The Best Hotels to Book in and Near Winter Garden, Florida

Spend more time upside down on rollercoasters with a stay at SpringHill Suites, just a mile (1.6km) from the western entrance of Walt Disney World. A resort-style pool and 24-hour fitness center help you unwind after a day of all-thrills action. Grabbing food on the go? Hit up its 24-hour market and store your snacks in the suite refrigerator. Make sure you request a room with evening views of the fireworks.

Planning a longer stay? TownePlace Suites provides all the home comforts needed. The apartment-like studios are spacious, offering a fully equipped kitchen and living area. Work up an appetite by lifting the free weights or pounding the cardio equipment at the 24-hour fitness center. Then visit Flamingo’s Bar & Grille for family-friendly cuisine (burgers, sandwiches, and pizza). Just one mile (1.6km) from the west entrance of Walt Disney World, you’re right next to the Happiest Place on Earth.

Before tourists made beelines to the new resorts around Walt Disney World, they stayed at Edgewater Hotel for a little R&R. This near-century-old bed and breakfast keeps one foot firmly in the past, offering haircuts at Earl Brigham’s old-style barbershop and delicious desserts at Scoops Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Store. Don’t worry, its other foot is in the here and now with gel top bedding in all pillows and mattresses and award-winning restaurants serving innovative flavors.

The Grove Resort offers so much fun, your kids will think it’s another iconic theme park and not just one of the best hotels in Winter Garden. Let them cannonball in the resort pool complex, fish off the Lake Austin pier, and hit the high-score at Flip Flop’s Family Fun Center. Give your little ones a few hours of supervised entertainment in the Kids’ Activity Center so you can sneak off to the Escape Spa for a Himalayan salt stone massage.

This Polynesian-themed, family-friendly resort is a tropical paradise; the type of place where drinks come with a colorful umbrella leaning against the rim. Enjoy your daily libations by the 1.5-acre (0.6ha) Liki Tiki Lagoon as your children run with glee from the erupting water volcano. Dry off before you chow down on fajitas at Shipwreck Sally’s. Then it’s time for a round of minigolf. After you put the kids to bed in their own cozy room, order dessert from Sally’s and enjoy it on your outdoor patio.

The former winter home of golfing great Arnold Palmer, Bay Hill Club & Lodge is a mecca for golf fanatics. A stay in the 70-room lodge feels like you’re sleeping in his personal guest room. As you recline on Lexington furniture, study photos from his personal collection. A stay also includes access to the golf academy, short-game practice facility, and driving range. Once you’ve got your swing in shape, tackle the resort’s 27 championship holes.

Roll out of bed in your Despicable Me family suite and enjoy early access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Don’t worry about finding a parking spot; Portofino Bay Hotel has waterways and walking paths that connect directly to Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure. When you return from a day of thrill rides, dine on Italian dishes at one of their seven restaurants. Just make sure to save room for a few scoops of gelato.

Looking to squeeze in a little golf? A stay at Orange County National Lodge includes complimentary access to their nine-hole Tooth Course and a bucket of range balls before your first round. For a more extensive golfing experience, two championship golf courses await. Only 12 minutes from the Walt Disney World parks, your family can spend the day enjoying themselves while you take lessons and work on your game.