David L.
Yelp
This is our 4th consecutive year here in Orlando for the National High School Cheerleading Championships and every year we've stayed at a different place.
Located less than 10 minutes away from Disney World, BVS is prominently found at the corner of World Center Dr and Hwy 535. Directly next door on World Center Dr is their more upscale sister property, the Caribe Royale. BVS is about a 7 story building. I don't know exactly how many rooms, but I do know that if you arrive back around midnight, there will be no parking spaces remaining. So let's try to get more parking spaces BVS.
Check-in was a breeze. The receptionist on duty was friendly and got us a room on the second floor. The 2 elevators in the main lobby were fast. I'm sure they have different designs and the room we got had a small "living room" when you first enter, then a short hallway which led to the bedroom with a large king. The living room had a love seat with a pull out bed, a chair, small table, small tv, small fridge and microwave. The bedroom in addition to the king sized bed had a flat screen tv and double door closet. On the far end of the room was a large window that gave us a view of the parking lot. One interesting that was new to me were the 2 built in flexible "reading light" right above each bedside table.
I don't know the exact date this hotel began operation, but some places you can tell there have been renovations. One such place is the bathroom. Polished metal, fancy sink, our renovated shower was immaculate and modern. I was even impressed with the sliding door and tile. It made me want to renovate my bathroom at home.
Housekeeping did a good job tiding up the room each day. We never tried the pool or the gym, but we certainly tried the included breakfast for 3 mornings. Their breakfast dining room is large and accommodating. There are two hot breakfast lines with scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, waffles, pancakes, grits and even oatmeal. They rotate it so you don't get all of that every morning. One thing you can get every morning is the made to order eggs. Wait, don't get too excited. No omeletes or cheese. Only sunny side up or over easy. So nothing exceptional about breakfast, but still a decent hot breakfast with juices, tea and of course coffee.
Another interesting thing is that off the main lobby is a little pizzeria that stays open very late. We tried their pizza and wings one night and it was pretty good. It's a very nice option for guests who want a late night snack without having to drive anywhere.
The one last thing I want to address that everyone will remember about this hotel is the "smell". When you first walk into the hotel, it will hit you like a ton of bricks. Don't worry, despite what one reviewer wrote, it's not a "bad" smell, but it is quite strong and noticeable. The closest I can describe it is that it's the original scent of tide laundry detergent. It didn't bother me, but I can see how it could for people with very sensitive noses. Despite that one reviewer's report, the scent was only localized in the lobby area. I did not smell it in the breakfast dining room or our bedroom.
I do want to mention that there is a small shopping center directly across the street with a CVS, pizza joint, souvenir shop, indian restaurant and a 7 Eleven with a gas station. We didn't have any problems during our 3 night stay and I wouldn't have any reservations about staying there again. There are nicer places and even worse places, but for the price of about $120 a night that close to Disney, it's not a bad deal. Maybe next time I'll get to try the pool.