Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort Review
Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort is a hotel in Orlando on Walt Disney World property. This review features photos of the rooms, common areas, and amenities, plus the pros and cons of the resort, and my thoughts on staying here. But first, I want to start by regaling you with the legend of Ling Kai Kung, who is sure to attain folk hero status in no time.
The story of Walt Disney quietly purchasing the property that would become Walt Disney World is pretty well known at this point. What isn’t so well known is the story of Bonnet Creek, the parcel of land on Walt Disney World property that Walt Disney didn’t buy, because he couldn’t locate the foreign mystery owner. This mystery owner was Ling Kai Kung, who had acquired the property 2 years prior to Mr. Disney’s Florida purchases, because he felt it would have future value as a warehousing district. That’s right–years prior. Now who is the true visionary?!
For reasons unknown, Bonnet Creek’s 70-acre plot went undeveloped for 3 decades after Walt Disney World opened. After it was finally master planned in 2000, Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort opened in 2004. Thereafter, the Wyndham’s timeshare arm was built, followed by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, Waldorf Astoria Orlando, and a golf course. You can read all about Bonnet Creek Resort’s history on Yesterland.
Now that you know about Mr. Ling’s great vision that helped make Wyndham Grand Orlando possible, let’s see if his legacy is upheld with this hotel…
Let’s start with the amenities and common areas at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort. The lobby combines clean modern and classic styles in a manner that errs on the conservative side in terms of making a first impression. Anyone who walks in can tell the hotel is high-end, but you get no sense of style or place.
Wyndham Grand Orlando has a coffee shop serving Starbucks coffee, which seems like its quietly becoming standard at nice chained-brand hotels.
This is Bar 1521. Trendy name, or is this literally the 1,521th liquor license issued in Osceola County, Florida? Your guess is as good as mine.
There are a total of 5 restaurants in the hotel, from the coffee shop and bar above to a fine-dining restaurant called Deep Blu Seafood Grille, with a menu reminiscent of Narcoossee’s.
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s an arcade! Is there some powerful arcade lobbying group that has influence with hoteliers? I never see anyone in arcades, and I’m continually dumfounded that they are still a thing in hotels–especially with newer builds.
Here’s one small corner of the fitness center, which is actually quite spacious, having a well-rounded set of modern equipment. Unlike the arcade, there were a lot of people using this, and I didn’t want to be the creepy fully clothed dude taking photos of people in workout attire.
The pools are the last major amenity. The one on the resort side of the Wyndham is nice–a large pool with a neat layout and relaxed vibe. It doesn’t hold a candle to the super-cool pirate area at the Wyndham timeshare next door (hotel guests can use that pool), though. Unfortunately, pirate ship pool area was closed during our visit for refurbishment. Presumably, an epic cannon battle had caused some leakage issues.
Now up to the guest bedrooms at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort. The good news here is that the rooms are spacious, well-furnished, and the beds are incredibly comfortable. Even by upscale hotel standards, the Wyndham Grand Orlando holds its own.
However, this is not to say it’s perfect. One of my major issues with high-end hotels is when they phone it in on the style front. Wyndham purports to be a “secluded Mediterranean-style hideaway.”
I guess you could say the style is vaguely Spanish-modern, but more than anything else, it’s just bland and cookie-cutter. It reminds me of a McMansion furnished entirely by Crate & Barrel. Upon walking in, you know the place is expensive, but it lacks character.
This probably doesn’t matter to a lot of people–the hotel is unquestionably nice, modern, clean, and comfortable. Wyndham is a reliable and high-end chain, and from a comfort and quality perspective, superior to even Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts. My problem is that everything about the hotel is totally forgettable.
I do think this is worth mentioning, though, as the proliferation of boutique hotels, and even the rapid increase of boutique arms within major chains is indicative of a desire for unique accommodations. In fact, Wyndham itself pitches its Grand line as being ” an ensemble of distinguished hotels that are approachable by design, representing one-of-a-kind experiences in key destinations with refined accommodation.”
Again, though, I want to reiterate that everything about the hotel is really nice (from the lighting on the mirror to the tile-work in the shower, in the case of the bathroom). Despite my complaints about the style, I’d still rank it among the nicer hotels in Orlando.
It’s just that I think hotels of this caliber should hit high notes in terms of both form and function. I shouldn’t be able to easily replicate this same design with a quick trip to Home Goods.
In terms of pricing, by upscale hotel standards–especially those on Walt Disney World property–the Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort is not bad at all. Prices are regularly in the ~$150/night range, but that’s before tax and the dreaded resort fee ($20/night). You can read my stance on resort fees here. Suffice to say, I hate resort fees them, and find them to be deceptive and unfriendly to consumers. (In the interest of full disclosure, our stay at this hotel was completely comped.)
