Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort

We stayed in a 2 bedroom unit near the tennis courts. Everything you need to enjoy a week's vacation is here. Completely furnished unit, multiple swimming pools, 4 golf courses, a Publix market, great location and more! The only glitch we had was check in. Unit not ready for us. Had to endure over an hour of lies and excuses that are almost comical but too much to write for this review. When in the theme park area check out Orange Lake for your lodging. Read less

We spent a week here in March amid the Coronavirus crisis, at a time when things were mostly shut down and the area likely quieter than usual. The short, to-the-point review is below, but a more detailed summary follows depending on what you want to know. Overall, I was satisfied with the stay. While there were minor inconvenience issues, Orange Lake has lots to offer so I can see why many return to it as a chosen vacation spot. The resort is chock full of activities for all ages; golf being the main attraction for adults, and various games and pool fun for families. It is easily accessible from the network of freeways surrounding Orlando and is minutes from the numerous area attractions. Nearby, you’ll find everything you need for food, drink and shopping. Certainly a great location as a home base for exploring what this part of Florida has to offer. Tips: If you’re staying in the East Village or River Island, there’s an alternative exit that takes you off the property without having to wind through the rest of the resort. If you’re a regular coffee drinker, you’ll need basket style filters as the complimentary pack they provide will cover you for just one day. Not sure if this only applies to our unit but we found the bedroom door would rattle any time the air conditioning kicked on; wedge it with a towel or face cloth. Read on if you more details... The grounds here are beautiful and spread out over a very large piece of property. Walking between the villages is doable but time consuming, so keep your car keys handy or make use of the shuttle service that runs at 20 minute intervals. The staff we encountered were friendly, particularly those working the gatehouse. As guests of a timeshare holder, we were lucky to somehow avoid the aggressive sales pitch other reviewers have mentioned. I did get a call from one salesperson two days in, who wanted to make sure “all our needs were met” but she quickly segued to a sales pitch. Her tone, however, became more subdued when I kept declining her offers of a tour. A day later, a note was on my door from another salesperson also wanting to make sure my needs were met...and an offer to be taken about the property. Fortunately the sales pitch ended there. With four “villages” spread about the property, you can venture anywhere and find things to do. River Island offers plenty of activities but smaller, quieter pools dot the landscape if you want to avoid the crowds. The Beach Club at the West Village is quieter with two large pools and a man-made beach if you really want that authentic beach feel. Wifi worked reasonably well throughout the resort, even poolside. What I didn’t like was the early morning disturbances of the grounds crew tending to the golf course every morning starting at 5am. It would first come in the form of someone relocating the cup on the green behind our building; a tapping and clanging of tools. Then, in almost 15 minute intervals, their noisy motor carts would come by grooming the course, fertilizing it, or doing some other kind of maintenance. I was lucky to sleep past 7 with all the commotion. Other annoyances include the messy pool deck at River Island where patrons leave their trash lying about; and people laying claim to the deck chairs with their towels but then disappearing for most of the day. I can’t really blame the resort for either of these but it’s frustrating as a customer. There is a sign indicating that chairs are not to be “saved” but there’s no way to monitor it. One member told us that you need to be on the deck between 7 and 8 if you want a chair. As for our suite in the East Village, it was very spacious for our party of four. A full kitchen with basic amenities (appliances, cutlery and dish ware, laundry, etc.), sufficiently sized living area, and two bathrooms fit our needs perfectly. We found it reasonably quiet but we’re not certain if the units on either side of us were even occupied. The suite was “surface clean”, meaning it looked presentable at a glance but the longer you stayed, the more you noticed: grimy handles and light switches; stains on furniture; food spills from previous tenants; and black mould in the shower. The decor was very tired and hotel-like, taking away from the “resort feel”. The living room furniture was mostly uncomfortable (gaudy too, in my opinion) and the smaller TVs seemed out of place for a resort that advertises luxury. This being my second resort in three years, I wasn’t as “wowed” as I thought I’d be. Perhaps my first resort set too high a standard. Nevertheless, Orange Lake has plenty to offer and I would return again if the price was right. Read less

Do not take the tour. My wife wanted to hear about the resort on a 90 minute tour MISTAKE. after 2 hours and fifteen minutes had to threaten to make a scene after multiple times saying not interested.The place is big and confusing it took me twenty minutes to realize the pro shop was in the Marketplace. I was there on a four week RCI week exchange. The do not give a weekly cleaning so my second and third week guest arrived to a dirty unit. They did clean first week on Monday second week only set clean linen although I arranged for a cleaning. I left after 16 days because of the Carona Virus. No monitoring of lounge chairs too many people save seats at pool for hours at a time Read less