Review of Four Seasons Orlando at Disney World

Editor’s note: The Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort provided TPG with a complimentary two-night stay so that we could get an inside look at the hotel and its amenities. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author and weren’t subject to review by the hotel or any external entity.

Folks visiting Disney World have dozens of hotels to choose from, ranging from budget-friendly Value hotels to middle-of-the-road Moderate accommodations and fancy Deluxe resorts.

One of the most luxurious hotels in the area, however, has to be the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. Just a short drive away from Walt Disney World’s various parks — but nestled in a gated community — the hotel has several gourmet restaurants, a high-end spa and excellent golf and tennis facilities, plus a plethora of programming and amenities for both adults and kids.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort and how to make the most of a stay there.

Getting there

The Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney Resort is located around 20 miles west of Orlando International Airport (MCO) in a gated community called Golden Oak, so when arriving, expect to stop by the guard booth to give your name.

The drive from the airport takes approximately 30 minutes and will cost about $45 using a ride-hailing service.

However, many visitors tend to rent cars so they can get around easily and visit not just Disney World but other parks in the area as well, like Universal Studios. In this case, you must valet your car (self-parking is not available) for $42 per night.

Booking details

The Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney Resort has a total of 443 accommodations: 375 rooms and 68 suites.

Entry-level Golden Oak View Rooms start at 500 square feet, and each has a king bed plus a queen sofa bed or two queen beds and an optional crib. Nightly rates currently start at $1,278 per night. Just beware that construction is currently taking place in view (and earshot) of some of these rooms. If tranquility is what you seek, it might be worth the upcharge to reserve a similarly sized and outfitted Lake View Room, which starts at $1,618 per night, instead. Otherwise, if you don’t mind the noise from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., you might be eligible for a $200 daily resort credit.

I stayed in an 825-square-foot Park View Suite with views of the Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks from its large balcony. It also had a living room and a separate bedroom, with rates currently starting at a whopping $5,054 per night.

The Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort is an Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts property, so folks with The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express who make a booking through AmexTravel.com can count on benefits like complimentary daily breakfast for two, room upgrades based on availability, a $100 on-property credit to use during their stay and guaranteed late checkout.

The hotel is also part of Chase’s The Edit, which is a recent rebranding of its Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection. If you have an eligible card and make your booking through Chase Travel℠, you can enjoy perks like daily breakfast for two, availability-based room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout based on availability, a $100 property credit to be used during your stay and a welcome gift. Those with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for stays booked at The Edit properties.

Other cards you can use for The Edit bookings include:

Standout features

• The property has luxurious accommodations with views of the beautiful grounds.
• There are five pools, ranging from the quiet lakeside Adult Pool to a lazy river and a splash zone for the little ones.
• An 18-room spa specializes in treatments with high-end Biologique Recherche and Is Clinical products.
• Guests have their choice of dining experiences, from casual eats at Lickety Split to contemporary Spanish steakhouse fare at top-floor Capa and Italian cuisine at Ravello.

Drawbacks

• You might be subject to the hotel’s variable shuttle schedule if you want to leave your car behind while you park hop.
• Nearby construction can distract from the otherwise elegant and hushed vibe of the hotel.
• The high nightly rates will likely price out most travelers.

The vibe

Occupying nearly 27 lake-dotted and forest-covered acres just a quick jaunt from Disney World’s parks, the Four Seasons Orlando is perhaps the most upscale setting for a vacation in the Most Magical Place on Earth. Though it’s a bit removed from the parks, the shuttle service ensures that guests can get their fill of Mickey and his friends during their stay.

The Spanish Revival-style buildings create a classic resort feel, as do the polished marble floors and dramatic chandeliers in the public areas. However, you might also run into corporate groups at off-site retreats and a wedding or two being celebrated in the complex’s many event spaces.

Most guests seem to be well-off families enjoying some well-deserved vacation time. Thanks to a ponderous 5-acre play zone with pools and club areas for kids of various ages, extensive spa facilities and the Tom Fazio-designed Tranquilo golf course (which is also a certified wildlife sanctuary), everyone can do their own thing when not enjoying Disney World’s parks.

The room

My Park View Suite was located at the end of a corridor on the hotel’s sixth floor (out of 17). Just inside the entrance was a small half-bath with a sink, a toilet and a walk-in shower.

