Boardwalk Villas Resort

Click here to take a photo tour of the Boardwalk Resort.

Overview

Boardwalk Villas Resort is located across the lake from the Beach and Yacht Club Resorts, the boardwalk is a unique combination of hotel and entertainment complex. Coney Island, with it's amusement parks of the past, come to mind at this throwback resort - although this boardwalk is much cleaned-up compared to it's seedy predecessors.

Each afternoon and evening there are entertainers and games as well as other unusual (but somehow seeming "typical" for a turn of the century seaside resort) such as hand wax molding and specialty food pushcarts (crepes and  popcorn, for example).  

Along the boardwalk itself (yes, there really is a wooden boardwalk, more accurately a pier, along the waterfront) are several restaurants, a bakery, and a handful of night clubs.  At night, the clubs and restaurants get very busy, lending a frantic air to the otherwise elegant atmosphere.

Be aware of the difference between the Boardwalk Inn and the Boardwalk Villas Resort.  The Inn is a deluxe hotel.  The Villas are a Disney Vacation Club (timeshare) property that rents out excess capacity to the public.  The Villas are a "Home Away From Home" resort with generally larger rooms and kitchen facilities.

Room Description

The rooms at the Boardwalk Villas Resort are even more spacious than the ones next door at the Inn.  They are tastefully decorated in a seaside cottage motif (fabrics and colors never seem to match, but everything coordinates nicely).  The carpet in the hallways looks for all the world like it's made of wood (but the soft footfalls prove that eyes can be deceived.)

There are four categories of rooms:

• In a Studio you'll find a typical hotel room set up with a queen bad and sleeper sofa or daybed, bathroom (with a single sink in the vanity area), desk, television in a cabinet with some drawers underneath, and a small table with a couple of chairs.

• The One-Bedroom Villa are much larger with a master  bedroom suite with a king-sized bed, a full bath (with shower), and a whirlpool tub.   There is also a full living room with a sleeper sofa and a kitchen and dining area adjoining.

• The Two-Bedroom Villa is essentially an adjoining One-Bedroom Villa and Studio with a connecting door.

• The Grand Villa is huge.  It's bigger than my house!  Literally!  It has three bedrooms each with it's own bathrooms (the master bedroom has the wonderful whirlpool tub) and a living room and full kitchen and dining room.

In a studio, only limited "kitchen" facilities are provided.  You'll find a wetbar, coffee maker, and small under-counter microwave, and small refrigerator.  The kitchens in the one- two- and three bedroom accommodations are full ones with all appliances (refrigerator, stove and oven, microwave, toaster, blender), dishes, glassware, pots and pans, silverware, and utensils.  You'll also find paper towels, dish soap and a sponge in either "kitchen."

One tremendous feature of all of the Boardwalk Villas rooms except the studios is the washer and dryer (full size in the Grand Villas and a stacked pair in the others).

Preferred Room Locations

The Boardwalk Villas are considered one of the premium resorts at WDW.  It's not hard to see why.  The themeing is fabulous, the rooms are magnificent, and the restaurants and night clubs down on the boardwalk are icing on the cake.  The drawback to this resort, though, is wear and tear on your feet.  you'll find that the walk to the bus stop is a long one.  The walk back to Epcot's International Gateway is long, too.  Even a stroll from your room to Dundy's Sundries or the Screen Door to pick up a box of Band-Aids for your blisters can be excruciating toward the end of a week-long visit.  To add to the problem, there is only one single solitary sole lone pair of elevators for the entire Boardwalk Villas.  They're located down the hallway from the lobby, past Dundy's Sundries.  I say these things as a preliminary to my main suggestion for room location requests for this resort...If you are lugging a stroller or just don't like walking up and down stairs, you should consider requesting a room near those wonderful mechanized contraptions.

The view out of your window is another thing you may wish to consider when making requests when you call to make your reservations.  Standard view rooms, on paper, gives the guest a view of the parking lot.  As at most Disney resorts, though, the view is hardly "standard."  Water view rooms will face Luna Park, the quiet pools, the canal (to the Studios) or the grand prize -- the Boardwalk itself.  The garden view rooms provide peeks at the courtyards and groomed grounds.

One other matter on room location is that the rooms really are quiet, even the ones located right over the boardwalk itself.  If you open the door to your balcony, you'll hear everything that is going on down below.  Watching the goings-on down below can be an interesting pastime if you're a people-watcher.  But regardless, with the door closed, all will be quiet inside your room.

Food and Drink

An ESPN World Sports Bar, "The Atlantic Dance" a 1930's style big-band ballroom, and "Jellyrolls", a dueling piano bar favor the boardwalk itself. A bakery and a couple of full-service restaurants have been opened, as well. "Spoodles" dishes up Mediterranean Fare while "Big River Grill" specializes in grilled seafood.

The Belle Vue Room serves continental breakfast or you might choose to run down to the bakery for a pastry and coffee.

Activities

The shared swimming pool is themed to be reminiscent of the old era Coney Island amusement parks called "Luna Park." It includes a slide that looks like a roller coaster, as well as other themeing cues. In size, it's smaller than "Stormalong Bay" over at the YBCR but nicely appointed. Tennis courts, croquet, and miniature golf are also available. For the later, "Fantasia Gardens" features a themed miniature golf course based on the classic animated feature.

Disney Transportation

Watercraft is available to transport guests to EPCOT and the Disney Studios. EPCOT is actually so close that hoofing it to the International Gateway (EPCOT's backdoor) isn't too taxing. For everything else, the ubiquitous Disney bus will be your limo.  There is a single bus stop for the resort located way down a covered walkway halfway between the convention center and the lobby's circle drive.  The buses service all of the Epcot resorts, so service can be slow.

If you just missed the boat to MGM, you can still catch it by walking over to the Swan and Dolphin dock.

Other Comments

• A brief tour of the public areas of the resort are given on Saturday mornings.

• Community Hall, a perk for the DVC members, is a place where you can rent videos, play games, and just have a relaxing time.

• There is a keyed entry on the boardwalk level, behind the Wyland Gallery and down the hallway past the fitness center.  It's a short walk up the slight ramp to those elevators.

• There is a picnic area near the tennis courts along the canal to the studios.

• There is a small hot tub at the quiet pool.

• The fireworks from Epcot's IllumiNations can be seen from bridge that crosses to the Beach Club or from just outside the back door of the Inn.