I’ve always loved secret gardens; the chance to discover something special, hidden behind something that obvious.
Discovering Grande Lakes Orlando, is like discovering a secret garden. Grande Lakes, 500 acres on Shingle Creek, the headwaters to the Florida Everglades and a mere 15 minutes from the Orlando airport, is home to both a 1000-room JW Marriott and a 580-room Ritz Carlton.
The resorts share their extensive facilities: the huge pool complete with lazy river at the JW Marriott, the elegant pool with private cabanas at the Ritz, the tremendous spa and fitness facility right in the center, a bright and well-equipped kids club offering a variety of activities for kids aged 5-12, restaurants galore and the Greg Norman designed golf course.
Those are the obvious things, wonderful resort amenities that would be enough reason to call Grande Lakes a terrific family resort. But it’s the hidden gems, the secret gardens if you will, that make Grande Lakes a joy to discover.
Discovering Grande Lakes Orlando, is like discovering a secret garden. Grande Lakes, 500 acres on Shingle Creek, the headwaters to the Florida Everglades and a mere 15 minutes from the Orlando airport, is home to both a 1000-room JW Marriott and a 580-room Ritz Carlton.
The resorts share their extensive facilities: the huge pool complete with lazy river at the JW Marriott, the elegant pool with private cabanas at the Ritz, the tremendous spa and fitness facility right in the center, a bright and well-equipped kids club offering a variety of activities for kids aged 5-12, restaurants galore and the Greg Norman designed golf course.
Those are the obvious things, wonderful resort amenities that would be enough reason to call Grande Lakes a terrific family resort. But it’s the hidden gems, the secret gardens if you will, that make Grande Lakes a joy to discover.It is Orlando with eco-tours. Jump aboard a golf cart with a well-schooled guide who will transport you about as far from “Orlando” as you can imagine – to the headwaters of the Everglades. There, you will board a kayak or a canoe and spend the next two hours exploring Shingle Creek. It is a magical secret garden, where the Spanish Moss hangs from the trees and the light plays on the water. There are rumors of alligators and a bit of wildlife to be spotted, but really the magic here is simply in gently paddling down a creek in the heart of the “other Orlando.”
You can work up an appetite paddling down the Everglades for a couple of hours, and that leads me to the next secret of Grande Lakes Orlando: the food. Sure, there are countless luxury resorts that tout their cuisine, but no other can credibly claim to have given birth to the farm-to-fork movement in Orlando. With two on-property working farms, Grande Lakes not only grows much of its own produce, but also bakes its own bread, pickles its own pickles and makes its own honey. It is a love of food and a commitment to local sourcing that transforms the dining experience at every restaurant on the property into something very, very special. Not only are we talking perfectly grilled fish, fresh roasted vegetables and desserts that are not to be believed, but we are talking fresh, homemade potato chips at Fairways Pub at the golf course. Yes, even the pub at the golf course is committed to the absolute freshest food.
Some of that food comes right from Whisper Creek farm. The second, and larger, of the two Grande
Lakes farms, Whisper Creek is a miraculous space that combines an on-premises working farm with one of the most incredible event spaces we’ve ever seen. Be it lunch in the garden for fifty, or a gala under the trees for 600, Whisper Creek is the ultimate Grande Lakes secret garden.
Even the Ritz-Carlton Spa (as with all resort facilities, it is open to guests of the JW Marriott as well) hides a secret. On the third floor, just outside the 40+ treatment rooms, is a door to a lush rooftop deck. Pots over-flowing with herbs (which are put to good use in various spa treatments) surround a hammock where the spa’s signature Grande Eco Garden Hammock Experience, a 70-massage, is delivered to well-deserving guests.
The rooms at both properties are spacious, sun-filled and spotless. And even they can hold a secret for kids: the Ritz Carlton has recently introduced in-room camping. Instead of the typical rollaway, your child will discover a tent set up in the middle of the room that includes a featherbed with blanket and pillow, battery-operated lantern, book, stuffed animal and a welcome s’mores-themed treat. In-room camping is an additional $75 and based on availability.A family never has to leave Grande Lakes to have a full, busy, exciting, relaxing vacation. And although you’ll feel a million miles away, you are just miles from the Disney magic with easy access when Mickey calls your name.
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The author was a guest of Grande Lakes for a three-night stay during which meals and activities were complimentary. No other compensation was received and all opinions are her own.