Turning left brought me into the main living room, which was a large space. On the near side, a table and two chairs were set along a credenza that also held a Bluetooth speaker and a notepad, basically doubling as a work desk. Beyond that, a sofa bed and an armchair comprised a cozy vignette and faced a chest of drawers with a large flat-screen TV perched atop it.

Near the little dining area, the minibar had a Nespresso machine and all the fixings so I could make myself coffee or tea in the morning. There was also a minifridge with two complimentary bottles of water. Other snacks and beverages were available upon request.

A large glass sliding door took up most of the far wall and led out to the expansive balcony, which ran the length of the suite and had a table and four chairs for alfresco meals, as well as two loungers. It could be accessed via either the living room or bedroom and looked out toward the Magic Kingdom.

The bedroom was separated from the living room by a privacy door. Inside, I found a king-size bed dressed in the brand’s signature white-on-white linens with the Four Seasons logo embroidered on the large shams. There were two convenient ottomans serving as a casual bench at the foot of the bed and, along the windows, another seating area composed of two armchairs and an additional ottoman. All the furnishings were in a tranquil palette of mainly cream and taupe tones with some silvery elements and blond wood thrown in.

To either side of the bed were panels with light switches, power plugs and USB ports, as well as simple nightstands with reading lights. On one, I found a tablet through which I could peruse the resort’s amenities and request services like housekeeping or for the valet to bring my car around.

The closet lay between the bedroom and master bath, with plenty of space for luggage and both hanging and folded clothes.

The bathroom had gleaming, gray-and-white marble tiling on the walls, floors and bath backsplash. The vanity held two sinks and a range of citrus-scented Atelier Cologne Pomelo Paradis products. There were also some amenities and toiletries available if you had left any essentials at home.

Beyond the sinks was a standard soaking tub with both a regular faucet and a hand-held showerhead.

There was also a separate walk-in shower with a glass door and more Atelier Cologne products, and next to this was a private water closet holding the toilet.

At over 800 square feet, the suite was quite roomy and would be comfortable for a group with up to four people thanks to the distinct living and bedroom areas and the sleeper sofa, as well as all that outdoor space. The decor, though slightly pared-down, felt fresh and bright, engendering a homey yet upscale ambience.

Food and drink

As you might expect from a luxury resort at Walt Disney World, the Four Seasons Orlando’s handful of restaurants range from casual watering holes for the whole family to elegant fine-dining venues for special occasions, plus a special breakfast experience with Disney characters. All feature kids menus, so even the pickiest little eaters should find something they like, such as chicken fingers and cheese pizzas.

Down the hall from reception, Lickety Split is the hotel’s laid-back grab-and-go outlet and is open from 6:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. The menu here includes items such as espresso drinks, acai bowls ($13) and avocado toast ($13) in the morning to a chicken Caesar salad ($18), turkey club sandwiches ($18) and a selection of house-made gelato throughout the rest of the day.

Just next door, the Lobby Lounge is open from 5 to 11 p.m. daily and features live music on Monday, Friday and Sunday evenings. The menu here includes nibbles like mezze platters ($19), chicken wings ($18) and sushi rolls ($21), as well as hearty burgers ($26) and roasted Floridian snapper with hearts of palm and grilled eggplant in a coconut dashi with gremolata ($39).

Among the specialty cocktails is the Spoonful of Pineapple with two kinds of rum, Disaronno amaretto, pineapple, orange, lime and cinnamon syrup ($16).

Down one level from the lobby, Ravello is the hotel’s upscale Italian spot serving breakfast and dinner. There’s a well-provisioned buffet available with everything from fresh fruit and pastries to charcuterie and eggs ($42 per adult and $22 for kids 12 and under). The a la carte menu includes dishes like savory huevos rancheros with avocado over corn tortillas ($24) and avocado toast on multigrain bread with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella ($21).

On Thursdays, Saturdays and select Tuesdays, Ravello offers a Disney character experience called “Good Morning Breakfast With Goofy And His Pals,” where guests can meet the beloved character as well as some other Disney personalities and even take home souvenir photographs. The experience, including a breakfast buffet, is $32 per child ages 3 to 12 and $54 for adults.

