JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes

Mega Magic


Orlando, Florida

JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes

Mega Magic

What it is

A towering resort on 500 leafy acres with literally everything, including a de facto water park and 18-hole golf course by Greg Norman.

What it isn't

Tasteless. Among seven restaurants on-site, you’ll find a Starbucks and a locavore restaurant, Whisper Creek Farm, where Florida-grown produce stars on the menu.

What we think

Some people shy away from resorts of this magnitude, but we’d wager that those people haven’t stayed here. The property feels like your own private castle, complete with doting staffers and pampering galore (note the Ritz-Carlton spa that’s more than a spa—wellness classes include Barre, Tai Chi Qi Gong, and a hysterical Broadway Cardio that will have you belting out show tunes as you firm your own show-stopping behind). Guest rooms are adorned in soothing colors—tranquil turquoise, sedate sands, marble-lined bathrooms—which will have you on Island Time the moment you check in. (Bonus: they’re enormous, starting at 425 square feet).

You're here because

You want to hand your golf obsession to the next generation, and here you’ll have access to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, where kids play free—and there’s a driving range and putting green at-the-ready for practice sessions.

The Moment

You’d heard chef Melissa Kelly was award winning even before you set foot in Primo, her organic-leaning Italian eatery with its own verdant gardens beyond the windows. But when you take a bite of your bruschetta—with duck confit, stracciatella, wild mushrooms and cured duck yolk—you realize how apt the name, primo, is. You’ve never had a better bruschetta—and you’ve been to Italy thrice.

Restaurants & Bars

Norman's - Latin, Caribbean, Asian fusion

Bleu - Bar food poolside

Fairways Pub - Pub food

Primo - Contemporary Italian

Citron - American Brasserie

Sushi Bar - Japanese

Café Bodega - Grab and go

Highball & Harvest - Southern-inspired cuisine

Vitale, Spa Café – Healthy cuisine

First Drop – Lobby café

Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen – Farm-inspired comfort food

Quench Poolside Bar & Grill - Tropical drinks, burgers and salads

Starbucks® - Coffee, beverages and snacks

The Lobby Lounge & Sushi Bar - Creative cocktails and Asian tapas

Location

The beating heart of Orlando, six miles from Universal Orlando, four from Discovery Cove, and 14 from Walt Disney World Resort. Want to see something truly intergalactic? Beeline 50 miles east to check out the Kennedy Space Center.

4040 Central Florida Parkway
Orlando, 32837
FL, United States

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