Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, a Disney Deluxe Villa resort, has a theme described by Disney as recalling a late-1800s, Victorian-style, upstate New York retreat. It consists of 1,260 studio and one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas across the lake from Disney Springs.
The villas’ color scheme tends toward pastel blues and greens, with neutral carpets. Furnishings and soft goods are less whimsical and more upscale and masculine than at other Disney resorts. Chairs, sofas, and tables are substantial—perhaps a little too substantial for the rooms they inhabit. The overall effect is sophisticated and restful. Bathrooms are spacious in all but the studios, where they compare with those in any other hotel room.
Surrounded on three sides by a golf course, Saratoga Springs is the only Disney-owned resort that affords direct access to the links (the military-only Shades of Green also provides golf on-property).
The one-bedroom villa sleeps 5 and provides a formal kitchen, a second bathroom, and a living room in addition to the studio bedroom. The living room’s chair and sofa fold out to provide beds for three more people. One-bedrooms villas are 714 square feet.
Two-bedroom villas sleep eight and include all of the kitchen amenities found in a one-bedroom, plus an extra bathroom. One of the baths is attached to a second bedroom with two queen beds or a queen bed plus a sleeper-size sofa. As with the one-bedrooms, a sofa bed and sleeper chair in the living room provide extra places to snooze, though they’re best suited to small children. Two-bedroom villas are 1,075 square feet.
The two-story Grand Villas sleep 12 and include four bathrooms, the same master-bedroom layout, and two bedrooms with two queen beds apiece. An upstairs seating area overlooking the main floor provides a sleeper sofa and chair. Grand Villas are 2,113 square feet.
Saratoga Springs has four pools. One additional pool is also to be found at the nearby the Treehouse Villas. The main pool is the High Rock Spring Pool, located in the Springs section next to the Carriage House, the resort’s lobby. Carriage House is also home to the food hall, check-in, and is adjacent to the Senses Spa.
The fitness center is by far the best at Walt Disney World. Senses Spa, like its counterpart at the Grand Floridian, echoes the spas of the same name on Disney Cruise Line’s ships. Service is very good, plus this Senses location is easier to get to than the one at the Grand Floridian if you’re staying east of the World.
The Turf Club Bar & Grill is the resort’s only sit-down restaurant. When the weather’s nice, ask for an outdoor table; you can spot golfers on the adjacent Lake Buena Vista golf course and look across the way to Disney Springs. The Artist’s Palette is a small counter-service restaurant offering a limited menu of sandwiches, salads, and wraps.
The resort is vast. If you’re staying at the Congress Park section of the park, for example, it is a quick walk to Disney Springs and the section has a pool, but it is way too far from the other amenities of the hotel. Unless you have a car, getting around is a real hassle.
Saratoga Springs was the lowest-rated Disney Deluxe Villa resort in 2019 in terms of whether readers would stay here again or recommend it to a friend. The key issues seem to be room upkeep and bus transportation.
GOOD TO KNOW
If you scored a Disney Resort hotel reservation, remember it does not guarantee theme park access, which you will have to request separately. On July 11 the Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park opened its doors, with EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to follow on July 15.
If you landed both a resort reservation and park admission, note that there will be no FastPass+ service, no Extra Magic Hours, and no park hopping for now. Private dining and in-room delivery will not be offered during the initial reopening window. Be aware that face coverings will be required for each guest age 2 and up; they must be worn in all public areas, except while swimming or seated for dining. There won’t be any fireworks, parades, or character meet-and-greets for the foreseeable future.
Some hotel amenities and experiences will be unavailable, including: arcades, campfires, marina rentals, pin trading, playgrounds, spas, in-room child services, and special events. For more information check, out the Walt Disney World Resorts website.
For all COVID-19 related information, read our updates.
For all there is to see and do at Walt Disney World, check out The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, or to plan your family’s trip to Orlando, check out The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2020. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to our YouTube channeland sign up for our newsletter here. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
