Hello friends and welcome back to Muting and The Mouse. We are still flying high from our recent trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth. Walt Disney World was such a blast and now I get to do what I love to do. I get to continue to tell you, the reader, about the amazing trip we had. I mean, let’s escape into the magic, no matter how far! Hopefully, this post will help you decide on a resort since we will be taking a dive into the resort stay we had at Coronado Springs. Now, I had stayed at Coronado Springs before and loved it. My family stayed there a lot on trips when my sister and I were kids. I remember checking into the lobby as a child and thinking how fun the trip would be. The theme of the resort was fun and it was such a big resort, you could enjoy many different parts. Well, that has not changed a bit. The resort is so large. There is a huge lake in the middle of the resort and the view over the water is beautiful. You used to have to walk all the way around but now, there are bridges. I was super excited to see the new renovations since it had been a while since we had stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort. Since I had stayed there last, there have been quite a few constructions. They added bridges, restaurants, and even a whole new tower/convention center. There was so much to be excited about at the new additions. We actually stayed at the tower that is pretty new. The Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs is what we are going to dive into and let me just say, I might have a new favorite hotel. So, let’s escape into the magic that is the Gran Destino Tower and Coronado Springs Resort!
Arrival and Check in
First, we have to talk about the arrival at the resort. Wow, how beautiful the tower is. The massive tower welcomes you in with the soft tones and stunning architecture. As we arrived, the Magical Express Bus pulled in and let us out at the bus stop. We were able to walk up towards the tower and experience the grand size of the hotel. The doors opened up and immediately you were hit with the cold air and took a step in. You see the grand entrance and then realize you are smelling one of the best scents on Disney Property. The smell in the lobby is hard to describe but trust me, it was magical. We then made our way to the check-in counter to make sure our reservations were all set. We had two as we added an extra day and wanted to be sure it all looked good. Well, this is where we found out they combined the two reservations so we would not have to check out and back in the next day. We were thrilled to hear that we would not have to switch rooms. After that, the cast member checking us in informed us that we were upgraded to a king bed room instead of two queen size beds. This was amazing to hear and we were pretty happy. After we were checked in, we decided to head up to the room and look at the lobby later. We were pretty excited to see the room and see everything after that. We got to the elevator and this is where the changes really stood out. We got to the elevator and noticed you have a touch screen on the outside of the elevator that has you choose your floor. We chose floor 10 and then it told us to wait by elevator B. We went to elevator B and it opened up. As we walked in, we noticed that there were no floor buttons on the inside. The next thing we knew is that doors closed and we were on floor 10. How cool! The new elevators were pretty fun and now, it was time to check out the room and the view.
Our Room
We arrived at our room and opened the door and turned on the lights. The room was very cool. They had the lights off and we turned them on to get the full effect. The bathroom had a sliding door and a grand mirror with side by side sinks. Two sinks are a nice touch for those who need the extra space in the morning or just to keep things more neat and tidy instead of so much being on the one sink space. There was a separate little room for the toilet with a sliding door and then the shower. The shower had a rain shower showerhead and that was super nice. There was also a showerhead that can be detached and handheld to use as well. From the bathroom it had a lot of space in the front of the room. This was nice for storage of luggage.There was a nice size closet space that opened up as well. Here is where you had extra bedding and the ironing board and iron. This was a nice size space for clothes if you are needing extra places to hang things. There was a coffee station on a long counter that also had a chair and USB plugs to use as a desk. Under that was a fridge and the tv was above on the wall. The clean look of the room was nice and it had subtle Disney touches for the Disney fanatics. On the other side was the king bed and couch. Then we looked at our view out the window. The view we chose was standard and it overlooked Hollywood Studios! We were able to see the Tower of Terror and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. This was so cool and a perfect thing to wake up and see each morning. Now, based on the first view of the lobby and the room, I would say we were satisfied with the choice to stay here and it would only get better.
Restaurants
We did check out the resort’s restaurants while staying here too. This was fun because typically we stay at the Value Resorts because we are never at the resort. This resort provided us with so many opportunities to explore and see more of the amenities.
