Tranquility, awesome amenities and a beautiful hotel make for a great family vacation. Read this Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress review to see if it’s right for your family.
I decided to do something different regarding our Disney World hotel this year. As much as I enjoy staying in timeshares, I opted for an offsite Disney hotel.
Choosing the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress was easy. I am still a Globalist member in their loyalty program, so we would have access to their Regency Club lounge. The resort also gets rave reviews on both Trip Advisor and FlyerTalk.
Location
As with most Disney hotels, it is about a 30-minute drive from the airport, with only about 5 minutes of it being off I-4. We arrived around 2 pm mid-week, yet the highways were not congested yet and we didn’t have any issue finding our hotel using my phones GPS.
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is actually a part of the Grand Cypress Resort complex including villas and a golf course. It is set back from the main road and requires each car to pass through their security gate.
Disney Springs is only 9 minutes away and you can take the back roads past the resorts on Buena Vista Drive.
Epcot and Magic Kingdom are one exit down on I-4 and that even took less than 15 minutes to get there. We were surprised how easy it was since we are used to staying on International Drive which takes about 25 minutes depending on traffic.
First Impressions
The private drive leading to the hotel was serene and peaceful. When arriving at the resort you can feel how large this place is (it is 1,500 acres!), yet how tucked away and isolated it is as well.
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is massive with 779 rooms. Walking into the lobby, it is open air with a grand feel. All floors of rooms are visible, yet you only see the connecting corridors. The rooms are down each of the 3 separate wings of the resort.
The lobby offers fruit infused water which I always find refreshing when coming back to the hotel after a day out.
Check-in was smooth and quick. We arrived in the afternoon, so our room was ready.
Room
I booked this room using Hyatt points (15,000 points per night) and a suite upgrade award. The award booked us into the Executive Suite which has a separate living area and additional bathroom.
It really is 2 connecting rooms of which one they decorated as a living room. The suite was located at the end of one of the long hallways.
We were on the 12th floor and faced the pool and the lake. This also gave us a view of the fireworks at Disney World. In fact, we could see Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs from our balcony. Further back in the distance was the Magic Kingdom, but we could only tell this from the fireworks.
Speaking of the balcony, I was a little disappointed because you could only step out onto it. There are no chairs for sitting. I wasn’t sure why it was done this way. Cost? Aesthetics? This resort is gorgeous and I could see myself lounging out here with coffee in the morning or a cold drink at night just admiring the scenery. But, I guess it’s not meant to be…
The bedroom part of the suite has a King bed, a chair with ottoman, 60” TV, mini-fridge and a desk. The parlor area had a couch, table with chairs and another 60” TV. Bathrooms were similar in each room in that they only had walk-in showers. There was no tub in either room. Keep this in mind for families with little ones. I don’t know if there are some rooms that have bathtubs or not.
Pools and Activities
This is where the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress really shines. Unfortunately, we couldn’t use most of these amenities because we were busy at the parks every day. We were only there for 4 nights, so we didn’t have a free day to lounge at the pool.
That didn’t stop me from taking pictures, though! I think I took 25 pictures of the pools and grounds alone. I’m sure these pictures don’t do it justice.
The pool isn’t just one pool – it’s a series of pools spanning a half acre complex. There are 12 waterfalls, 2 hot tubs, a water slide and a water jet park for little ones.
There are plenty of shaded areas by the pools with lounge chairs for those seeking refuge from Florida’s hot sun. Check out the inside of those grottos – they are lined with chairs.
Jogging trails outline the lake, but you can also rent bicycles and boats for free (well, it’s included in the resort fee).
There’s also a fitness center, Tennis and Raquetball Club and a Marilyn Monroe spa.
Restaurants
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress has 5 restaurants/lounges, plus a Market for coffee and quick snacks to go.
We did go to The Lakehouse the first evening we arrived. They serve a casual breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. It was good, but pricey compared to my Midwestern standards. It was just my daughter and me and we spent $27 for a pizza and a cup of soup (no drinks of any kind).
