Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Hello to our readers! My name is Chelsey, and I recently had the opportunity to stay at Disney’s Beach Club Villas for six nights with two of my coworkers at David’s Vacation Club Rentals.
In our office, the Beach Club Villas is always a popular resort selection among guests, so I was very excited to stay here, explore all the resort has to offer, and find out for myself why it is so beloved by guests and DVC Owners alike.
When we arrived at the resort, the first thing I noticed was a charming, delightful scent that was instantly calming and certainly matched the laid-back atmosphere of the Beach Club Resort lobby.
I would describe the scent as a fresh sea breeze mixed with a touch of floral. At the Beach Club, there is the main lobby where you check-in, and then you head over to the Villas portion of the resort, which is another building connected to the main building by a walkway.
The main lobby of Beach Club has a very laid-back atmosphere, with elegant, Victorian touches themed after New England-style beach hotels.
I stayed in a studio, which accommodates up to 5 guests and is beautifully themed along with the rest of the resort. This room is great for families of 5, as the room includes; a queen size bed, double size sleeper sofa, pull-down murphy bed hidden under the tv during the day, a kitchenette with mini-fridge, coffee maker, sink, paper plates/bowls and plastic cutlery. There’s also a generous amount of floor space and storage.
From my balcony, I had a beautiful view of the Villas’ quiet pool, Dunes Cove.
The Villas building has a lobby as well, just smaller and without a registration counter. It is quieter here overall but shares the theming of the lobby in the main building. My favorite feature of this lobby was an irresistibly gorgeous bouquet displayed on a table in the center of the room.
There are two additional rooms adjacent to the lobby: The Drawing Room and the Breezeway. The Drawing Room has a pool table, TV, and plenty of space to rest and unwind.
The Breezeway is an impressively decorated sitting room, and also serves as the path towards the Dunes Cove quiet pool.
It isn’t hard to argue that one of the biggest benefits to staying at Beach Club is that it will gain you access to one of Walt Disney World’s most impressive pools – Stormalong Bay!
This 3-acre aquatic playground is home to a sand-bottomed pool, and a 230-foot waterslide cascading out of a Shipwreck replica, a lazy river, whirlpool spas, a poolside snack bar & grill, and more! Only guests staying at Beach Club Resort, Beach Club Villas and the Yacht Club Resort are allowed into Stormalong Bay; once your Magic Band has been scanned, a Cast Member will give you a pool bracelet which design changes daily.
I wasn’t sure how my toes would react to feeling sand in a swimming pool, but I’m pleased to report I loved it and I actually found the sand to be quite soothing on my tired feet. The ‘sand’ used in the pool is not fine, sticky sand, but rather ultra-fine pebbles which don’t tend to track out of the pool and into your room.
There are plenty of dining options at the Beach Club Resort. Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill can be found aside Stormalong Bay, where you can order light fare or full meals.
What is really cool about the kids’ meals at Hurricane Hanna’s is that they are served in a sand pail, so kids can use them to build sandcastles in the pool after they’re done eating! I also found a cute little Disney duck and her babies trying to eat some yummy scraps here.
Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast, a character dining experience at Cape May Cafe, was a fantastic meal and has taken over as one of my top character dining spots in Walt Disney World. During our breakfast, we saw Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy, which were all wonderful interactions. The food selection and quality were also very impressive. Cape May Cafe only offers the character dining during breakfast, as in the evening it transforms into a“seafood-and-more”dinner buffet.
Also located within the resort are Martha’s Vineyard and Ariel’s. Martha’s Vineyard is a quiet, laid-back lounge with an impressive cocktail, wine, beer selection, and some delectable appetizers. Live music is also available here on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. This lounge is a bit of a hidden gem as it is tucked back behind Cape May Cafe and I never found it to be very busy at all. Ariel’s serves as a private dining room for pre-booked functions and can accommodate up to 50 guests. We noticed a couple of wedding receptions during our stay and the hall is beautifully decorated for such events.
And of course, at the Beach Club Resort, there is the infamous Beaches & Cream Soda Shop found right along Stormalong Bay. Themed after an old-time ice cream shop you’d find on the Atlantic seashore, you will find many traditional American entrees and finger foods, and – the true star of the show – so many desserts, including Root Beer floats, sundaes, sherbets, ice cream sandwiches, and more!
Finally, one of the best reasons to choose Beach Club Villas is the prime location, as the resort is accessible to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. By foot, you can walk to the International Gateway entrance of Epcot in 5-10 minutes. The walk to Hollywood Studios is a little longer, about a mile long, but it can be done! We chose to walk home after we had just missed the ferry (ferries are also available between Beach Club and both parks), and for us, the walk took about 20 minutes.
I would absolutely recommend the Beach Club Villas to anyone looking for a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere, as well as a convenient location to the parks. You really feel like you’re on vacation here, with the pool being an unforgettable benefit of staying here. I sure can’t wait to dip my toes into that sand-bottomed pool again!
Thanks for reading!
~Chelsey