Disney's Beach Club Villas

Ah....a Walt Disney World vacation! Screaming fast roller coasters, a plunging elevator, Broadway caliber shows, spinning tea cups and so much more. A trip to Walt's Central Florida resort is an exercise in adrenalin, excitement and a smorgasbord for the eyes.

But it's not all about the parks. In fact, a visitor to Disney World can have a tremendous day without ever setting foot into a Disney park. And the Beach Club Villas is a resort where that relaxing day can be a rich, fun filled adventure for every member of the family.

Part of the Beach Club and Yacht Club resort complex, the Beach Club Villas is a Disney Vacation Club resort. What does this mean? The Villas are Disney's version of "home away from home" lodging. It starts with spacious studio rooms and includes both one and two bedroom villas. The villas are open and airy and the color scheme is done in light, seaside pastels. Views from one side of the Villas encircle the Dunes Cove quiet pool and the other side faces Disney's Epcot park. Depending on your location, you may be able to sit on your balcony and watch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, the nightly Epcot fireworks show.

One of the biggest highlights of the Beach Club Villas is the proximity to Epcot. A very short walk from the front doors of the building takes you to a walk way to Epcot's back entrance, known as the International Gateway. The entrance deposits you in the World Showcase, right between England and France and is a great way to begin your Epcot day.

But what if it's a down day...no parks? Can you really spend a full day at your resort and enjoy yourself just as much as if you were evading yetis, traveling back in time to retrieve a dinosaur or soarin' over California? Definitely!

The resort offers several options for breakfast and even the pickiest eater can find something they like. The Beach Club Marketplace has breakfast croissant sandwiches, custom yogurt parfaits, and many individual serving grocery items such as fruit, cereal, and rice krispie Mickey bars (hey, you're on vacation at Disney World! Plus, technically, it is cereal, right?). For a buffet breakfast with a little character (as in Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale), there is the Cape May Buffet in the Beach Club lobby. Full of traditional hot and cold breakfast foods, the Cape May Café breakfast is a resort favorite. Another restaurant sporting both a buffet and a menu is just a short walk through the resorts in the Yacht Club. The Captain's Grille offers a varied buffet and items on the menu include favorites such as Crab Cake Benedict, buttermilk pancakes and the ultimate Disney breakfast: the Mickey waffle. If you're willing to take a little walk or boat ride, the Boardwalk Inn and Villas are right across Crescent Lake and offer even more breakfast choices including a bakery and a full service restaurant.

Once breakfast is done, there are a variety of options to fill a day. There is shopping for souvenirs and sundries at either the Beach Club Marketplace or Fittings and Fairings Clothes and Notions at the Yacht Club. Periwigs Salon and Barber are available for that fancy updo or trim, and right next door, Lafferty Place Arcade will dazzle with lights and beeps and other assorted games.

If swimming is on your agenda, there is the quiet pool right outside the Villas, where you can hit the pool or the hot tub and stretch out in the sun while remaining just steps from your room. If you'd like a more robust pool experience, there is Stormalong Bay: a large swimming complex that joins the Beach Club Resort to the Yacht Club Resort. This three and a half acre water park showcases a huge shipwreck designed water slide, a lazy river, and numerous sand bottomed pools designed for all ages and all swimming levels. The beach theme is kept up with the pristinely white sand on the bottoms of the pools and in large piles throughout where endless sandcastles and moats can be designed and created. Stormalong Bay is available only to resort guests at the Beach Club Villas, Beach Club and Yacht Club and this can be a major asset during the heat and crowds of the summer months.

Surrounding the various pools of Stormalong Bay are umbrella tables, lounge chairs and tables. The view from the pool is of beautiful Crescent Lake, the beach and the neighboring Boardwalk Resort. Entire afternoons can be spent swimming, floating and then lounging by the pool with a good book and a cold blended drink. Hurricane Hannah's is the place to get a delicious quick serve lunch or snack, and a refreshing cocktail. And for those who are taking relaxing to the highest degree, there are servers available who will take your drink order and deliver right back to the comfort of your chair.

If you're looking for something with a little more speed after a day lounging by the pool, the Beach Club marina is available with boat rentals. From the small and speedy Mouseboat to the larger and statelier pontoons, watercrafts are available to take and explore Crescent Lake and the resorts surrounding it.

For a frosty afternoon treat, Beaches and Cream is located close to the pool. A small restaurant reminiscent of a 1950's diner, Beaches and Cream specializes in burgers, chili, hotdogs and most of all ice cream. And what ice cream it is! Huge sundaes, shakes and desserts are the draw here and you can either enjoy your sundae sitting in the cheerful restaurant, or order a cone from the takeout area. Beaches and Cream is a hidden gem of Walt Disney World and is worth the trip over, no matter where your resort is.

As evening draws near, there are still plenty of activities available. If you're looking for a romantic dinner date without the kids, for a small fee there is the Sandcastle Club where your child can play, watch Disney movies, have dinner, and explore in the safety and comfort of trained Cast Member supervision. For the grown up's there is the Yachtsman Steakhouse where you can partake in excellent cuts of beef in an upscale nautical atmosphere. If the family is all together for dinner, Cape May Café is once again an option with a nightly clambake buffet, complete with delicious seafood and non seafood items. Captain's Grille is also available, and Beaches and Cream serves up hot and fast food right next to the pool. If a light dinner in your room or by the pool is what you want, the Marketplace has fresh salads and sandwiches to go for both lunch and dinner.

Night time at the Beach Club Villas can be as sedate and cozy as a borrowed DVD watched in your room or as high energy as a late night across the lake at the Atlantic Dance Hall or Jellyrolls...or anything in between! Movies are shown on a huge screen projection on the beach, the quiet pools are open for a late night dip, and just a short walk or boat ride away, the Boardwalk is alive with street entertainment, restaurants, a bakery and ice cream parlor, shopping, and several night clubs. Surrey bikes for two or four can be rented and taken around the resorts and there is even a night time boat ride on one of the Friendships that cruise between Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and the resorts encircling Crescent Lake.

A day when you're staying at the Beach Club Villas can be spontaneous or planned, adventurous or relaxing, fast paced or a just a great day off. From a table of decorating towel animals in the lobby to a search for hidden Mickeys throughout the resort, there is always something to do at the Beach Club.

And sometimes, best of all, that something to do is to do exactly nothing at all.