The Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, Florida is an awe inspiring hotel, resort and convention center, all in one huge area. It is like a mini city within a city, with so many things to do, you will have very little need to actually leave the property. Should you feel like stepping out, Walt Disney World is less than 10 minutes away by vehicle, giving you more than you could ever hope to do on a week's vacation in Florida!

As you approach the Gaylord Palms, the sheer magnitude of the entire resort is almost overwhelming. The Gaylord Palms is located on the opposite side of the freeway from Walt Disney World and stands alone, so there is no missing it. Approaching the building, you will see giant Gaylord Palms signs and smaller ones with directing you to either the Valet Parking and registration or to self parking. If you are driving yourself in, I would suggest valet parking your car, as the parking lot is so huge, and the interior of the hotel is so huge, you may end up walking very far with a lot of luggage (at least that is what happened to me on my first stay at the Gaylord Palms).

Compared to the grandeur of the rest of the hotel, the front desk is actually quite diminutive. The staff was very friendly and helpful and when they offered me a map, I told them I was "all set"- bad move on my part! Take my advice, ask for an extra map, at least until you can orient yourself with the place!! I was given my room keys and off I went to find my way through the 4.5 acre atrium, looking for my room!

Rooms
There are three different sections of the hotel that are themed to different parts of Florida. They are the Everglades, Key West and St. Augustine. This helps tremendously when trying to orient yourself and find your room!! I stayed in the St. Augustine section and found my room to be good sized with tasteful, tropical furnishings. I had two double beds that were not of the Westin Heavenly Bed caliber, but they were still comfortable. There was a nice sitting area and my room overlooked the front of the hotel, where I could see the Marriott World Resort and Old Town Kissimmee off in the distance. All the rooms on the other side of the hallway from me overlooked the center of the Gaylord, which could be pretty interesting, if you like to people watch!

The bathroom was large and had a separate room for the tub and toilet. There were two sinks and ample counter space. An older model hair dryer was provided as well as an in room coffee maker, really nice soaps and shampoos, and an iron/ironing board. An in room safe was also available for use. The towels were very fluffy and everything was very clean.

A television will full cable, pay per view movies and games was in an armoire that also housed a small refrigerator, where we were supplied with two water bottles daily. There was a desk with plenty of space for working. Internet access was available and a computer was also in the room. The monitor appeared to be connected to a mainframe (or something like that, as there was no physical desktop in the room), with internet access and a variety of other features. Web mail could be sent from room to room, room service orders could be placed and other hotel amenities located here. I have never seen anything else like it, but I thought this was a great and innovative hotel feature!

There was also a doorbell on the outside of every room, where from the inside, you could choose to light up a visible “Do Not Disturb” sign on the outside, as well as a “Please Service Room”- another feature that I loved- so many times when I travel, I forget to place the sign outside my door and get woken up by a maid trying to get into my room. With the press of a button as I turned out the lights at night, I was ensured of a disturbed free morning.

Entertainment and Dining
As I mentioned, there is so much to do at the Gaylord Palms, you will hardly find a need to leave the grounds. There are two separate swimming areas, one that was “South Beach Style”, and although I’m still not too sure what that meant, it was more adult centric and was a quiet and peaceful place to soak up some rays. The heated pool was a large rectangle and surrounded by plenty of lounge chairs. The large hot tubs were also quieter and the entire area was available 24/7. Large beach towels were available poolside. On the other side of the property was a second pool that had a water slide and more family oriented activities. This pool was large and shaped like a large shell.

Separating the pools were outdoor putting greens and the outdoor/poolside restaurant, H2O Sports Bar & Grille. Serving casual food such as burgers, salads, sandwiches and other such snacks, the quality was good, although the pricing was a little high, however on par with the rest of the resort.

Other dining options at the Gaylord Palms Resort are many. Sunset Sam’s is located in the Key West section of the property at is more of a Jimmy Buffet type restaurant, perfectly themed with old Key West. Serving mostly seafood, there are options (although limited) for those who prefer their fare from the land. Again, pricing varied, however for lunch for two, our tab ran to about $35, not including drinks. The bar was fully stocked and a fun late night spot. Part of the restaurant was actually a boat, and that’s always a popular seat. The boat is in water, with an atrium and glass wall allowing natural light to make you really feel as though you were dining in the seas of the Caribbean. The water around the boat was shallow, but fish could be seen schooling around, giving a very authentic feel to the entire Key West area of the Gaylord.

If you are more in the mood for a good steak, the Old Hickory Steakhouse was a popular restaurant in the Everglades area of the hotel. Looking more like a rundown building on the bayou, inside was a very cozy and romantic atmosphere. We never did eat here, as the wait was always too long for our tastes. During a busy conference at the hotel, reservations are a must. Auggie’s Piano Bar is close by in the St. Augustine area of the Gaylord Palms. Food was never served there as far as I could tell, but no one really seemed to mind, as the drinks were flowing quite well and the dueling pianos made for a fun adult atmosphere. With a balcony right off of the bar, smokers clearly congregated in one area (the rest of the hotel is non-smoking, with the exception of guest rooms).

