Staybridge Suites

We stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks including Easter 2004. We were very pleased with the facilities in the hotel (we used the pool, the gym and the lauderette) The hot tub was a lovely way to relax in the evenings (although sometimes it got too hot!) We also enjoyed the breakfasts. The free evening food and drinks were quite unexpected! Like other guests it took us a while to discover the excellent new supermarket behind the hotel. We ate in a few times and the cooking facilities were superb (huge fridge/freezer, dishwasher, cooker etc). We hired a car so getting to Disney sites was really easy (10 minutes max). We also drove to International Drive and across to the coast. Very easy location to get in and out of. Joe's Crab Shack and a few other good restaurants are just across the road. We felt spoilt for choice. The rooms were large and well maintained. Cleaning daily was a bonus. We would definitely stay here again.

We stayed here from 21st August until 8th September 2004, this visit included an unwelcome appearance by hurricane Frances! We were apprehensive before arrival because we had been told the hotel was undergoing refurbishment. Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised, a very neat reception area and our suite was, at first glance, very smart. The suite we had was quite presentable although closer inspection showed it to be a little tired, though most things weren't at first noticeable. Having said this, I've stayed at some 5 star hotels in the UK on business and I'd have to say this place is not bad at all. We had several cockroaches in our suite over the 2 and a half weeks, so this doesn't count as an infestation, but that's not much of a consolation to my wife and daughter who weren't used to such close encounters with these insects. Reception staff weren't very helpful due to them being (seemingly primarily) spanish speaking and very young (inexperienced), this wasn't important largely but when a hurricane is heading your way it's nice to get some clear advice as to what to do. It took us 4 days to discover that the "convenience store" (corner shop) across the road wasn't as useful as the full blown supermarket behind the hotel, obscured by trees, (Winn Dixie's about 100 yards further away!) but the reception staff didnt think it worth telling us about this. We didn't have a car with this holiday but relied on taxis to most places and the free shuttle bus from the hotel to disney. Be warned that the maps etc that you are given are not at all to scale, Universal was quite a trip by taxi, although it only cost us 20 dollars each way (car parking would have been 8 dollars). The hotel has plenty of facilities like a laundry (be prepared to have lots of tokens), an arcade room for kids, spa pool, swimming pool etc. A slight annoyance was the "business center" which had 2 PC's and a printer, this seemed to be mostly frequented by youngsters even though there was a statement to the effect that children under 16 should be accompanied by an adult. I mention this because we were trying to get messages to family because of the hurricane and had to wait while young teenagers chatted to their friends back home. Breakfast wasn't much to our liking (there's plenty to be had if you're not so fussy) but others seemed to enjoy it, same with the free evening nosh that varied from burgers with salad to simply salad! Plenty of eating places within a short walk, best was sizzlers, albeit a tad pricey if you want to go there regularly (around 50 dollars for 3 (including sales tax (VAT) and tips) although you can eat as much as you want!) Overall the hotel was quite good, it seemed to be patronised by plenty of American businessmen which I would say is a good sign. The accomodation compares very well to the typical fare most europeans are faced with on typical package holidays, but don't expect family entertainment. We were generally quite happy with our stay, but were not happy with the way that Virgin holidays helped us (not) during the hurricane and the hotel staff were not much help either, in this event it seems you are "on your own".

We stayed in the Staybridge Suites in Lake Buena Vista in August 2004. It is right near the Goodings/Downtown Disney Area. It was really great! We have NEVER stayed off property before and we did only stay for one night but I was overly impressed for a $112 2BR/2BA with a full kitchen (everything you could want pots, micro, regular oven, dishwasher, coffepot) and a decent sized living room. The furnishings looked brand new. It had 3 TV's and was on the first floor facing the cozy courtyard about 100 feet from the pool. They had a large hot tub, pool and a splash pool for babies which all my kids liked to hang out in, not just the baby! 7 of us had plenty of room in this 2 BR to hang out and relax. There was free high speed internet computers set up right next to the lobby. I checed my email and groups while everyone had breakfast. You could also rent videos in the lobby. They had a cold continental breakfast but for $3 you can get a freshly made omelet or big waffle. We found plenty to eat. They also have a cocktail hour with free tap beer and wine and every night they have a different free appetizer. It seems like a pretty new/updated place and is within walking distance to grocery stores, Walgreens, and many many retaurants. I would say it is a 10-15 minute walk to downtown disney. They also have 1 BR with a full kitchen and living room etc. I am pretty picky about hotels, and I was pleasantly surprised here. They are owned by Intercontinental Hotels. We had spent the prior 2 nights at the Portofino Bay in 2 concierge rooms and we were treated better here.

