Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate Rating: 4.5 Pearls

South of Disney, Orlando, Florida

Guests can relax around a bonfire.

It may be 15 minutes from Disney's Animal Kingdom, but the 720-room Omni offers so much on its compact, easily walkable grounds that guests here can have an entirely Mickey-free trip if they so desire. A destination resort anchored by a 15-floor tower, the hotel is surrounded by 45 holes of golf that serve as a buffer against the outside world. The Omni attempts to provide anything a guest might need, be it a couple good restaurants, three big pools, a wide range of family activities, big comfortable guest rooms, or 70,000 square feet of meeting space for business travelers. Once I parked my rental car, there didn't seem to be much reason to leave.

Nearby, the Reunion Resort offers similar features and a comparable level of service, as well as a more elaborate water park and larger suites with full kitchens. But unlike at the Omni, you'll have to take a 15-minute resort shuttle to get from one end of the sprawling Reunion Resort to the other. Also, while the service throughout the Omni is swift and professional, it's not quite as doting as it is at the similarly priced Ritz-Carlton. Likewise, the Ritz's rooms are a bit more up-to-date -- the Omni's still have old tube TVs. Of course, the Ritz's one golf course can't compare to the Omni's three (well, two-and-a-half) courses.

''USA Today'' delivered Mondays through Fridays

The service throughout the resort is polished and professional. Two eager valets waved hello as I pulled up; they were happy to schlep my luggage while I parked the car, and a porter delivered my bags to my room just minutes after I checked in. There was no wait at the well-staffed front desk, and the restaurant service was similarly swift, without feeling rushed. At the breakfast buffet, a server graciously offered to get me a coffee to go (a nice touch, not often seen at large Orlando resorts). However, while I did hear a lot of "sirs," the hotel is too big to expect any address-you-by-name interactions.

• 24-hour room service
• The turndown service (on request) includes a filled ice bucket, a one-page recap of the day's news from USA Today, and fresh bathroom towels.
• The concierge can help with all things Disney, including arranging free transportation to the parks from the hotel, as well as shopping and dining recommendations.
• Unlike at other luxury-level resorts, food and drinks aren't allowed on the pool decks so there's no service to your lounge chair.
• Fee for valet parking; self-parking is free.

View on a Larger Map

The resort is located in a manicured, mostly residential area, 28 miles southwest of Orlando International Airport and 15 miles southwest of Disney's Magic Kingdom (the closest Disney park, Animal Kingdom, is about 10 miles away). A grocery store, pharmacy, and a few chain restaurants are less than a five-minute drive away, but there's little else in the immediate area.

• The Disney theme parks, each of which have giant parking lots, are each about a 15- to 20-minute drive away.
• Downtown Disney, a retail and dining complex that also provides park-and-ride service to Disney theme parks is 15 minutes away.
• SeaWorld Orlando is 20 minutes north along Interstate 4; the drive to Universal Orlando Resort takes about the same amount of time.
• Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center are about a 90-minute drive.
• 30-minute drive to Orlando International Airport

The Deluxe Room

The guest rooms at the Omni Orlando are big and bright; a Deluxe Room measures 406 square feet. As for the decor, you might call the sunny yellow walls, floral motifs, and a marble bathroom "Central Florida chic." But while most elements in the room feel clean and fresh, they still have old tube TVs.

• Standard rooms (called Deluxe Rooms) are large at 406 square feet. There are numerous suites available as well, including two- and three-bedroom vacation villas, which are independent of the main resort building.
• Comfortable bed: a Serta pillow-top mattress, three decorative throw pillows, four down pillows, a light duvet, and a light blanket
• One corded and one cordless phone
• No stereo or iPod dock; just a Sony clock radio
• Big work desk with two power plugs built in and a lamp; Wi-Fi is free to members of Omni's Select Guest loyalty program, which is free to join.
• 28-inch Panasonic tube TV
• Stocked minibar, Starbucks instant coffee, and Wolfgang Puck coffee "pods"
• Waffle-comb bathrobes and fluffy cotton towels; Omni's own "Institute Swiss" toiletries

The Omni's lazy-river pool

The Omni provides so much to do -- and eat -- that guests don't need to leave the property. Business travelers can seal deals over sake at the sushi restaurant at the same time families enjoy the zero-entry pool and waterslide.

• Three well-designed and popular pools, including a lazy river and a waterslide
• At the Formal Pool, there are eight cabanas available for rent for $110 a day, which include 10 soft drinks, two virgin daquiris, and a fruit plate along with standard amenities like a TV and a fan.
• Large, light-filled fitness center with Cybex weight machines, free weights, and four ellipticals and eight treadmills with private video screens
• 24-hour business center with three laser printers, two computers, two copiers, and a fax machine; services range from copying to laminating to poster printing (each at an extra fee).
• The resort's spa is just off the pool area, and offers massages, facials, and body treatments.
• A small salon within the spa does hair, makeup, waxing and nails.
• A handful of small shops off the lobby stock clothing, sunglasses, snacks, drinks, disposable cameras, golf gear, and cigars.

Entrance to the Omni Kids' Club

The resort has plenty for families with kids of all ages, including a waterslide, a streaming lazy river pool, organized activities, and an arcade. Even when conferences or meetings take over the Omni, kids will still feel welcome.

• All rooms except those with double beds can accommodate rollaways for a per night fee; cribs are free.
• Camp Omni, the resort's kids' club, provides supervised activities and dinner; charged per hour.
• Parents who dine at Zen or David's Club get 50 percent off the first two hours of child care at Camp Omni Kids Escape.
• Daily poolside activities like Hula-Hoop contests; indoor activities include arts and crafts and Guitar Hero video game tournaments.
• Courts for tennis, volleyball, and basketball; a playground suitable for younger kids.
• Video game arcade
• Disney's parks are a 15- to 20-minute drive.

• Two full, 18-hole courses designed by Greg Norman
• David Leadbetter Golf Academy on-site
• The nine-hole par-3 course is illuminated at night, unlike most other courses in Orlando.

My guest room and its bathroom gleamed, and the grounds were impeccably manicured.

Dinner at David's Club

• Zen, a full service Pan-Asian restaurant and sushi bar, is open daily for dinner.
• The dimly lit David's Club serves nicely presented burgers, steaks, and salads and also has an extensive selection of scotches and cigars. The Club opens daily at 4 p.m.
• Trevi's, an Italian bistro, serves an a la carte and a buffet breakfast from 6:30 to 11 a.m. The lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and dinner (5 to 10 p.m.) menus are heavy on Italian classics; Trevi's doesn't serve dinner on Sundays.
• Poolside, Croc's offers salads and sandwiches and also has a full bar, open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Morsel's is a small take-away coffee shop, open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Broadway Deli offers snacks, prepackaged lunch items, coffee, and ice cream from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m, daily.
• A small lobby bar serves cocktails from 4 p.m.; a live pianist sometimes plays.
• Piper's Grille located at the clubhouse serves sandwiches, salads, anda entrees.
• Room service is also available 24 hours.
• There are a few chain restaurants and a grocery store nearby, as well as a number of restaurants in the Orlando suburb of Celebration, about a 10-minute drive away.