My husband and I needed a quick 4 day getaway from the rat race, so we booked what we thought at the time was a great deal, (I will explain that later) and I was indecisive about our stay at the Hyatt GC or Hilton LBV; We stayed at both properties in the past 10 years or so, and the Hilton now has a lazy river, so I was leaning towards that, but decided on the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Now this review is my perspective as a Travel agent and guest.
As a TA I would definitely recommend this resort to my clients for leisure or business. It has the best of both worlds; The property is Gorgeous!! Although I was not here on business I spoke to guests who I met at the pool, who said they previously stayed here for conferences and would surely stay again for both business and leisure. The #1 reason I would recommend for business, because when that meeting, seminar or conference is over, you can step out of the work clothes right into your vacation clothes, go to that fabulous pool and feel like you are in two different places at one time. The pool area itself is an oasis away from the 9-5 business dealings of the day.
We arrived before 12 noon, and our room was ready, which was a blessing. Thankfully I never had to deal with her again. On check out day, she was there again, assisting another couple, and again, same nonchalant cold demeanor, and quite rude to this young family with kids when the parents were asking about the number of beds in their room. The expressions on their faces confirmed what I was thinking.
Our room package included breakfast and late check out, which now I am spoiled and will definitely request this again. We had a 6:20pm flight back home, so were able to sleep late, have breakfast, lounge at the pool, shower, dress, and check out by 2pm; Nice!! Adding the breakfast was a huge plus, although IHOP and Denny’s are very close by, it was nice waking up, and not having to leave the resort.
The breakfast crew every morning were very pleasant and energetic, ready to take care of the guests, especially Mike our waiter; My husband is an early bird, so he would go have breakfast without me, and once Mike discovered who I was, he took care of me every morning, when I came later for breakfast. He would politely tell the hostess, "I took care of her husband this morning, I'll take care of her". He was so sweet.
The Bellmen and Valet guys out in front of the hotel were also very polite and friendly. I forgot the one guys name who has been employed there for 12+ years, and when he said “I remember you and your husband from years ago”, Welcome back! I was floored; What a memory!!
We used Concierge to reserve our seats on the shuttle bus for Disney springs; Very professional and courteous. I highly recommend you do this as soon as you know you are going to Disney springs; There are only approx 14 seats on this bus and they fill up quickly.
Ah the Pool! This has to the one of the highlights of our stay! The pool is amazing! Just fabulous! It's been years since our last visit, some things did not change, however, the pool bar is now located on the other side of the pool, which in my opinion was a great move. New chair covers, rock climbing wall (I don't remember seeing this on our last visit); Music plays throughout the day, which adds a nice touch, but I wish they would change it to soft rock. During the evenings when the music is turned off, hubby and I would bring our own small IPOD stereo and listen to some smooth jazz or oldies by the pool. The pool is open very late, until at least midnight! That is almost unheard of at many resort hotels; Nice feature!!
There was a gentleman there also on vacation with his family, and he sat by the pool with his music and glass of wine. The atmosphere at this resort really puts you in that mood. I call it the chill spot. There are also little quiet spots about the resort to sit and relax if you want to get away from everyone.
You really never have to leave the property; 3 pools, (1 heated) paddle boats, canoes, bicycles, rock climbing, putt putt golf, scheduled activities throughout the day; I hear many people complain about the resort fee, but everything I just mentioned is included in that fee; Maybe if people start taking advantage of it, the fee would not be such a big deal; It’s the nature of the business with many resort hotels who offer these amenities;
The idea is for you to never have to leave if you choose not to, but at the same time, if you feel like engaging in onsite activities, it is there for your pleasure. Many of the guests I saw were utilizing those services. Every morning someone was out on the lake in a paddle boat, or riding bikes; My hubby and I along with another couple and their son, played a little putt putt golf during the same time; Although it was very humid, It was quality time well spent.
