Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa is a sprawling hotel nestled across from Disney Springs. It is a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort which means that it contains only timeshare rooms, these are bigger and better than your standard hotel rooms. And just because it is a DVC resort doesn’t mean only DVC members can stay there. Regular guests can book rooms here as well. Let’s take a deep dive into our Saratoga Springs resort review after recently getting an opporunity to stay there.
The whole resort is themed after the historic Saratoga Springs, a town in New York State famous for horse racing and its spas. This beautiful sprawled out resort has views of the Sassagoula River, Lake Buena Vista Golf Course or the resort grounds. Be prepared for a resort where you have to walk to get to things. If you don’t have a car with you on your trip you may find getting around this resort to be frustrating. To avoid needing extra transportation see if you can get a room in The Springs building as it is the closest to all the main amenities.
Avid golf fans are going to love this Disney resort. This is the only Disney owned resort that is connected to a golf course. It is actually surrounded on three sides by the Lake Buena Vista golf course.
Inside a Studio Room at Saratoga Springs
There are 1,260 rooms spread across Saratoga Springs. They offer four levels of resort rooms, plus the Treehouse Villas located next door. The room levels are a studio, one-bedroom, two-bedrooms, and three bedrooms.
On our trip, we opted to stay in a studio room as it was just my husband and I. Studios can sleep up to four people. There are one queen-size bed and one double sleeper sofa in each room. We were surprised with how spacious the room felt at 355 square feet, but that was probably in large due to the sofa and not two full beds. I would say about half of the room was taken with the sleeping area and the other was dedicated to the kitchenette and bathroom area.
Dining Options at Saratoga Springs
Artist Palette
We were really impressed with this quick-serve dining location. We had some sandwiches here before heading into the park for the evening. We checked in and they were fantastic. Our whole party was super surprised with how good everything was.
The Turf Club
Rancher’s Reserve Prime Rib. Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Broccolini, and Au Jus.
It’s a little hard to find this place if you don’t know where it is. The restaurant sits behind the main pool area. You would park at the same spot as if you were playing golf at Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. The restaurant mirrors the feeling of a racetrack clubhouse.
Read Our Full Review of the Turf Club
Saratoga Springs Pool and Recreation
Saratoga Springs has a large central main pool as well as several smaller quiet pools. As the main pool features waterfalls and water slides this tends to the busiest area for the resort. If you are trying to have a quiet adult only trip this would be a pool to skip as it was an attraction for many of the kids at the resort.
The Saratoga Springs Resort Overview
On the plus side here you can find some amazing prices as it is a DVC resort and you can rent points at a discount. Plus as a DVC resort, you have access to groceries at the main shop and at the very least a small kitchenette in your room. The location of this resort is perfect if you plan on wanting to spend a lot of time at Disney Springs or Typhoon lagoon as those are the two closest Disney locations. Disney Springs can easily be walked to or you can take a boat in. The drawbacks to Saratoga Springs is the theming is rather subtle and not as elaborate as some other resorts, like the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The only other thing we weren’t crazy about here was the bus service. It was faster and easier for us to just take our car everywhere but we know this isn’t an option for everyone. This was in large part due to the many bus stops inside the resort. So it’s important to consider before deciding to stay here.
I have been visiting the parks annually since my parents first brought me at just a year old. Recently I was able to fulfill my life long dream of being a Florida local and moved from the wintery Northeast to the sunshine and fun of central Florida. Now I am hoping to share my Disney knowledge with you so you can have the best vacation possible!
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Adam Collier
Tuesday 23rd of October 2018
Hi Patty, SS has always appealed to me because of its proximity to DS. What’s the travel time on the Disney bus service to each of the theme parks?
Many thanks.
Patty Staricha
Tuesday 23rd of October 2018
It really depends on the day, the great thing is Disney recently added schedule boards to the bus area so you can see when the next bus is coming for each park plus now the Disney app will tell you bus times as well! When we stayed there we thought the biggest drag was having to make the insane amount of stops once at the resort had it not been late at night and we paid attention when we first got there we would have tried to shortcut and walk from a close stop.
NANCY HUGHES
Sunday 27th of May 2018
I will be staying November 7-1o but some comments i have read say SS is dirty, old furniture , roaches. How do you feel about this Also I am disabled and need to be close to DS.. What area would you reccomend
Patty Staricha
Sunday 27th of May 2018
When we were there it was showing signs of age and the baseboards had collected a few layers of crud. Outside of that though our room was perfectly fine to stay in. It is the closest you can get to Disney Springs if that is your top priority. There is also Port Orleans / Riverside that isn't too much further from Disney Springs you can take a boat to the area. I would say regardless that if you have an issue when you arrive call the front desk and let them fix it, they can move you or send someone in to clean better, etc. Disney always bends backward to make their guests happy!