A Grand Stay at Grande Lakes Orlando

Growing up just an hour from Orlando, I never had the chance to really experience all of the greatness that the city has to offer. My trips were usually day trips to Disney, the outlets (Orlando has some amazing outlet shopping,) or a quick trip to see friends. We rarely got the chance to stay overnight and explore.

Last month, I finally got that chance when we went down to Florida to visit my parents. We spent the day making magic at Disney World. I watched as Harlan had the time of her life meeting her beloved Princesses in real life and even getting a chance to ride on her very first roller coaster.

If you’ve ever spent a day at Disney, you know that it leaves you completely and utterly exhausted. Rather than driving back to my parents house in Tampa that night, we were lucky enough to be able to stay in Orlando at the JW Marriott, Grande Lakes. The resort is tucked away so that you feel like you are in little paradise. It was Orlando like I’ve never felt it before. And I liked it.

We arrived at the hotel starved from our long day at Disney. Thankfully the resort has plenty of restaurants to fit your needs. The family friendly restaurant, Citron, invited us to try out their delicious menu.

The menu provided items that included ingredients grown on the property and locally. I’ve started becoming more and more aware of what I put in my body and my children’s body through the foods that we eat, so it was very reassuring knowing that they could tell you the farms that they are getting many of their food from.

The chef brought us out an appetizer that will soon be brought to the Citron menu, seared scallops with a sweet potato puree. Yes, they were as good as they look.

In addition to their amazing food selection on the menu, they also offer a wide selection on their kids menu. JW Mariott has recently teamed up with nutritionist Kerri Glassman to create a brand new kids menu that focuses more on healthy options for kids.

We still saw the kids staples like chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese, but we also had options like a salad and grilled organic chicken. They had great “appetizer” that they called “Kids Nosh” that included fruit, carrot sticks, and cheese cubes, that were perfect for keeping the girls busy while we waited for our main course.

The food exceeding my expectations. Coming from a girl who has access to some of the very best restaurants in the world here in New York City, Citron provided us with some delicious food.

The girls were pretty impressed themselves.

The JW Mariott knew exactly how to make us feel welcome.

All of the excitement from our gorgeous hotel room made it super hard to fall asleep. All the girls wanted to do was run around the room exploring.

Eventually we fell into a deep slumber. Har had a giant bed to herself with all of her stuffed animals to help her share, while Avery was tucked away in a portable crib set up nicely by the JW Marriott staff.

After a night full of rest, we woke up to this amazing view from our room.

We had a little bit of a lazy morning laying in bed watching the Disney channel. These girls are so cute together. Avery wanted to do everything that Harlan was doing. She looks up to her big sister so much.

We went back to Citron for breakfast. They offer an amazing breakfast buffet with anything that you could ever imagine. Har loved that they would make her chocolate chip pancakes fresh to order.

After breakfast we had a chance to explore the amazing Grande Lakes property. Because the property has both a JW Mariott and Ritz Carlton, when you stay in one you have access to both amenities. Outside was filled with so many pools, a lazy river, fire pit, tennis courts, sand volleyball court and so much more. It was incredible.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and very welcome from what we are used to here in NYC. It took Avery a bit to warm up to the idea of a big area that wasn’t just concrete. She didn’t know what to think of all the green grass surrounding her.

But Har did. And she took advantage of every single square inch of grass so that she could run around and play.

Eventually Avery got comfortable enough to run around. We couldn’t get her on the grass, but Harlan managed to get her running up and down the sidewalk.

How amazing is this view? (sidenote: I couldn’t resist not cropping out the prom pose photo bombing couple.)

We didn’t get a chance to go swimming, but we did get to dip our toes in and the pool was nice and warm. It would have been perfect for Har and I to take a dip in to relax and play.

While the girls spent the morning having more fun outside with my mom, I had the chance to check out the incredible Ritz Carlton spa. For any other busy mom like myself, you know that this was a big deal. And one that I desperately looked forward to.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa is in a building of its own on the property. It is a 40,000 square foot oasis. I could have spent all day just relaxing in the common area drinking fruit infused water and reading magazines.

I am not lying to you when I tell you that the massage that I got was the best massage I have ever received. It was called the Eco Rooftop Hammock Experience.

It was located on a little oasis on the roof of the spa with gorgeous plants surrounding me. I laid in this hammock while listening to sounds of nature as the masseuse worked my entire body. Take a look at that yoga mat and pillows under the hammock. That is where she laid as she worked on my back. It was the most incredible experience ever. It’s a massage everyone should get if they have the chance. I am currently trying to figure out how I can get back there just so I can have the massage again. It was that good people.

The unforgettable massage was the perfect ending to my stay at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes Orlando. I went back to my parents house in Tampa feeling relaxed, refreshed, and secretly planning my next visit to Orlando.

{Disclosure: I was invited to stay at the JW Marriott courtesy of Grande Lakes Orlando and Visit Orlando. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}