Coronado Springs has the food!

We're checking out all the resorts, so you don't have to!  We recently stayed at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and I've noticed that this resort does get a bad rap for being a "convention center" resort.  I can honestly say that it has been one of the nicer resorts I've stayed at thus far.

Coronado is a "moderate" resort.  So it's a step up from your value resorts like Pop and the All-Stars.  Which means we have full sit-down restaurants and a water slide at the pool.

Moderates like Coronado and the Caribbean Beach are very large properties, so it can be a longer walk to get from one end of the resort to the other.  Coronado is laid out in a nice circle, so it's easier to get across than Caribbean Beach.

The resort is divided into 4 different areas each themed for a different Hispanic culture.  Each area is a unique blend of Spanish, Mexican and Southwest American cultures.  We stayed at the Gran Destino tower and it was just delightful.  It's the newest addition to the property and they sure made it feel fancy!

The Tower!

The lobby is filled with beautiful designs in a Spanish style.  There is a lot of influences from Salvador Dali in the tower.  The front desk to the resort has been moved to the tower, so all of your check-in needs will be met here.  It's all so very colorful and pretty.

The elevators are very innovative.  You press which floor you are going to on the touch screen and it assigns you an elevator.  The elevator will only stop on the floors that have been marked on the touch screen.  During the pandemic it has been best to wait for each party to load on the elevator before pressing your floor, so that each group can remain socially distanced.  It really wasn't designed with Corona virus in mind, because everyone keeps pressing their floor and then only one group gets in the elevator, so you end up stopping on their floor even though they didn't get on the elevator.

The room!  So much room!

The room shared the same warm color palette as the rest of the hotel.  It was surprisingly spacious with a pretty big bathroom as well.  I'm a sucker for a sliding barn door.

The beds were high enough to hide our luggage underneath and we had ample room to stretch out and enjoy our space.  We had a pretty good view of what I first thought was Galaxy's Edge but later I figured out was Expedition Everest over in Animal Kingdom.

A pool built around a pyramid.

The pool was pretty big with a nice little quick service stand nearby.  Angie was able to grab some Piña coladas while the kids had a great time splashing around.  The water slide was a nice addition.  The kids kept running over to get in line for the slide, it wasn't big and scary but a gentle little slide into the pool.  Disney pools are open pretty late, so it's great to just pop down if you leave the park earlier.  Nothing like relaxing in the hot tub after a long day of walking the Parks.

The food was the real winner here.

Coronado Springs has 2 quick service locations, 2 dine-in locations, and a lounge area.  We took some time to sit and eat at each of the dine-in locations.  We were not disappointed!

You wouldn't think much of a place called Rix Sports Bar and Grill.  It's menu does lean towards burgers and nachos, but there was a surprise hit there.  We tried the Watchos, waffle fry nachos, and they were so good.  The queso sauce and bacon made this dish while the waffle fries remained crispy through the whole meal.  My daughter had some regular nachos and the chips became soggy after a while, unlike our waffle fries. 

At the heart of the resort you can find the 3 Bridges restaurant.  It's in the middle of the lake with some beautiful views of the rest of the resort.  The food follows the theme of the resort with varieties of Latin foods like  tacos and sangria.  The home-run of the evening were the shrimp and corn fritters.  These warm little nuggets of corn and shrimp were just delicious.  We actually came back another night for more of them.

The Dahlia lounge sits at the top floor of the Gran Destino tower.  It's a good place to relax and grab a cocktail.  The balcony sports a spectacular view of a large part of Disney.  You can see Epcot's Spaceship Earth all the to Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror.

It's a very relaxed atmosphere, but definitely made for some "grown-up time."  I enjoyed my little cocktail with that beautiful view.   The theme park lights at night look great, just sadly don't photograph very well.

Overall Impression

This was the nicest resort we have stayed at so far.  The only negative is that it is a bus resort, so the bus is the only way to get to each park outside of taking a rideshare.  I would love to stay at this resort again because of the food options.  You don't want to always have to run off to grab a bite to eat, so it was very nice having some GOOD food right there on the property.  I highly recommend grabbing a room in the Gran Destino tower!

Ask us for more info and recommendations with a free quote.  We can help make your Disney dreams come true!

When it's time to plan for Disney:  It's Mouse O'Clock!