Wordless Wednesday - From a 10th Floor Grand Villa at Aulani

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas at Vero Beach

Sunday Spotlight - Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort_® & Spa first opened at Walt Disney World_® Resort on May 17, 2004.  It was built on the site of the former Disney Institute_® and is one of several Disney Vacation Club_®  (DVC) timeshare properties at Walt Disney World.  The resort is themed to celebrate the legacy of a gentler era and captures the spirit of the 1880’s resort of Saratoga Springs, New York. This lakeside resort is filled with Victorian architecture, meticulous landscaping, and the horse-racing culture of the upstate New York community.

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa includes 60 Treehouse Villas, but I’ll feature those separately at another time.  The original resort has a total of 1,260 villas, comprised of Deluxe Studios, 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom, and 3-Bedroom Grand Villas. 

• Deluxe Studios are 365 square feet and can accommodate up to four guests, plus one child under age 3 in a crib.  They include a kitchenette, two queen-size beds, and a private porch or balcony.
• 1-Bedrooms are 714 square feet and can accommodate up to five guests, plus one child under age 3 in a crib. They include a fully equipped kitchen, washer & dryer, king-size bed in the master bedroom, a queen-size sleeper sofa plus a sleeper chair in the living room, a whirlpool tub in the bathroom, and a private porch or balcony. 
• 2-Bedrooms are 1,075 square feet and can accommodate up to nine guests, plus one child under 3 in a crib. They offer all that a 1-Bedroom has plus a second bedroom with 2 queen-size beds and a second full bathroom.
• 3-Bedroom Grand Villas are 2,113 square feet and can accommodate up to 12 guests, plus one child under 3 in a crib. They offer all of the amenities of the 2-Bedroom, plus they include a third bedroom with 2 queen-size beds, a third full bathroom, a full dining room, an additional private balcony, and are two-story rooms.

As a DVC timeshare property, the villas are owned by members through DVC’s points-based system.  DVC maintains about 3-4% ownership of the total point allocation for each of their timeshare resorts, therefore rooms are available for rent year-round to non-members. 

The resort includes 2 feature pools and 4 leisure or “quiet” pools, a children’s pool, whirlpools, sauna, fitness center, Community Hall family recreation room, tennis courts, extensive jogging trails, arcade, and recreational activities including Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.  It also features 1 table service restaurant:  The Turf Club Bar and Grill serving lunch and dinner;  2 quick-service counter locations: The Artist’s Palette, and the High Rock Grill. 

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort_® & Spa is a Deluxe Villas level resort located across the water from the Downtown Disney_® area.  Convenient bus transportation will take guests to all parts of Walt Disney World_® Resort, and water taxis transport guests to and from Downtown Disney.  The resort is also a short walk from Downtown Disney, and there are two different walking paths to it – one to the Marketplace area, and one to the West Side area.