Marriott’s Royal Palms Orlando: A Review
Kevin Payne
January 14, 2018
For a portion of our latest vacation to Orlando, we were fortunate enough to stay at Marriott’s Royal Palms. For a family of 6, it’s difficult to find resorts with rooms big enough for us let alone one we can pay for with points, but we found the perfect one with Royal Palms. My wife and I each got SPG Starpoints from opening The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and we were able to transfer those over to Marriott Rewards Points. Our stay at Royal Palms was paid for entirely with Marriott Rewards Points.
The Royal Palms is located in Orlando, just a few miles from Disney Springs.
We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa, which gave us a king bed for us my wife and me, a queen bed, and one of the nicest sofa beds I’ve ever seen. Like seriously nice! We had a full kitchen, which was exactly what we needed. We don’t cook too many meals on our Orlando trips, but always pack lunches for the parks. The full kitchen comes in handy at breakfast time as well. Our villa was spacious, with separate living and dining areas. We also had a washer and dryer in our suite. We love having a washer and dryer on vacation. It means we can pack fewer outfits, knowing we can wash clothes on our vacation as time allow. The villa also had a nice screened in balcony, which overlooked a small lake.
Amenities
The Royal Palms offers several amenities common to resorts in Orlando as well as a few perks that make them more attractive than similar properties. Royal Palms has a decent sized pool and was never busy while we were there. The kids loved playing basketball on the pool basketball hoop. They have 2 whirlpools, one that has a chair lift for handicapped guests.
Next to the pool area is a beautiful grilling area with 2 brand new gas grills and a sitting area with a fire pit. What our boys enjoyed the most was the shuffleboard courts. I grew up on shuffleboard so they were no match for my superior skills, even if I was a little rusty. Across the parking lot from the pool were tennis courts as well as some basketball courts, which was a nice feature you don’t normally see. We did not look at the fitness center, but I am sure it was more than adequate based on everything else we experienced.
Orlando World Center Marriott
Perhaps the best perk of staying at Royal Palms is free access to the pool at Orlando World Center Marriott. As a guest at Marriott’s Royal Palms, you have full access to the World Center during your stay. World Center has one of the largest outdoor pools in Florida including three water slides and a splash zone for the kids. I walked there one morning (to take advantage of the Starbucks in their lobby) and it was only a 5-minute walk. If walking isn’t your thing, Royal Palms has a free on-demand shuttle service to take you to and from the World Center. whenever you would like. We took advantage of this perk and the kids loved it!
Sensory Garden
What is your “Go To” resort when you stay in Orlando? Let us know in the comments below!
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Kevin Payne is the budgeting and family travel enthusiast behind FamilyMoneyAdventure.com. He’s also the host of the Family Money Adventure Show podcast, where he helps families learn to manage their money better so they can afford to do the things they love.
Kevin is a freelance writer specializing in personal finance and travel. He is a regular contributor to USA Today, Forbes Advisor, Bankrate, Fox Business, Credible, and CreditCards.com.
