Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

Did you know that in 1946 Walt Disney collaborated on a project with surrealist artist Salvador Dali? The two artistic masterminds created a short film that wouldn’t get its public release until 2003. This dreamlike short film now plays on a continuous loop in the rooftop lounge of the beautiful Grand Destino Tower of Coronado Springs Resort.

Coronado Springs has been catering to large groups and conventions since 1997, but Grand Destino Tower, named for and inspired by the Disney Dali collaboration is a new addition opened in 2019. Coronado Springs is a moderate resort with many deluxe features, a fantastic selection of dining and one of my favourite pools of all the Disney properties! (You’re still my #1 Storm Along Bay). The Grand Destino Tower is an absolute hidden Gem and one of a kind in the moderate resort category at Walt Disney World. The main lobby for all of Coronado is on the ground floor of the tower and it is a gorgeous way to be introduced to this Spanish influence resort. Entering, you are welcomed into artistic Spanish architecture. Vibrant colours and towering ceilings are complemented by the smell of gourmet coffee that makes its way up from the Barcelona Lounge one floor down. The Barcelona Lounge serves small plates and incredible coffee and Gin drinks in a bright and beautiful setting. This is a lounge I could happily sink into for hours! The food is amazing but don’t fill up because Coronado is a heavy hitter when it comes to dining options. The roof top of the tower has what are arguably two of the best onsite dining options. Toledo Steakhouse is a Michelin starred Spanish steak house that will knock your socks off, but if you are looking for a lighter meal and cocktails Dahlia Lounge is what you need. A gorgeous outdoor patio with a spectacular view of Hollywood Studios, even more spectacular cocktails and some delicious small shareable plates.

The rooms in Grand Destino Tower are the newest for this property and they are spacious by Disney standards with a comfortable layout and nice dark wood furniture but aside from convenience they do not differ much from the rest of the resort rooms. In addition to Grand Destino Tower there are three other resort areas, Casitas, Cabanas and Rancheros. My most recent stay I was in a preferred room in the Casitas section. I loved the theming around this area. It is elegant with grand fountains and terracotta touches. Casitas, is situated right next to the conference center and wasn’t too far from any of the resort amenities. Cabana’s is closest to the pool and has more casual colourful theming. Rancheros is the area I would be most hesitant to stay in as it is at the back of the resort and furthest away from the restaurants and resort amenities. Rancheros is themed in a very casual desert cowboy style. Coronado Springs is a huge resort and walking from the far end of Rancheros to the restaurants and amenities of Grand Destino Tower could take you a good minute, so for this reason I would really rather not stay in this section. My top pick would be booking a room in Grand Destino Tower followed by booking a Casitas preferred room.

The pool is great. With a huge pyramid feature and slide and the largest Walt Disney World property hot tub! We never saw many people at the pool and there was always lots of space to grab a lounge chair. The pool is located right next to another of the amazing dining options at Coronado, Three Bridges. This lounge is in the middle of the lake in the center of the resort and can be reached by (you guessed it) three bridges coming from all sides of the lake. They have some wonderful snack and food options, as well as cocktails and their specialty, sangria! This is where you can also do Sangria University where you can learn to make your own Sangria!

I know what you’re thinking, I can’t possibly have more dining to talk about, but buckle up because there are three other dining options I haven’t yet mentioned and that is without even talking about the pool bars! This resort is definitely a foodie destination! Near the convention center just off of what was the original lobby for Coronado Springs prior to the opening of Grand Destino Tower you will find Rix Sports Bar, Rix Cafe, Maya Grill and el Mercado quick serve. All of these locations have some unique and fun options to satisfy all tastes. Even picky eaters can find something here.

With so many pros at this resort is this the place for your next Disney Vacation? Not necessarily. While there is so much to love here there are some things that might mean this is not the spot for your family vacation. Transportation is only by bus to all of the parks and Disney springs. The wrong time of day the buses can be pretty crowded and you may have to even wait for a second bus to arrive. Since this resort is big and sprawling there is also an internal bus loop with a few stops so that can add to your travel time. The size of the resort also means that depending where your room is you may be putting in a lot of extra steps to get to the pool and restaurants.

If amazing dining options are a priority for you and you are looking for the wow factor when you enter a hotel lobby Coronado might be the place for you and can let you enjoy a resort that is deluxe quality in many ways with a moderate price tag.