Grand Californian Disney Vacation Club Grand Villa
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa are among the most sought-after Disney Vacation Club rooms, in part because it’s the only DVC resort at Disneyland and in part because it’s one of the nicest resorts in the U.S. This makes the 3-Bedroom Grand Villa among the hardest of the hardest DVC rooms to book.
Given that it requires more points to stay in the Grand Californian Grand Villa for 1-night than we have total, it’s pretty unlikely we will ever stay here ourselves. So, when a reader invited us to check out the room, I jumped at the opportunity. (Thanks, Joe!)
The Grand Californian 3-Bedroom Grand Villa sleeps 12, with 1 king-size bed, 4 queen-size beds, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, and 1 double-size sleeper sofa. It also has large common areas that make it great for family reunions, parties, group thetan auditing sessions, and other grand gatherings.
While this visit to the Grand Californian did not entail an overnight stay, we have stayed in both the hotel and villas several times now, and cover those stays in our Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Review. Moreover, since moving to California, we have spent a lot of time in the Grand Californian, and the resort has really grown on me. I was once torn on its ambiance, questioning whether the style was befitting of a flagship resort.
After spending a lot of time at the hotel, particularly its common areas, I’ve come to appreciate the details of the resort, and find its Arts & Crafts style to work really well. It’s like a mix between Wilderness Lodge and the Grand Floridian: it has a sense of rustic-ness like Wilderness Lodge, but with a more polished and classy pedigree. It’s definitely not as lavish as the Grand Floridian, but its level of distinction is still readily apparent in its furnishings and design. The somewhat rustic style might appear less-refined at first blush, but upon closer inspection, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
This is carried through to the 3-Bedroom Grand Villa, which itself has detail-work that elevates its theme to flagship status. Let’s start with the layout of the room, to give some context to the photos…
The only Grand Villa at which we’ve stayed is Bay Lake Tower, and the layout seemed pretty comparable. Obviously, some details differed, but same general idea.
I absolutely love the main living room downstairs. I think the details here convey the theme perfectly, and there’s a striking grandiosity to the space thanks to its two-story window. The views into Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure don’t hurt, either.
While nothing beats being immersed in the action like the front rows for World of Color, there’s certainly something to be said for watching the show from a couch, without being elbow-to-elbow with other sweaty tourists.
The pool table stuck out to me as having an inordinate amount of wear for such a high-end unit, but I still liked its inclusion in this Grand Villa. Seemed fitting, and a nice recreational option for those grand gatherings.
Now if only we could get some Ludwig Von Drake graphics on the walls explaining how to dominate at billiards. (Also, I love the light fixture above the table.)
The kitchen and dining area are also nice; again, I really like the light fixtures and wood trim. I feel like a bit more could’ve been done here to capture the essence of the Arts & Crafts style. If you look at something like Pasadena’s Gamble House, there are stylistic flourishes and details present that define the style.
By contrast, this kitchen and dining room look nice, but falls well short of extravagant or being an exemplar of the theme. In fairness, that’s probably a lot to expect from a hotel room kitchen…even a pricey one.
I wouldn’t expect Disney to go ‘all out’ like the Gamble House, but a couple more special details (no, not hidden Mickeys) would’ve given these rooms more character.
I love the headboards and lamps above the beds in each of the bedrooms.
I prefer the mission style lanterns elsewhere in the unit, but otherwise, the bathrooms in the Grand Villa are nice.
Being a two floor villa, there is an entrance on each floor, which makes it convenient if part of your party will be getting up earlier or staying out later than the others.
Another bedroom; more or less the same as the first one, except with the layout flipped.
Although I have some quibbles with it, I really like the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa 3-Bedroom Grand Villa. There are a lot of lovely details that gave the Grand Villa a well-appointed feel and execute its Arts & Crafts theme. One of the nicest, a grandfather clock, I neglected to photograph (but I swear, it exists!). Stained glass lampshades, tile work, wood trim, and other details also helped strike a balance between outdoors-y and luxurious. If I had a big group going to Disneyland and the Disney Vacation Club points, I’d definitely attempt to rent this.
Hope you enjoyed the photo tour, and thanks to Joe for inviting me to check out the room! If you’d like to have a strange man come rummage through your luggage and take photos of your hotel room, please drop me a line. While photo tours like this obviously aren’t as detailed as a full-blown review, I think they still are helpful to readers considering certain resorts/rooms…or just wanting to daydream about cool rooms!
If you’re thinking about joining DVC, make sure to read our Disney Vacation Club Buying Guide before taking the plunge. Current DVC Members might enjoy our Disney Vacation Club category of posts, covering everything from special events to adding-on to renting out points and more!
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Your Thoughts
Have you stayed at the Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa? Which type of room? What did you think? Are you a fan of this style, or do you prefer a different theme? Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below–we love hearing from readers!
I wonder if Tom will ever see this comment, since this article originated just over five years ago. It’s ironic that I’m posting here again (as ‘006’ – my usual name) instead of ‘Matt’ as I did with my comments from 2016 down further down.
We finally stayed in a Grand Villa at the Grand Californian two weeks ago, after previously being on the hotel side for a prior trip two years ago. There are two 3BR units on property, and we had the one facing the pools, which is opposite of the one shown here facing Pixar Pier. I noted five years ago that this unit looked dated, and it’s ironic that I’m here to do the same again after experiencing ours in person. And this is AFTER the units were upgraded by a soft goods refurbishment in late 2017. Our unit was just beat up – lots of visible wear and tear on surfaces like the carpet and couches. The worst was the water damage to all of the wood surrounding the master bathtub. Water and wood don’t mix! Our (too small) refrigerator was also dented in a couple of places. The place just seemed tired and in need of a true top-to-bottom update. (I imagine this is coming within the next couple of years as these units approach 15 years old). I enjoyed our time in the unit, but I would love stay in one of these after it’s truly been renovated.
We have an immunocomprised family staying with us and want to stay at this Villa. Is this villa in a larger building that shares the same air hvac as the rest of the building or is it a free standing unit? Just trying to be extra covid safe, thanks!
How many bathrooms in the 1 bedroom grand California vacation club
Looking at the diagram, 4 queen beds means potentially 8 people sleeping, if there are two people to a bed, +2 more in the King bed, then I count three sofa sleepers in the diagram, one downstairs and two upstairs, which means 2 people potentially to a sofa sleeper meaning 16 total COULD comfortably sleep there?!
How does that compare to the Grand Villas in OKW? Or BLT? Can they all potentially sleep more than the stated 12?
Doubt I will ever stay at one of these in DLR since we have our preferred offsite hotels that seem like a bargain compared to the cost of Disney Resort hotels, and has significantly more ammenities. But it would be nice for an extended vacation family reunion or invite a huge group of friends with their kids to stay here with all the room and being so close to the parks!
The Grand Californian looks really dated – it’s a sea of beige on brown with decor and fixtures from 15 years ago. No wonder the pool table is beat up! A serious remodel is needed.
The Grand Villa at the Grand Floridian is absolutely amazing and the current pinnacle DVC accommodation. It’s a must stay while the units are still relatively new (even they are almost 3 years old).
Sorry, 8 years old for DVC. Still, time for some accent walls and maybe a table + chair combo not in dark brown. The interior reminds me of Kidani Village and the Treehouse Villas – all brown and beige. I know Craftsman is all about dark wood, but there needs to be something to break it up. Treehouse Villas were the worst in this regard – so dark! I think they got a recent refurbishing so I I’ll have to see what they look like now.
Ludwig Von Drake! Ha! Yes!
I would much rather stay here for one night than at a Polynesian bungalow. Looks incredible!