Reunion Resort Rating: 5.0 Pearls

South of Disney, Orlando, Florida

The Reunion Resort

A sprawling, meticulously groomed mini-city of a resort with 411 condo-style time-share guest rooms, the Reunion Resort is many things to many people. While it is indeed a terrific place for groups -- the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers baseball teams both stay here during spring training -- it's also a popular venue for weddings and it can host big families thanks to ample space in the rooms, which start at 754 square feet. A bevy of varied and high-quality dining options, a spa, 54 holes of golf, tennis, kids' activities, and multiple pools (including the most elaborate water park south of Orlando) all work to keep guests on the property -- even if the Disney theme parks are just 15 minutes away by car.

While many of Reunion's features are also on offer at other nearby Orlando resorts like Mystic Dunes and the Omni ChampionsGate, the experience here is far more luxurious (and often more expensive). The most basic guest room, a massive, 754-square-foot one-bedroom villa, is comparatively stylish for Central Florida, with high-quality materials, private balconies, and understated golf-themed accents like throw pillows. Even bigger units, including full-size homes with thousands of square feet of space and as many as eight bedrooms, are also scattered around the property. An experienced front desk, concierge, dining, and housekeeping staff get to know repeat guests by name and treat first-timers just as well. Plus, as a cashless and "tipless" resort (all gratuities are added automatically to you final bill), you don't have to grease palms in order to get special attention.

In 2011, the Reunion Resort came under Salamander Hotels and Resorts and, together with the Innisbrook Resort in Tampa and Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, formed the Grand Golf Resorts of Florida. While no changes to the property itself occurred, the union of the three resorts promises specials for golfers looking to experience the some of Florida's best courses during one vacation.

For families looking for sports and activities, poolside relaxation, and high-quality dining -- rather than proximity to Disney's parks, like you'd find at the more expensive Boardwalk Villas -- the Reunion is a good value, particularly given its near-luxury level service and features.

From the bartenders at the resort's many restaurants to lifeguards on duty at the five-acre water park, the Reunion's staff is helpful, friendly, and professional.

• Room service operates under limited hours.
• Daily housekeeping is free, something not provided at the Disney villas and many other time-share resorts.
• Lifeguards on duty at the resort's water park
• Highly trained restaurant staff and bartenders
• Helpful front desk staff; concierges available during the day.
• 24-hour resort shuttles
• Personal trainers available by appointment

View on a Larger Map

Reunion's 2,300 acres are situated just east of Interstate 4, 29 miles southwest of Orlando International Airport and 10 miles south of Disney's Magic Kingdom. As at most Orlando resorts, a car is essential, even if it's just used for driving to nearby strip malls, chain restaurants, or the grocery store.

• The closest grocery store is a mile away.
• The Disney theme parks are about a 15- to 20-minute drive away.
• Downtown Disney, a retail and dining complex that also provides park-and-ride service to the Disney theme parks, is 20 minutes distant.
• 30-minute drive to Orlando International Airport (five to 10 minutes farther than most Orlando resorts)
• SeaWorld Orlando is 20 minutes north along Interstate 4; the drive to Universal Orlando Resort takes about the same amount of time.
• It takes half an hour to drive to downtown Orlando; there's not much to see downtown, though Orange Avenue has a notable dining and nightlife scene, and non-theme-park attractions like the Orlando Science Center and Harry P. Leu Gardens are popular with tourists.
• Getting to Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center takes about 90 minutes by car.

The living room of a One Bedroom Villa

Offering much more than a typical hotel room, the guest rooms range from one-bedroom condo-style units -- like the cheapest room category, the One-Bedroom Villa -- to private, eight-bedroom homes. Like most Central Florida resorts, the rooms have a tasteful-if-muted color palate, and while the details of decor in each unit may vary, all are more stylish, modern, and impressive than you'll find at other nearby resorts, like the cheaper Mystic Dunes or the often more expensive Boardwalk Villas.

Please note, however, that exactly where you stay within the resort is important: Because of the size of the property, trips from your room to the water park, the spa, or the golf course may necessitate using one of the free resort shuttles (they run 24 hours a day). The most convenient rooms are those in the central resort building, Reunion Grande, where the front desk, concierge, golf clubhouse, and most of the restaurants are located. Other units are farther afield, though all are near something -- the Seven Eagles section of Reunion, for example, is just a two-minute walk from the Seven Eagles pool, the fitness center, and The Cove bar and restaurant. If you find a particular amenity important, it's worth requesting a room nearby.

