I was searching for a hotel for my family to stay at the night before we were headed to Legoland Florida. Legoland is not right by all of the attractions in the Orlando area but rather midway between Tampa and Orlando. We flew in to Tampa but didn’t need to stay there.
I was looking for a few things in a family-friendly hotel – free parking, a decent room, a decent price and breakfast would be a bonus. Because we flew in mid-afternoon, I wanted my family to be able to go outside and enjoy the day, as well.
Ultimately, I chose the Embassy Suites in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Just outside of Orlando and very close to Disney, this hotel had a bedroom, breakfast included as well as the manager’s reception in the evening. It also has a heated pool, hot tub, tennis court, basketball court and sand volleyball – enough to entertain my energetic family.
We arrived on Christmas Eve, so I knew we weren’t going to have many options outside of the hotel that would be open and if open, not crowded. After we checked in, we found a note that said happy holidays with some wrapped sugar cookies and a milk in the fridge. Also, they had left a couple of packets of hot chocolate on the counter. Our kids were thrilled. 
After exploring the grounds, we went back to the room and grabbed our tennis rackets. We wanted to hit the courts before the early darkness came. Mother Nature has hit the courts a bit so parts are bumpy but it’s good enough for messing around and hitting the ball. Outside of the fence, there are ponds on both sides, so we were able to see some wonderful Florida birds and a crazy squirrel running around.
After tennis, we changed into our suits. The pool was heated but a tad chilly for mom, so I supervised as the kids splashed and laughed. I joined them in the hot tub, although we couldn’t seem to get the jets going. 
We then went to the manager’s reception and the kids loved the slushies. Of course, mom and dad liked the sangria and margaritas. Because it was the holidays, they had a hot snack of egg rolls along with the chips and popcorn.
We were only at the Embassy Suites in Lake Buena Vista for one night but it was a great choice and a short 40-minute drive to Legoland the next day.
Note: I did not receive any compensation for the stay or this post. It was purely on our own and I wanted to review my experience.
Tonja's Travels 