Inclusive of the tax and resort fee, you can stay here for less than $200/night (I’ve seen some deals for significantly less), which makes its pricing very competitive. If you want to save more money and don’t mind staying on the timeshare wing of the resort (all amenities are shared, and the timeshare vacation rental rooms are larger), you can score rooms for ~$125/night for many seasons of the year via this listing on eBay (make sure to make a best offer–don’t pay the full price).
Overall, the Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort is a solid hotel with a great location on Walt Disney World property at very competitive prices. There are no missteps in terms of amenities or comfort, and at the end of the day, there is a lot to be said for reliable, upscale accommodations. However, with this reliability comes predictability, and a bland style that seems like it could be found in an Anywhere, USA Wyndham hotel.
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Your Thoughts
Have you stayed at the Wyndham Grand Orlando, or any of the Bonnet Creek Resorts? What did you think? Considering staying here or another nearby hotel? If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please post them in the comments. We love hearing from readers!
Privacy Violation – Housekeeping came into our room while I was in the bathroom getting ready without permission. The housekeeper saw my husband leaving the room with some of our stuff and decided to come into our room thinking that we were gone. I was in the bathroom getting ready, using a hair dryer getting dressed and WOULD NOT have heard any knock on the door, i came around the corner and saw the door open and the housekeeper in our room. NOT HAPPY! We even had the DO NOT Disturb sign still on our door and we had NOT checked out yet. When I said something to the housekeeper, they spoke in Spanish and I could not understand him, so I yelled at him to get out. This is America, we need English speaking people if they are going to barge into a room without permission. I feel EXTREMELY violated and WILL not come back to that resort again because of this. How many other times has he come into our room when we weren’t there???? With all of our stuff there??? I complained to the front desk and was told that day I would receive a call back with a resolution, never heard back. I sent another message two days after we checked out, was told again I would hear back and still HAVE NOT heard anything back on my compliant, almost a week later. I want a resolution!
Privacy Violation – Housekeeping came into our room while I was in the bathroom getting ready without permission. The housekeeper saw my husband leaving the room with some of our stuff and decided to come into our room thinking that we were gone. I was in the bathroom getting ready, using a hair dryer getting dressed and WOULD NOT have heard any knock on the door, i came around the corner and saw the door open and the housekeeper in our room. NOT HAPPY! We even had the DO NOT Disturb sign still on our door and we had NOT checked out yet. When I said something to the housekeeper, they spoke in Spanish and I could not understand him, so I yelled at him to get out. This is America, we need English speaking people if they are going to barge into a room without permission. I feel EXTREMELY violated and WILL not come back to that resort again because of this. How many other times has he come into our room when we weren’t there???? With all of our stuff there??? I complained to the front desk and was told that day I would receive a call back with a resolution, never heard back. I sent another message two days after we checked out, was told again I would hear back and still HAVE NOT heard anything back on my compliant, almost a week later. I want a resolution!
I’ve read a ton of past reviews saying bed bugs and coakroaches
Anyone know if this is an issue in 2022?
We just returned yesterday morning and no bedbugs or cockroaches observed by myself or others traveling with us. We stayed in Club Wyndham suite vs Grand Wyndham but they are on the same property and share the same amenities. One is hotel type the other is timeshare type up to 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms in the Presidential suites.
They have an outside company that provides shuttle if you do not rent a car or drive there. Takes 5 minutes to get to Disney parking.
Make sure you make a reservation when you buy your park tickets or you will not get in. They limit the number, which sounds like a pain, but it was not as crowded as one would think considering they reached max reservations the entire week.
There are multiple pools on the property, and they have a ton of different events scheduled each day if you just prefer to hang around the resort. There was even a luau one night.
They are in the process of remodeling Tower 6 but it didn’t prevent us from enjoying everything available.
Do you get to use extra magic hours if you stay here? also are you able to use any disney bouneback offers?
Cockroaches! Do not stay here. There are lots of better options in Disney that will be much more accommodating than this hotel.
Bonnett Creak management is horrible. We stayed there several times as owners of 1.7 million points we were treated Extreamly poorly. They put us right over the kerioke bar when we had confirmed reservations in a Presidential Suite. It took them 3 days to put us where we belonged. What was even worse was the fact that housekeeping stole a lot of my medications and yes we had proof exactly who stole them. I immediately reported it to management who did nothing at all about it. I informed her that due to the type of medications and the amount I had to call the police. She told me that They do not allow police on property and told me not to contact them at all. You know I did and filed a report. Well management flatly refused to even speak to us at all for the remaining 2.5 weeks we were there, not even about anything unrelated to the theft but somehow every employee knew who I was and what happen including pool staff and bussboys. Long story short being from another state and having specialty medication stolen that couldn’t be replaced down there was an extreme hardship and made what was supposed to be the happiest place on earth turned out to be a nightmare. However w/ the contacts I have their insurance paid heavily, very heavily. The safe in the room is not big enough to keep my meds and they must be refrigerated. They wanted me to give them to the bellhop and call when I needed them w/ no guarantee they could be delivered on time and it could take them up to 3 hrs to get them to me. No way. Horrible, mean, disrespectful, disgraceful management….3 of which are no longer employed by Wyndham. I guess I got the last laugh.