Hemingway’s is for steak and seafood. It is located in the middle of the property situated on a cliff above the pool.
The pool and beach bar is called On the Rocks and looks to be a cool place to hang out when you are enjoying the outside amenities.
Hurricane’s Lounge and Trellis’s Bar and Lounge round out the remaining places for adult beverages.
Because this resort is set back from the road, it wouldn’t be the easiest to walk to any restaurant not on property. However, there are many within a 5-10 minute drive. Even the Disney Springs restaurants are only 10 minutes away. So, if there isn’t something here that appeals to you, you are not far away from any type of food you could want.
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Shuttle Service
Bus transportation is provided to the Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios and SeaWorld.
I would check to see if the shuttle times make sense for you.
For example, the shuttle to SeaWorld leaves twice in the morning, but the only return is at 7:00 pm. You need to think if you can work within those times because if you have youngsters, that’s a very long day.
Similarly with the Magic Kingdom, the first shuttle leaves at 8:30 am. After going through security and the ticket lines, you would not be able to make ‘rope drop’. If this isn’t important to you, saving the $22 per day WDW parking charge means more money for eating at the parks!
As of fall 2018, the following are the shuttle times:
- WDW Ticket & Transportation center – depart hotel: 8:30am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm
- WDW Ticket & Transportation center – depart park: 6:00pm, 8:00pm, 10:00pm, 11:00pm
- Universal – depart hotel: 9:20am, 11:20am
- Universal – depart park: 6:50pm, 8:50pm
- SeaWorld – depart hotel: 9:20am, 11:20am
- SeaWorld – depart park: 7:00pm
- Disney Springs – depart hotel: 4:00pm, 6:00pm, 8:00pm
- Disney Springs – depart park: 6:30pm, 8:30pm, 10:00pm
As always, please check the shuttle schedule when you check into the hotel.
You do need to make reservations at Guest Services 24 hours in advance of the preferred shuttle time.
Hotel Parking
As a Hyatt Globalist member staying on points, the parking fee is waived (valet included). For others, the self-parking charge is $22 per night or $31 per night for valet.
We always called the valet from our room before heading downstairs. Our car was downstairs waiting for us by the time we arrived every time.
I will say the self-parking was a bit of a hike to get back to the resort, but I was told you could take intra-resort transportation if you wanted.
Resort Fee
Something not to be overlooked is the resort fee. I really dislike resort fees. Usually, they amount to nothing but money that should have been included in the daily rate.
However, I will say the $30 resort fee at the Hyatt Grand Cypress does at least get you something.
If you take advantage of the shuttle transportation, bike usage and any water sport, you will make good use of that pesky fee.
Here is what is included:
- 24-hour Health Club
- 2 water bottles in room, replenished daily
- Water Sports: canoe, sailboat, paddle boat, Hydro bike and kayak
- Bikes: adult and child as well as two and four-person surreys
- 24-foot rock climbing wall
- 9 hole Pitch-n-Putt
- Water Slide
- Racquet Club court time
- Free local and toll-free phone calls
- Daily scheduled shuttle transportation: Disney World Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs, Universal Orlando, Sea World
Overall
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress has a lot to offer. It is close to the WDW theme parks and easily reachable to other Orlando activities.
If you can take advantage of all their amenities, it’s a great family place to stay.
Cash rates for a June 2019 stay price out at $189 per night plus tax right now but jump to $239 per night plus tax just a few weeks later. Remember to include the resort and parking fees if these apply to you.
This is a category 4 hotel costing 15,000 points per night. You could use the annual free night certificate that comes with the Hyatt credit card.
I would definitely stay here again. The openness of the resort, the serenity of the outdoor areas and the cleanliness overall provide a great backdrop for a fun family Orlando vacation.
If you are headed to WDW, read this article for ways to save money on Disney.
Looking to stay in Orlando for less money? Stay free with SPG at these hotels using Starwood and Marriot points.
Would you add anything else to this Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress review? Let me know in the comments!