In the evenings, Ravello transforms into a lively trattoria serving specialties such as creamy burrata with asparagus and tomato ($19), grilled artichokes with roasted zucchini and tomato ($16) and juicy meatballs with mortadella, prosciutto and mozzarella in a tangy tomato sauce ($16). Among the standout mains are a variety of wood-fired pizzas ($19 to $24), ravioli with veal, spinach and ricotta in a wild mushroom sauce with truffle essence ($28) and squid ink bucatini with shrimp and crab meat in a saffron sauce ($32).

Dessert delicacies include a cherry-pistachio Tartufo ($12) and, of course, a rich tiramisu with Marsala espresso syrup and mascarpone ($12).

Sitting on a spit of land out in the lake, just across a bridge from the adult pool, PB&G is a breezy grill open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It serves signatures like tortilla chips with fire-roasted salsa and guacamole ($13), popcorn shrimp with spicy boom boom sauce ($18), a Cobb salad ($22), a blackened chicken sandwich ($22), pan-seared crabcakes ($23) and citrus-marinated steak tacos ($28), among other options.

Meanwhile, out at the golf course’s clubhouse, Plancha proffers Latin American cuisine from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sundays. The menu highlights flavors like tuna tartare with cilantro-avocado puree with crispy wontons ($15), guava-queso salad with papaya and spiced pepitas ($16), a Caribbean jerk tofu sandwich with cilantro-lime slaw ($19), and churrasco-style skirt steak with chimichurri sauce ($33). Don’t miss the sweet and sumptuous tres leches cake ($7) for dessert.

Finally, there’s the hotel’s top-floor fine-dining Spanish steakhouse and cocktail lounge called Capa, which has garnered a Michelin star. It is only open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily and features live music from a Spanish guitarist on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Like the luscious cuts of meat cooking in the open kitchen, the ambience is sizzling. The menu starts with small plates and crudo, including silky seared tuna with mango escabeche, truffle-avocado puree and shaved black truffle ($21); house-roasted almonds ($7); and tender octopus with potatoes, spicy pimento, black garlic glaze and garlic aioli ($19).

The grilled mains are mostly pricey cuts of steak, including a melt-in-your-mouth prime fillet from Arkansas-based Creekstone Farms ($68) and a 40-day, wet-aged, bone-in ribeye ($91) served with your choice of sauces like chimichurri, bearnaise, and peppercorn ($5 each) plus an intriguing array of unusual sides like fried eggplant with molasses ($14) and unctuous corn polenta with goat cheese and sherry vinegar ($14).

The list of accompanying wines draws from all over Europe and the West Coast, with some robust Riojas and Ribera del Dueros among the options.

For dessert, the sugar- and cinnamon-dusted churros with chocolate and dulce de leche sauce ($15) shouldn’t be missed. Also, not to miss? The prime views from the restaurant’s balcony of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. The kitchen and waitstaff will even plan the service pacing around the park schedule so your food doesn’t get cold if you want to spend a few minutes watching the spectacle.

Disney amenities

As one of the hotels at Walt Disney World, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando offers several Disney-specific perks. Guests can take advantage of a 30-minute early entry head start to their park of choice each day before the general public is admitted.

An on-site Disney Planning Center across from reception can help visitors plan their park strategy, secure tickets to events, arrange private VIP tours with expedited access to attractions and put together special experiences like one-on-one encounters with their favorite Disney characters and even character dining experiences in one of the event spaces (though this is steep, starting at $7,500).

The hotel also offers complimentary shuttles to the various parks at Walt Disney World, though the schedule changes daily, so be sure to stop by the Disney Planning Center desk to check on the next day’s routes.

Pools and activities

Although the point for many folks staying at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort might be to spend their days at the resort’s various theme parks, it would be a shame (and perhaps illogical at this price point) not to spend a little time enjoying the amenities and activities at the hotel itself.

There are several pool and water features for guests to relax or play in. Closest to the main hotel tower, the adults-only Oasis Pool looks out over the lake and is surrounded by loungers and cabanas.

On the other side of PB&G, the 7,590-square-foot Family Pool is ideal for folks with the kids in tow, while the 5-acre Explorer Island pool and activity complex includes highlights like a lazy river, waterslides, a climbing wall and a shallow splash zone for toddlers.

Each pool has a helpful stand where guests can get towels, sunblock, water and even life vests for kids who might not be confident swimmers.

