Once again in Orlando

Best Things Nearby:
Close to all Orlando attractions, right off International Drive. Easy access to Hwy. 4 and 538.

Best Things About the Resort:
Very clean, well maintained unit. Grounds were well kept and pool and Jacuzzi were nice. The view from the entrance to our unit was across from the lake and was very beautiful.

Resort Experience:
The entrance to Leisure Resort is very attractive, but when you check in you have to drive almost all the way to the back. Check in went very quickly. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at our unit that they had upgraded us to a two bedroom, two baths. I was a little disappointed that they had evidently closed what once was a screened-in porch to enlarge the living room area. This left us with no private access where we could enjoy the "outdoor" weather.

Although the unit wasn't real large we had adequate space to invite three overnight guests. The extra bedroom, which had twin beds, had a private access to the bathroom that was also accessible from the hall. Both bedrooms and the living room had its own TV and closet, as well as lots of drawer space. The master bedroom, which had a king bed, had its own bathroom, but the dressing area was in the bedroom area and separate from the stool and tub/shower. We found the kitchen was large enough to have a small table and two chairs. It had a large pantry for food items. The kitchen was very well equipped, from the four slice toaster to a pizza cutter. The dining area had a table with four chairs, but easily sat six. The living area's decor was somewhat "busy" and could have been toned down a couple of notches. We enjoyed the stereo system in the living room as well as the TV.

Although the weather was a bit cool, we did spend a little time enjoying the pool and hot tub right outside our unit a few times. The resort has a wonderful enclosed exercise room as well as an exercise route that you can pace yourself as a expert or novice. They did not have a lot of planned activities, but since there are so many other things to do in Orlando we don't find that to be a problem.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Excellent

Best Things Nearby:
The resort itself is the best thing nearby! It has everything you would want and more! Of course Sea World is just down the road, as well as Discovery Cove.

Best Things About the Resort:
There are so many great things about this timeshare. The big screen TV was definitely the #1 for the guys watching the Super Bowl. The pools are heated, which was a plus for us because it was very cold during the time we were there. The two bedrooms unit we had was like having a lockout unit, but without access to the outside, and was very spacious.

Resort Experience:
Staying at the Hilton was living like a king and queen. It was very luxurious and yet homey. We had five people staying in our unit and we all had private space, a private TV (of course, the one in the living room had a bigger set!) and access to a screened-in porch. According to the person sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room, it was very comfortable. The master bedroom suite is huge and had a king-size bed.

Since we stayed in the second bedroom, or what could have been a lockout unit (with no outside access), I believe we were very fortunate. We had our own screened-in balcony with table and chairs, our own sofa (that also made into a bed), and a small kitchen complete with utensils, refrigerator, sink, etc. The storage space with the closet and plenty of drawer space was definitely adequate. The bathroom wasn't real large but was sufficient.

The resort itself is the best we have ever stayed at in the Orlando area, and we have stayed in a lot of nice ones in Orlando. I definitely see why it is so highly rated. They have so much to offer for all ages in activities, plus the facilities and grounds are immaculate. The walk around the lake is not only for the physically-fit person who wants the exercise, but for the leisure walker who enjoys seeing nature and listening to birds. Although we didn't attend movies at the theater, it is a plus for this resort. The only bad thing about this resort was that we weren't there long enough!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

We discovered Sweet Tomato when we were cruisin'' International Drive and what a discovery, especially for my husband who is on a diabetic, fat-reduced diet. This restaurant is billed as a salad bar buffet, but offers a lot more.

Not only do they have all the fixings for a tossed salad, but several choices in fat-free dressings, as well as regular dressings. They have a variety of other salads such as pastas, potato, etc. They have a soup bar with several choices of fat-free and meatless soups. Their bakery offers delicious fat-free corn bread, a rice chocolate muffin, and other traditional choices. The pasta area has a variety of choices in pasta and sauces. For a dessert you can choose fat-free yogurt, cookies, cheesecake, or for the chocolate lover, something that will satisfy your cravings.

We dined at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney for lunch. We were pleasantly surprised with the prices and variety of food on their lunch menu. We shared a shrimp appetizer, a chicken sandwich and a delicious dessert. The dessert was their signature item of banana bread pudding. If you are a bread pudding lover, be sure to save room for this wonderfully rich dessert. It is well worth the price!

We had a very friendly and talkative waitress who took the time to explain some of the items on the menu. The atmosphere in the House of Blues is unique. I would definitely dine there again.

Animal Kingdom is definitely a Disney theme park. However, I found that it wasn't as interesting as the other three parks. I probably won't return to Animal Kingdom another time. I love Disney and have been to the other theme parks multiple times.

The DinoLand area was the best part of Animal Kingdom. The Tarzan Rock show and the Dinosaur Ride were the best part for us. Another show we enjoyed was Festival of the Lion King. The Kilimanjaro Safaris Ride was kind of neat because of all the animals that are very close, but still in captivity. In Discovery Island the 3-D show "It's Tough to Be a Bug!" was cute and the effects at the end are a nice touch of surprise.

There is a lot of walking, other than from one attraction to another, in Animal Kingdom. So if you have trouble walking or tire easily I would recommend renting a scooter. We usually don't eat a lot at the parks since food is so expensive, but we found a stand right outside of Asia that sells smoked turkey legs for $5. It was very tasty and filled the empty spot in our stomachs. The parade was cute with all the animated characters and ended the day at Animal Kingdom on an uplifted note.

This definitely is not a "first" choice place for future trips to Orlando. We had been there about thirty years ago with our son when he was eight. I think we should have skipped it for another thirty years! If you have small children it probably would be an "okay" place to go, but as adults, it seemed rather boring.

Of course, it didn't help that we were there when it was the coldest it has been in ten years. Therefore the gators were not very active and a lot of the activities that were on their brochure were not being presented on the day we were there. The train ride is a short spin around the area and all the areas you see can easily be accessed by walking. Don't waste the extra money to do it even if they sell it as unlimited rides. You probably won't do it more than once anyhow.

The most interesting part of Gatorland was the gift shop!