On 8/13/04, I called the central reservations for Staybridge Suites in Orlando. I wished a room on Oct 13-19th, and had an Orlando Majicard which said the room would be $79 per night. I was told that they had no more of those rooms but they did have a one room suite for $119, the AARP rate. This hotel advertises only one and two room suites!If you don't want my business, then do not advertise for it.

We have just returned from a two week holiday at the Staybridge Suites, LBV. It was a lovely place to stay, and great to come back to after a busy day at the parks. It is close to all the parks and a courtesy bus takes you there, although we chose to use our hire car to explore. The apartment was cleaned every day and the dishwasher put on for us. The beds were made everyday and the bins emptied. There was a huge fridge/freezer in the kitchenette with ample cupboard space but unfortunatley there is no kettle, grater or baking sheet. The on site facilities were handy too with a guest laundry, swimming pool and games room as well as the free breakfast every morning..... I could go on and on. Great place to stay. Top marks!

I have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Staybridge Suites, Lake Buena Vista with my 9yr old daughter, my friend and her 11 yr old son. I have read some of the other reviews and find it quite amusing what some people expect from accommodation that is under renovation. We endured a horrendous flight with a 5 hour delay and were absolutely shattered on arrival but were met by friendly hospitable staff. We found that the 2 bedroom suite (room safe included for our personal documents) suited our needs as well as having a bathroom each and 3 televisions to choose from. It meant that in the afternoon if there was a thunderstorm the kids could watch their own programme without any arguements and the adults could stay in the lounge watching old re-runs of Dallas!! We certainly didn't pick our accommmodation because we would be spending all day in it. When you travel to Orlando to do a Disney Park holiday your accommodation is a base - you don't expect the Grand Floridian unless you book it!!! Your room was cleaned daily, fresh towels delivered and all rubbish removed. We even came back one day and the dishwasher had been loaded for us - Great!! The breakfast although continental was far more than your normal continental breakfast. You had a choice of cheese/ham omelette or waffles at $3.50 (great value for money) and loads more. There were 3 types of bread to choose from, bagels, french toast, biscuits (typically american) with a sausage gravy, boiled eggs, peaches/fruit salad or fresh fruit (apples, oranges, bananas), 4 types of breakfast juice to choose from, coffee, tea, cereal, muffins, cinammon rolls and danish pastries. If you wanted bacon and eggs you could go to Sizzler or somewhere nearby. We found the pool to be a good size with loads of sun chairs available and there were fresh towels delivered several times a day to the poolside. They had a games room with several games machines, the laundry service was token operated and provided a vending machine for soap powder. The gym was small but adequate equipment if you fancied a workout - although trekking round Magic Kingdom and the other parks was excercise enough if you ask me!! The hotel bus service to the Disney Parks was good, a little busy at times but then it was the middle of July and how great it was to discover where "Margareta Pracatan" had disappeared to. Her look alike can be found driving the bus to Magic Kingdom/MGM Studios. We were close by to Downtown Disney, Seaworld and Discovery Cove - no more than $10 by taxi to any of them. Universal was a little further away but within a £20 taxi ride. By far the best thing about the accommodation which must be said was the friendly, courteous staff (Thank you Markesha and Anthony). Guest services were more than accommodating to our party on several occassions -including paying for a taxi when a shuttle bus failed to collect us for a shopping trip. The accommodation is under renovation at the moment and is a work in progress but we all know that unlike "Mickey" you can't wave a magic wand. We found the Staybridge Suites comfortable, well located for our holiday needs, staff were exceptionally hospitable and friendly and we would book again when we return to meet Mickey and the gang!

