We just stayed at Orlando’s newest resort and all I can say is wow.
We wanted to do a quick trip to Orlando for our sons’ spring break and we ran across the Conrad Orlando. The Conrad just opened this year, and we were excited to check it out as it looked amazing.
Day 1
We Flew in late March to Orlando, when we arrived, we picked up our rental car in hertz and headed for 4 days 3 nights at the CONRAD Orlando. We arrived late afternoon and left our car in the Valet. One thing to note that there is no self-parking, and you have no choose but to leave your car with the Valet for $50 per day. Our first impression as we walked in was wow and looked at each other and asked are we in Orlando.
The Conrad is a luxury hotel with 433 rooms. Its part of the Evermore Orlando Resort right at the border of Walt Disney World. There is a daily Resort Charge of $40 that includes several great amenities such as Wifi, Disney theme park shuttle that runs every 1hour, The resort has a 20-acre tropical beach and a 8-acre crystalline lagoon with white sandy beaches. It really feels like your somewhere in the Caribbean. For Kids there is a waterslide (Note: that there is a height requirement of a minimum of 48”) , rope swings and watersports such as kayak and paddle boards. There is also two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses, the Links Course and the Florida Course. There are several on-site ameneites that include a spa, heated zero entry pool, cabanas, kids club, cabanas, fire pits and a arrival/ departure lounge
We used our Platinum Amex card to book the hotel room and by using the Fine Hotels and Resort portal. You get several good benefits by using the portal. Early check in at 12/ Complementary breakfast for two/ $100 resort credit to spend on anything/upgrade/Late checkout at 4pm.
At check in we were told we had been upgraded to a logon view on their highest floor.
We stayed in room 732. We got 2 Queen Beds. The Room is large and it came with 2 queen beds a large sitting area. the room comes with equipped with a Nespresso machine, that we used every morning. We would sit out by the room balcony and enjoy the view. At night we used the balcony to sit and unwind with the added bonus of watching the fireworks from epcot.
For our first night we had dinner at the Mexican restaurant called Ceiba. It’s located on the upper most of the resort with stunning views of the Lagoon and Disney fireworks. The restaurant has an outdoor lounge where you can sip on your favorite drink and chill. The menu is mostly geared towards tapas which have a verities of different Mexican dishes. The aguachile de Pulpo negro is to die from, it’s the best octopus that I have tried.
Day 2
For breakfast we ate at Sopphia’s and had their buffet. Ask to be seated outside you won’t regret it. The Buffet has all your favorites and then some. The wait staff was great and were always at tentative to your needs.
We went over to the tropical beach and got 3 chairs by the beach. My son had a blast building sandcastles. When The beach hostess saw that my son was having a hard time digging in the sand with his hands, he provided us some complementary buckets and shovels to help us out in building our castle.
We later took a walk around the lagoon and stopped at various locations that had all sorts of comfortable seating ranging from loungers, day beds and cabanas over the lagoon. At the midpoint of the lagoon. They offer complementary 1hour rentals of the pedal boards or kayak. When we got there, they were not letting anyone use rentals due to the wind but did say to return later in the afternoon when the wind died down. We did fill out the waiver forms now, so we did not have to waste time later on when we came back.
Next, we headed to the watersports area. My son was excited to get on the water slide. But when we got to the top, they said that he did not meet the height requirement of 42”. He was sad since it was one the things, he was most excited to do. So, if you have young kids do keep this in mind so they don’t get disappointed.
We spent the rest of the day at the beach and did return later to do the kayak once the wind had died down. My son had such a wonderful experience as he got to paddle and go around the lagoon. The 1 hour goes fast and it’s worth it because you get to see the resort from a different perspective.
For dinner we ate at Sopphias trattoria (this is the same restaurant they serve breakfast.) The service was all right. The menu is was somewhat limited with their Italian offerings. They make their own pasta which tasted great. The cheese Pizza was also quite flavorful and yummy according to my son. My favorite part was dessert, and it was the highlight of the meal. We ordered the tiramisu with fresh expresso, just thinking of it makes me want to go there again.
Day 3
Our last day at the Conrad Orlando.
We started our day with breakfast at Sophia’s and had another great experience. We really enjoyed our time starting our day sitting outside with the pleasant breeze.
Today we took advantage of the pool, now they say it was heated but it did not really seem to me. Granted that is was 74 f outside, but it still felt cold. My son mostly played by the water sprouts close to the pool and wanted to be by the beach building sandcastles. So, we split our time between the pool and beach. We did have lunch at the Papaya club and ordered their pizza and to my surprise it was better the pizza at Sophia’s Trattoria. For dessert my son and I went to little spoon located with the hotel on the main lobby. The Gelato was good, but they did not offer cones with it but instead offered a cup instead. For some reason I feel ice-cream always tastes better with a cone.
For dinner we went over to the lagoon side and stopped by the Food Hall at the landing. They serve casual dinning and over various choices such as Props pizza, Craft Burgers and That’s a wrap. They also have a grab and go option from ready to eat meals to premium groceries.
Overall, this was a great resort to spend a couple of days away from the madness of the theme parks.
