One of my favorite places to stay

It is not secret that my family and I are huge Disney fans.  My wife have gone several times and have taken Alex once.  Growing up we were fortunate enough to make the trip to Disney about every other year.  In the more than a dozen times that I've been to Disney we have stayed at a variety of hotels on and off property.

Now that I have a family of my own I prefer to stay on property.  Staying at a hotel outside of the Disney properties means renting a car and driving everywhere we want to go.  Dad used to say that part of going on vacation for him was not having to drive everywhere and I feel the same.  There is something very calming to know that once I step foot on Disney property I won't have to worry about driving anywhere, finding parking spots, or filling the tank.

I'm not sure when we started to stay in the hotels just outside of Epcot but the area quickly became my favorite.  There are five resorts in that area and three that I have stayed in.  Furthest out are the Swan and Dolphin hotels, then the Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk.  Yacht and Beach Club's are closest to Epcot.  On one of our stays at the Beach Club we had a walkout room that was less than a five minute walk to the entrance to Epcot.  The Yacht and Beach Clubs also offer two awesome pools my favorite being Stormalong Bay.

Stormalong Bay features a shipwreck that boasts one of the tallest resort water slides in Disney.  The bottom of the pool is a sand like material that is easy on the feet.  It even has a whirlpool that sends you spinning in circles.  Aside from the pool is one of my favorite little eateries.  Beaches and Cream Soda Shop.  Modeled after an old soda shop it has great burgers and awesome ice cream.

On the other side of the lake is Boardwalk Hotel.  So far this is a personal favorite.  It is modeled after turn-of-the-century Atlantic City.  There are many little shops and places to eat along the boardwalk.  Rach and I honeymooned at Boardwalk and were lucky enough to have a room that faced Epcot.  This allowed us to watch the nightly fireworks from our balcony.  There is a great souvenir/grocery store, sweets shop, art gallery, and other restaurants and entertainment that attract guests from the surrounding hotels. 

Probably the best feature of any of these hotels is their proximity to Disney Hollywood Studios (or MGM as it will always be for me) and Epcot.  Epcot is a five minute walk while MGM is either a 15 minute walk or 10 minute boat ride.  For our last trip with a small child with this was ideal because we wouldn't have to wait for buses when going to two of the four parks.  It also made it easier to take a break from the parks and come back to the hotel when Alex needed a break.

For someone like me that enjoys staying out late to take pictures in the park and of the hotel areas it is an ideal place to stay.  Again I don't have to wait for buses and I can really take my time going where I need/want to go.  I can carry equipment with me and not have to worry about it getting damaged by someone with a huge shopping bag or stroller bumping into me and damaging it.

An added bonus for any of these hotels is the proximity to the Fantasia Gardens mini golf course.  Just a short walk from any of the hotels and you can play on two different incredible mini golf courses.  One is designed like an actual golf course with sand traps and other hazards.  The other is themed after the Fantasia movie and is more of what you would typically think of for a mini golf course.  My wife and I always have competitions when we play there and I'm looking forward to continuing that with my son.