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Marriott Lakeshore Reserve Review. Orlando Florida

A trip to Disney World Orlando is on most people’s bucket lists. But where to stay? I stayed at Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve and was impressed. It’s an excellent choice for a family vacation.

Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve is in a large complex with the Ritz Carlton and the JW Marriott. On the Grand Lake. The resort has many leisure activities. Including water slides, the lazy river, hot tubs, ping pong and shuffle board.

It’s a great hotel for rest and relaxation. Enjoy some down time with the family. It’s well located for Disney World and Universal Studios.


You’re 15 minutes drive from Disney World. You’re 15 minutes drive from Universal Studios. You’re also 15 minutes from the International Airport. The location is ideal. As good as it gets in Orlando.

Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve is a Marriott Vacation Club property. This means that the resort has apartments, rather than rooms. Your apartment comes with a kitchen and facilities to wash your clothes. A pretty great feature, when you’re in the Florida heat!

In the article, I outline the best ways to book the hotel. You can book using cash or Marriott Bonvoy Points. I also explain how to book a discounted preview package. You can stay for $199 for 3 nights. But you need to sit through a timeshare presentation.

I stayed at the resort for two nights. I travelled alone as I was here on business. This felt weird, as it’s a family resort. I definitely missed my family while I was here!

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What I Liked

  • Large Water Slides
  • Two hot tubs
  • Lots of activities
  • Access to the facilities at the Ritz Carlton and the JW Marriott
  • Well located for Disney World and theme parks
  • Lovely location on the grand Lake
  • The resort had apartments with kitchens

What Could Be Improved

  • No shuttle bus to Disney
  • Resort not uber luxurious

The Booking

During my stay, the cash rate for a studio apartment was $409/night. You can book here.

You could also use Marriott Bonvoy points to book the room. However, the hotel doesn’t offer many rooms for Marriott Bonvoy Points.

One excellent way to stay here, is with a discounted preview package. You can stay at Lakeshore Reserve Marriott for 3 nights, and pay $199 in total. You’ll also receive 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points.

You’ll need to sit through a 1 hour timeshare presentation. You’re under no obligation to buy anything.


If you’ve already attended a Marriott preview package in the last 12 months, then you’re not eligible for this offer.

If you want to book, then email me and provide the following information:

  • Name
  • Telephone
  • Email Address
  • City you live in


I’m a member of the Marriott Timeshare Program. So I used part of my annual allocation of club points to book my room (different to Marriott Bonvoy Points!). Given that the resort charges $409/night for a room. This was a good value deal.

As a member, I’ve stayed in some pretty great Marriott Timeshare hotels. Go here for my review of Crystal Shores, in Marco Island, Florida. I stayed in a 15th floor apartment, with AMAZING sea view!

This link has my review of Playa Andaluza in Malaga, Spain. A stunning beach front resort. With tons of activities and a 24 supermarket on site.

I wrote a Complete Guide to Marriott Timeshare. I provide full details about what I paid to become an owner. I also outline the pros and cons of the program. 

The Location

Lakeshore Reserve Marriott has a terrific location. As good as it gets in Orlando. You’re in the Southwest of the city. Close to the airport and the theme parks.

Disney World is 15 minutes drive away. Lakeshore Reserve is an excellent option for a Marriott Hotel in Disney World Florida.

There’s no shuttle bus from the resort to Disney. So you need to make your own way. An Uber is about $18. The other option is to use a car.

Universal Studios is also 15 minutes drive away.

The resort grounds themselves are massive. The resort is on the same complex as the JW Marriott and the Ritz Carlton. The JW Marriott is between the Ritz Carlton and Lakeshore Reserve Marriott.

You can walk along the path at the back of the resort, to get to the other hotels. It’s 5 minutes to the JW Marriott and 10 minutes to the Ritz Carlton. At the back of the resort is the grand lake. The path goes along the lake. It’s a lovely walk. View some shots of the lake in the above slideshow.

It’s possible to use the facilities at the other hotels. Between Monday and Thursday only. You can use the pool at the Ritz Carlton for free. There’s a charge to use the facilities at the JW Marriott. That’s because they’ve built a water park there.

The Resort

Lakeshore Reserve Marriott has lots of facilities:

  • Swimming Pool (lazy river)
  • Hot Tubs
  • Water Slides
  • Ping Pong
  • Pool Table
  • Shuffle Board
  • Bean Bag Toss (corn hole)
  • Lawn Bowls
  • Restaurant
  • Lakeside location
  • Golf
  • Marketplace


A map of the resort is below.

 


At the back of Marriott Lakeshore Reserve is a beautiful lake. On the other side of the lake is a golf course. It’s associated with the three Marriott resorts, and can be booked by guests.

During my stay. The resort was super busy. The facilities were often occupied in the evening. I was travelling alone on this occasion, so I didn’t use the facilities.

When I’m with my family, I might play shuffle board or table tennis. I’m much better at table tennis than my wife. However, shuffle board is a more even contest. I get angry as hell if she beats me!

