaurant. The only downside - valet parking only, and the bathroom didn't have ventilation. After shower it was just way too hot and steamy. We would definitely come back!