The hotel also has a signature Kids For All Seasons club with activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for children ages 4 to 12 (those under 4 must be accompanied by an adult), plus the Hideout, a rec room of sorts where older kids can relax and play foosball and video games, among other options. The hotel can also arrange for babysitting services.

Active guests can play a round or two on the 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course on the property, book a lesson with the resident tennis pro on one of the three courts available or shoot some hoops on the basketball court at Explorer Island.

The hotel also has a large gym near the adults-only pool and the spa with LifeFitness cardio machines, including treadmills and ellipticals, Peloton bikes, Matrix weight machines, free weights and a studio for stretching, yoga and private training.

The spa

Located on the hotel’s lower level, the spa is a huge facility. The experience here starts by checking in at the boutique, where various product lines (think: Biologique Recherche and Kerastase, among many others) incorporated into its treatments are sold.

There are men’s and women’s locker rooms complete with showers, steam rooms, saunas, ice stations, outdoor relaxation areas and whirlpools, as well as experiential showers that incorporate lights, sounds and cascades of water at different temperatures to replicate occurrences like island storms.

The spa houses 18 treatment rooms, six of which are equipped for couples with two tables. All are named after birds indigenous to Florida.

The menu of treatments is a panoply of pampering and includes unique techniques such as a Sticks and Stones Massage performed with warm basalt stones and birchwood sticks ($220 for 50 minutes) and the La Floridian Body Therapy with a fine cane-sugar body polish followed by a skin masque of pink grapefruit cream and whipped shea butter and a jasmine-scented hot oil scalp massage ($320 to $340 for 80 minutes).

There are nearly a dozen facials to choose from as well, including a high-tech Regenerating Micropuncture option that uses intra-epidermal stimulation in combination with active amino acid serum to firm and illuminate the skin ($370 for 50 minutes). The spa can also provide a variety of IV drips and intramuscular shots to help with hydration, immunity and weight loss ($50 to $250) and cryotherapy sessions ($225 to $385).

Among the offerings for kids are the Belle of the Ball makeover and the Royal Treatment, complete with hair styling, accessories, makeup, nail lacquer, fairy dust and a princess certificate ($155 to $315).

Those who want to go all-out can head one floor up to visit the hotel store, Fable, for costumes and other accouterments, along with sundries like snacks and sunblock. Across the way, Wardrobe is more like a fashion boutique peddling resort and evening wear from brands like Lilly Pulitzer and Missoni, jewelry, sunglasses and more.

Accessibility

The Four Seasons Orlando offers accessible rooms in its Golden Oak View Room and Golden Oak View Suite categories. These accommodations feature wide, wheelchair-accessible doors, lowered peepholes, roll-in showers and grab bars for the raised toilet and the bathtub. Additionally, the lighting controls and thermostats are at a maximum height of 48 inches to the top of the device.

Some of the accessible rooms have features for those with hearing or visual impairments, including a combination of visual and speaker alerts connected to the fire alarms and the hotel’s emergency alarm system. There are visual notifications for phone calls and knocks at the door, TTY/TTD phones and visual alarms, as well as phone amplifiers that are available upon request. A bed vibration function for telephone calls, fire alarms and the room doorbell is also available.

The hotel entrance is wheelchair-accessible with gradual inclines from the driveway and accessible doors, plus wide hallways in the public areas and sets of elevator buttons within reach of wheelchair height. The reception and concierge desks are Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, and guests can also request in-room registration as an alternative.

The other facilities, including the restaurants, the spa and the fitness center, are accessible via wheelchair thanks to elevators, non-step entrances and either roll-in entry or chair lifts into the pools. Service animals are also permitted throughout.

Checking out

For travelers who want to add more than a touch of luxury to their next Disney vacation, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World offers just the right combination of elegance and family-friendly magic. Guests can enjoy the benefit of staying within easy reach of all the parks while remaining a little removed from the crowds thanks to the location in a tony residential enclave.

Thanks to the hotel’s Disney desk and convenient shuttle service, guests can also plan everything from quick, casual visits to the parks to exclusive meet-and-greets with their favorite characters. Given the high price point of the rooms and the on-property restaurants and amenities, though, consider making the hotel the focus of your vacation so you can take advantage of all it has to offer while still sprinkling a little Disney fun into the mix.

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