Staying Off Property at Disney World | Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando
If you are thinking about staying off property when you visit Disney World, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando is an absolutely, excellent option. Now, full disclosure, we rarely stay off property at Disney. I normally prefer to stay inside of the magic bubble for the entire trip, however, I will have to admit that I was more than pleasantly surprised at the accommodations and the amenities available here. A truly fantastic resort that I would recommend to anyone who is looking into staying off property at Disney World.
First Impression: The Grand Cypress Lobby
This is, what I call the, “wow” factor. When you walk into the lobby of a resort hotel for the first time, and you just need to stop for a moment and look around to soak it all in. For me, this is what sets the tone for my stay, so I really want that “wow” factor to be there. All of the on property Disney resorts have this. The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress also, did not dissappoint. You walk into an atrium that is open to what I think was the full 16 stories above (I didn’t actually count), and are surrounded by tropical plants and water features. In the afternoons, you are also greeted by a beautiful talking parrot.
The Room
The standard room layout actually reminded me of the layout of the rooms at the Polynesian and the Contemporary. The entrance hallway contained the door to the bathroom, and a closet, and then opened up into the room. There were two double beds, a chaise, a small table with two chairs, a flat screen TV, and a mini-fridge. The accommodations were very comfortable, we had full control of the room’s thermostat, and the views from the balcony of our room were absolutely amazing. If the fireworks were showing, we would have been able to see them from the hotel. There was only one sink in the bathroom, but there was plenty of counter space.
The Resort Grounds
The grounds were very clean, and well manicured. There were pathways through lush tropical foliage, with water features throughout the resort. In addition, there were several covered walkways available as well.
The Pool and other amenities
A relaxing day at the pool always seems more enjoyable when the pool is themed. The pool here is off the chart. There are waterfalls, a water slide, and caves to swim through, that bring you into another section of the pool that has a rope bridge crossing over it. Multiple hot tubs are available to use both poolside, and at other spots on the resort property as well.
You’ll find kayaks, canoes, paddle boats, and lounge chairs along the beached area of the private lake. If you like to fish, grab a pole, because there’s some great catch and release going on here as well.
There’s also a golf course (Jack Nicklaus Signature Design), tennis courts (Grand Cypress Tennis and Racquet Club), a fitness center, and a full service, Marilyn Monroe Spa .
Proximity to Disney Parks
As you can see from the photos above, taken from our balcony, this hotel is right next door to Disney Springs. The fireworks, when they are running, can be seen from many resort rooms. If you don’t happen to have a room that faces the fireworks, there are some large windows facing the same direction in the common area that you would be able to view them from as well. The resort is so close, that we didn’t feel like we were, “leaving the magic” at the end of the day. One of the hotel staff members informed us that the resort property lines actually border Disney owned property. So we couldn’t have gotten any closer without actually staying on property.
Transportation
During our visit, the hotel’s routine park shuttle was not operating, however, there was continuous shuttle service to Disney Springs operating from 5:30 pm until 10:00 pm. Private luxury vehicle service is also available at the hotel round the clock, through Mears Transportation Service, and there is a Hertz rental car location just around the corner as well.
Self parking is available for a daily fee. The self parking lot is a little further away than we would have liked, but was still only a few minutes walk to the hotel. Premium parking, located directly outside of the front entrance, was available for purchase during our visit, for double the daily fee of the standard self parking. Valet parking has been temporarily suspended.
Dining at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
A quick casual, or a grab and go breakfast is important to me when visiting Disney, because I want to be able to get to the parks before they open. Not all of the normal dining options were open during our visit. The Market, grab and go was, with operating hours from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm. Serving Coffee, pastries, bagels, sandwiches, snacks and a variety of cold beverages. This was a great option for us, taking the place of our usual early morning stop into the quick service location had we been staying on Disney property. One of the two on site restaurants were operating, and one of the two on site lounges. The open lounge was the pool side lounge, and it offers a full bar with featured specialty drinks, snacks, burgers, and ice cream. Of the two full service restaurants on property, Hemmingway’s and the Lakehouse, the Lakehouse was open for breakfast and dinner. They had a large variety of options to choose from on the menu including, burgers, seafood, steaks, chicken, pizza, pasta, and some vegan selections as well.
Overall Opinion
This resort offered everything that I look for when I am visiting Disney. The shuttle transportation, the on-site breakfast, and the proximity to the parks. Fireworks viewing is a nice perk at some of the Deluxe Resorts on Disney property, the view here would not be as close, but still a nice addition to your stay. The room size was comparable to the larger Deluxe rooms on property, and the resort offers many suites as well. If you are looking for an off property resort, I’d say that the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress would be an excellent choice to consider.
