My daughter and I recently returned from a comfortable stay in a One-Bedroom Villa at Disney's Old Key West Resort. This was our first visit to the property, despite it being the original Disney Vacation Club property. Take a look inside and find out what we loved about this Disney resort.
Disney's Old Key West is a sprawling property that moves at its own relaxed pace, reminiscent of life in the Florida Keys. Guests arriving at the Old Key West Hospitality House are greeting with soft island music and friendly smiles on the faces of the Bell Staff. A short stroll down the charmingly themed breezeway will take you to just about anywhere you need at the Resort. The Conch Flats General Store, and Olivia's Restaurant are just to the left.
On the right side of the covered path between sea foam and sky blue painted buildings is where you will find the lobby with Guest Relations and the Library. A variety of services are available for those arriving, but if you have a MagicBand and have already received your room number you can head straight to your home away from home.
The resort is sprawling, and Tori and I were more than happy with the service we received from the Bell Staff that helped us with everything from getting our bags, to escorting us to our room late at night, and making sure I was able to secure and charge my ECV overnight when I wasn't able to get it to my room. The friendly attitude and eagerness from these gentlemen to help us truly made us feel welcome and happy to be "home."
Our room was in building 14, which is directly across the parking lot from the Hospitality House, and I found that the convenient location made the extra points we spent for a preferred room worth it. With such an expansive property, the resort depends on its own internal bus system for guests to get around. As someone who tends to use all possible resort amenities, I'm not fond of taking a bus just to get to the bar or lobby. If you can relate a preferred room may be your best bet at Disney's Old Key West Resort.
Immediately upon entering the One-Bedroom Villa Guests step into a nice sized foyer. The square footage in the One-Bedroom at Old Key West (942 sq. ft. in case you're wondering) is nothing to sneeze at.
The front room has an open floor plan that is perfect for families to gather together and relax. The full kitchen comes with all the Disney Vacation Club standards to allow you to cook and serve a cozy meal or two. Blonde wood cabinets and flooring compliments sunny colored walls with a variety of tropical pastel accents. The space was easy to work in without being in the way of anyone else in the kitchen, and you can see and communicate with even the smallest Guest that might be in the living room.
The dining table area is comfortable, and doesn't have the awkward placement you sometimes see in other resorts. Plus, there is an additional 4-seat dining table on the big verandah outside. It wouldn't be difficult at all to do a little vacation entertaining in this space.
The large living room of this particular villa had a couch, loveseat, and large chair with ottoman. Some of the furniture does double duty by folding out into sleeping spaces that accommodate a total of three people. There is also a side table, coffee table, and a hidden television console beneath the kitchen island. Disney's Old Key West One-Bedroom Villas sleep five, plus one child under 3 in a crib.
The decor in the Villa has an island-vibe with nods to the ocean and a laid-back beach life. We had a golf course view that allowed us to watch the sun come up from beyond the trees. Avian visitors noodled around the pond below our room searching for their morning breakfast. The homey feeling encouraged us both to want to slow down.
Down a short hall from the living room is a laundry room with full washer and dryer. While we didn't need to do laundry on this trip having the option is one of my favorite parts of staying in a One or Two-Bedroom DVC Villa.
At the end of the hall was the master bedroom with a comfortable King sized bed that called to us at the end of a long Park day. The bedroom also holds two nightstands, a comfortable chair, a bench seat, and a set of drawers with LCD television tucked inside.
With just the two of us on this trip I felt that this Old Key West One-Bedroom Villa was much more space than we needed. I would see us booking this room again if we wanted some extra space to entertain friends, or wanted to rent a villa for a race weekend where I needed lots of room to stretch and prepare for the run. Five adults would have no problem sharing these accommodations.
There is one large bathroom in this villa, with both a shower and a big jetted soaking tub. I personally find the bathroom here felt a little dated with its beachy toned tiles. That being said it was well stocked with H2O+ Spa products, and there was a lot of space. Other than personal aesthetics thee wasn't anything actually wrong with it.
My daughter and I both liked the One-Bedroom Villa At Disney's Old Key West Resort well enough even though we had a fairly major hiccup. As most of our readers know I have a disability that puts me in a scooter on vacation. When we arrived to find our room after Park close one night we learned that most of the buildings at Old Key West are without elevators, and we were on the third floor. The cast members did everything they could to find us a more suitable room, but were unable to fit my needs. Ultimately we left the scooter plugged in downstairs outside on the ground floor, and I slowly navigated the two flights of stairs. Something to think about if you travel with people who have any mobility issues.
Though it wouldn't be our first choice, we would happily stay at Old Key West again if we could get a ground floor room near the Hospitality House. The vibe is laid back and friendly, and the room was positively gigantic for two people.
Have you stayed at Disney's Old Key West Resort? If so leave a comment below and share what you thought!
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