{thank you to Grande Lakes Orlando for inviting us! it was so much fun!!}
{photos by Hyun Ah Perez – an Orlando based photographer – she’ll take your disney photos!}
For Father’s Day weekend we had an amazing time celebrating JB at Grande Lakes Orlando. It was such a fantastic weekend – filled with so many of JB’s faves … fishing, golfing, swimming, and time with the fam. Grande Lakes is in Orlando with access to the parks, and shuttles too. The shuttles take anywhere between 15-30 minutes dependent on traffic. But it also feels like a world away and a destination on its own! It was nice to go to Orlando and experience it at a different, more relaxed pace. Y’all know I love Disney World, but just experiencing all Grande Lakes Orlando has to offer was a blast with the kids.
Grande Lakes Orlando consists of two resorts – The J.W. Marriott and The Ritz Carlton. The spa (complete with an adults only pool!) is located right in between the two properties. While staying at one hotel, you have access to both hotels amenities. So you basically get two hotels for the price of one. Grande Lakes is over 500 acres! And there’s a ton of different ways to explore them – fishing, boating, falconry, golfing, walking, kayaking, canoeing, and biking trails. It’s a fun taste of Florida life.
Our stay at The Ritz Carlton Orlando started off great right away with a kids only check in area. Please, every hotel – do this (: Then we went up to our room and they had set up their in room camping experience for the boys. The experience comes with a tent, s’mores kit, curious George book, lantern and a teddy had the boys SO excited. They left it up for the second night too, which we appreciated. I loved how housekeeping tucked the teddies in for turn down service.
We had such a great low key dinner (meaning: kid friendly!) at Highball & Harvest that we ate there not just for Friday night but Saturday too. I highly recommend… everything (: but really enjoyed their cheese board for an app. They had such great live music too! There’s 15 different dining options on Grande Lakes, so next time we’ll have to branch out!
We had Club level access during our stay, and it was so so so nice! They have breakfast, lunch, snacks, and hors d’oeuvres available throughout the day. Along with drinks! What I especially loved was the kids area room that has a kids table with coloring books and crayons, a TV, and a library of books and DVDS. On Friday night we watched a movie- JB and I had popcorn and a glass of wine while the boys enjoyed milk and cookies. Then we finished up watching the fireworks from the balcony. You’ve got a great view from this property!
The next morning Captain Mark Benson took us Bass fishing. The boys had some good luck! I couldn’t recommend Mark Benson and his team at Grande Lakes Sports more. He was such a great teacher, and so patient with the boys. 
Mark also took us back to the farm! We loved seeing the chickens, quail, bees, and all of the produce they use in the restaurants. Mark told us during cooler months they’ll have events back there, and I can just imagine how magical it is!
After fishing and the farm, we toured the Ritz Kids Club. This is available for kids from the ages of 4-12. If you are club level, 3 children are free of charge per room. They have open house every morning from 10:30-11:30, and we took advantage of that both days. Then they have two sessions of camp. 12-2pm, or 2:30-4:30. They also have Kids Night Out which is from 5-9pm. It really highlights all of the natural wonders of Florida, and it’s different every day! They have bunnies, chickens, baby alligators, turtles, and iguanas. They even have a farm in their little backyard. I loved how educational their kids club was. We planned to do the kids club, but just got too busy enjoying all of the other activities the resort has to offer!
The rest of the afternoon we spent in the gorgeous pool! We did head to the J.W. Marriott to partake in one of my boys favorite things — the Lazy River!
Wes was so tired after a day of swimming that he crawled into my lap and fell asleep. It was the sweetest!!
Clock hit five and I got this yummy watermelon drink! 
This was a great area for babies all the way to school aged kids. It has a splash area and playground. It’s completely fenced in, with plenty of seating too. My boys had a blast enjoying it all three days we were there!
There’s also this area near the kids club and grande lakes sports. My boys did not miss a day playing games here!
Fathers Day morning we enjoyed family golf! It’s so cute watching the boys play, and I enjoy snacking and taking pictures (:
What an amazing weekend away celebrating our #1 guy! If you’re looking for a family friendly vacation, filled with adventure while also being completely spoiled- this is it!!
ps: take a look at another Ritz Carlton family friendly property – The Ritz Carlton Amelia Island
