We’ve just returned from a wonderful but exhausting holiday in Florida. Orlando is not for the faint hearted. We literally didn’t stop from the moment we arrived, but the kids had a blast and our gorgeous James Villas apartment in the beautiful Bahama Bay Resort was the perfect place to relax in the evening and for the kids to cool off during the day.
Bahama Bay is only a 10 minute drive from Walt Disney World, but set across 70 acres on the shore of Lake Davenport is a welcome oasis of calm from the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas.
Getting there
It took us about 45 minutes to drive from Orlando International Airport to Bahama Bay Resort, and that was in quite bad traffic. The instructions from James Villas were very easy to follow, making our journey to the resort almost stress free. Just make sure you have a few dollars for the toll roads along the way.
First Impressions
Our first impressions were excellent, the check in procedure was very smooth and we were completely overwhelmed by our luxurious 3 bedroom apartment. It was spotlessly clean and contained all the appliances we could’ve hoped for as well as more than enough room for the five of us. Usually when we go away I struggle for storage space, but with three big bedrooms each with a huge wardrobe and chests of drawers we had more space than at home. The carpets were thick and furnishings just lovely.
The luscious green grounds were beautifully maintained, big enough for us to never feel crowded by other people, but small enough for the kids to easily walk between pools and the play area happily.
The Apartment
The kitchen had a large fridge and freezer, oven, dishwasher, microwave, coffee maker and even a smoothie maker. We hadn’t intended to do much cooking while we were away, but the kitchen was so great and the balcony area so lovely to eat on we actually only ate out once during our stay, which saved a lot of money.
The kitchen was also completely ready to use when we arrived, with washing up liquid, bin bags etc already there.
The utility room contained a large washing machine and dryer, which again made life so much easier, as we could wash and dry the kid’s clothes quickly and easily. If we ever return, I’d take a lot less clothes, washing was THAT easy!
Our apartment had three large bedroom, two with double beds and two huge bathrooms, both with a shower and bath, as well as two sinks. Each bedroom also had it’s own TV, as did the main living area. The bathrooms were well stocked with towels, we had absolutely everything we needed.
The fans and air conditioning meant we we always cool enough, and could alter the temperature easily.
Facilities
Bahama Bay Resort has three swimming pools, a gorgeous white sandy beach and brilliant splash pad for the kids as well as basketball courts, a games room, gym, tennis court and two poolside restaurants.
You could easily spend a few days relaxing in the resort before hitting the parks or to wind down in between park days. We loved the beach on the edge of the lake, which was fantastic for chilling out in a hammock or playing a bit of beach volleyball.
One of my favourite features of Bahama Bay were the gorgeous nature trails. We spent a lovely couple of afternoons walking between the four pools along the trails, with the kids excitedly shouting out when they spotted lizards, birds or other wildlife. The whole resort felt lovely and safe, it was the perfect holiday environment for our family.
Bahama Bay has a small shop onsite and several large supermarkets within a 5 minute drive. Free DVDs are available from the clubhouse and there’s even an onsite spa, although we didn’t try it out.
We loved our stay at Bahama Bay Resort and would definitely stay there again. Our apartment was luxurious, private and the resort facilities excellent. It really was a wonderful start to our holiday.
See the James Villas Website for more details.
We stayed at Grand Bahamas, Bahama Bay free of charge for the purpose of this review.
Oh my goodness, my kids would LOVE that water action! Almost as much as I’d love the beach! We went to Florida about 5 years ago and loved it. Might be time for a re-visit x
Gorgeous! I have been looking forward to reading all about your adventures, we stayed in an incredible James Villas place in Malta last Autumn – I had no idea they had American villas too – what a brilliant way to do Orlando. Def building up to another US trip here!
What a wonderful holiday destination for a family! The water park looks lots of fun – fairly sure my grown up babies would love it as much as your little ones did1
My children would love to stay here – it looks like a great way to visit Florida too x x
Looks amazing – I know my kids would adore it – just waiting until Syd is a bit older as the thought of a long flight with a three year old scares me!
Sounds like absolute heaven. I have never done Orlando and even though I have teens I still want to take them. I love the idea of not being in the thick of Disney Central but being away from the hustle and bustle a bit. Though this resort would make it hard for me to go to Disney at all I suspect!
This looks wonderful. I am so sad as I love goign away where there is a washing machine and you can go home with clean clothes! Mich x
Now that’s a classy apartment – so spacious too. It’s a wonder you could tear yourselves away!
That looks amazing and I love the fact that there is so much there to keep the children occupied. The accommodation looks great too.
Ooh it looks SO lovely – not sure I would leave to go anywhere else – and the kids would love the splash pad!
That looks like a great resort. The inside actually looks like my Mother in Law’s house in FLA! 😀
Not only does this look great buy I love the practical aspects of being able to do washing (and pack less!)
Looks like you had a fantastic time, absolutely love Orlando – could quite happily holiday there every year! 🙂 x
Ooh these look lovely Emma. We have family in Florida and we’re hoping to head across and see them next year, I’ll need to consult a map and see how close they are to Orlando! Even if they’re not, it sounds like it’s well worth spending some time there – would love a bit of sunshine in the middle of an Australian winter!
Looks perfect for a family holiday. lucky you xx
Looks like you had a fab action packed time, we are hoping to go to Orlando next year so will keep this post in mind x
Wow this looks absolutely amazing, what a spectacular place to stay! x
Looks beautiful! We did 3 amazing weeks in a villa in Florida, I came home with half a case of dirty washing between the 3 of us just by putting one load on a day!
Looks like a dream, and everything to keep the kids happy there which means a happy Mumma.
Really need to look into James Villa resorts as i have read and seen so many great reviews1
What a gorgeous apartment- and I love how you can pack less and just do the washing there – it doesn’t bother me having to wash clothes on holiday. It’s the cooking on holiday I don’t like!!
This looks like a great place to stay in Orlando. We went there a couple of summers ago. Visiting the parks is very tiring so you definitely need to stay somewhere relaxing and calm when you’re there.
That looks great! We stayed with James Villas in Spain before and it was probably the nicest place I’ve been in my life 🙂 Had no idea they did places in America!
We love Orlando! This place looks great
I really want to visit Orlando with the kids and hadn’t thought about staying in a villa. Will look into that option now – it looks amazing
This looks just absolutely wonderful and it sounds like you all had such an amazing time x
Oh how fabulous, this sounds like the most amazing holiday. We definitely have Orlando on our bucket list, POD would absolutely love it there 🙂
WOW, that is amazing!! It looks stunning. Sounds like you had a fab time, did you do all your washing before coming home??
omg what an amazing dream this would be i wish one day i will get my family on a holiday of a lifetime like this