We recently had the good fortune of staying at a luxury property booked through Jeeves Florida Rentals. We arrived at the luxury home, located at Reunion Resort, on a Saturday morning with our four kids who were unaware of our exact plans as we had planned this weekend as a surprise for them.
We live in a sizable and family-friendly home, but upon arrival, our children immediately started to jump for joy about staying at “The Mansion.” It is thrilling for children who have previously stayed at hotels, which are usually somewhat noisy, cramped from sharing bathrooms and rooms right next to each other and nondescript in its decorations, to arrive at a vacation home that is both beautiful, immaculate and stylishly decorated as well as functional, spacious and fun. Furthermore, while our home is roomy and comfortable, it is definitely geared towards the comfort and achievements of young children, with their drawings on the fridge and our breakables safely tucked into display cases, far away from little fingers and toy lightsabers. “Our” temporary home immediately transformed in our children’s minds into an adventure and a castle of discoveries punctuated with “oohs” and “aahs.” Staying at a luxury property in Orlando is the best of two worlds. On the one hand, you get to experience a lavish lifestyle in a palatial setting and on the other hand, you get the “hominess” and comfort that hotels lack.
Our arrival was marked with a frenzy of discovery. To our left, as we entered through the tall doors with pretty decorated glass panels, we were met with a sitting room framed by the staircase leading to the second floor. The children immediately wanted to sit on the comfortable tan sofa, but only for a minute as they quickly used their kid radars to locate the Game Room, which soon became our favorite room. Our kids alternated between the Foosball and Pool tables amidst squeals of glee and we spent several hours watching the Olympics and movies on the huge projection screen. To top it off, as if all these amenities were not enough, the home has a gorgeous and spacious covered pool area perfect for sunbathing overlooking the emerald green and perfectly manicured golf course.
Another fun aspect of our stay was that each child had their own uniquely decorated room and bathroom, with one room to spare, and they each got to pick which one they stayed in. They immediately commented on the “nice smell” of the bedsheets and the large size of the beds as they each took ownership of their own space by putting away all of their clothes and toiletries themselves. That evening we were so relaxed from spending lazy time together at our “staycation” at “the Mansion,” that we decided to make use of the grill to make a small barbeque. We ended up eating all together in the formal dining room with a beautiful chandelier hanging right above us. Cooking in the fully equipped kitchen was slow paced and qualitatively different from our normal every-day hasty routine, indicative of the unwinding and timeless sensation that soon took over us. Here, we did not have emails to respond to, or deadlines to meet, or homework to get done. We could just be together.
The best part for us as parents was that while our children’s rooms were on the second floor our room, the master suite, was on the first floor. After spending the day enjoying our time together, we needed alone time and knowing that our children were safely asleep on the floor above us we were able to enjoy the huge bathroom and a beautiful room, made private by the geographical distance from the rest of the sleeping area.
The next day we decided to try out the waterpark at Encore Club and it was truly enormous. First, we tried out the multiple water slides under the watchful eyes of lifeguards. What an exhilarating experience for all! Then came the waterpark itself with its huge pail filling up slowly with water, then rapidly emptying its contents over everyone in a huge splash with barely a bell’s toll warning. The waterpark was not overcrowded, as most are, and the water was very clean. Again, lifeguards kept a watchful eye over our children. When it came time for lunch, we were able to enjoy a fresh, healthy meal. This was just another added perk of this well done resort waterpark.
That evening, after a few more hours of family time in the Game Room, we took the children to celebrate the Olympics at a mouthwatering Brazilian steakhouse and then went back to "The Mansion" for one last movie and a night of restful sleep. The next day, we left early to get back home and the children are still today asking to go back to the same luxury home. Hopefully, we will be able to book another stay through Jeeves soon for another wonderful luxury Orlando vacation.