• The base-level room type, the One-Bedroom Villa, has 754 square feet of space, split between a master bedroom, one bathroom, a balcony, living-and-dining room, and a full kitchen.
• Elsewhere at the resort, two- and three-bedroom villas are available, as are stand-alone furnished vacation houses with anywhere from three to eight bedrooms.
• Full kitchen in all room types: dishwasher; stove; microwave; full-size fridge; place settings for four; cooking utensils
• Sleeper sofa in the living room of all room types
• Comfortable beds: Sealy Posturpedic mattress; three pillows; down duvet
• Older, 28-inch RCA tube TVs with 70 TV channels, including HBO, ESPN, and Bravo; one TV in the living room and one in each bedroom
• No Wi-Fi; high-speed hard-wired Internet is free
• Clock radio with alarm; no iPod dock
• All rooms have small balconies; ground-level units have patios.
• Spacious bathrooms: stand-up shower and separate soaking tub; good water pressure; vanity mirror
• Gilchrist & Soames bath products -- shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and bar soap

The hotel's tennis facility

• An excellent collection of 11 pools, including a five-acre water park
• Small, yet popular fitness center with a variety of Life Fitness cardio machines (personal TV screens on all of them) and weight machines and free weights; open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Tennis Pavilion, open Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; pro shop has gear for sale or rent
• The small spa offers massage, skin and body treatments, hair and nail services, and waxing
• Bike rentals by the hour, day, or week
• Rotating weekly schedule of yoga and other fitness classes
• Small business center: three computers and two laser jet printers; Wi-Fi available in the Reunion Grande lobby and at the Seven Eagles pool; rooms have hard-wired Internet only.
• 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space for conferences, weddings, and other events.

The Seven Eagles Pool

The enormous, five-acre water park includes:

• A large, free-form pool
• A kids' play area
• A streaming, lazy river pool
• Multiple waterslides
• Food and beverage service
• Beach volleyball courts
• Lifeguards on duty

In addition, the resort also has:

• The mellower Seven Eagles pool, which has a shallow, gradual "sloped-entry" and two Jacuzzis
• A rooftop pool adjacent to the Eleven restaurant, at the top of the Reunion Grande building
• Eight small, quiet "neighborhood pools" scattered around the property for those staying farther away from the two main pool areas
• Private pools at many of the stand-alone homes

Golf at the Reunion Resort

Some of the best golf in Orlando, featuring 54 holes designed by pros even non-golfers would recognize. While green fees are steep they're in line with what other resorts, like the Ritz-Carlton and Omni ChampionsGate charge.

• Designed by Arnold Palmer, the 6,916-yard Legacy Course has more than 50 feet of elevation change, a rarity in Florida.
• The 7,244-yard Tradition Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is notable for its 18 flat, parkland-style holes.
• The Independence Course, at 7,154 yards, has garnered a number of accolades from the golf press.
• Green fees are $180, which includes the cost of a cart.
• On-site ANNIKA Academy has golf lessons and training, including sessions with Annika Sorenstam herself -- for those that can afford her time.
• Callaway rental equipment available, charged per 18 holes.
• A clubhouse with a restaurant, bar, assorted golf gear, and locker rooms

All rooms have full kitchens.

• The Kids Crew activity center hosts half- and full-day supervised programs (crafts, games, and movies for kids ages 4 to 12), Tuesday through Saturday
• Standard, One-Bedroom Villas sleep four in a master bedroom and on a sleeper sofa; all guest rooms have private master bedrooms, sleeper sofas, and full kitchens
• Five-acre water park with waterslides and shallow play areas; lifeguards on duty
• Tennis and golf programs for kids ages four to 12
• Kid-friendly menus at the Clubhouse and Forte restaurants
• Reunion is a 15- to 20-minute drive from the Walt Disney World theme parks

As at other Central Florida resorts, it's hard to find a blade of grass out of place at the Reunion. My One-Bedroom Villa, from the kitchen to the bedroom to the bathroom, was perfectly clean.

Clubhouse Restaurant

There's plenty to eat; options range from a casual breakfast at the Clubhouse to Asian fusion entrees at the rooftop restaurant and lounge, Eleven. Hours vary according to season, but there's always something open. Additionally, all rooms have complete kitchens, so self-catering is an option -- as is room service.

• Forte, an upscale modern Italian restaurant open for dinner only, offers first-course portions of pastas, seafood entrees, and steaks and chops for a bit more. There's a great wine list, too.
• Located on the roof of the Reunion Grande building, Eleven is a restaurant, bar, and poolside lounge with an Asian fusion menu and creative cocktails; on busy nights, the bar stays open past midnight and has a DJ some evenings, depending on the season.
• The Clubhouse restaurant serves breakfast as well as classics like burgers, sandwiches, and salads for lunch and dinner.
• The Cove, a small bar next to the Seven Eagles pool, serves a light menu of Caribbean-influenced bites like chicken, mango, and jicama salad, shrimp tacos, and jerk pork sliders, along with beer, wine, and cocktails.
• Longboards, at the water park, serves finger foods like chicken wings, sandwiches, and pizzas, as well as umbrella drinks.
• The Grande Lobby Bar has fancy cocktails and a small sushi menu.
• A few off-site dining options are just a five- to 10-minute drive away, including a handful of chain restaurants like Pizza Hut and Red Lobster, a Publix grocery store, and the good restaurants at Omni ChampionsGate.