There’s a market place on site. It has basic groceries, clothes and alcohol. This is really useful. The apartments have kitchens, which you’ll want to stock up with groceries. The market closes at 6pm. So that’s something to be aware of.

Overall, there’s lots to do at the resort. It’s a great base to visit the theme parks in Orlando. During a rest day, it’s nice to chill out at the resort. Have a swim, play some games, walk by the lake.

I don’t think you could spend one week here and not leave the resort. However, if you’ve come to Orlando, that’s probably not your plan.



The Studio Apartment

Lakeshore Reserve is a Marriott Timeshare Resort. So you’ll stay in apartments with kitchens. I stayed in the smallest type of apartment. A studio apartment. I was travelling alone and didn’t need a separate living room.

If you’re travelling with family, I recommend a 1 bed or 2 bed apartment. I was in room 3310, on the 3rd floor of the Messina building. My studio apartment came with the following features:

  • Mini Kitchen
  • Balcony
  • Double bed
  • 2 seater sofa
  • Small table
  • Large TV
  • Bathroom with bathtub
  • Clothes Washer and Dryer


The decoration was functional and modern. I wouldn’t call it luxurious.

The mini kitchen came with toaster, coffee machine, microwave, cutlery and kitchen utensils. It wasn’t a full kitchen. I was staying in a studio apartment, so no space for a full kitchen.

However, the kitchen was good enough for two days. I was able to make bagels, boil corn and cook pasta.

There was a washer dryer to use. Best of all, washing detergent was provided! Florida is hot and sweaty, so it was amazing to wash my clothes.

The apartment is what I’ve come to expect from Marriott Timeshare Properties. It’s a “home away from home”, with all the amenities you need. The photo below has the apartment building.

 

The Swimming Pool

There’s one swimming pool at Lakeshore Reserve Marriott. They call it the ‘lazy river’. It’s a circular shape with an island in the middle, like a donut. There’s a current that takes you round. Many guests would lay in an inflatable ring, and get taken round.

The lazy river isn’t the biggest swimming pool. 
But it is pretty nice. There’s also no separate kids pool. 

There’s two hot tubs. They were piping hot, and lovely to sit in.

The resort also has two water slides. They are large and fast water slides. Much better than most resorts I’ve been too. Although not as good a water park.


I mention a water park, as the resort is next to the JW Marriott. Which has an actual water park in it!


The Activities

I’ve stayed at many Marriott Timeshare Properties. They are excellent resorts to visit with the family. Because there’s so many activities! Lakeshore Reserve was no exception. The following activities are available on site:

  • Giant chess
  • Giant connect Four
  • Table Tennis
  • Shuffle Board
  • Ping Pong
  • Pool Table
  • A full activity schedule


There’s also a golf course on site.

The range of activities was excellent. The resort is a great choice when visiting Orlando with the family. If you have a rest day between theme park visits, there’s loads to do.

I definitely recommend a rest day in between theme parks. Some people leave Disney World at 10pm or later. You probably don’t want to wake up the next day at the crack of dawn. To visit another theme park. Definitely not with my kids! A lazy day is exactly what’s needed.

In the evening, many families go for a walk at the back of the hotel. Along the lake. It’s a beautiful lake. A great way to end the day.

There’s also barbeque grills on site. Which are hugely popular in the evening.

The JW Marriott Orlando

The JW Marriott Orlando sits between Lakeshore Reserve and the Ritz Carlton. Five minutes walk from Lakeshore Reserve. You’re allowed to use the pool at the JW Marriott. However, there’s a fee payable. This is because the JW Marriott has a HUGE waterpark.


I didn’t use the pool at the JW, but I did walk by and take a couple of photos. There’s three massive water slides. They looked amazing!

To get to the JW, you can request a shuttle to take you. The journey is very fast.

The Ritz Carlton Orlando

The Ritz Carlton is ten minutes walk from Lakeshore Reserve. You can use the pool at the Ritz Carlton. That is free of charge for guests at Lakeshore Reserve Marriott. A nice perk. The Ritz Carlton has an Olympic sized pool.

I walked by the Ritz Carlton and took a photo. View the slideshow above.

Conclusion

I really liked Lakeshore Reserve Marriott. It ticks all the boxes for a family vacation in Orlando. The location is awesome. Close to Disney, Universal and the airport.

There’s some great activities on sight. Including swimming, table tennis, shuffle board and golf. The lake at the back of the hotel is beautiful. I can definitely recommend it.

I recently stayed at the Westin Hapuna beach resort. In Big Island, Hawaii. Review here. The resort was out of this world! The view from the lobby was amazing. The beach was beautiful and sandy. The breakfast was good too. I also got a great deal by booking with Marriott Bonvoy Points.

I reviewed the Intercontinental Miami Doral. In my view, it’s the best hotel near Miami airport. The hotel has a lovely pool. The rooms are nice and big too. My only complaint was that the décor was a little dated.

I flew in Delta Airlines First Class. From New York to Miami. Review here. I was impressed. The seat was a large recliner seat. The crew were lovely. They also had a complimentary bar. However, the food was pretty bad!

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