Rooms - The room looks pretty much the same in my opinion, (older decor) very clean, love the shower, and although the bed was a bit too hard for my taste, I slept well; the TV is huge! Some folks make a big fuss about modern vs dated, the room was fine in my opinion; Modern and new does not always mean clean; also sometimes Modern and sleek looks sterile, and it definitely would not fit this hotel; Maybe update the chairs and sofas, but that is it; We had a nice view of the lake, but if we decide to stay here again, I may try a suite; We did get to see fireworks from Disney Wednesday night from our small balcony;
The sliding door for the closet and bathroom combined was pretty cool; It did not lock, but that did not bother us. There is a mini refrigerator, and two comp bottles of water daily; There are no microwaves, but I discovered there are microwaves for guest use on different floors;
Tip - It pays to read the hotel booklet in the room! 😃
Housekeeping was good, the first morning they were early, the last two mornings the room was cleaned in the afternoons but it worked out fine, because we were hardly ever in rooms.
Dining options; No cheap options here; Everything is pricey, drinks and food; myself and one of the guests were in the Market across from the gift shop and we both jokingly said the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the cheapest thing here @ $3.00 each.LOL. However its the nature of the business right?, Breakfast was very good every morning. Not crazy about the coffee, but I made it work; We only had dinner here 2x and each time was the Pepperoni and Sausage pizza. I was not sure what to expect at $16.00, Yikes, but thankfully it was enough for both me and my husband and it was absolutely delicious!! I have had a lot of pizza, but this was by far the best I've had anywhere in the USA. Shout out the bartender at the Lakehouse (I cannot remember his name) he was such a cool guy, and he also loved the pizza! Hemmingways was closed for renovations, so we did not get a chance to dine here.
We were able to use the shuttles a few times to visit Disney Springs, and the driver would also take us to the entrance gate so that we could go to the convenience store for snacks. That was also added bonus for staying here. Very polite drivers.
I hope in the future the hotel will add live entertainment such as a live jazz band maybe a night or 2 during the week. It would surely add to the ambience.
This resort hotel is definitely a go to spot for a nice couples getawy, family trip, girls trip, guys retreat, or anything in between; Whether you are doing the parks or not, you can come here to get away from it all, and truly feel like you are far away from home.
I have to also give another special shout out to our check out lady (again did not get her name; I need to do better with staff names :)) but she was the bomb! She helped us with our boarding passes, helped my hubby upgrade his seat, and purchase our checked bags for Frontier airlines; She was so nice, and patient with us. Now that is what I call quality customer service.
Would I recommend the Hyatt RGC to my clients? I sure would! Will hubby and I return in the future for a quick getaway as guests? That is our plan. I am the queen when it comes to planning mini vacations, and Hyatt RGC will definitely be on my list of getaway vacation ideas to my clients.
We created the package and atmosphere we wanted - A mini getaway, short flight, nice resort with an awesome pool, decent rooms, Breakfast package, late checkout, a bar or two, nearby activities if we wanted to indulge, onsite activities, and most importantly all without breaking the bank!
It's not always where you go but who you are with (and that includes a solo trip), but if its the right destination, hotel or resort, Bingo!
georgiawilliams.inteletravel.com
georgiastravelboutique@gmail.com
Tropicana Resort and Casino checks all of our boxes when planning a visit to AC, but this time around we cheated on our favorite hotel, and decided on a date night at the newly reopened Oceans Resort and Casino (formerly the Revel); I got what I thought was a good deal, considering its summer, and we stayed on a Sunday night, and I am so glad that I booked when I did, because when I checked the rates a few days later, it jumped 20%!! Sometimes it pays to wait until last minute, sometimes not. We also purchased tickets to see the Motor City Live Tribute to Motown show which was at the new Hard Rock Casino Hotel a few doors down; Unfortunately the show was just okay for us; It seemed the singers were just to young to really give you the old school Motown feel, and although they could all sing well, We thought the voices were too new school for the Motown sound.
