Bryan’s Spanish Cove

There was plenty of room for our family of six, and the kitchen had everything we needed, even a blender. The upstairs neighbor could be heard, but it never got obnoxious. I also appreciated the full-size washer and dryer, which handled a few days’ clothes at once. Staff went out of their way with little things, like bringing packages to the room and helping with heavy bags. When my room wasn’t ready until 4, they even stored my frozen food for me while it was pouring rain. The beds were okay, though hard to compare with the cooling soft Temperpeatic Memory foam I have at home. This was the second part of my 2.5-week Florida trip, and it was hands down better than the bigger, pricier 'H' high brand name place. I’d recommend staying here.

We paid about a third of what two standard rooms near the venue would have cost, thanks to my husband’s corporate discount program. There were five adults in our group for my doctorate graduation, and the two-bedroom apartment gave us two full bathrooms, a kitchen, and a sofa-bed. It also had a washer and dryer, a full-size refrigerator, and three TVs. Everything was clean, bright, and comfortable. The front desk staff were wonderful, and we loved the pool and bathtub. The parks were 15 minutes away. It felt like being at home, and we didn’t have to eat out for every meal. This was a great find when nearby hotels wanted so much for a plain room.

We’ll be back. The staff were lovely and always ready to help, and the pool looks out over the lake. It’s a small, quiet resort in a handy spot, close enough to reach the Disney parks easily but still a good escape from them. The accommodation had what we needed, including a washer and dryer.

The mold in the kids’ bathroom was bad enough that we could smell it as soon as we went in, so we stopped using that bathroom. When we reported it, someone painted over it. Our other complaint was about the laundry closet, which they did address by adding a slide lock after our three-year-old kept trying to start the washer. But the suite doors mostly didn’t lock, and the kids could roam everywhere. We were woken at 4 a.m. when our older child jumped into bed with us. There was also heavy dust on the air vent, dirt and debris on the floor, and debris on the sheets, though I didn’t find bedbugs. We saw four roaches during the week. The first two were dying, which made me worry that our one- and three-year-olds might crawl into the poison left out. We tolerated those at first because we were at Disney most of the day and moving the unpacked family would have been a hassle. After the second complaint, staff said we should have spoken up sooner, even though the first report was on day two or three. They refunded a small amenities fee, which was little compared with the stay, and we barely used the poor amenities or pool anyway. We’d hoped Bryan's Spanish Cove would be as nice as the neighboring Hilton resort after booking too late for Hilton, but the listing photos were misleading. Even booking months ahead probably won’t get you a lake-view room. My advice is to let this resort rot like the other abandoned resorts around there.