Travelog: Sheraton Vistana Villages Orlando

This is a very late post. 3 months late and I won't offer excuses haha. I went to Orlando, Florida earlier this year - April 2012 to be fairly exact - to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Yup! I WENT THERE!!! And yes, Hogwarts was fun!

But before I start the Potter craziness, I'll post about our accommodations while in Orlando. It was tough deciding which place to stay. I found that most hotels are not as accessible as I would like them to be (in comparison to Anaheim) and a bit pricier too. We were not planning on driving around Orlando so accessibility was important for us. Each hotel has advantages and disadvantages so after careful consideration, we chose the Sheraton Vistana Villages mainly because of the amenities.

Our room is complete - a kitchenette, a dining table for four, flat screen TV, laundry, etc. The room was really clean and comfortable.

I love the Sheraton bed! Also, they were generous with pillows. I think there were 4 extra ones I found in the closet.

  

I don't have a picture of the bathroom but it's clean. They provided lots of towels too. However, there was a minor mishap as the toilet became clogged in the middle of our stay. We called room service and they sent someone within minutes. Apparently, it's a common occurrence.

Wilderness. The view outside our room.

Amenities that we didn't get to use. haha. The resort is HUGE. We were only able to walk half of it.

Resort entrance.

Some things that you may want to take a note of about this resort:
1) Because we were not driving, I asked for us to be booked in a villa near the entrance and the reception, which is a building on its own.
2) They have a small convenience store. However it was a bit of a walk since it's at the back of the resort.
3) They have free Disney transportation. Ask the receptionist about it.
4) Transportation to Universal Studios is $11. Ask the receptionist for the bus schedule.
Some things that you may want to take a note of about staying in Orlando:
1) A delivery company services most of the restaurants around International Drive so prepare to pay extra.
2) Learn the transit system. I'm telling you, it's confusing. Also, they do not have stops in most of the major attractions (except Sea World). Our hotel has a bus stop in front but has no pedestrian lanes so you can cross the street to the stop on the other side. I really don't understand what they want us to do.
3) ALLIGATORS. Yup there are lots.
To be continued...