Yikes. We’ve been there 6 times all in Presidential suites. We’ve had flawless vacation experiences every time. Can’t wait to go back to sunny Florida soon.
Manager Marvin Harker was not helpful. I had 2 major complaints about my room. I more or less got a dear in a head light look after I personally went to speak to him. As a Manager he did not do anything to rectify my issues. It was my first time at a Wyndham Resort and don’t think Ill be back.
When staying here, is your fast pass window at 30 days or 60 days?
Not a good neighbor = no FP window.
Sadly the rooms at Disney are beginning to look just like these, if not even more bland!!! I’m not a fan of the down-played disney feel in their resorts now. Part of the draw staying onsite was the uniqueness of each resort and the complete immersion into Disney. Now, you could be staying at a Hampton Inn down the road for the same ambience at a MUCH smaller price tag.
Yes unless you’re going to spend your entire time in the room is more worth it to spend on Disney property. The shows were advertised every 30 minutes but you actually have to pay for them and they are only scheduled pick-up and drop-off at Disney they come approximately every 15 or 20 minutes so they’re much more convenient and they have a restaurant on site even at their cheapest hotels. The rooms were nice but In fairness were only spending our time at Disney so I don’t really need a jacuzzi tub.
We are staying there in May and i’m curious about taking the WDW buses from Disney Springs. If we do decide to take the WDW buses would it be better to go to parks with extra hours? My thinking is that with extra hours more people will be staying later and it will be easier to leave the parks after the fireworks. Or would it be better to go on non extra hours days?? Please let me know your thoughts.
Does anyone know if it’s walking distance to any parks or Disney bus transport x
Styling isn’t memorable, there’s no doubt about that. However, the location is superb and when you can score 800 square feet of well appointed accommodations virtually on Disney property for $100/night it’s hard to pass up. Deals like this are easy to find with reputable eBay sellers. 2 bedrooms go for around $125/night depending on the season and a family of 5 or 6 can fit comfortably. I swear the California king size bed in the timeshare units is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on in my life. Bonnet Creek makes a WDW vacation affordable for our family when we can’t splurge on a moderate or deluxe (sorry value resorts, but your rooms are pathetic)
As the mother of a 9 year old boy (and being married to a 42 year old boy), let me say: Disney arcades get plenty of use. I’ve spent a lot (A LOT) of time in many of them and there are always a bunch of kids in there with us. As weird as it may sound, the arcade is actually a factor in our planning and one reason we have never stayed at Coronado Springs (the only moderate we haven’t tried). We enjoy your blog! You always have the best pictures out there.
I was thinking about staying here for a trip. Was just wondering do they have anything near the roof to watch fireworks? Can you see fireworks from this location?
Thank you for the write up.
You can see fireworks (and epcot) from certain rooms, but you can’t book them specifically- only request them. Not the greatest solution but you can simply take the elevator up to the top floor and look out the windows also
We just got back and stayed on the 10th floor of tower 4. Had an excellent view of both epcot and MK fireworks. I think anything 8th floor or higher in that tower facing north would work. However, we only watched them the first night we arrived. If your watching fireworks from your hotel room, you are doing it wrong.
We always stay on the timeshare half and like it. We got Wyndham points cheap on the resale market a few years ago. I have an AP so we drive since parking is free. The location is great and close to the parks. I would love to check out some of the on sites but hard to justify the cost.
My husband and I stayed in the time share half on our honeymoon last May, and we really enjoyed it! Our biggest complaint was actually transportation to and from the parks and hotel – we had to sign up for shuttle rides the day before, but also no earlier, at $8 per person per round trip. I recall one of the biggest difficulties with this was that we were always in parks until late into the night, when the shuttle reservations were closed, so each morning we had to show up at the desk at opening to catch empty spots on the first shuttle that had them. We ended up being so frustrated with the cost and difficulty (especially if we wanted to come back to the hotel for part of the day or visit Downtown Disney) that we started using Uber the second day there and for the rest of the trip. Uber ended up being cheaper since the hotel is so close to the parks, and in almost every case our driver was able to take us as close to whichever park we wanted as possible!
We always rent a car when staying at bonnet creek. It’s an added expense but worth the $100-$150 for the week.
We just used uber all week. Never waited more than 5 minutes for a pickup. XL was about $10-15 per trip.
Do you know if they have a free shuttle to The parks?
$5/day/per person