Disney's Cottage at the Beach

Friday, September 27, 2003
by Sue Holland, MousePlanet staff writer

Disney's Vero Beach Resort is just a couple hours from WDW.

The Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World fall into the "Home Away From Home" category, with many of the units looking more like upscale apartments or condominiums than hotel rooms. The ultimate "Home Away From Home" though is not located within Walt Disney World but is located two hours away at Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

The resort consists of a beautiful inn, three buildings with studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom villas, and six beach cottages. The Disney Vacation Club resort has not yet sold out of the non-cottage units, so it is still relatively easy for non-members to book a stay here except during peak seasons.

The beach cottages are in such great demand they are generally always booked by members who own enough DVC points at Vero Beach to be able to book as soon as the booking window opens 11 months in advance. Non-members and DVC members who do not own enough points at Vero and must wait until seven months beforehand do not stand a chance of being able to book one of these beautiful cottages.

One of Vero Beach Resort's Beach Cottages.

Each beach cottage is a completely freestanding home, with over 2000 square feet of air-conditioned living space. They all face the beach and have a view of the ocean from the back upper deck. The cottages are two stories tall, with the living space upstairs in order to enjoy the view. The bedrooms are all located downstairs and have a view of the bushes lining the dune.

The Master Bedroom

The master bedroom is at the center of the lower level, and is large enough for the king-sized bed, armoire, nightstands and chair, without seeming crowded. There is no closet here, which seemed strange, but part of the armoire held two wardrobes with plenty of hangers.

The Master Bedroom armoire

The armoire is painted with a pretty beach scene, and serves its purpose storing the television plus the clothing needed even for long stays. From each bedroom there is a door to the lower back deck, which contains a small table and four chairs.

Narrow deck connecting the 3 bedrooms

With the table and chairs there is not much room for moving around, and without a view at this level, we did not use this deck at all during our stay. The master bathroom in all DVC resorts are beautiful, and the one in the cottage is no exception. A large spa bathtub is just on the other side of a window that opens into the bedroom. There is also a glass shower stall in another room, and the toilet has a door for privacy. The rest of the bathroom is open from inside the master bedroom.

The Master Bathroom

Also on the lower level are two other bedrooms and bathrooms. Each bedroom has two queen beds, an armoire, and nightstand. One of the bedrooms has a bathroom that also opens to the hallway, which would be accessible to guests who stay in the living room on the sleep sofa.

Both the second and third bedrooms are the same size.

Guests take a couple of steps up to the porch to enter the beach cottage, and then enter on the lower level outside of the three bedrooms. There is a table, which is convenient for dropping off your keys or packages that will eventually be carried upstairs.

The entry hall of the cottage.

The staircase connecting the upper and lower levels is quite attractive, and carpeting on the steps keeps the noise to a minimum. Because of the stairs and porch, none of the cottages are wheelchair-accessible.

Looking up

Looking down

Upstairs is an bright and attractive living area, lit by the many windows on all four sides. The dining room table easily seats a party of eight, and more people can be seated at the counter next to the kitchen. Utensils and dinnerware to serve 12 are provided. One of the sofas in the living room pulls out to sleep two people. Overall it is a beautiful and comfortable area to congregate or just relax to take a break from the hot sun.

View of dining area

The Living Room

The kitchen is well equipped, but you do need to bring your own chef!

There are two sun decks on the upper level - one in front facing the rest of the resort and a second in the back facing the ocean. The front deck is relatively small, and during the hot summer months we prefer to stay out back where there might be a breeze from the ocean.

Upper deck facing the resort

The upper deck facing the beach is quite large and has a table with four chairs in addition to a couple of lounge chairs. It is a great spot to sunbathe privately, and also good for eating outdoors.

Enjoying drinks on the upper back deck - the large building in the background is the inn.

View from the upper back deck - very pretty.

The front lower deck has a wonderful wooden porch swing, for relaxing, and watching for rabbits or people to pass by. The beach cottage is a wonderful luxury, and a great way to celebrate a special vacation if you can book one. If the event is ever available to a non-member, the nightly rate ranges from $690 to $1095 plus tax depending on the season in 2002. If you have the opportunity to stay in one, by all means grab it!

Enjoying the porch swing with the Larry Wilmot family from Scotland.

Contact Sue at sue.holland@mouseplanet.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sue has been hooked on Walt Disney World since her first visit in 1972 with her parents and younger brother. She kept returning more frequently until she moved to Florida in 1986.

After joining the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) in 1997, she now visits almost monthly. She also spends time at the DVC's non-WDW locations, and is experienced with the Disney cruise ships.

She takes many of these trips on her own, but she's also toured WDW with large groups of people, including families, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

She works as the Administrative Services Division Head for a large residential facility administered by the Florida Department of Children and Families. She currently resides in Southwest Florida with her teenage son.

Sue is one of our most prolific trip report writers. Read her trip report archive here.

You can contact Sue here.

Get the latest info about the resort at “Park Update: Walt Disney World.”

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