When it comes to Disney World Hotels, Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace is a top contender for vacation stays. While the hotel is not owned and operated by the mighty Disney Parks system, its location near Disney Springs provides convenient access to the parks, while the hotel’s impressive suite of amenities puts it at the top of our list for offsite Disney World accommodations.
When researching Disney Springs hotels for a recent trip to Orlando, it was hard to find reviews on Hilton resorts. Aside from sites like Trip Advisor, Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace reviews were in short order. To help other travelers like ourselves, we photo-documented our stay and created this roundup of the pros and cons of staying at this Disney World hotel operated by Hilton.
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Why Stay Somewhere Other than a Disney Owned Hotel?
While we highly recommended an onsite Disney World resort stay for vacationers heading to the land of Mouse, we also realize there are times when you might want to book your Disney vacation at a nearby Orlando area resort.
Perhaps you’re a frequent traveler and you’ve accrued a number of points from a popular hotel chain. Since the majority of onsite hotels are owned and operated by Disney, you won’t find a Hilton or a Hyatt where you can use those points.
Disney realizes this too. That’s why they’ve set out to ensure a quality guest experience with offsite stays through a number of programs.
The Good Neighbor Hotel designation, for example, establishes a set of standards that properties must meet. In return, Disney helps to ensure vacationers receive some of the magic of an onsite stay.
Disney Springs area hotels are another option for travelers seeking Disney World approval at an offsite resort. For those seeking Disney World hotels by Hilton, the Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace is the perfect opportunity to mix comfort, top amenities and a bit of Disney magic all within walking distance of Disney Springs.
What to Expect at Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace
Like most hotels operated by Hilton, the Lake Buena Vista Palace offers a feature rich set of amenities, including digital key, onsite restaurant, meeting room and outside pools. In fact, it was the pool that really lured us toward this offsite Disney World resort.
Swimming at Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace
The pool area at Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace is expansive, complete with a lively pooside bar, aptly named Shades. You’ll find ample seating here as well as lounge chairs on the adjacent pool deck.
For a more relaxing or exciting experience, depending upon your viewpoint, venture over to the lazy river section of the pool. Here a zero-entry deck leads toward a floatable oasis that meanders through tropical trees and plants.
If you can find a tube for floating, this is a relaxing way to spend a few afternoon hours, drifting in a circuitous flow as palms sway above your head. For the younger set, or those craving a little more excitement, you can dive beneath a series of water jets located along the waterway.
During our trip to Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace, the lazy river was enjoyed by young and old alike. We could easily pinpoint the repeat visitors or those who had been staying at the hotel for awhile. They were the guests who thought to bring their own flotation devices, as tubes for the lazy river were in short supply.
Adults seemed to enjoy the nearby pool bar. We saw a number of tempting concoctions being delivered to guests as they cooled off in the shallower depths of the zero-entry area or relaxed in the shade beneath plentiful umbrellas.
Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace Restaurants
You don’t have to go too far to find food at Hilton’s Lake Buena Vista Palace. In addition to the Shades pool bar, this Hilton hotel offers full service dining as well as grab and go items, lounge access and quick service dining.
Citrus 28 offers Starbucks Coffee, breakfast pastries and grab and go items. It is currently open from 6:00 am to 12:00 am daily, so you should be able to grab a treat on your way to the parks or when you return home.
Letterpress and Sunnies offer full-service sit down dining, allowing you to soak up the unique atmosphere of this modern hotel. Letterpress overooks the lake, allowing you dine while soaking in the beauty of Florida.
Last, Blue is a “modernized sports bar” where guests go to catch a game on one of the television screens over handrafted cocketailes.
Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace Review: The Rooms
When it comes to staying at Hilton’s Lake Buena Vista Palace, you have multiple room types, all designed to meet the varying needs of Disney World vacationers. All rooms are spacious and comfortable, but for the most space, you’ll want to select a family room, also known as a 1-bedroom suite.
This option provides a 2-queen-bed room for sleeping as well as a sitting parlor for relaxing and watching TV. It’s a great accommodation if the adults in the party like to unwind for a bit after putting the kids to bed. Two-bedroom suites are also available.
During our stay, we opted for a standard tower room with pool view. Here is what we saw from our seventh-floor balcony. I wouldn’t say it was directly overlooking the pool, but it wasn’t a bad view.
