Now that I'm home I can get my thoughts together about the Four Seasons. It was such a last minute addition to the end of our trip, and then we had such an awful time getting home yesterday, totally crazy!
I received an email from the Four Seasons a couple of days before we arrived letting me know I should download their app, which I did right away. About 24 hours before arrival I got another email letting me know I could now check-in on the app. Cool!
So I checked us in and requested an early arrival (since I knew we'd have to be out of the GF by 11:00 AM). The app also allows you to make special requests if you have anything to note. The morning we checked out of the Grand I got a message from the Four Seasons app letting me know our room was ready and we could stop at the front desk to get our keys. This was AWESOME because we wouldn't be homeless in between resorts.
Driving through the entrance to Golden Oak gives me the chills!!!
Oh how I wish I had 10 million extra dollars laying around so I could build a house right there in the middle of the magic.
A girl can dream, right?? The road winds back through the housing areas until you get to the very back where the Four Seasons is. It's a HUGE building so you can't miss it.
As soon as we pulled up the valet was smiling and ready to assist. A bellman also came over right away. It didn't take long before our luggage was loaded onto a cart and the car was taken off. Very quick and easy! Another bellman came over and escorted us inside to the registration desk. (be sure to have plenty of cash on hand because I was tipping these guys left and right)
The lady who took care of us at check-in was amazing, really all of the employees we encountered were top notch. She gave us our keys and escorted us to the elevators. Once we were up on the 10th floor we encountered the first bellman already at our suite door waiting for us. He not only unloaded the luggage but put it in the closet area on racks while also showing us how to use all the technology in our room.
This iPad was really awesome. You could use it to see your folio/room charging, you can contact housekeeping, you can request housekeeping and/or turndown at certain times and also make notes to the housekeeper. You can order food, make dining reservations, look at the restaurant menus, setup spa appointments, golf info, recreation, really anything you might possibly need during your stay all in this one handy location. The welcome screen greeted me by name, gave local weather, hotel info, etc. Super cool!
We also had a Bose sound system with bluetooth so the kids were instantly excited to play their own music off their iPhones:
Water and coffee are complimentary and can be requested anytime we ran out:
Also with turndown service at night they would place a bottle of water next to both sides of each bed along with slippers. The kids thought that was the coolest thing ever.
Boy I wish Disney would give water bottles as freely. It always feels like mission impossible to get your hands on some water to drink!
Nespresso machine with 3 types of coffee
It was easy to use and the coffee tasted really good I thought. Normally I don't make coffee in my room but I wanted to try this out to see how it worked.
The bellman asked if we wanted any other beverages other than water and coffee. They offer in-room bar setup, soft drinks, etc, anything we would want to have brought up. (for a charge of course)
All of the light switches were fancy and the lamps all had dimmers. The front door had buttons for "privacy" and for "make up room"
Bedroom and living room had separate thermostats
There were TONS of outlets everywhere. Several on both sides of the bed, around the desk, near the couch, and by each end table. No problem whatsoever charging all of our electronics simultaniously. The in-room Wifi was great!! Super fast! I uploaded some videos to photobucket that usually take forever and they zipped right along in a few minutes. Very nice.
Everywhere you looked there were special details and thought given to a guest's needs. I've stayed in Four Seasons hotels before but the amenities here in Orlando were the best I've seen anywhere. Even in the bathroom with special containers with q-tips and makeup remover pads, shower cap, drinking mug, the housekeeper even put bamboo mats under my toiletries for me!
We had two TVs and they were both huge and very high quality. The highest quality refresh rate I've seen in a hotel that's for sure. Even better than our own TVs at home!
You could even DVR shows if you wanted, or order PPV movies.
Once we started to settle in to our room we received a parade of visitors! First came welcome gifts from the hotel. Chocolate truffles for me and popcorn and root beer for the kids with a token to go downstairs for free ice cream. Then another visitor with a birthday cake and card for Nic.
These were DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!
Really above and beyond when it comes to feeling welcome.
Shortly after these two deliveries the afternoon housekeeper came to see if we needed any towels. So I guess you could say 3 visits per day for housekeeping needs. At this point we started to feel almost too well taken care of
so we put the privacy light on and enjoyed the view from our balcony before hitting the pool.
I've already posted but I'll tell you again, the view is spectacular!
We really enjoyed the pool area, it is HUGE and best of all, no crowds! You could easily come down and find chairs or even a cabana if you wanted one. We hung out mostly over by the lazy river, but also did some swimming in the infinity pool. And I think I already told you guys about the over 21 pool as well. After being chairless at SAB all week it was nice to feel we could sit down and relax. As soon as we approached chairs an employee came with large plush towels and "made up" chairs for us to lounge in. He offered us a pitcher of ice water as well. The staff is so attentive you don't even have time to think about something you might need or want because they'll think of it first.
We had dinner that night downstairs in Ravello. It was fantastic! I had the white truffle risotto, the boys had pizzas. The meal and the service were incredible!
The turndown service in the evening is actually a second cleaning. They cleaned the room top to bottom as well as both bathrooms, refreshed towels and toiletries, turned down the beds, made up the sleeper sofa, left extra bottles of water at our bedsides, slippers, lights dimmed, etc.
We decided to order room service for dessert. Warm chocolate chip cookies and milk (Connor's favorite) and chocolate cake. A perfect treat for watching all the fireworks shows from our balcony.
You've probably already seen all my photos , if not check my photobucket album
I really enjoyed our stay immensely! I think this hotel is perfect for people looking for a high luxury experience with a lot of pampering, top notch service, and a broad range of amenities. The spa I toured was beautiful, the pools are beautiful, the restaurants are beautiful, the whole dang place is just stunning!
Our suite was over the top and something I would never be able to afford, so I think that's what made it even more amazing. It was like being queen for a day.
My 16 year old said he'd never been somewhere before where so many people cared. And I think that really sums it up. I genuinely felt like every single person we encountered wanted to make sure we were happy and had everything we needed. And not in a kiss your behind type of way, but in a real genuine way.
I would guess that anything you needed or wanted could be done at this resort... it would be perfect for a honeymoon, anniversary, special occasion, plus they have convention, meeting, and wedding space. Also I think it's a great spot for adults-only, or for a family looking for more down time away from the parks. Or perhaps as a split stay with a Disney resort to add a few days of pampering onto your trip after going commando through the parks.
If anyone has any questions about the Four Seasons just let me know. I'm going to get some thoughts together about the BC and GF as well.