I’d wanted to stay at a Gaylord resort since I was 14-years-old and first walked around the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. I was blown away by how beautiful it was, and it reminded me of the temperate houses at the likes of Wisley and Kew Gardens with its lush greenery taking you away from the polluted city exterior.
So when I had the opportunity to stay at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando earlier this year, I just couldn’t say no.
I was on a work trip for Amazon, and had spent the previous week staying in awful, very old Marriott’s. I love Marriott as a brand, but some of their hotels are desperately in need of a facelift! I was originally booked into the Delta in Orlando, but when I saw that the Gaylord came under Amazon’s spending limit policy, I switched.
And despite some hiccups, my goodness am I glad I did!
Now, don’t get me wrong, the entire stay wasn’t perfect – more on this in a bit – and I honestly think it’s very overpriced for the quality of rooms. However, as a hotel on a work trip (that I obviously wasn’t paying for), it was great. I also think it would be a really amazing hotel to stay at when the weather is warmer as the outdoor pools are really great!
Check-in Experience
Unfortunately I’m going to start with the main negative. The check-in experience was probably the worst experience you could possibly have.
I’m a Platinum Marriott Bonvoy member, and I’d requested early check-in via the Bonvoy app. I arrived at the resort around 2pm, just one hour before the official hotel check-in time.
I went to the Bonvoy desk to check-in, and was told that they had upgraded me to a suite as a Platinum benefit (which obviously I was very happy about), but that it wouldn’t be ready for another hour. Of course, I was willing to wait given it was a suite upgrade, so I went off to explore the resort and find a late lunch.
Sounds perfect, right?
Well it was, until I went back at 3pm to find the room still wasn’t ready. It was a different woman on the desk, and said she would get me into a room sooner. But she then downgraded me to a king room, even though the previous woman said she had put a code on my booking to make sure my room wasn’t changed from the suite.
I queried it and they apologised but said the suite wasn’t ready, and wouldn’t be ready for a while as they still hadn’t started cleaning it, even though it was 3pm, and there was nothing they could do now as they couldn’t change the king room back to the suite, even if I wanted to wait for it.
I have literally never heard of a hotel upgrading you, then an hour later taking it away and downgrading you. They didn’t offer anything as an apology for the disappointment – not even some extra Bonvoy points.
I’d basically hung around for an hour waiting for the suite for nothing, and could have had a king room an hour earlier!
The Room at Gaylord Palms Resort
Annoyed with the situation, I was even more annoyed to find they had given me a room with an inter-connecting door.
As a woman travelling alone I really don’t feel comfortable in a room with inter-connecting doors, and whenever this happens I ask the hotel to change the room for me. Frankly, it’s dangerous, and causes a lot of additional stress and worry.
I immediately called reception to ask them to change me to a non-connecting room, but they said they couldn’t do this as the hotel was fully booked, so I had no choice but to stay put.
The one good thing about the room, was the balcony and the view. I was in love with the view over the green atrium! Definitely ask for a room overlooking the atrium if you stay at Gaylord Palms Resort.
In general, the room and furniture in it felt very cheap and basic. It certainly didn’t feel like a luxury room in an upscale hotel, and for that reason, I didn’t take any photos other than the one below. It just didn’t feel worthy of the effort if I’m honest.
The Resort
Right, now let’s get into the good parts about the Gaylord Palms Resort! And that is, the resort itself, and the food.
The resort is truly beautiful IMO. And as a Brit, it felt very American in its architecture – especially the lobby area! Which I actually really liked. I can’t really explain it, even though the resort is huge, there’s just a weird comforting feeling to it? I think it’s all the greenery.
I really loved the lush greenery, the little rivers filled with fish, the different areas to explore, and the outdoor pools (there’s no indoor pool). There’s a large slide area and splash pool for kids, and then a more sophisticated Miami-style swimming pool for adults, flanked by mature palms, cabanas and sunbeds.
Gaylord Palms Food & Drink
The food was where the hotel really shone. I had some incredible food at Gaylord The Palms. They have an amazing selection of restaurants and food options, and everything I had was delicious!
Breakfast at Villa De Flore
I really, really enjoyed the breakfast at Villa de Flore. For $35USD per person they had a really great buffet selection with everything you could need, as well as a strong a la carte menu.
Emerald Bay Cafe & Market
Although it was ridiculously expensive (thank goodness it was a work trip!), the food at the Emerald Bay Cafe & Market was very, very good. I had lunch here on my first day, and loved going there for snacks.
Their key lime pie was humungous (hand for size – this was after I’d eaten half of it!), and I loved their Froyo machines.
Old Hickory Steakhouse
I had dinner at Old Hickory Steakhouse on my first evening at the resort, and it was one of the best meals I had on my entire trip to the US. I honestly had very low expectations because hotel dining can be very hit-and-miss, and left very pleasantly surprised.
I chose the housemade ricotta gnocchi, which consisted of Fungi Jon mushrooms, blistered tomatoes, baby spinach, truffle butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and it was absolutely delicious. Like, melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Still a little peckish, I then followed up with the ‘Bee’ dessert – just look at it!! The whole meal was incredible, and I highly recommend dining here, even if you’re not staying at the resort.
SandBar
Although the food at SandBar was okay, it was the only food place at Gaylord Palms where I had poor service.
I had to physically go and ask the wait staff to take my order, and then I had to do the same again when I needed the bill…and then after they still didn’t bring me the bill after 10-mins, I had to go and get them again. And then, a third time.
I usually leave a 25% tip everywhere I go on a work trip because Amazon allow you to expense up to 25%, but this was the only place I have ever not left a tip. It was truly awful service.
Disney Shuttle Bus
Although the resort isn’t affiliated with Walt Disney World, Gaylord Palms Resort does offer a complimentary shuttle bus to the nearby Walt Disney World parks. The staff provide guests with the shuttle bus timings and schedule the day before (you’ll get a sheet of paper under your door, but you can also find it in the lobby), and the bus goes to all four parks as well as Disney Springs.
I did one day solo at Disney, on the one day I wasn’t working, and I used the shuttle to go to Hollywood Studios around 9am in the morning. The shuttle was perfectly comfortable and not overcrowded at all.
Beautiful, but Overpriced
Marriott claims the hotel is ‘upscale’, and for the price they charge for rooms, they desperately need to renovate them. They’re far too tired, basic and cheap for the cost. However, the food and resort itself do sort-of make up for this. The spa needs an overhaul, but I loved the outdoor pools, the restaurant selection, and the atrium was really, really beautiful.
There aren’t a huge amount of great luxury hotels in the Disney/Kissimmee area, so I do think Gaylord Palms is the best of a bad bunch. I’d love to know, if you’ve stayed here, what did you think of it?!