The first restaurant we tried was called Three Bridges at Villa Del Lago. Now the water is called the Lago Dorado so this is the restaurant on the water. It has three bridges that lead to it so no matter where you are staying at the resort, you can get to it. We were able to try some of the food here and the vibe was so fun. I describe it as a patio type feel on the water. We sat on patio furniture and had a perfect view of the Gran Destino Tower. We each tried the Sangria flight to drink. This was a sampling of all of the sangria wines they have to offer. It came served on a tower and each pour was garnished. All of the sangria was very good. They had four samples including their Espumoso Sangria (sparkling), Rosado Sangria (rose), Blanco Sangria (white), and Tinto (red) Sangria. I enjoyed them very much and would recommend this if you are into sangria. We tried a couple of appetizers here as well. We tried the roasted corn dip and the Manchego Cheese and Oaxaca Cheese Dip. They were both very delicious and would highly recommend them both as a nice bite to eat. Lastly, we tried the braised pork tacos. These were so good. A perfect street taco that was worth the order if you ask me. After that, they had brought us out samples of their churros. We were celebrating our anniversary and honeymoon so this was a nice gesture of the restaurant to bring out. I am not kidding when I say that this might have been the best churro we ever had. Definitely try them here if you are given the chance. Overall, the restaurant was a home run and the view and atmosphere had us go back again before we left.
Next up, we tried Rix Sports Bar and Grill. I went here twice on the trip. Once was for a bachelor party brunch with a good friend and one was our last meal before we left. The bar was a typical sports bar and might have been a tad pricey but it was not crazy expensive that I could find. If you are at a sports bar at Disney, it is about what you would expect. I had the breakfast burrito for brunch and my buddy had the rix omelette. Both were good size breakfasts and pretty good. We enjoyed it very much and would suggest the restaurant if you are looking for a slower start to the morning with a sit down breakfast. It was not anything I would have to do again but it was enjoyable. Next up was lunch at Rix on our last day. Abby and I went back here for lunch and tried their “Watchos”. These were waffle fry Irish Nachos and let me tell you, they were amazing. If you go to Rix, it is a must order. We then had their specialty hot dog and a nashville hot chicken sandwich. Both were good and would recommend them. Overall, I would not rate this restaurant as a must do, but it is a nice option at the resort for a bite if you are looking to kill some time. The food is good sports bar food and the vibe is a classic feel.
Next, we tried the Dahlia Lounge. This was one we had gone to twice as well. We liked all of these restaurants so much we did go back multiple times. This was a really cool lounge bar that had indoor and outdoor seating. We decided to sit outside. This was a great choice because from the 16th floor of the tower, you can see Epcot, Swan and Dolphin hotels, Hollywood Studios, Blizzard Beach, and Animal Kingdom. Wow, that is quite the view if you lean your head over the ledge and look all around. The seating was patio seating and had high top tables and lower top tables to choose from. The first night we just had some drinks. Abby had the Espumosa Punch and I had the Alla Prima Manhattan. Both drinks were very delicious and the vibe once again was a perfect ten. A more chill vibe on the 16th floor with some pretty delicious drinks. We went back 3 nights later and this is where we tried the food. We tried the spiced sherry-honey chicken wings, the ham and cheese bocadillo sandwich, and the croquettes. All of the food was very good. These were all great late night snacks and would highly recommend them. This might have been our favorite spot and if you have the chance, go!
Lastly, I have to mention the Barcelona Bar. This one is open for the morning and closes at noon. It is the coffee bar that is in the lower lobby area. They have a lot of great drinks and coffee experiences. All native to the spanish culture the resort portrays, you cannot go wrong. They are known for the Cafe Bombon drink. It is two shots of espresso and two shots of sweetened condensed milk. They serve them on top of each other and they have you mix them together to create the perfect jolt to the morning. I would get this if you are a coffee person!
Final Thoughts
Take all of this together with the views, the architecture, the art, and the beauty and you have one heck of a hotel. The staff was super nice, the hotel is massive, the resort is massive, and it is so perfect. I have to say, I do feel pretty spoiled to have stayed here. It has jumped into my favorite hotel I have stayed at and might just be my favorite on property. I highly recommend this resort to all looking for a good resort to stay at. The whole resort will fall into this because a lot of this review was about the resort rather than just the tower. If you can stay in the tower, I would, as it really adds a cool vibe to the stay. I mean, just go up to the 16th floor for a drink and have a fun filled night!
This is a moderate resort, but let me tell you, it really does feel like a Deluxe. The hotel is so new and has all of the bells and whistles. The hotel is not in your face Disney, but if you keep your eyes peeled, you will see Mickey all around. The hotel is themed after Salvidor Dali and his animation Dahlia. The subtle tones of both Disney and Dali are perfect and really come through to make this a one of a kind hotel. If you do stay here, take in the beauty and the architecture. I have a favorite picture that will be shown below and let me tell you, it is beautiful and fits to the grand scale of the modern hotel. Have you stayed at the Gran Destino Tower? If you have, let us know in the comments below and remember to share with others! We really want to help others escape into the magic, no matter how far. Until next time enjoy this final photo, stay safe and keep getting your Disney side on.
Muting & The Mouse 