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner a la buffet style is the Villa de Flora. This isn’t the Sizzler-type restaurant you might think of when you hear the word buffet. You should be thinking of “hungry”- the food here is really good and the options are phenomenal. Whether you are trying to eat light and healthy, load up on carbs, or simply satisfy your cravings, this is the place. If you aren’t too hungry, then the Villa de Flora might seem expensive, but otherwise, there is plenty to eat here.

For snacks and otherwise, there is a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop, sure to help you add a few extra calories to your diet! There is also a coffee shop in the center of the grand atrium with plenty of pastries and lighter fare options, like sandwiches and salads packaged to go. You can bring these to eat at any of the many tables set up in the atrium or outside by the pool. There are also several other airport-like convenience stores within the hotel to provide you with that late night candy bar you were craving!

Other activities
The Gaylord Palms is not short on things to do. Aside from the two pools, the putting greens and all the bars and restaurants, there is also the entire resort to explore. The Everglades section of the hotel has a wooden walkway that will lead you to the Canyon Spa, a full service salon and spa, just waiting to help take your cares away! I found their services to be slightly expensive, but other guests that I was with said the pedicure was worth it. After a long day at Disney World, I have no doubts that it was. The fitness center is also near the Canyon Spa, although I didn’t actually go to it, I was so busy with the meetings I had going on at the resort. The Everglades area was really neat, with a lot of live vegetation and pumped in fog, it had a really “bayou” type atmosphere- it quite reminded me of the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.

The center of the Gaylord Palms hotel has plenty of walkways to get lost in. They even have small live alligators with scheduled feedings for guests to observe. The atrium is more than 7 stories high and is really amazing. Because it is so high up, the light coming down feels very natural and you really do have a sense of being in another world (kind of like a luxury bio-dome). It’s difficult to describe the grandeur of the building itself, but even on approaching the Gaylord, the enormous size of the building from the outside is daunting!

If you want to bring back souvenirs, need an extra bathing suit or evening outfit, there’s no need to leave the property. With at least 4 different stores in the Gaylord Palms, you will find whatever it is you need (not without a price, of course). I was able to find knee high nylons in the French lingerie store and the Chocolatier always caught my eye as I walked by. In the Key West section of the hotel, there is a really cool Caribbean style store, with pottery and unique gifts. A Disney store will let you purchase last minute gifts you forgot to get at the parks, too.

And speaking of parks, you can purchase theme park tickets right at the Gaylord Palms. They offer tickets for Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios. Transportation is also provided, which makes the Gaylord Palms a good place to stay if you are planning on visiting several different parks while in Orlando. There is a Hertz rental car desk in the lobby if you decide to drive yourself instead.

The concierge was great at helping us get dinner reservations and recommending different things to do and they offer to help plan your entire stay, which is really nice for someone new to the area, what with so many different options and all. The concierge mirrored the rest of the staff at the Gaylord Palms with smiles and friendly attitudes, which was so nice, considering I was there primarily for business. They were very accommodating and as a business traveler, I always appreciate that willingness to go the extra step for the customer.

Convention Center
Because I was actually at the Gaylord Palms for a convention, I suppose I should mention how absolutely huge this place is. We attended a rock concert there where there were more than 3000 in attendance. With multiple conference rooms and ballrooms, if you have 10 people attending a meeting, or 1000, they can accommodate. In fact, they do plenty of weddings and the banquet food is really good quality, should you be considering the Gaylord Palms. There is a business center in the convention center part of the resort and were able to help me with some photocopying, FedEx-ing and faxing.

Downsides to the Gaylord Palms
Price. Nothing about the Gaylord Palms is cheap, including the rooms. There’s a fee for practically everything. There is a parking fee, a resort fee of $10 per day (I think for the room, not per person, but double check if you are more than one), food is more expensive, gifts are more expensive, to receive a package it cost me $5! I think you get what you pay for at the Gaylord Palms, but just know that this isn’t the Econo Lodge down the street! The entire size of the hotel could be a hindrance to those less mobile than others. Everything was handicap accessible, but if you don’t like walking far, definitely request a central room- from one end of the hotel to the other, it is definitely a short hike!!

Overall
I have stayed at the Gaylord Palms twice and really enjoyed my stay. While I would prefer to stay on a Disney property hotel if that’s all I was going to do in Orlando, the Gaylord Palms offers many different options to a Disney-only stay. The resort is practically a theme park unto itself! It probably won’t keep your kids entertained for too long while Sea World and Universal Studios are a stone’s throw away… but for a long getaway weekend, or a week long stay, bring the Visa Gold, and kick up your feet for a bit. The Gaylord Palms will take right good care of you.


In case you were planning a stay in the Orlando area, here are a few links to other Orlando-based hotels:
Embassy Suites Orlando Airport
Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
Walt Disney World Swan Hotel







Recommended: Yes