Hitting the big 3 — Caribe Royale Orlando
The Caribe Royal in Orlando is well-known for hosting conferences, but in a recent trip, I realized what many may not — it is an exceptional choice for families and friends traveling together. I predict Millennials in particular will soon discover how much FUN this independently owned hotel is.
Traveling with my husband, teenage son and 24-year old son, Ty, for a theme park extravaganza, I looked to Ty to decide what type of hotel he’d appreciate most. Topping his list of wants was: big (for the joy of exploration), fun (as many activities as possible to keep the fun non-stop) and food (a huge variety of choices is best for the never-satiated youth). The Caribe Royale hits every mark.
Big
The hotel is HUGE. Vegasesque in scale, the hotel has 1.215 one-bedroom suites (complete with separate living room) and 120 two-bedroom villas (an entire spacious condo with full kitchen). There are six places to grab something to eat, a spa, two pools, a surprisingly well-stocked gift shop, an arcade and expansive grounds with lovely landscaping. It is a hotel explorer’s dream come true. We began our safari into the depths of the hotel late, around 9 PM. I expected nothing to be open, but I don’t think like a Millennial. Everything was open. We spent the next hour let by Ty uncovering yet another café, catching a bit of an outdoor movie and deciding how to spend our “hotel day” after our “theme park day.”
Fun
Smack dab in the heart of the most important part of Orlando (close to theme parks), my expectations were high for onsite amenities. I wasn’t disappointed. In order to keep this story on the short side, I can’t even list them all. We were all happy to swim and enjoy the waterslide and waterfall in the main pool (there is also a private pool for the villas). The outdoor movie with unlimited free popcorn was a plus and the gift shop kept me occupied for an hour with in-stock items like blingy sandals. Not only is there a two-level fitness center, but I could have chosen to get some exercise with a bicycle rental (I didn’t, but I should have). There’s also the unique offering of catch and release fishing in the pond. The game arcade had great games, plus there was a foosball and other table games outdoors by Calypso’s pool bar and grille. A fantastic spa, tennis and basketball courts, a running trail, lounges and restaurants were among the more traditional fun on the fun menu. We spent an entire day trying everything we could which still left us wishing for more time.
Food
Not only were there not enough hours in the day to fill up on fun, we could have stayed a week and not sampled all the cuisine choices at Caribe Royale. The Venetian Chop House is gorgeous and perfect for date night without the kids. Tropicale has the breakfast buffet. Our favorites due to their casual in-and-out vibe were Calypso’s Pool Bar & Grille and Café 24. The pool bar’s menu was surprisingly vast and let me suggest the pina coladas. Since we stayed in a two-bedroom villa that has its own full kitchen, we made many a trip to Café 24 to get a quick snack, some cold cereal and milk, pizza, etc. Java’s Coffee Café has snacks too, plus seriously good coffee — a necessity for my coffee-crazed husband.
Room, lots of it
Our two-bedroom villa had some perks not many condos do. First, access to all of Caribe Royale and second, room details like a two queen beds in the second bedroom, a Jacuzzi in the master bedroom and a covered, screened balcony. Space on a family or friend trip cannot be underestimated and having a home-away-from-home makes the stay better, always.
The verdict
Loved it. Ty loved it. Come for the perks, stay for the space.