Inside, we were treated to a roomy space, with two queen beds, a chair for sitting, desk space with office chair and even a mini fridge. With three of us in the room, it did begin to feel a little crowded if we tried to spend any time inside. Fortunately, most vacationers to Disney will be heading to the parks, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
The main drawback to rooms at Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace is the noise. Upon originally settling in for sleep around 10:00 pm after very early morning flights that day, we found out that our once quiet oasis was surrounded by very thin walls.
When the family in the room next door arrived back to the hotel around midnight, we could clearly hear their conversations, kids crying and every thump or bump as they moved around. At one point we knocked on the adjoining door to request a little quiet, which did tone the noise down a bit.
Unfortunately, even as the group spoke at normal levels we could still hear them fairly clearly for the next hour. If you’re the type who retires early or is awakened easily, you might want to request a room that is more secluded or at the end of a hallway.
As for our overall perception of the rooms, when it comes to Disney World hotels, Hilton’s Lake Buena Vista Palace offers comfortable and spacious room accommodations. Rooms are on par with Disney World deluxe resorts when it comes to size and amenities, at a much lower price point.
Bringing Disney to Hilton
If you’re worried about missing the amenities of a Disney World resort stay by booking offsite, the Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace can ease some of those fears. While you won’t be tucked away inside the Disney bubble, Lake Buena Vista Palace does bring some of Disney’s services to the resort.
For instance, the concierge desk makes it easy to purchase park tickets or obtain information about the parks. Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace also runs a complimentary shuttle to and from the parks which runs on a continuous circuit. Guests are even able to take advantage of Early Theme Park entry, a perk reserved just for guests of Disney World resorts.
Similar to Disney World onsite resorts, guests are able to drop their bags with bell services if they arrive before their room is ready or are leaving after check-out on the day of departure. We transferred to Disney’s Saratoga Springs after our stay at Buena Vista Palace, and found this a convenient option, allowing us to spend the day in the parks, since check in at our new hotel did not begin until after 4:00 pm.
Are you ready to book Hilton Buena Vista Palace? We can Help.
We can help you book your trip to Disney World, and for every vacation package you book, receive free concierge service, including help with dining reservations, My Disney Experience and Disney Genie+.
Our Thoughts on Hilton’s Lake Buena Vista Palace
When looking for a Disney World resort, Hilton’s Lake Buena Vista Palace makes a good showing. Rooms were adequately sized, and for the most part, the atmosphere remained respectfully lively. We enjoyed our one-night stay there, but did miss the inclusiveness of being in the Disney bubble.
While Hilton’s Lake Buena Vista Palace initially came in cheaper than Disney’s moderate resorts, by the time we paid $22 (plus tax) for parking and the $35 resort fee (also plus tax), we found we could have stayed at a Disney World value resort and been in the heart of the magic for close to the same price.
We also felt the Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace resort fee was overstretching a bit. According to Hilton’s website, the $35 resort charge covers access to the internet, Disney parks shuttle and the float lagoon. These are all amenities that would be covered in the cost of a Disney World resort stay.
Hilton also states that a daily sun care product is included in the resort charge. We never received any kind of sunscreen, though we were handed the signature Hilton water bottles at check in.
Overall, if we had to make the same choice again and were looking for a place for a one-night stay, we’d opt for a Disney World moderate resort to find something comparable in pricing. However, if we planned to stay longer, we would give the Hilton another try. Having a balcony overlooking a pleasing view is a must with our group, and moderate resorts at Disney World are lacking this amenity.
If you’re looking to use some Hilton loyalty points to cover your stay when visiting Disney World, you really can’t go wrong with Lake Buena Vista Palace.
Answering Some Frequently Asked Questions
Where Is Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace Located and What Is the Address?
As a Disney World hotel, Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace is located within walking distance to Disney Springs at 1900 E Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830.
Be aware that Hilton operates another resort in the Disney Springs area with a similar name: Hilton Lake Buena Vista. When seeking this Hilton accommodation, be sure to look for Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace.
Does Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace offer shuttle service to Disney World parks?
Yes. Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace does offer shuttle service to all Disney parks and water parks. However, guests will need take a short walk to Disney Springs.
What time can I check into Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace?
Check in time is 4:00 pm, and guests are asked to check out by 11:00 am. However, Hilton has been know to offer late check out when booking a room at their chain of hotels.
