But this is part two of the review. We've already covered El Centro and the Dig Site on Part One of the photo review posted last week. Make sure to check it out if you missed it. This week we are going to take a look at the three themed sections of the resort as well as the room offerings.
Coronado Springs is made up of three themed sections representing the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. These sections are the Casitas, the Cabanas, and the Ranchos.
So the Casitas are what I think of when I envision an all inclusive type resort in one of Mexico's popular vacation destinations. And actually it looks very similar to one we stayed at in Riviera Maya for our honeymoon. The buildings are the tallest at the resort (three and four stories) and look and feel a bit richer (for lack of a better term) then the other sections of the resort. Now I don't think this necessarily means better, they just have a bit more of a sophisticated feel. There are lovely fountains throughout with quiet courtyards and manicured topiaries. The Casitas definitely make up a large portion of the resort and with good reason as they house many of the convention guests and are located near the convention center. Most of the Casitas are close to El Centro, however Casitas building 4 & 5 are farther away from El Centro but they have their advantages being close to the Dig Site and a bus stop.
The Cabanas are in my opinion the most desirable area of the resort. Made to represent the coastal regions of Mexico, the Cabanas have the nice sandy beaches with hammocks, the lake views, and an overall more relaxed setting. This section has two story buildings and appear much smaller then the towering Casitas. The smallness however is a huge draw for me. They are simply beautiful and I immediately wanted to stay there when we finally experienced the resort (we were placed in the Ranchos however). Most of the Cabanas are extremely close to El Centro. Even the farthest building from El Centro (8A) is still not a bad walk and it is also the closest to the Cabanas bus stop and the Dig Site. The Cabanas also house the business class (concierge level) rooms. These rooms have just slight improvements over the standard rooms but the biggest draw is access to the lounge that offers free breakfast, snacks, beer, wine, etc. Actually we will be staying there this December, so expect a review on the club level experience and my opinions on whether or not it's worth the price increase.
The Ranchos are more of my area of expertise as this is where we actually stayed. As you may have read above I wanted to stay in the Cabanas. I was a little disappointed when we were put the in Ranchos but realized all of the rooms were most likely just as nice. And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the Ranchos during and after our stay. It possibly could have been due to the location of our room. We were placed in building 7A and not only was this literally right across the sidewalk from the Dig Site, it was extremely close to the Ranchos/Cabanas bus stop. Luckily for us as well, our room was facing the inside of the resort (meaning it was not facing the parking lot and way in the back like so many of them can be). The Ranchos are two and three story buildings so they are in between the Casitas and the Cabanas in terms of size. The theming here is probably my second favorite (first being the Cabanas, third being the Casitas) as they are pueblo styled villas reflecting a more desert like rural region. As funny as it sounds they just seem sort of dry. You really do get the feeling you are in a desert like setting, especially with cactus (cacti?) and the great rock work. Even though that doesn't seem very enticing, they really did a great job with this section of the resort.
I only have experience in one room so far at this resort and that room was in the Ranchos. After our next trip staying in the club level Cabanas, I will report back with any differences I might have noticed with the room. However I fully enjoyed the room we were placed in. I right away noticed the difference in queen bed size from the other moderates we have stayed at in the past which had full sized beds (Port Orleans Riverside and Caribbean Beach). One bonus that I really loved in the rooms were the sliding wooden doors separating the bathroom area from the bedroom area rather then a curtain. This really helped on early mornings my husband was trying to sleep while I was getting ready (or vice versa which is probably the true story!) The lovely blue colors on the beds with the dark wood headboards was simply lovely. It was actually much prettier then the pictures display. But I am not an expert photographer and depending on the lighting I don't always do so well.
I hope that this photo review makes you want to give Coronado Springs Resort a chance on your next Walt Disney World vacation. Also I hope to hear from those of you who have stayed or will be staying there. Please feel free to comment below.
Missed part one of the photo review?
Check it out here
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