I recently stayed at the Hilton Vacation Club Grande Villas in Orlando, Florida. Here is an in-depth review of the property, covering aspects from room size and cleanliness to activities.
Check In
The check-in process at the hotel was one of the smoothest I have ever experienced. We arrived early, around 11am, with the intention of dropping off our bags and heading to the park. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready. The front desk provided us with an extensive activity sheet, a map, and helpful phone numbers for local businesses, Urgent Cares, etc. (Check out was also super easy and we left our bags there while we explored for the day!)
Shuttle
If you are hoping to utilize free transportation to get to the nearby theme parks, the good news is their sister property across the street has a shuttle guests at Grande Villas can board. The bad news- the shuttle only comes once per day, and does one pick up from the park per day. The times do not correlate with park open either. We found that it was easier for us to just Uber, even though it cost more.
Uber and DoorDash
At check in we were told that even if you select your building, Uber and DoorDash would not deliver or pick you up near your room. Pickups/drop offs needed to be done at the lobby. We tried to test this for a drop off and found that it varies driver by driver. Because some rooms are a 2-5 minute walk from the lobby we decided not to risk it for pick ups, and made our way to the lobby in advance each time.
Activities
During our stay there were many activities offered. After a long day at the park on our first night we passed by karaoke happening and stopped in for a bit. On our second day, our family headed down to the pool for aqua fitness, excited to partake in this class. We arrived at the pool 15 minutes early and stayed for over an hour, but no instructor ever came, and there was no sign indicating that the activity had been cancelled.
Room Size and Quality
We stayed in a three-bedroom, three-bathroom villa that was spacious and clean. Everything felt updated, thoroughly clean, and freshened up from the previous guests. I was impressed with the size of the bathrooms, kitchens, and living rooms.
I also loved the in-room washing machine, which allowed us to come home with clean clothes.
One critique was that although the master bedroom and twin bedroom were in the same suite, the queen bedroom was in a connected apartment. It was a bit hard to keep the two doors open; we needed two chairs to prevent them from closing. If you like privacy, this is a plus. If you prefer to come and go when staying with family, it can get annoying.
Nearby Shops and Restaurants
There are grocery stores and restaurants nearby; however, they are about a half mile walk away from the lobby. In the Florida heat, after a long day, this wasn’t in the cards for us. Consider getting a delivery of groceries so that you can cook in your room, or factor in the walk when making reservations!
Orlando Pizza and Deli
If you look up this Hilton Vacation Club Hotel on your preferred maps app, you will see that at the center of the property, there is a store called Orlando Pizza and Deli. They are open from 7am-12am and serve pizza, sandwiches, breakfast items, and also sell items like beer, pre-prepared food, sunscreen etc. A large bottle of water cost us $5, a bottle of sunscreen $15. The items are up charged a bit, but we liked the convenience of not having to walk to the store!
I would stay at the Hilton Vacation Club Grande Villas again. During my next visit, I would like to try out the miniature golf, and participate in more activities (if a staff member shows up lol!). What is your favorite Hilton Vacation Club Property? Let me know in the comments! 🙂