Our family of four (2 adults and two children aged four years and 19 months) have just returned from a 14-night stay at the Staybridge Suites. Overall our experience was very disappointing. We chose this accommodation because of the space provided by a two bedroom suite plus the excellent reviews posted on this website. First the good points: Breakfast OK considering that it was free but the waffle was certainly worth an extra $3.50. Clean towels provided every day and the rubbish removed on a daily basis. The pool was very clean and larger than expected. Staff generally helpful. Hotel very convenient for grocery shopping and restaurants. Now the bad points: Although the floor space within the bedrooms was more than adequate, the sitting area was too small. The carpets were worn and dirty especially in the kitchen area, dirt had accumulated around the edges of the fitted kitchen units. The kitchen cupboards had seen far better days and appeared to be mouldy also some of draw veneers were coming away – very unhygienic. On our second day we discovered an extremely large roach in the children’s bedroom – we caught it and put it outside. The next day we found a further two roaches, the room we believe was then sprayed but several more were found after this spraying – we were told by the front desk that you have to expect these insects in Florida but we have never encountered them on our previous two visits. The hotel has just begun renovations, these renovations are very much needed and should improve the rooms considerably. So far as the advertised facilities of a gift shop/convenience store – we never did find this – perhaps it was pulled down along with half of the lobby on the first day of our holiday. And finally the very bad points: The door to our suite backed directly onto a road encircling the hotel, parking was across this road. Lorries, coaches and cars also used this road as a short cut. The door could and was opened by our toddler very easily, a notice fitted next to the door warned parents about the potential danger and recommended securing the top latch; unfortunately our four year old could also open this. We always had to be on our guard in case the children got out of the room. The wardrobe in the second bedroom had folding glass doors; our toddler continuously got his fingers trapped in the hinges. In our opinion these suites are unsuitable for families with small children. In retrospect we should have asked for a room change, but pool view rooms were subject to very noisy groups of people using the pool late at night. In conclusion we would not consider retuning to this hotel although we still had a great holiday.

We are a Granma, Granpa, Daughter and 2 young teenagers and we have just returned from our fourth visit to Orlando and once again stayed at Staybridge Suites, Lake Buena Vista, although it has had a change of name, the suites are very good, the staff are very good (some of them have been there for all our visits)! We feel the suites are ideally situated for all the tourist attractions and eating and shopping! We appreciated the new 'Sundowners' and are now saving for our 5th visit very soon we hope. Thank you Staybridge.

We stayed here for 4 nights in May 2004. We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite on the second floor. The 2 bedroom suite was great for our young children (2 and 4 years old). We put them to bed in 1 room, and we were able to stay up and actually have a conversation! There are 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, with a main room in between. There is a small kitchen, with full fridge, microwave, coffee maker, utensils, plates, etc. Everything we needed. TV in each bedroom and in the main room. The main room TV had a VCR. Based on previous reviews, we requested a room facing out, and away from the pool. Nice and quiet. The pool doesn't close until 11 pm and can sometimes get loud. We were able to stay for $99/night with an Entertainment card discount. Go to www.entertainment.com and get a card/book for $15. The regular price for this room was ~$130. There are also non-refundable, Internet only discounts available at the Staybridge website. We drove to Disneyworld each day. It took about 15-20 minutes in traffic. Winn Dixie, Walgreen and Eckerds are right next door...very convenient for grocery shopping. The hotel has a free continental style breakfast every morning, with hot food available for an additional fee - we ate in the room though. The kids pool is small, but adequate. There's also a larger adult pool and a hot tub. The staff was courteous and helpful. I'm amazed that Disney doesn't offer similar accomodations on site. It's the main reason we didn't stay in a Disney hotel....no multi room suites. All in all, I would stay here again, and recommend it to others (but don't pay full price!).

Just returned from a 5 night stay. Carpet and furniture were well worn, as were the tub and bathroom countertops. The "heated pool" was ice cold. Maid service was excellent, and every request was granted that day. The room (one bedroom suite) was very clean but seemed much smaller than that pictured on the web. We were located on the main road side which was very noisy. The breakfast was adequate. The "OPEN 24/7" front desk was closed and locked when I wanted to get some cream for my coffee at 6:30 am, and a sign on the door read "sorry-sold out". Mostly, I was disappointed with the free shuttle service. The bus did not go to Universal Studios and stopped at three to four other area hotels, adding to our drive time. I wish I had known in advance that the hotel did not have its own bus as I would have considered renting a car.